Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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1st Visit – Henson Brewing

If you thought you were caught up on Los Angeles beer (even I am not), well another new one has opened….

…and it brings the Burbank brewery count to 4. Henson Brewing soft opened over the President’s Day Weekend. And it is even closer to where I work than the previous record holder, Lincoln Beer Co.

The taproom is a work in progress as was mentioned in the soft open announcement. As it stands now, the place looks very similar to other set-ups. There is a nice bar and a bit of non-bar seating. The roped off area probably signifies that more seating is coming. The cold box is way back in the corner and the brewing equipment is lined up neatly on the opposite wall.

On tap over the long weekend were the Double Blackjack Porter, My Lucky Linda Pale Ale and Don’t Call Me Hay’z was on deck. There were no taster flights ready yet so I started with the Madison Wheat Beer which was both murky and unappetizing looking. Flavor wise it was still a little too green, needed more time to lose some sweetness. It was tapped to early. The 2nd beer was Winthrop, a British IPA. It looked much better. It was very malt forward and could have used a bit more hop zing in my opinion though others could disagree.

I will check out the other beers and report back and let you know how the four Burbank breweries shake out ranking wise.

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1st Visit – Common Space Brewing


While visiting State Brewing earlier this month, I drove west on El Segundo to make a first visit to Common Space. I had only tried one of this new brewery’s beers so I was interested in tasting a flight and getting a better handle on how they are doing, early in the run. SO early that the version numbers are still in use and a whiteboard (better suited for a corporations meeting room) were still in effect.

The space is huge with a nice amount of seating inside and a large patio outside that buts right up to a dedicated food truck spot (which shows some forward thinking). There is a large brewing area and to the right seems just empty space punctuated by a few bags of grain.

For the beers, I tried the Pils, Jasmine Saison, Strong Saison and the new version of the IPA. All were very strong with my winner of the group being the Pils. I skipped over the Light Beer and Coffee Stout. Saving those for a future visit. The color palette was really nice and it is an overall strong start quality wise.

I am not a fan of the name or the interlocking circle motif. Both seem, well, common and don’t really scream Hawthorne or Los Angeles to me. Though you can argue that Space and Space X are matching but that seems a reach to me. Maybe the locked down versions of the beers will bear names that tie into the community.

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Canadian Brewery Tour # 2 – Mt. Begbie


To Revelstroke (great city name) we go to e-visit Mt. Begbie Brewing.

The brewery is named after Mt. Begbie, and the mountain is named after Matthew “Hanging Judge” Begbie, a character from Revelstoke’s history and it was voted Canadian Craft Brewery of the year 2017.

Here are the beers that I would put into a taster tray….
Bob’s Your Dunkel (Winter seasonal)
“Brewed in the Dunkelweisen tradition, this is a rich, unfiltered wheat beer (Weissbier) loaded with chocolate and Munich malts.”

Tall Timber Ale
“A dark, full-bodied English Brown Ale alive with rich malt flavour, caramel undertones and a slight residual sweetness. The use of Goldings finishing hops and an authentic top cropping ale yeast round out the traditional Brown Ale character.”

Powerhouse Pale Ale
“A generous portion of lightly roasted malt gives this beer a smooth yet distinctive character.”

Nasty Habit IPA
“A generously hopped IPA, balanced by a diabolical blend of rich specialty malts and pure mountain water.”

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1st Visit – Long Beach Beer Lab


Gotta love the 710 Freeway on a Sunday. It was an easy glide down to Willow Street for a first visit to the Long Beach Beer Lab.

And it is a lovely set-up. Big, airy warehouse ceilings. Barrels at the window on the right as you walk in, fermenters on the left. And food, the LBBL also makes bread and pizza. You can even buy a loaf to go!

There is a pretty Van Gogh-ish star painting heading up the stairs to the balcony seating where you can view the downstairs and its long rusted look reverse L bar and rustic rustic tables.

All of the beers looked lovely. Fluffy heads to them. And the bartenders were more attentive and helpful even coming out from behind the bar to talk. The set-up reminded me of a lit version of what Phantom Carriage has done in Carson.

Here are some back of the envelope reviews of the six beers that I sampled….

Bier D’Agrumes
Light and bright. Beautiful lemon taste. A bit thin.

Rye Not ???
Kvass style. Little tartness. Rustic.

To Blave
Very similar to Naughty Sauce except a touch thinner. Nice soft pillowy texture to it.

LB 4.20
NE IPA bright pineapple. Again soft and feathery. Quite bitter though at the back.

Berries Chocolatey Nuts
Jam upfront for sure. Candied peanut taste follows. Weird. Almost like potpourri

Super NES
Dry Hopped Saison funky aroma. Sour IPA’ish. Tart but balanced by the hops.

Overall, I was quite impressed by the beers. They all had a touch of thinness to them which might be a house style and a point of differentiation from other breweries that are all about big.

With Ten Mile just down the road on Willow and with Steelcraft and Smog City just up Atlantic. This is a neat little beer hop.

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Canadian Brewery Tour # 1 – Strathcona Beer Co.


We head to one of the oldest neighborhoods in Vancouver, Strathcona to see what beers are on offer from Brewmaster Michael “Fezz” Nazarec

Vienna Lager
“Vienna-style lager, amber in colour with a subtle caramel and toasted quality. Subtle hop presence with a crisp, malt finish. An easy drinking, mildly carbonated, premium lager.”

