Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

Posted on

GABF Winning Brewery # 1 – ZwanzigZ Brewing

Our first Great American Beer Festival GABF Winner of the Small Brewpub & Brewery award from Indiana, ZwanzigZ Brewing (which also does pizza, which is a double win for me).
screen-shot-2016-10-08-at-3-35-47-pm
They picked up silver medals for their The Ticket Chocolate Beer and Frankenwald Eisbock. That’s a duo from two different styles which shows a nice range. This Columbus based brewery also has some other beers that I would try (after the medal winners of course):

Cucumber Lime Kolsch
“Kolsch style German Ale brewed with key limes and cucumber. Very light and refreshing making it a great summer time beer. Garnished with a cucumber wheel and rimmed with optional chili powder.”

Shh Anne D
“A summertime beer brewed with raspberry and lemonade. A sessionable beer at 3.2% ABV that won’t slow you down.”

Triple Z IPA
“Balanced with pale malt and hopped every 10 minutes for an hour. Hop lovers crave Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops. This beer is assertively hopped with all three. A true American IPA.”

Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
“Balanced with pale malt and hopped every 10 minutes for an hour. Hop lovers crave Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops. This beer is assertively hopped with all three. A true American IPA.”

Posted on

First Visit – Frog Town Brewery

Frogtown Brewery has opened! Just down the road from Eagle Rock and near the hip taco spot, Salazar.
img_7551
Seven beers were on tap on opening day and in checking the names out, I thought I could see a pattern but my word puzzle skills left me as I started tasting. The Man Da Rin IPA tasted like mandarin oranges from a can without any hop bitterness. The Feather it In Session IPA had a wonderful aroma and lovely hop bite to it. The Marmalade, which is their stout, was solid if too hard on the anise flavor for me. The Broken Vessel pumpkin beer was a nice balance of pie spice and actual pumpkin flavors and it was quite substantial at 9% ABV.
img_7552
There was a wit and a blonde on offer as well and overall everything tasted well made. No glaring off notes. The Man Da Rin might be liked by other people but I found it too unbalanced and was my least favorite while the Session IPA and the pumpkin beer won my top honors.
img_7553
The space is American brewery warehouse style. The bar doesn’t have too many seats but they do have a long rail to stand and enjoy your beers. The space zigs to the left before continuing deeper inside towards the brewing area. Nothing fancy but don’t be put off if the front looks crowded.

Look for further reviews because this brewery is off to a solid start.

Posted on

Sacramento Brewery # 3 – Sactown Union

th
Our third and final Sacramento stop is the Sactown Union Brewery. We are stopping here because when I asked a rep from the Beers in Sac website for recommendations. This was first on the list. So let’s check out the Union….

#KöLSCH Köln-style Ale
“Technology and social media have revolutionized communications, education, business … human interaction … and for all its pro’s and con’s, the interwebs cannot be overlooked for its power to give a platform to be heard, a voice to the otherwise voiceless. The revolution will not be televised … but it will be Tweeted! As a nod to this, we bring you “#KÖLSCH” Köln-style Ale.”

First Responder – Helles Lager
“German for “bright”, this beer salutes our brightest rays of hope that go through Helles to protect us: Fire and Police Departments, who are the brave First Responders. A portion of the proceeds from this brew go to the Sacramento Firefighters Burn Institute.”

El Campeon Del Campesino – Vienna lager + tamarind
“This Vienna Lager has a dry tartness brought on by organic Agua de Tamarindo, a Mexican Summer beverage. Named in honor of Cesar Chavez, the unifying force behind the ’70s California farm workers rights movement, & in thanks for the efforts of all those who work the land to grow the ingredients for our beers. Proceeds support the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.”

The Catalyst – Sacramento Common
“In keeping with Sactown’s rich German history, we re-create the original recipe with the Cluster hop that once made the Sacramento Valley world famous. This is the beer that made the miners smile after a long day of work, and will bring a smile to your face as well!”

Risen City Double IPA
“Bottom line: this is a really big beer . Named in honor of our town’s long history of overcoming adversity. A strong cast of Galena, Columbus, Citra and Equinox Hops join forces to set off a land mine of herbal and citric flavor on the back of your tongue!”

Posted on

Sacramento Brewery # 2 – Track 7

track-7-300x177
The very first Sacramento brewery that I visited was Track 7 after Day 1 of the California Craft Beer Summit. My beer buddy and I Lyfted to the Curtis Park location and ambled outside to enjoy the beers and the weather and the smell of the food truck nearby. You can currently get Panic IPA and BeeLine Honey here in Los Angeles. So I am going to give you info on three other beers to look for when you head north….

