Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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1st Visit – Hop Secret Brewing

I made my first visit to Monrovia’s second (and perhaps not last) brewery, Hop Secret.

The address for the brewery is on Pomona Street but the brewery is closer to the Gold Line tracks. There are two entrances, one that leads directly to the menu board and the back that leads you past the brewing tanks first.

I went for my predictable flight. I tried the lager, pale ale, hefeweizen and IPA # 001. And as I started on the lager, I had raised hopes. Granted the menu board had a multi-colored pen look that seemed more at home for a sticker factory than beer, that first beer was well done. Nice and crisp.

From there, the beers diminished. The Pale Ale was fine but on that and the IPA’s that I tried, I detected a skosh of buttered popcorn taste and the hop medley’s just didn’t have much zing to them. The Hefe was an OK beer but it different have the two esters of banana and clove that I was expecting. More like a light hued dubbel in my mind.

Not a high starting point but there is enough good here to hope that improvement could occur.

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1st Visit – Ten Mile Brewing

Being on the Westside for a bit, I decided, on the spur of the moment, to check out the new brewery in Signal Hill amongst the oil pumps off the 405, Ten Mile Brewing.

I was pleasantly surprised from start to finish. Tucked into the corner of an unassuming building, the brewery has been well outfitted with wood and metal. Especially impressive is the menu board. Really well done.

Extended descriptions of the beers are on sheet handed over with your taster tray and are helpful for both those new to beer and those who have visited many a brewery. I tried all but the milk stout, and found all to be clean and well done. The Kentucky Common even grew on me after my initial thought was that it was too watery and light.

There is a NE IPA coming as well as Direct TV for those that want to watch the new NFL team in town. I would suggest the Pale Ale Citrallenial and the well named Segway to Munich Helles Lager.

Plus, if you choose your seat carefully, you get a view of the really old city cemetery across the road. Not your usual brewery scenery.

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Houston Brewery # 3 – 160Ft Brew Works


Our final stop in Houston is at 160Ft Beer Works. Which is unfortunately not open currently due to the flooding from Harvey.

And instead of sending thoughts and prayers, (which are nice and all, but…) how about planning how you would help out your local brewery if a natural disaster struck. Do you have a special skill that would help a brewery get back up and running or could you show and help dig out or clean?

I certainly hope 160Ft. is able to open soon so that people could have beers like the following:

Re-Connect with your beer
Mo’ Money, Mo’ Honey – Honey Malt Hefeweizen
Texas Malt Ale- Ol’ Vintage Malt
Black Gold- Black Sour Hefe
Battle of Chocolate Town – Year-Round Stout

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Houston Brewery # 2 – 8th Wonder


In the aftermath of Harvey, I kept seeing one brewery pop-up and it is 8th Wonder.

Named after the un-official moniker of the Houston Astrodome aka the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, this brewery has been pouring #reliefbeers for Houstonians. Beer such as…

Dome Faux’m – Throwback Cream Ale
“A tip of our hat to the foamy suds once served at the Astrodome, this Houston original Cream Ale is a pre-Prohibition style brew that is light, crisp, and easy drinking. Whether it’s the big game or the big chill, Dome Faux’m is your personal championship beer. A Moon Tower Sudworks collabor8ion”

Intellectuale – Witty Blonde
“Somewhere between a Wit, a Blonde, and a Belgian Golden, Intellectuale is an easy-going and tasty beer that stimul8s the mind, the body, and the soul. This clever brew has a light, crisp body with a genius amount of wheat. Mild fruit esters; smartly hopped. On a hot humid day or chill night, Intellectuale is always the intelligent choice.”

Alternate Universe – Altbier
“In the Alternate Universe, the malt planets and hop stars align with the yeast sun to create this otherworldly ale. Existing in a parallel dimension somewhere between an Amber ale and a Brown ale, this sublime, old German ale has a malty backbone with a balanced hop bite. Extended conditioning produces a smooth and flavorful lib8ion. This superior brew is never too light, never too dark.”

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Houston Brewery # 1 – Holler Brewing Co.


This month we turn to Houston to showcase the beers from the area but also to show how they are responding to the hurricane and flooding.

Holler Beer has their Dollar Pils Y’all as the sales in the taproom for that beer over the long Labor Day weekend were donated to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.

That beer and more would be on my initial taster tray…

Dollar Pils Y’all
“Crisp, clean, and refreshing German style Pils showcasing quality malt and hops.”

Hype PA
“A juicy IPA made with loads of Galaxy and Citra hops, bursting with tropical fruit flavor atop a soft mouthfeel and mellow bitterness.”

Belgian IPA
“IPA with the fruitiness and spiciness derived from the use of Belgian yeast.”

ESB
“Full-bodied, malty English-style ale with an aroma of cherries and rich flavors including toffee, biscuit and an herbal hoppiness.”

