Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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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.”

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1st Visit – State Brewing


Only a few days into the new year and I have notched another brewery to my tally. I hadn’t expected to visit so early, but a window of time opened and without hesitation I drove down to Gardena to visit State Brewing.

The brewery seems to be in a residential section of town at first but it the area turns industrial as I see the roll-up door that opens up to the space. First thing I see are the rows of empty crowlers behind the bar waiting for to-go orders. There is a nice amount of seating and a TV menu board between two sports tuned TV’s. Said menu board is in a bad place in relation to the bar, forcing the person to swivel to the left and backward to see what is on tap. They probably need to add paper menus at the bar (which they might have, I didn’t see them though)

State is playing both sides and the fence with their beers as they do West Coast, Hazy and hybrid IPA’s as well as pils and many stouts.

Here are my notes on what I sampled:
Baby Merman– Hoppy Pils
Mosaic and Saaz – lemony and malt mix, a bit thin

Super Smoove Move– NE IPA
Fuzzy on the roof of the mouth pineapple. Quite bitter. Unbalanced

New Toy– Project Vanilla with mint and cocoa nibs
Very vanilla, followed by a lot of mint. Like leaves.

Project Nicaragua– RIS with coffee
Very bitter burnt beans. Silky texture. Not super balanced either.

Elbows Off– Table Saison
Very thin. Has the Belgian character though. Little bit of clove

Nice Chucks– NE IPA
Best of the bunch. Very fruity with minimal bitterness.

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Random Brewery Tour # 3 – Able Seedhouse + Brewery


Our final stop for 2017 is in Minnesota and true to their name, Able Seedhouse and Brewery does both grain and beer. Two very different disciplines to master.

Here are the beers that I would give a whirl (focusing on the malt)….

PROPERS PUB ALE – “Back to the land of pubs properly pouring smooth, toasty, caramel-noted ales.”

HOUSE RED – “Building a beer is not unlike building a house. It needs a solid foundation. It has to feel familiar and updated. And you have to be able to return to it each day without hating the color, or the broken garage door. Our House is built on a sturdy foundation of berry-hinted hops, as well as biscuit and caramel malts. It takes those familiar American Red Ales and updates them with a hopped finish.”

BLK WLF STOUT – “Black wolves were once thought to be their own unique species. Then a smart person declared them variants of red wolves. Until an even smarter person determined they’re actually a gray wolf. Our very own BLK WLF perpetuates the confusion. Dry like an Irish stout. Hoppy like an American stout. Nutty like an oatmeal stout. Creamy like a milk stout.”

FOUR CORDS OLD ALE – “It takes roughly four cords of wood to heat a Minnesota home for the winter, if you’re a Renaissance man bucking the modern heating system. But it’s gonna take more than that to heat yourself. You’re gonna need a hearty, bready, slightly fruity, totally malty 7.9% Old Ale to warm your northern soul.”

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Random Brewery Tour # 2 – BrewLab


Carpinteria, California is our second stop in this holiday season as we visit BrewLab.

This brewery puts the nano into nano-brewery using only a 1.5bbl brewhouse. And they put the rotating into action, as they brewed over one hundred beers in their first year of operation. They are also deep into how they source their ingredients using almost entirely organic grains and are growing Santa Barbara terroir hops.

Here are some recent taproom offerings that looked good to me…

Alliance – “crisp & dry saison infused w/ lime zest & cracked peppercorns”

Californica – “50/50 rye/pilsner tart gruit brewed w/ coastal sagebrush & lemon verbena”

Rye Brett Rye – “super funky rye farmhouse ale w/ brett”

Look Up – “dry & complex table saison”

Hessian Horseman – “German-style pilsner w/ German hops, malts, & yeast”