Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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FWIBF Brewery # 1 – Side Project

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It is both appropriate and inappropriate for me to highlight Side Project from FWIBF16. They did win the People’s Choice award but I did not taste one beer from them. Boo on me. Of course I probably only tasted 15% of the breweries.

Side Project grew out of Cory King’s work at Perennial Artisan Ales where the “project” was born. According to the SP website the focus of the beers is on the oak and what barrels bring to beers. That is pretty evident in the beers that I would like to try, if there were no line and no Paso Robles heat to contend with.

Blanc de Blancs – “… is our Bière de Champagne that was fermented and aged in Missouri Oak Chardonnay barrels with Missouri Chardonnel Grapes. The depth and complexities were developed from the native microflora that was present on the local grape skins in which the beer was aged on for 18 months before being naturally conditioned in the bottle.”

Black & Wild – “… is the antithesis of most American Wild Ales. The robust nature of the intense acidity, bold sour cherries and chocolaty malt is layered with the deep notes of vanilla, spicy charred oak and rich caramels from the used bourbon barrels in which this beer matured for more than a year.”

Grisette – “… is inspired by the soft session beers of Belgium. The blond color, notes of floral European hops and delicate, dry finish create a complex, yet very approachable beer. This farmhouse table beer was aged in wine barrels with Brettanomyces for six months.”

Le Saisonnier – “… is named after the seasonal workers for which the first, old-world Saisons were originally brewed. Amber in color and fermented in and aged in Chardonnay barrels with a blend of yeast and bacteria, Le Saisonnier is bright, balanced and refreshing.”

Unblended #25 – “Our Unblended beers are our special, single barrel releases in which the characteristics of the beer in the barrels are too unique to blend with anything else. This release, Unblended Barrel #25, is an Old Ale that was aged with Missouri microflora in a Blanton’s barrels for 18 months and then bottle conditioned for 6 months before being released.”

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Yorkshire Squares in Torrance

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Thankfully the latest brewery that I have heard about on the way won’t be in Torrance. It will be in “old” Torrance. Yorkshire Square Brewery will be focusing exclusively on the English-style cask-conditioned beer. Plus they will have food too!

The venture is headed by Gary Croft, a former Leeds, England native. They have also recently nabbed Andy Black as the head brewer. Black, you will recall, started the casks rolling at MacLeod’s before a brief stint at El Segundo.

More news as it comes in. Look for a later this year opening.

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Gluten Free Brewery # 3 – Aurochs Brewing

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The final gluten-free stop is on the Ohio River in Pennsylvania and the soon to re-open Aurochs Brewing Company.

The brewery shut down for major renovations last year and is currently open for growler fills four days a week with one or two different styles on offer.

When I say major, I mean a quantity of NEW….

1. New drains were cut and installed on the production floor
2. New water, gas, glycol and compressed air lines were run throughout the brewery –
3. New steam boiler, glycol chiller and air compressor to enhance our production capacity and efficiency
4. New brew system – both the brew side and the fermentation side for substantially increased brewing capacity
5. New Meheen bottling system to package our beer into 22oz bottles
6. The tasting room was expanded and given a face lift
7. New tap wall was installed with eight taps to allow us to expand our draft menu over time
8. New signage was installed facing the boulevard making it a lot easier to find us
9. New Packaging Design – We are excited to introduce the addition of 22oz bottles of certain Aurochs varieties in 2016. In order to do so we had to create a label and seek all of the proper approvals from the TTB and the PaLCB.
10. New Recipes – Designing and creating new beers is almost as enjoyable as drinking new and different beers. We will be adding to our stable of great tasting, naturally gluten free beers throughout 2016.

Now that the Top10 list is done. On to the beers in the taster tray…

WHITE ALE “Try something wild. Our refreshing, versatile white ale—brewed from untamed grains—offers hints of citrus and a bit of spice. Smooth and slightly tart, the beer pairs well with most food, especially fish, lighter Mexican dishes, and desserts. Drink it with dinner or on its own—it tastes great either way.”

“Our AMBER ALE is about balance and breaking down barriers. The malt base of light roasted millet and quinoa offers hints of toast and biscuits, which is complemented by the spicy and floral notes from Styrian Golding and Cascade hops. This beer is perfect for any occasion and any season. The caramelized roast character make it a perfect pairing for barbecue and burgers. The floral and spicy hop notes pair well with Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese food. The light body and 4.7% ABV make this a perfect beer for any drinking session.”

PALE ALE. “A perfect blend of aromatic notes of pine and citrus blend with just the right touch of bitterness to create a personal favorite of Aurochs Brewing Co. staff.”

BROWN ALE. “Caramel flavor compliments dark roasts of millet malt, finished with a cascade hop to create a beer thats perfect for burgers and BBQ.”

“Dark with strong roast character, the Aurochs PORTER is malty and delicious. This beer highlights a blend of deep roasted malts and quinoa for a creamy finish.”

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More Brewing North of Us

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In addition to Third Window that I touched upon earlier this month, two more breweries from north of L.A. have entered the fray in past months and the first, MadeWest Brewing Company of Ventura, CA started distributing their core Pale Ale and IPA in March.
The MadeWest tasting room is located at 1744 Donlon Street in Ventura, and is open 7 days a week with ample indoor and patio seating.