1. “This is no typo. Yes, the spelling of Trein Wrak looks jumbled. But that is only because we opted to use the Dutch translation, since Dutch is the primary language of the Flemish region of northern Belgium. Fitting for a Belgian-style IPA, right? In our take on this amalgamation of beer styles, Belgian malts, American hops and Belgian Abbey yeast collide creating a bold IPA boasting an unbridled union of citrus and spice. This winter seasonal is a fan favorite, so enjoy it while you can. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Proost!”

2. “Riot Act Rye IPA boasts 11 hop additions that marry earthy and citrus hop flavors with the rustic spice of rye malt. Failure to comply with this proclamation may be met with looks of mockery and disdain from your friends.”

3. “Burnt Fog is a dark, smooth and complex porter with rich chocolate flavors suffused with subtle smokiness from the addition of smoked malt.”
capture

Posted on

My Favorite Brewery in Sacramento, Read On

Over two days and in between summit and festival, I visited four breweries in Sacramento. One I visited twice.
capture
Fieldwork gets my nod because of multiple reasons. I tried four different beers. All were excellent. Shower Beer being my favorite. But the Taproom offshoot of the Berkeley based brewery had style. From the logo design to the detailed menu to the taster tray, to the beer names, even the sign out front.
img_7401
Toss in a super opinionated brewer who may in equal parts make you agree or disagree with him over the course of one sentence and you have the makings of a cult favorite. Plus, you can get half pours if you ask nice.
img_7407
No, you don’t have to order the NE inspired beers. They have other beers with hops to occupy yourself with.

Posted on

Sacramento Brewery Tour # 1 – Yolo Brewing

brew_19927
We head to West Sacramento and Yolo Brew for our initial State Capital brewery. And before I get into picking the beers for my initial taster tray, Yolo Brew also offers what they call a Personal Brewing Experience. You (and a group of friends) make and appointment, head to their Beer Hall, choose a beer and then the brewers will go through the steps in making craft beer. Sort of personal contract brewing. It is an idea that has popped up throughout the years but never really caught on. Maybe Yolo has cracked the code on how to do it.

Anyway, on to what I will order and be on the lookout for when I am in Sacramento…..
Bohemian Pilsner followed by their Hallertauer Lager so I can compare and contrast the two styles and pick out where they differ.
Engine #43 Pale Ale followed by the house IPA and the Lt. Dan IPA to see the curve of hops from pale to specialty IPA.
Dirty Cog Porter and Vanilla Stout which will give me the chance to check out if their strength is in darker beers or lighter.

Posted on

New Portland Brewery # 3 – Scout Beer

scout-lantern-278x300
Our last new PDX stop is at Scout Beer. Which has gone from a beer garden to two beer gardens and now their very own brewery as well.

So let’s dive into the possibilities for a taster tray (skipping the too weird for me Sour Patch Kid beer and Coco Puff beer)….

Porridge: “Oatmeal pale ale brewed with cinnamon raisins and vanilla. A drinkable, seasonal option for the fall/winter.” 5.5% ABV

Jam: “Malt-forward red ale brewed with marionberries. Refreshingly fruity and a perfect blend with our PB porter.” 5.9% ABV

Pink: “Heavily hopped IPA coming in at over 100 IBUs and mellowed subtly with fresh strawberries.” 6.1% ABV

Nori-Torious: “Classic gose salted with nori. A tart, refreshing beer with a hint of salt.” 6.2%

Immortal: “Fruit beer with 3lbs of honey in each keg. Combined with vanilla and an additional 3lbs of peaches and smoked in our own backyard.” 7.1% ABV

Sap: “Strong ale brewed with over 5lbs of maple syrup per keg, smoked oak, and finished with spruce tips.” 9.5% ABV

Posted on

New Portland Brewery # 2 – Ferment

Capture
It is not new to have a main brewery in Hood River and a taproom in Portland. Full Sail trod that path first. And now a second brewery will be bi-river. (Columbia and Willamette)
Ferment comes from former head brewer at the excellent pFriem Family Brewers, Dan Peterson. The plan is to eventually brew in Hood River and operate their taproom at the new building called The Yard on 3rd and Burnside.

The brewery is aiming for a fall 2016 opening. You can read more about them and why they are so anticipated HERE.

Posted on

Minnesota Brewery # 3 – Wild Mind Artisan Ales

12278668_1692619527626153_1670988156286357670_n
Those in South Minneapolis will get to look through a wall-sized window and either watch the paint dry or look at the foudres where mixed-fermentation magic will be going on inside the wood. Wild Mind Artisan Ales beers will be aged for anywhere from six to 12 months.

Brewer/Founder Matt Waddell has plans to dedicate most of his 16 draft lines to the wild and farmhouse-style ales. Amping up the sour and brett as time passes and customers acclimate to the beer.
Since they literally opened a day or so ago, those fancy beers like barrel-fermented saisons won’t be at the tap room now but you will be able to try their Table Beer, Hoppy French Saison, Hoppy Rye Wild Ale among others.

All thanks to the foudres and Waddell’s “Carefully chaotic” style.