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A concise brewery bio
Our final stop in France is in Montreuil at La Montreuilloise…
…where you can taste the colors of beer from…
La Blonde, La Rousse, La Brune and La Blanche or as we would call them, the blonde, red, brown and white.
They also hold brewing workshops every Saturday in the morning and afternoon and you can return in two weeks to get your beer and do more tasting and bottle buying. Added bonus is that it is not far from Paris or Deck & Donohue.
In a full 360 degree turn. Times two. TAPS Brewery has re-signed the talent of somewhat recently departed brewers who had left for newer brewing pastures.
David Huls WAS at Barley Forge Brewing but is NOW back as director of brewery operations. Kyle Manns WAS head brewer at Bottle Logic Brewing but NOW has been named brewery operations manager.
The duo will be charged with the Brea, Corona and Irvine locations and the exciting bits of the press release are these duties:
“Take barrel aging of beers to the next level. Huls and Manns have purchased 100 aged barrels including new oak, rum, mezcal and wine.
Create novel styles of packaging, including 750-ml bottles.
Begin providing variations of brews in kegs that have been dry-hopped, fruited, spiced, fermented or dispensed differently in order to extend the array of offerings within the restaurants.
Expand with different beer styles in small production and limited runs, such as Berliner Weisse, Farmhouse Ale, Red-Rice Sake Ale, Imperial Pilsner, Oatmeal Pale Ale and a rare Oyster Stout — a full-bodied stout with a hint of brine.”
If you find yourself on the Rue de la Fraternité in Montreuil then you will find yourself at what sounds like an American brewery name, Deck & Donohue and their fine bieres.
And here is what I would put into my taster tray:
“Strisselspalt exhibits a soft floral aroma with notes of earth, spice, and light citrus. Bitterness is extremely low to showcase these smooth Old World hops, which in their fresh form add a green and vegetal characteristic to the brew. Slightly caramelized malts add a nice Autumnal color and a faint nuttiness. The beer finishes discretely dry.”
“Monk Brown Ale. Our twist on the under-appreciated brown ale style. To this smooth dark ale, thanks to the generous addition of oats, we combine a variety of French-kilned malts to impart a subtle malt complexity of roasted, toasted, and chocolate flavors. Finishes dry.”
You can call them fabrique de bières artisanales de Haute-Savoie. Even without French lessons, a craft beer geek should be aware of what La Brasserie du Mont Saleve believes in.
And they have quite a selection to try from which made selecting a taster tray all the harder (plus I had to dust off my lack of French skills) but lets get to it:
First up will be the Special Bitter, then on to the French takes on the German Weizen and the American IPA, then onto more hops. The Admiral Benson which features Nelson Sauvin, Mademoiselle which is Aramis hopped and finally Sorachi Ace Bitter. And I haven’t even touched on the darker beers in their repertoire.
Sounds like a good way to enjoy the ingredients of beer à partir de malts, de houblons, de levure et d’eau.
(I also don’t use good French grammar either)
Straight up, the Nexus website and logo could seriously be for any brewpub. But who can resist when the owner flies the flag for Star Trek love? Come On, gotta respect putting yourself out like that.
Here is what I would put in my taster tray on my first visit:
Honey Chamomile Wheat
“Local B’s honey, and chamomile flowers make this wheat beer slightly sweet and aromatically refreshing. ABV 6.0% IBU 16%”
Scottish Ale
“Our Flagship Beer! A strong very malty deep brown ale. Malt flavor predominate with nutty flavors mingling within. 7.0% ABV 28 IBU”
Nexus Maximus
“Seven varieties of citrusy, piney, grapefruity, floral, tropical, wonderful hops. Plenty of malty sweetness to back them up. This Nexus Maximus is one serious DIPA. 7.6% ABV 100 IBU”
Warp 10 Golden Ale
“East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops, Maris Otter malt, and Whitbread yeast make this well rounded strong ale exceptionally smooth and quintessentially British. 8.0% ABV IBU 28″
Imperial Cream Ale
“Our World Beer Cup Silver medal winner is back! Crisp, smooth, light and packing one hell of a punch. 9.3% ABV 22 IBU (12oz only)”
Looks like DTLA is the new Gold Rush country for brewing. With the established Angel City and Ohana calling the area home, another is aiming to join the fray with a little help from Kickstarter.