And in Goleta you will find the M. Special brewery whose brewhouse is helmed by Joshua Ellis and will have a “portfolio of beers … ranging from flavors IPA’s to a Crisp American Lager.”
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Wine to Beer

Even the least ardent wine drinkers probably is familiar with the winery brand of Kendall-Jackson. Now the wine label is joining team craft beer with the construction of a new 25,000-barrel brewery in Sonoma County.

Seismic Brewing Company is being pushed forward in Santa Rosa, by Christopher Jackson who is still an owner of the Jackson Wine business.

The slated for fall brewery has attracted brewers from both Firestone Walker and Anderson Valley which is a good start for sure.

More updates to come when they arrive on the interwebs.
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Gluten Free Brewery # 2 – Burning Brothers Brewing

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With a nod to the Artist formerly known as, we head to Minnesota next to Burning Brothers Brewing whose About declares, “Burning Brothers is committed 100% to gluten-free. We don’t use gluten-free filtering, gluten-free enzymes or any other gluten-free gimmicks. Instead we use naturally gluten-free ingredients to create great-tasting and unique beers for you.”

Without further ado, here are the beers that I would put in my taster tray:
“Parched” Lime Shandy: “The citrus notes of our all American hops combined with the lime of our shandy will have you salsa dancing in no time. Our fans state that “Parched” taste like summer. Not too sweet with a nice tart that balances with the hops like they were meant to be together.”

English Mild: “Subtle, crisp bitterness on the front finishes with a touch of biscuit and nuts on the back. This session style comes in at a low alcohol (~3.0% ABV) and is intended to be a lightly-flavored, easy to drink and malt-accented beer.”

“Pyro” American Pale Ale: “An American twist on an English bitter, this light fruity beer is a drink that can be enjoyed at any time! We substitute the traditional English flavor with our own unique blend of American hops. Note the initial taste of orange followed by just a hint of grapefruit. Three years in the making, our APA stands strong against any other APA on the market.”

“Roasted” Coffee Strong Ale: “Beer is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, and Arabs began cultivating coffee in the 14th century. With histories like that, and our love for coffee being almost as great as our love for beer, how could we not combine the two? “Roasted” is a single-hopped strong ale blended with cold brewed coffee. Because we never heat the coffee, the bitter oils in the coffee remain present, but not dominant. This creates a smooth balance of bitter and sweet with hints of caramel. This award winner took third place in a brewing competition, yet we forgot to tell them it was gluten-free.”

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Lost In Cardiff

Not Doctor Who / Torchwood Cardiff but California Cardiff by the Sea is where the Lost Abbey has set down their 2nd location. And it is called….
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…the Confessional. It is located in the Seaside Marketplace and will feature beers from (obviously) The Lost Abbey, Port Brewing and The Hop Concept. You will be able to try tasters, purchase pints and grab growler fills as well as bottle sales to-go. The Confessional will have 24 taps and a wide array of beers from the three brands and they are open starting at 11am Monday through Sunday.

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Not the 1st or 2nd

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Looks like Santa Barbara has added a new brewery to the mix with the cool name of Third Window Brewing and if a recent taproom list is any indication…..
l’Eveaire #1.0 Berliner Weisse co-fermented with Winter Raspberries.
Batch 002 #1.0 Light Lager
III #1.0 Belgian Blond
Saison #1.0 Farmhouse Ale
Walkabout #1.0 Stout with Foraged Oranges, 24 Blackbirds Cocoa Nibs and Madagascar Vanilla Bean
…they aren’t afraid to try multiple styles. Plus, if the website photos are to be believed, it has a rustic sort of wine tasting room charm that is much different from the usual industrial chic of many brewery taprooms.

When/if, I visit, I will duly report back on the quality of the beer itself.

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Gluten Free Brewery # 1 – Holidaily Brewing

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We begin our May tour of Gluten-Free Breweries with a stop in Golden, Colorado. And it is not the place you first think of, instead we head to Holidaily Brewing Company which was started by Karen Hertz who was forced by illness into a treatment plan that included a gluten-free diet. Instead of forgoing beer, she and her team researched ingredients and taste tested beers and followed what other breweries were doing in this niche market before launching her brand. And they mean gluten-free, they do not allow even one gluten-containing ingredient beyond their doors.

In looking at their list, I decided to go basic and try their standard bearers since they cover a nice range of styles:
Favorite Blonde
Buckwit Belgian
Beulah Red
Riva Stout
Double IPA

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Homage Pomona

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Looks like Pomona is becoming an even bigger beer town. Homage Brewing is setting up shop in the downtown Pomona area soon. To be more specific, May 14th.

Look, Smell, Taste, and Evolve is their tagline and with beer names like Reckoner, Unknown and Discovery, they are certainly aiming for explorers. There will be stouts and IPA’s but also sour and wild ale options as well as barrel aging.

More on this brewery coming in an interview with Brewmaster Mark over on Food GPS. And, of course, a report once I get a first visit in.