Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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Ordnance

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More math here. Sorry in advance. Where I currently live, Glendale, CA. has around 191K in population and growing if all the condos on Central Ave. ever fill up and we technically have one brewery in Brewyard. Eagle Rock is in LA as is the ABInBev plant in the blue building on San Fernando.

The city of Boardman in the Eastern-ish part of Oregon has under 3,500 people and also has one brewery. You tell me how that works.

Ordnance Brewing gets its name from the massive war buildup that created whole communities. Communities that are now decaying ghost towns since the weapons (ie ordnance) manufacturing left. And they already have a lengthy list of beers brewed, starting with their regulars:

Old Craig
An old style ale brewed with the addition of brown sugar which gives it a nice candy-like flavor, as well as the ability to warm your belly. A light hop character combines well with natural fruity notes to make this beer a special treat.

FMJ
Western Europe meets West Coast in the quaffable Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) IPA. A fusion of new world hops are held up with a malty backbone reminiscent of a maltier English Style pale. This is a beer of the highest caliber.

Kolsch
An ale in lager clothing, this is our take on an old German style. Of course we revamped the droll style with a little northwestern malt backbone. If you’re looking for an easy drinking anytime beer, this one goes down smooth.

Rye Extra Pale Ale
Pouring a light straw color, this ale gets its spicy flavor from a healthy dose of rye malt. The rye spice combines nicely with a Citra and Mosaic nose to bring you a beer that is just what the doctor ordered.

Other seasonals and specials that caught my eye include:

Batch 100 – Cherryfisk Cherry Imperial Stout
LIMITED RELEASE!!! To mix things up around the brewery we decided to take 160# of sweet dark cherries and infuse them in to our favorite dark beer. This gave our imperial stout a lovely cherry nose and a sweet but smooth flavor that evolves into a light roasty cherry aftertaste.

Cherry Snapper Barrel-Aged Sour Ale
LIMITED RELEASE!!! We brewed this amber ale in April 2015 and then hid it away in red wine barrels with a healthy supply of dark, sweet cherries and brettanomyces. We pulled the beer out of barrels the last day of November to find a pleasant brett tartness co-mingling with cherries and oak.

Little House Brown English Brown Ale
A malt dominant session beer that is reminiscent of an English mild. Lighter on the hop and alcohol spectrum, but still has a malty presence on your pallet. Go ahead, have another, I know I am.

Of Chimpanzees Coffee Porter
This porter showcases locally roasted coffee from Home Town Coffee Roasters. The beer was specifically brewed to accentuate the darker roasted flavors of coffee. True story- Of Chimpanzee was named from a quote from our brewer’s childhood. Every morning before school Logan’s mom would replace “breakfast of Champions” with “breakfast of Chimpanzees” a tribute to growing up and those early childhood memories in our own family kitchen.

Pallas Pilsner
Best Heidelberg Malt and Glacier hops team up to bring you this Single Malt And Single Hop (S.M.A.S.H) classic American pilsner. It starts with a surprisingly full-bodied malt flavor that leads in a refreshingly crisp finish.

(Thanks to Nathan for the heads-up about this and many other breweries in Eastern Oregon)

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NW Cidery # 2 – Portland Cider Co.

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During my last Portland visit, I was finally able to sneak in some time at a cider tap room. In this case the satellite for Portland Cider Co. on Hawthorne. They lead with their own ciders including ciders with fresh hops (First Crop), cider with a Hawaiian twist (Maui Cruiser) and a cider aged in used gin barrels (London Dry). They also have ciders from other producers on tap as well so you can easily compare and contrast styles and apples.

I suggest going for the weirder ones but you could also start with their mainline offerings:

Kinda Dry
“Traditional English cider is dry, lightly carbonated, has very subtle apple flavors, and a lingering fresh finish. It is in the spirit of this traditional cider that we blend our Kinda Dry. We use fresh pressed juice from a blend of NW grown culinary apples such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Gala, Golden and Red Delicious, carefully ferment them with a yeast that preserves their subtle characteristics, give the cider time to develop to its full potential, then bottle or keg at just the right time. Just off dry, light, clean, refreshing, with a pleasant finish, Kinda Dry is the cider to always have on hand.”

Sorta Sweet
“If we had to describe this cider in a word it would be YUM! Blended with similar varieties of apples as our Kinda Dry, Sorta Sweet will hit you with apple flavor right from the start. Balancing the higher levels of residual sugars with just the right amount of tartness gives Sorta Sweet a fresh flavor that tastes like biting into your favorite apple. A nice long finish follows that makes sipping a pint something not to be rushed. We ferment it with the same care and give it the same attention to detail as our other ciders. Also lightly carbonated, pair a glass of Sorta Sweet with your favorite curry or any spicy dish and you cannot go wrong.”

Pearfect Perry
“Made from nothing but a blend of Bartlett and D’Anjou pear juice. This light perry is medium sweet and bursting with pear notes. Like all our ciders it is balanced and refreshing. Available on draft and in 22oz bottles, ask for it at your favorite growler station or pub.”

