Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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GABF Medal Winning Brewery # 1 – Cloudburst Brewing


Cloudburst Brewing made the most of their time on the Great American Beer Festival stage. A colorful expletive on the shirt was straight to the point, “F*^%# ABInBev”

But let’s focus on the beer that earned them a bronze medal and also won in my informal, cool beer names awards that has no award (yet). Easy, Breezy, Beautiful won in the American-Style Wheat Beer.

After that, I would add the following to my first taster tray:

Happy Little Clouds – “a Bastardized” German Pilsner
Ministry Of Truth – Double Stout w/ Blackberries
The Ghost of Great Owl – Pumpkin Beer
Out of Touch – Throwback IPA w/ (mostly) Cascade & Chinook
Boom. Roasted! – Coffee Porter

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1st Visit – Broxton Brewpub

Tuesday, myself and my food critic K. headed west to Westood Village to check out the latest in the Tony Yanow, Artisanal Brewers Collective brewpub, Broxton.

The corner spot has been well utilized and is my favorite of the brewpub group so far since it is split into two levels with seating nooks all around and including a patio space as well. The ceilings soar above and practically screams for a mural of sorts. The only downside might be noise levels when the UCLA crowd is bumping (if their football team can pick up a W)

The food was really good, from skirt steak to biscuits to ribs and even a sweet potato tartlet with marshmallows that was like a bit of pie. It is good enough to make me want to return to eat options like the Mac n Cheese and the Fried Chicken.

Notice that I haven’t talked about the beer. I had the GABF medal winning Scotch Ale, Skag and it was really good. Strong and malty and perfect for a fall night out on the patio. I also had a Bell Marker beer, Peachside Pale which was quite nice. But no Broxton beers yet. The two brewer set-up might have reached a limitation on how much can be brewed. So like at 6th & La Brea, expect Stalking Horse, Bluebird and Bell Marker more than Broxton beers. Granted, as said, it is the same brewers but I sort of want to see what beers pair with the particular menu and chef.

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2nd Visit – Frogtown Brewery

I posted up a notice about the Frogtown 2nd Anniversary. But since I am crowd averse and pro-leftovers, I headed over on Sunday to see how this hidden little brewery is doing with their beers.

I ordered up a taster tray of beers that were new to me from the brewery. Here are the quick recaps….

Whipple Street Cream Ale
Crisp and malty with a touch of mandarin orange. Little hoppier than than expected. Liked it.

Hazy River IPA
Little better than the Nebula. More balance. But still pretty rough. Palate scraper, so not soft

Nebula Fog IPA
Serious and off putting grapefruit rind going on. Hazy in appearance but rough and bitter.

Prince George Imperial Porter
Very smooth. Rum coconut barrel thing going on. No burn. Favorite of the group

There was a nice sized Sunday crowd going. Atmosphere was very chill and very dark. There were a few new additions to the decor but it still looks like a steampunk library work in progress. There were 9 Beers on tap and the fridge was filled with Kinky Blonde and more Feather It In IPA cans.

I probably should have picked up the Broken Vessel pumpkin beer as well to see if it is still a winner like it was last visit but overall, they seem to be growing slowly.

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BC Cidery # 3 – Dominion Cider


Our final BC cider visit is in Summerland at Dominion Craft Cider. The name stems from Experimental farms named Dominion, “stretching from coast to coast, including one in Summerland. Set up to study and develop new apple varieties introduced by early settlers from Europe…”

Here are the ciders that I would try…
Dominion Craft Cider
“Our flagship pub-style craft cider. It has a light golden colour with a lively effervescence in the glass. It has a distinctive apple aroma with a full-bodied mouthfeel from the blend of apple varietals in each batch.”

Dominion Ginger Cider
“Our limited-batch ginger cider co-created with Dickie’s Ginger. This ginger cider combines the crispness of our dry apple cider with real ginger to add a complex aroma and a hint of spice.”

They also have a rhubarb version and a Cascade dry-Hopped cider that I would sample as well.

