I had the chance to sample a pair of Boomtown Brewery beers during the L.A. Beer Week bash and came away encouraged. Did they blow me away? No. But they tasted further ahead then some breweries at that point in the process so when Josh from Food GPS alerted me to a soft opening at their downtown LA location, I jumped at the chance to see the place.
Despite the oppressive heat and impressive crowd was on hand as I rolled in at 7pm. The space is not taproom ready at this point but if they and Angel City and Mumford can coordinate walking tours, you could easily walk all three on an afternoon of craft beer drinking.
I ordered up a Nose Job IPA since that will eventually be a line-up regular and was semi-pleased. Pretty dank to me but not heavy or over bitter. It doesn’t break new ground but is solid. I followed that up with B-Side a hoppy red that started off to sweet but started tasting better as the full set of flavors started working together.
I am glad to see that they are doing a mix of Belgian and American styles and I think that this could be a solid player in the industry.
Idaho Brewery # 1 – Payette Brewing
To Boise via Boeing (the airplanes) and Schooner Exact the brewery in Washington State, comes Payette Brewing who I think has one of the best branded beers around in design and name. Western and rugged come to mind. Now on to what I would put into my initial taster tray….
Mutton Buster Brown Ale – “Mutton Buster is a full-flavored, brown ale that’s relatively tame, but fun to ride. Out of the chute, there’s a rich, roasted, nutty sweetness of cocoa and malt on the nose with a mild kick of earthy, hop bitterness that won’t bust your chops. Mutton Buster is dark in color, heavy on the malt flavors, but sessionable for any time of year.”
North Fork Lager – “This American Lager has a laid-back personality and pairs well with just about all edibles. Hops bring a mix of woody, green, floral and fruit notes with subtle herb and spice character. North Fork is a sessionable beer with lower alcohol content for a quick, smooth run. Pack plenty for your post river run refreshment.”
Rodeo Rye Pale Ale – “Unlike a real rodeo, the aroma of passion fruit, peaches and mangos fills the air with this spring seasonal. Rodeo is a single-hop rye, pale-style beer. Citra hops give it a tropical fruit nose and flavor with a spicy, rye kick. This is a sessionable beer, which means this might be your first, but it most definitely won’t be your last Rodeo.”
Slaughterhouse India Red Ale – “Named after Boise’s Slaughterhouse Gulch and its historical meat packing businesses, this brew is as bold and rugged as the miners and packers that traveled its path when it was known as “The Oregon Trail”. This fall seasonal is an India Red Ale featuring Amarillo hops, known for their dark, fruity characteristics. While higher in alcohol by volume, a roasted malt base offsets the hops and balances the heat of the alcohol for a subtle, rich finish.”
San Fernando Brewing
Over on Food GPS, I write about my first visit to San Fernando Brewing. So instead of re-hashing that news here, I will instead post up a few photos.
Portland Brewery # 3 – Culmination Brewing
For aspiring Portland breweries, the wait time isn’t usually all that long but in the case of Culmination Brewing it was a much longer (2 year) period before opening, which they finally did this year.
But the wait will be worth it, especially for those who love live music because that is a focus of this brewery with a dedicated space for their Concert in the Brewery Series.
Before I get to my picks for my initial taster tray, Culmination also has guest taps as well and have done many collaborations while in process of building their own space so you will probably find something to taste, if not more than one.
Reynard Belgium Style IPA – “Our Belgium Style IPA (made in collaboration with Brannon’s Brewery) is a hop-forward ale brewed with a Belgium yeast strain offering additional levels of complexities and a citrus nuance that plays well with the northwest hops.”
4 & 20 Imperial Black IPA – “Our signature 4 & 20 Imperial Black IPA (made in collaboration with Lucky Labrador) represents the smooth complexities of our upcoming line of fine beers. The name, 4 & 20, derives from our infusion of four hops and twenty plato.”
To round out my tasters I would add the Brett IPA, Saison II and their Black Saison.
Portland brewery # 2 – Buckman Botanical
Now, I have been to a fair share of Portland breweries and ale houses but the Buckman Botanical Brewery eluded my trained eye. Part of it is that it is literally based in the back of the Green Dragon Pub. It is also a not so advertised part of Rogue Nation and finding it on that website is no easy task.
I wanted to include it this month because they focus on the fringes and not on hops. Apple, pumpkin, ginger as ingredients cysers, meads and braggots can be found from brewer Danny Connors.
I would add to my taster tray the Double Fruitcake Stout, the Cherry Cyser, the Fresh Hop Mead and the Rum Barrel Braggot but they also have IPA’s and collaboration beers that look interesting too.
Portland brewery # 1 – Baerlic Brewing
We are back in Portland (my hometown) for a month of brewery “tours” to celebrate Oregon Craft Beer Month. The starting point is Baerlic Brewing which translates to “of barley” for those who speak olde English.
Here are the beers that I would have added to my taster tray:
Cavalier – Classic Cream Ale
“A brazen take on the style, our classic cream ale is as complex as it is refreshing. Aromas of hop spice and lemon balance perfectly with a soft and fluffy malt body. Brewed with Himalayan Basmati Rice.”