Hop’rageous
“Take a balanced dry cider, infuse it with the fragrant Citra variety of hops, then double down on the citrus notes of those hops by throwing in some bitter orange peel, and the result is an outrageously refreshing hopped cider that can only be described as Hop’rageous! With equal notes of bitter hop and tangy citrus, this unexpected combination pairs well with anything coming off the grill.”

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NW Cidery # 1 – Cider Riot

Why cider tours of the NW this month? Well, they are in the news (see HERE for taxes and HERE for breweries making cider) + I visited one on my recent trip.

With the MLS 2016 season now underway and the Timbers of Portland attempting to defend their championship crown, it felt right to start with avowed Timber fan and Cidermaker/Owner Abram Goldman-Armstrong and his Cider Riot.

I like this one quote about cider, he says that it “challenges me, it inspires me, and there’s nothing quite like the dry tannic flavor of a well made cider.”

Here is what I would like to try:
Burncider® Dry Draught Cider 6.8% abv – Silver Medal winner in the Portland International Cider Cup 2014 – Inspired by the pub draught ciders of the English West Country, Burncider blends Oregon-grown traditional English cider apples, tart wild apples and dessert apples from Hood River. Just like Portland’s Old Main Drag™, this cider has a rich history and flavorful character.

Everybody Pogo™ Hoppy Cider 6.7% abv- A refreshingly dry cider that’s got hops. Our roughcut tribute to football terraces and punk rock shows, dry and quenching with a hint of sweet apple flavor, as organically grown Goldings hops do the pogo dance across your taste buds. A distinctly Oregonian product, Everybody Pogo mates Hood River apples and Willamette Valley hops. Unfiltered and lightly carbonated.

Never Give an Inch™ Oregon Blackberry Cider 6.9% abv – A testament to determination, hard work, and downright cussedness, Never Give an Inch celebrates the spirit of Oregon. Invasive Himalaya blackberries run riot across the fencelines and fields all across western Oregon. Fire, chemical poisons, machetes, bulldozers, even goats can only beat back their inevitable advance, as they attempt to take over every square inch of cleared land. Luckily their fruits are delicious, juicy, and plentiful, spawning the phrase “as Cascadian as blackberry pie.”In Never Give an Inch, Oregon blackberries and blackcurrants combine with Hood River and Yakima-grown apples create a tart dry cider with a fruity aroma.

Black Bloc series is our Bogman’s Cranberry Brettanomyces cider – Bogman’s is a blend of over twenty different cider and dessert apple varieties aged for a year on natural brettanomyces from the orchard where the apples were grown. Oregon cranberries were added to add a touch of acidity to balance the flavors of the brett. The cider was then allowed to bottle condition for nine months, to achieve a smooth round carbonation. It’s been a long road from the initial pressing in 2013 to your glass in 2015, so savor the complexity of this Black Bloc cider before it vanishes.
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English Brewery # 3 – Tiny Rebel Brewing

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It started with a garage and Gazz and ended up as a three time winner at the Champion Beer of Wales in 2013. Not a bad start for Gazz and Brad (the other half of the duo) and their Tiny Rebel Brewing.

And here is what I would order when in Cardiff….

1. “Arguably the coolest word on the planet, Cwtch is our very own untraditional Welsh Red Ale. Six malts, two US hops and weeks of Tiny Rebel love and attention go into making this unique beer. Citrus and tropical fruit dominate the taste that is backed up with caramel malts that balance the moderate bitterness. Drinkability & balance makes this beer.”

2. Full Nelson. “Our ‘Maori Pale Ale’ came together after months of experimentation with a very unique hop – Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand. Strong grape flavours are complemented by the sweet Munich malt, making this beer crisp and refreshing.”

3. Bonsai IPA. “”International” collaborations like this don’t come along very often, but when they do, someone’s supply of hops usually gets rinsed! Brewed with ALL of Arbor’s hops, this IPA is big on flavour and way too sessionable.”

4. “A unique schizophrenic beer where you’ll face off against floral hoppy flavours up front, leading into a dry spicy bitterness on the back. Need something a bit different to wake up your taste buds? It’s time to get FUBAR.”

5. And on cask: Hank an American Pale Ale. “This light US-style pale ale took a bit of tweaking to get just right. With tropical and citrus aromas and a low-to-medium bitterness, this is one easygoing West Coast-style beer. Floral flavours with slight caramel and biscuit notes make this well-balanced and highly drinkable.”

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English Brewery # 2 – Brew By Numbers

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The second stop in England is at Brew By Numbers or known by the shorter (BBNo.) They have quite a list of beers. All numbered that riff off of the founders early influencers from Australia and New Zealand as well as the now famed Kernel Brewery.

Here are my numerically ordered choices:
01 SAISON – Gotta start with the first
09 BROWN ALE – Brown ales get a bad rap but it is a must-try English style
10 COFFEE PORTER – How does English coffee differ from hyped American ones?
14 TRIPEL – A style that I need to try more of.
19 GOSE – had a few goses recently and it would be a good test
25 WHITE IPA – need to try at least one IPA

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English Brewery # 1 – Howling Hops

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As I was paging through a recent All About Beer magazine, I had the thought that for the months of January and February, I would cherry pick breweries to feature from the pages. And this month, we will head to England and peek in at three breweries over there.