Check out New Vaudeville….
Kaktus Brewing Company is (as the website boasts) “the only brewery in Bernalillo, New Mexico.” But since this town is around the 8,300 mark, you can take that as great or sign that another should join the fun. Because this is a true nano. Only 500 barrels annually and eight beers on tap at any given time.
Anyway, this is the place in the SW to go for some lagers. They have a Dunkel and a Green Bottle (a nod to a certain foreign lager) as well as a Cream Stout that caught my eye. But what really intrigued me was their Basil lager.
To add to my initial taster tray I would try their Oyster Stout and their Gunslinger Smoke beer.
Enegren Brewing Company is sometimes out of sight and out of mind for the L.A. Beer savvy but they have been plugging away since 2011 and they will premiere their new 15-bbl brewery on January 24th, 2015. They are spoken of in terms of their tech savvy and their engineering prowess and now they have quadrupled the brewery’s brewing capacity. while also doubling the tasting room size!
This might be the time to either acquaint or re-acquaint yourself with their wares because they will have a special beer on tap….
“The brewery has partnered with The White Heart Foundation charity to commemorate this milestone. The White Heart foundation serves the needs of our wounded warriors through direct community support. A special White Heart White IPA brewed with Cascade, Citra and Galaxy hops will be for sale exclusively at the brewery with 100% of the revenue donated to charity.”
We make our first stop along the Rio Grande River in NW Albuquerque. Boxing Bear Brewing Company has a goal of establishing Albuquerque as a national destination for raft beer. And they also do wines! Aside from the cool logo. Here is what I would have in my initial taster tray
Uppercut IPA | 7.6% ABV, 100+ IBUs
“Big citrus aromas dominate this hop forward beer while providing a nice bitter punch. Brewed and dry hopped with an assortment of American hop varieties, this beer holds up to the standards of hop lovers everywhere.”
Hairy Mit Hefe | 5.4% ABV, 12 IBUs
“A classic Hefeweizen with flavors and aromas of banana, clove, and vanilla. Smooth and easy to drink, this beer is perfect for summer sippin’.”
Paw Swipe Pale Ale | 4.9% ABV, 45 IBUs
“This American style pale ale is bright and bitter with nice pine and citrus notes. Punchy hop character with a clean finish make this beer a real crowd pleaser.”
Ambear Ale | 5.2% ABV, 35 IBUs
“This lightly hopped beer has just enough malt to balance the spicy aromas and flavors of the East Kent Golding variety of hops. Refreshing and flavorful, this beer is a great pairing with a sandwich from our food menu.”
Standing 8 Stout | 6.3% ABV, 45 IBUs
“Dark and delicious, this malt forward beer is perfect for those who enjoy the darker side. A full-bodied stout with a fabulously roasted character.”
Fiction Beer Company is not made up. It is non-fiction by definition. Founded by a book fan and a beer fan their tag line is “Crafting liquid literature”. And I love the branding via book styles:
The Classics:
“Like a good book you read over and over, our classics are beers you may be familiar with such as an IPA, Wit, or a Scotch Ale. Just because they are classics doesn’t mean they have to be boring; our brewers utilize their creative license to alter the same old stories to create a new experience.”
Mystery & Adventure:
“Think of a page-turner. Something to keep your attention, keep you guessing and keep you wondering what is coming next. Interesting flavors, varying styles, seasonal elements, all coming together to keep you drinking.”
Fantasy & Science-Fiction:
“Imagination is the only limit here. As an author might dream up a far-away world full of magic and outlandish creatures, these beers are conjured using a variety of techniques and ingredients to create a complex elixir for those who wish to try something out of this world. Sour, barrel aged and brett beers are just the beginning …”
Choose your own Adventure:
“Beer flights. Choose what you want to drink and in what order. We may suggest an optimal path of consumption; however, we leave it up to you—choose wisely.”
Makes me want to grab a good book and sit down with a pint. But what to pair with a romance?