British IPA
“This is first and foremost a classic, English IPA. This style is recognized for a flavouring more balanced between hops and malt as opposed to the more hop-forward IPAs of the Pacific Northwest. This is also reflected by the low hop aroma. The light hop flavouring comes from the traditional English hops Fuggles and UK Goldings. This light gold coloured beer has a moderate citrus flavour, low fruityness and a dry finish.”

RYE ESB
“Our Rye English Special Bitter has an abundance of well-rounded malts, a crisp bitter finish, and a hop character that is moderate and balanced with a touch of dark caramel flavours.”

Belgian Gold 40
“A pale, complex, effervescent, strong Belgian-style ale that is highly attenuated and features fruity and hoppy notes, with a complex aroma, significant fruity esters, moderate spiciness and low to moderate alcohol and hop notes.”

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Durham Brewery # 3 – Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending


We end our field trip to Durham with a stop at a brewery / blendery Barrel Culture. A purveyor of primarily American Wild Ales that are brilliantly colorful in photographs.

Here are my choices for a taster flight (with one palate cleansing stout thrown in)
Y’all So Last Year – Berliner Weiss
Summer Jam – Strawberry, Sweet Dark Cherry, and Pinot Noir Grapes
So Icyyy Base – Passion Fruit And Pink Guava
Game Over – Passionfruit, Mosaic, & Galaxy
Coal Juice Imperial Stout

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First Water Brewing


Pasadena may be adding more beer to its future. Thanks to a Food GPS tip, I heard about First Water Brewing. I didn’t see tap room or opening information but I did find a beer list….

India pale ale
“A true west coast style hop explosion with a massive floral aroma. This hop bouquet of citrus and tropical fruit notes is supported with the earthy bitterness of chinook and warrior hops.”

P-22, Pale ale
“True to style and California tradition this pale ale is a great session beer full of malt and hop character.”

Trouble makers descendant, Honey Porter
“The union of chocolate, roasted barley, honey and coffee flavors are supported by a creamy full body that finishes with a robust profile.”

Switchback Saison
“A refreshing farmhouse style ale with a subtle citrus aroma that will quench the parched.”

Fire Breaker, Amber
“Full of biscuit and malty characteristics , this barley driven ale also provides a great hop aroma.”

Sage & Rye IPA
“The fragrant, herbal aromas of local sage, hops and pine take over the nose and palate which delicately balance with a rich malty sweetness.”

The Honey Porter and that final entry of Sage & Rye intrigue me the most.

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Durham Brewery # 2 – Clouds Brewing


Our next stop in Durham is at Clouds Brewery. This brewery has spots in both Raleigh and Durham. Clouds began brewing in March 2016, they tilt towards European lagers and ales.

Wolkenbräu Lager
“Hybrid German-American Lager brewed with imported Nobel hops and German pilsner malt with the addition of American adjuncts for a light crisp finish. Our Wolkenbräu lager was the Gold Medal winner of the 2016 NC Brewer’s Cup for Commercial Light Lager!”

One Eye Pale Ale
“Hybrid English-American Pale Ale brewed with imported British pale malts and generously dry hopped with both imported east Kent Goldings and American grown Cascade hops. The bready malt body is well balanced by a combination of US and UK hops.”

Precipitation Pilsner
“Our brewery’s 5th release, the Precip Pils, is a German style Pilsner that showcases a prominent hop bitterness over a mellow malt sweetness.”

Mission to Märzen
“An amber lager, showcasing Pilsner, Vienna and Munich malts. This beer is smooth and malty with just a touch of alcohol on the finish.”

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Durham Brewery # 1 – Ponysaurus Brewing Co.


This month we head to Durham, North Carolina. A family friend was in town from the land of Duke and it prompted me to take a peek at breweries in the area. Let’s head to one now….
http://ponysaurusbrewing.com/
Ponysaurus Brewing has an origin story unlike others in that they started brewing in an attic. In what must have been a claustrophhically tiny space that was above the entrance to The Cookery in Durham, NC.

They have been named a “Next Level Brewery” by Food & Wine, and thrillist.com calls their beer “the best pint in Durham, and one of the 50 most underrated breweries in America.”

So here is a sample taster tray to peruse….
Oyster Saison
“Brewed originally in collaboration with Durham’s St. James Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar, this dry, hoppy Oyster Saison is the perfect ode to the sea. 50 pounds of fresh, whole oysters infuse a whiff of ocean breeze, along with underlying notes of minerals and brine.”

Don’t Be Mean To People. A Golden Rule Saison
“North Carolina Farmhouse Ale. Proudly handcrafted and canned by Ponysaurus Brewing LLC in Durham, NC, with the help from other proud brewers and people, who believe in Rule No. 00000001.”

Bière De Garde
“An homage to higher-gravity French farmhouse ales, Biere de Garde roughly translates to “beer for keeping.” Our version reflects the historical realities of this style of farming, when brewers made do with what was on hand. With three types of barley, wheat, rye, and oats, its aroma smacks of apple, pear, almond, and vanilla, with just a hint of lemon rind.”

“Weizenbock”
“German style, using many of the same ingredients in the Weissbier/Weizenbock but with the addition of some darker malts and a little higher ABV. We brew this beer with all German malts, hops, and yeast.”