We start at Howling Hops which probably makes gruits. Not.

Howling Hops started in the basement of the Cock Tavern. They outgrew the brew cave quickly. Brewing over a 100 different beers can speed that process and moved to an old brick warehouse nearby in the lovely sounding town of Hackney Wick where they now brew and operate their Tank Bar.

They offer beers mostly under 6% ABV with one beer down at 3%!

Here is what I would have in my first taster tray…..

Riding Ale 3.0% – gotta start with the low end and see what it is like
Running Beer 4.0% – slowly work up the beer ladder
Howling Pils 4.6% – to compare against the ales
Ruby Red 5.2% – because me mum’s name is Ruby
IPA 7.5% – finish up with the biggest beer on the list.

I am also intrigued by their Pale XX and the Rye Wit as well.

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Brouwerij West is (finally) almost here

In what seems like eons ago, I along with other members of the media, toured the empty warehouse space that would be the home of Brouwerij West in San Pedro.

It is a really huge spot with endless possibilities but news out of the brewery was scarce. But now it appears that it will arrive this month on the 27th! With a tentative beer list: “new versions of our classic beers like Saison, Tripel, Mør Mør (quad), My First Rodeo (100% Brettanomyces saison) and Dog Ate My Homework (blackberry saison), we’ll be introducing a handful of new beers, like a hoppy bitter blond; a traditional Wit with sour oranges.”

Check out what Farley Elliot has to say about the upcoming opening right HERE.
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All About Beer Brewery # 3 – Black Mesa Brewing

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Our third stop for January is Oklahoma City and Black Mesa Brewing.  In a refreshing twist they seem tilted towards ESB’s and coffee beers.  Nary a hoppy driven beer.  Here is what I would want to try when visiting the Mesa….

“Endless Skyway Bitter finds inspiration in the English style but derives its grapefruit bitterness from West Coast hops. Like the finest English examples, the bitterness is assertive but balanced with a nutty maltiness. “Endless Skyway” is a nod to Oklahoma’s favorite son, Woody Guthrie.”

“A refreshing and lively Kolsch anchored by a hearty malt backbone. Kept crisp by the gentle bitterness and subtle spice of Saaz hops. The snappy carbonation releases an aroma of grainy sweetness punctuated by lightly floral hops.”

“Los Naranjos is our 3rd and current collaboration with Oklahoma City’s beloved Elemental Coffee Roasters.  The stout is brewed with de-bittered black malts that do not compete with the Columbian Naranjos coffee bean known for its silky body, big tangerine acidity, and cocoa finish.”

(I love that the first coffee beer collab was named Red Badger)

“The trajectory of our Endless Skyway Bitter recipe lands here. We doubled it, then allowed the Double ESB rest in cognac barrels for 7 months. The unfolding layers of oak and vanilla take an already decadent beer and make it Extra Special.”

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First Visit – Lucky Luke Brewing

Within shouting distance or a Peyton Manning football toss from Transplants Brewing is Lucky Luke Brewing.  Whereas Transplants was about the graffiti art and creature on the wall with video games, LL is all wood and piping with an outdoor seating area.
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The beers all have old-timey names like The Esquire or the Mortician. I settled in with a pale ale to gauge the middle of the beer list, The Cartographer was fine. It was certainly in the pale ale category. Probably the pale ale category from a few years back before session IPA’s usurped the category. It was nice and golden in color with a bit of a muted aroma to it.
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If they had crowlers or to go I would have liked to try their Tart Saison and their Oatmeal Stout to see how the other styles fare and see where their brewing strength lay.
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First Visit – Transplants Brewing

Grand Opening Day for Transplants Brewing finally arrived and here are my thoughts on the beers and atmosphere of our northerly brewing neighbor.
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There were an impressive twelve beers on tap and an impressive amount of city officials with commendations too. The space is large and dominated by a cold box and bar in the center. Brewing operations take up the back corner and there is plenty of seating, including a couple of comfy couches to chill out on.
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I started with a taster try of the lighter and hoppier. Palmdale Poppies is a nice light house beer. Cumber Some is filled with cucumber aroma and even more in the flavor. And it is apparently popular as a mix for beer cocktails already. Cream Cycle might be a skosh sweet but the beer has a nice cream texture and the orange and hops balance in the end. The SumNug IPA is as good as many other IPA’s from breweries too.
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The second taster tray was the dark side. With a Filbert Brown that was big on chocolate but a little too thin for me. The Private Line Coconut had thankfully a restrained coconut taste but I have come to the conclusion that me and coconut and beer are not a good trio. The Bayou Black coffee beer was well executed and my favorite of the group which was rounded out by Maxmas a barleywine that was much more in the English tradition. Big and sweet and redolent of toffee.
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Out of the gate the beers are well rounded and considering the use of so many additional items like nuts and vegetables are surprisingly not gacky. (Technical beer term for too much going on in a beer.) There is room to grow in the dark beers and the IPA’s could use a little market distinction but this is a good starting point to grow from.