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A concise brewery bio
The crowdfunding bloom may be off the rose but you should still take the time to evaluate each offer on it’s own merits instead of due to one’s overall feelings toward Kickstarter or IndieGoGo.
So check out this new brewery concept for Reel Brew:
In the end run, it is the quality of the beer that matters but this idea does fill a specific niche that may well take off. If that is your feeling then check out more, right HERE.
Our first stop in the Netherlands is at Duits & Lauret. Which is a “speciaalbierbrouwerij” brewing “speciaalbieren”. They also recently invaded the states with some of their beers. And by invade, I mean stopped at Belmont Station during Oregon BrewFest time.
Here is what I would sample first if I walked up to their booth at a beer fest…..
Extra (Sterke) Blonde – I know I should try the blonde first but I think I would go to the Extra first.
TreVeden 2013 – A Robust porter would be my next stop and this version offers wood and smoke notes.
Dopplebock – Taking the next step up to a German style gone Dutch.
Stout – Gotta finish with the stout to make a full comparison of the line-up.
Public Works Ale is our final stop in Maryland. And it is sitting atop a piece of Baltimore Oriole history. Their home, until 1944. And they give 1% of their sales to job training in the community. Because, if a person finds a job, they might spend their money on beer. Your beer. Smart thinking. But we are here to talk beers. Specifically which beers that I would have in my taster tray….
Well there are three mainstays, the Knuckle Buster IPA, Red Cent Amber and the Fair Shake APA for starters. And that is it (for now), So have your beers then walk around Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore Art Museum which are nearby.
3 Weavers and Phantom Carriage are in full build out mode. Great to see their progress chronicled, and to keep you abreast of the concrete, here are two Facebook snapshots…..
Flying Dog Brewery is our next stop in Maryland. Easily recognized by a large distribution footprint as much as for their iconic Ralph Steadman artwork on their labels.
Since their beers are seen around the country (and this column is ostensibly to promote people traveling to these breweries), I have chosen from the “rarer” side of their beer ledger for my taster tray from this Frederick based brewery, starting with:
Lemongrass Rice Ale
“This beer was inspired by the unique spice blends in Thai cuisine and is as versatile in matching up with those flavors as a Thai menu is (often) overwhelming. You know what to drink, so the trick will be deciding on what to order.”
Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale
“Dead Rise was brewed to highlight the indelible, bold character of OLD BAY with citrus hop notes and a crisp, tart finish. Pair it with tables piled high with shrimp, corn, and Maryland Blue Crab.”
Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout
“With the perfect balance of roasty stout and chocolately coffee notes, Kujo’s bark is just as big as his bite. Flavor notes: Subtle earthiness with prominent coffee, vanilla, chocolate, and toffee flavors Pairs with: Anything nutty, chocolately, or toffee-flavored”
Woody Creek Belgian White
“Woody Creek is light and refreshing for a reason, so be careful not to overpower it with heavy foods. Flavor notes: Refreshing and light citrus notes with subtle wheat, coriander, and orange flavors Pairs with: Light cheeses; Asian foods with wasabi and ginger; light shellfish; fruity desserts”
We start our Maryland tour at DuClaw Brewing Company located in Baltimore. Home of the Orioles and Ravens if you are a sports fan.
With founder Dave Benfield and brewmaster Jim Wagner, this brewery has outgrown their original brewery and is now in much better digs. All the better to sample my picks for my initial taster tray from DuClaw….
Dirty Little Freak Coconut Caramel Chocolate Brown Ale, “first brewed in 2014, takes the traditional American Brown Ale and gives it a sensual new twist – Coconut! This medium-bodied, 5.8% abv brown ale is a feast for the senses from its dominant blend of warm, roasted malt, coconut, caramel, and chocolate flavors barely restrained by a gentle hop bite, to its tantalizingly satisfying finish. But if you submit to our Dirty Little Freak, be warned: there is no safe word.”