Coconut Prime: Collab. w/ Whole Foods Brewing Co.
“Luxurious and rich Imperial Porter with toasted coconut and vanilla beans.”

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Wisconsin Brewery # 3 – Third Space


We finish up the month with our 3rd stop in Wisconsin. Aptly at Third Space Brewing.

You can thank Camp Minikani for introducing founders Kevin Wright and Andy Gehl to each other. Now they are brewing up beers like…

It Was All A Dream – Juicy IPA
“If you don’t know, now you know…It Was All A Dream is our newest special release Juicy IPA. Brewed with an awesome new and extremely limited experimental hop, Dream is super peachy with flavors of pineapple, passion fruit, and berry rounding it out. A slightly hazy complexion, mild bitterness, soft mouthfeel and juicy hop flavors make this beer a dream from which you won’t want to wake. This beer won’t be around long so get it while it’s good and plenty.”

Madame Grisette – Farmhouse Ale
“Grisette is a traditional Farmhouse Ale originally brewed for the miners in southern Belgium to quench their thirst after a long day on the job. Perhaps best described as Saison’s hoppy sister, the Grisette was a beer of the working class that is well suited for a brewery built in a historic factory. Our Madame Grisette is brewed with wheat for a light bready body. Spiciness from the Belgian yeast strain coupled with fruity hoppy flavors and a pleasant bitterness evoke notes of citrus, pear, bubblegum, peach and clove spice in a refreshing and flavorful beer.”

East Meets West – Dry-Hopped Saison
“Our first collaboration beer, brewed with our friends at Good City Brewing (on the East Side) and Raised Grain Brewing (in the West Suburbs), brewed right here in the middle at Third Space Brewing. This beer is found only in each of our tap rooms so come get some before it’s gone.”

Java Blanca – Coffee Cream Ale
“Java Blanca is the second beer in our java series with our good friends and neighbors at Stone Creek Coffee. This coffee cream ale is full bodied and pleasantly sweet with a creamy mouth feel from the addition of oats to the mash. South American coffee beans, grown at high altitudes, add a sweet and acidic character to this beer along with strong coffee aromas and a subtle coffee bitterness in the finish.”

Milwaukee Mule – Sour Ale
“Inspired by the classic cocktail, our Milwaukee Mule is a refreshing summer sour with a bright, tart acidity that is balanced with fresh ginger juice and pureed lime. This sour wheat ale is a perfect choice for hot summer days.”

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Wisconsin Brewery # 2 – Raised Grain

The second of three stops in Wisconsin is Raised Grain Brewing in Waukesha. Two homebrewing doctors met a former professional cyclist and over a Red IIPA created the brewery that would win a Gold Medal in 2016.

Here are the beers that I would order up for my first taster tray…

Kilted Kölsch
“Clean and crisp, our Kölsch is a tribute to the strong German influence in Wisconsin with a signature Scottish twist. It’s also one of our tailgating favorites, so grab a growler on the way to the game!”

Take ‘Er Easy Amber
“A perfect beer for a laid-back afternoon with friends, this Wisconsin amber is smooth, malty and easy drinking.”

Ah Ha IPA
“A boldly hopped American IPA that gets its name from the “Aha!” moment our brewer had when brewing a drinkable, not-too-bitter IPA. Quadruple hopped with Ahtnum and Amarillo hops.”

Six Stone Scotch Ale
“Our Scotch Ale gets its name from the weight of the grain (in Stone) that goes into each barrel of beer. It has a bold, malt-forward flavor enhanced by Belgian malts with a sweet touch of bourbon that results from the oak-aging process.”

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Backstage at Angel City – Part 1 – Grain

Recently, I was given the opportunity to follow a brew day from opening of the building until the liquid was sent to fermenter.

I shadowed brewer Layton Cutler of Angel City as he made the Angel City Wit.

Here is a “grainy” photo essay of the day.

Up one floor to add the grain to be milled.

The somewhat “unappetizing” first stage of brewing.

You need a stick and a squeegee to get the grain out.

Just under 10 garbage pails filled with spent grain from one batch of Wit bier.

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Wisconsin Brewery # 1 – Funk Factory Geuzeria


Maybe those intrepid Beer Bloggers that went to Milwaukee for the Beer Bloggers Conference got to try beers from our first Wisconsin stop, Funk Factory Geuzeria.

They brew a beer style, Meerts. Another “forgotten” style in the lambic family. The FFG describes it Meerts thusly, “meaning March, is the low alcohol (2-4%) “table” or “field” beer traditionally made from the second runnings of lambic’s turbid mash. I refer to it as Lambic’s baby brother.”

So, obviously, I would focus on the original and variants in my first taster tray….
Meerts
Cherry Meerts
Peach Meerts
Blood, Sweat, and Unicorn Tears (Cranberry sour)
Cervino (Chardonnay/Sour ale hybrid)