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2 Reel

I have only tasted beers from Reel Brewing once. They were sub-par and since I have not seen them around either on draft or on store shelves, they were out of sight and mind.

But recent Instagram activity, shows that they are building out in Van Nuys near MacLeod and are also planning a location in my Glendale.

Hopefully, the beers have improved over time. I will keep you posted as to further news.

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B.C. Cidery # 2 – The Naramata Cider Co.


Our middle stop is the Naramata Cider Co. where you can fancy big bottles or opt for their pear cider in stubbies.

My taster tray starts with that Okanagan pear cider…

Pear Cider
“Crafted from 100% local pears. Just pears. Fresh pears, tasty pears, not overtly pear, refreshing, delicious.”

CMS – L❤vander
“Pink Lady apples + local Lavender Limited Production. Apple cider falls in ❤, romanced by the rows of beautifully scented lavender that line our orchard edge.”

CMS – Peaches + Cream
“Local Apples fermented with splash of fresh Naramata peaches. Limited Production.
Apple cider kissed with a healthy dose of neighbor and farmer extraordinaire, ‘Super Dave’ Pedersen’s peaches.”

CMS – Gin Botanicals
“Local Apples co-fermented with Legend Distilling’s Gin Botanicals Limited Production. Apple cider co-fermented with locally foraged botanicals used in crafting our neighbor, Legend Distilling’s, Dark Moon Gin.”

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How Many Warriors

Another brewery is waiting in the L.A. wings….

from the Three Chiefs Instagram feed

…and it appears that Three Chiefs Brewing already has a super-dedicated following. So much so that at a recent bottle and can sale, they had plenty of rules governing the standing in line with people apparently asking how early the NIGHT BEFORE, they could begin their vigil.

Obviously, wider release of the beer may dim that fervor a bit but expect this place to be busy when tap room doors open.

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BC Cidery # 1 – Left Field Cider


Our first apple-laden stop is good timing for the MLB surge to the post-season at Left Field Cider. Here you will get English styled ciders from the founders who actually studied under cider makers in the English industry.

Here is what I would add to my initial sample tray:

Big Dry – Dry Sparkling Cider
“Our driest cider will attract those looking for a more traditional style cider. The blend is dominated by bittersweet cider apples whose rich tannins are balanced by the fruity aromatics of Okanagan dessert apples.”

Little Dry – Dry Sparkling Cider
“Light and refreshing with a slight effervescence, our Little Dry is blended to highlight the natural characteristics of the crisp, fresh apples from which it was made.”

…and something from their limited series…
“The cidermaker’s select series was created to allow our customers to join us on our journey as we explore new cider apple varieties, blends and fermentation techniques. Enjoy these limited release ciders while they are available, because once the tank runs dry they will be gone for good.”

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1st Visit – Bluebird Brasserie

Finally, I made my way out to the final of the three new Tony Yanow ABC brewpubs, Bluebird Brasserie.

Here is the beers drunk quick recap:

TJ’s Tripel
Comes out strong. Orange notes. Smooth. Silky.

Chapeau du Jour Amber
Woodsy. Light. Grassy. Oaty. A bit unbalanced.

Stay Gold
Light. Decent blonde. A bit bland. Could use some Belgian character.

Les Incompetents Rillo hoppy Saison
Really nice. Good hop hit. With a side order of Saison.

The space looks bigger in the website photos but this is essentially one room with a bar at the back of the space. With the sunlight coming through either open or shut windows, it is less Castle-esque and more whimsical brick arches. A Harry Potter film was playing on the TV (too many) and I felt I was watching from inside Hogwarts minus the Butterbeer.

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Paperback


Open the cover, there is a new brewery on the way. Near the Glendale Tap off of the San Fernando drag comes the new Paperback Brewing. What we know is that the location is 422 Magnolia Avenue in Glendale. My adopted town! And that they will make the vague, “handcrafted ales & lagers.”

More info to come on this new enterprise.