Primeval – NW Brown Ale
“A NW take on an American Brown Ale. Aromas of evergreen, cocoa & sweet orange dance with biscuit, roast and malty sweetness that finishes dry with bittersweet chocolate and citrus.”
Eastside – Oatmeal Pilsner
“Traditionalists would curse our addition of raw oats to this style of beer, but we just love the texture it adds. And it pairs perfectly with the spicy and fruity flavors & aromas of Czech Saaz and Santiam hops.”
Nice & Easy – Salted Oat Gose
“Gose (say “gose-uh”) is an ancient salty & slightly sour beer originally from Leipzig, Germany. Big aromas of floral hop spice, malt and oats are complimented by a slightly tart and saline finish.”
Altera – India Red Lager
“We paired the rich and sweet malt of a Northern German Altbier with the citrussy, tropical and piney hops of a modern West coast IPA and fermented warm with a German lager yeast.”
FWIBF15 Brewery # 3 – Sun King
Our final stop in June is with Sun King Brewery in Indiana. Like Half Acre and Three Floyds, they have a very distinctive look to their brand.
All you have to do is Google Image their can design to see they have a quirky sensibility. And that extends to their beer recipes too. So let’s take a look at what I would want in my pick six can collection….
1 – “Popcorn Pilsner puts a local spin on brewing tradition with the addition of Indiana-grown Riehle’s Select popcorn, popped by our friends at Just Pop In, to our German-Style pilsner recipe. The result is a crisp, balanced, andrefreshing beer with a dry finish and just enough hop character to keep things interesting.”
2- “Ring of Dingle is a rich and roasty Irish-Style Dry Stout with a clean, dry finish. The beer is named after a scenic road network in Ireland that starts and ends in the city of Dingle.”
3 – “Fistful of Hops is our quarterly series of four IPAs, each with the same malt base. We balance that base against a seasonal “fistful of hops” – each time a different variety. For our 2014 “Red” release, we continue the process of rotating hops by featuring Citra, El Dorado, and Galaxy, which combine to create a pronounced tropical fruit flavor.”
4- “Java Mac is the coffee infused version of our Wee Mac Scottish-Style Ale. Locally roasted coffee from Bee Roasters harmonizes with the base beer’s hazelnut character and toffee undertones to create a vibrant symphony of rich coffee flavor.”
5 – “Sun King and 3 Floyds have come together again to bring you Slacktivist, a Doppelkolsch brewed to help bring awareness to our efforts to raise the barrelage cap on Indiana breweries. Slacktivist steps up the smooth malt flavors of a traditional Kolsch-style beers with more pronounced flavor and a crisp hop bite. We hope you’ll step up your support for our efforts at supportindianabrewers.com.”
6 – “The road between Rhinegeist and Sun King traverses 110 miles – a long way to go without a beer. Whichever end of the road you find yourself at, you’ll be happy to find Emergency Hop Kit, a beer that combines the powers of Truth IPA with Osiris Pale Ale.?
FWIBF15 – Brewery # 2 – Beavertown Brewery
The brewers at Beavertown Brewery have a design look that is a crazed mix of 3 Floyds and Half Acre. But they must be doing something right to catch the attention of Firestone Walker and get an invite to come to Paso Robles.
So here is what I would taste from this brewery:
I would start with Smog Rocket…
…then move on to Gamma Ray Pale Ale…
…before finishing with…
FWIBF15 – Brewery # 1 – Bridge Road Brewers
This month, I am taking stock of the breweries that were part of the festivities of the highly regarded Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest and we start in Australia of all places with Bridge Road Brewers and a list of what beers that I would have in my taster tray.
Little Bling
“A mid-strength IPA that has followed in the footsteps of our original IPA, Bling and its big brother the imperial IPA, Bling Bling.”
Chestnut Pilsner
“A unique Australian Pilsner, brewed in Beechworth from Chestnuts grown locally in the Beechworth and Stanley hills. The Chestnut Pilsner also uses Galaxy hops from the Rostrevor Hop Garden in the nearby Ovens Valley.”
Fat Man Red Suit Big Sack Red IPA
“Originally brewed for export to Canada this red IPA showcases some of our Aussie Hops. Galaxy Topaz and Enigma.” (wonderful name for a Christmas beer!)
Enigma pilsner
“This pilsner has been brewed as an Australian take on the craft pilsners of NZ, A light bodied lager heavily hopped with the Australian hop variety Enigma.”
Beechworth Pale Ale
“Often the yard stick of micro breweries, this beer is based on classic American styled Pale Ales, crisp and refreshing, a mouthful of aromatic hops.”
Indie Brewing
I did a profile of three on-the-way L.A. breweries for the latest Beer Paper LA that didn’t reference Hand Brewed, Arts District Brewing or Iron Triangle which are also in stages of development. At least, I knew about the existence of them though.
It was in a Brewyard Brewing newsletter that I learned of yet another brewery in progress, Indie Brewing.
So, head to their website and sign-up for their newsletter so you can be reminded automatically when these 4 entrepreneurs have their casual taproom spot ready for us LA craft beer fans.