Colossus “is dark amber in color and full-bodied with a perceptively sweet flavor profile accented by notes of apple, and a surprisingly tame alcohol presence on the palate in light of its staggering 21.92% abv. This astounding alcohol content (the highest ever brewed in the state of Maryland and verified by the Siebel Institute) is achieved through fermentation alone; no alcohol is introduced at packaging nor it distilled. Multiple grains are used in conjunction with three different yeast strains to produce a beer that simply defies classification… and most laws of nature.”
Misery “is light amber in color with a thin, persistent, white head and enticing aroma of grains, fruits and candy. Like all Wheat Wines, Misery boasts a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a strong 11.2% abv, well hidden by an agonizingly delicious mix of malt and fruit flavors.”
Seems like a fun brewery from the artwork style is quite bold and in your face. I like it even though I am not into heavy metal music.
Our final stop in the land of Cavaliers and Browns is Buckeye Brewing. They started back in 1997 and work on a 15 barrel system.
For my taster tray, I will start with their flagship….
Hippie IPA – “It is hopped five times with a combination of Northern Brewer and Cascade.”
Hipster Cream Ale – Just an obvious name pairing plus cream ales are quite tasty.
Sasquatch Pale Ale – “The Columbus variety is used to balance the brew, and later Sasquatch and I personally dry-hop it with Cascade. ”
Yuppie ESB – Yes, I am a sucker for names that aren’t hop puns. And again, I love seeing the ESB style.
Good Luck to both Manziel and Wiggins (except when he plays Portland)
The craft beer scene is Los Angeles keeps spreading outward like brett. And, “this Saturday, June 21 marks a historic event when Hamilton Family Brewery opens its doors to the public and becomes Rancho Cucamonga’s first craft brewery. The grand opening will be from 11 AM – 10 PM at the 1,600 square foot brewery and tasting room located on the southeast corner of Archibald and Seventh Street in the Scheu Business Center.
The Hamiltons will have six year around offerings of diverse styles from hop-forward beers to easy drinkers. They will also brew various seasonal and experimental beers and are committed to using top quality, all-natural ingredients with no extracts.
The tasting room showcases a true family effort with relatives and friends who all pitched in to help build and decorate. The art on the walls, drawn by Brewmaster Josh, capture Rancho Cucamonga’s rich history as it brings nostalgia with their vintage style.
Hamilton Family Brewery’s tasting room will be open Thursdays from 4 PM – 9 PM, Fridays from 4 PM – 10 PM, and Saturdays from 2 PM – 10 PM.”
Now you have another place to stop when heading to Vegas or Hangar 24!
The mustachioed gent on the label doesn’t scream craft beer to me but any website that has a beer section for “wheat” beers gets my attention and that is why Fat Head’s Brewery is the second stop in Cleveland. This brewery gets filed under the category of places that I have yet to have a beer from. I may have seen them at GABF but that is the extent of it, seen.
That being said, here is what I would put in my taster tray…..
Alpenglow – A weizenbock that won silver at GABF in 2012. It is a style not oft seen in L.A. but one that is hearty and bubblegummy at the same time.
Starlight Lager – a German style lager with the Hersbrucker hop and lovely Carahelles malt.
Head Trip – They do Belgian too, not just Germanic styles. This tripel has “secret spices”.
Battle Axe – Another seldom seen style, the Baltic Porter would be a nice addition to the dark side of the taster.
They have hoppy offerings as well for those who can’t go without a blast of bitterness.
Last Saturday, I had the unique opportunity to try the beers from Angry Horse Brewing. They still have a few days left in their Indie-Go-Go campaign, you can check it out HERE.
Here are my thoughts on the beers that I sampled…..
Overall, this is a solid start. There were no flaws in the seven beers that I sampled even in the English IPA that was rushed a bit for the tasting. To me the strongest of the bunch were the Tantrum Stout and the East LA IPA (the name alone should draw customers) with the Burnt Shirt brown ale a refreshing and sparkling close third. All three were solid to a bit above average. The two IPA’s are entering a tough market to crack and will need to be dialed in a bit more to generate buzz and repeat business. Especially with the aroma which will need to be amped up to compete with the other West Coast IPA’s. That being said, the taste was solid and delivered bitterness in abundance which is what the hopheads want. The Brown ale would have been my favorite but it was a bit on the thin side and could also have used a boost of malt to give more of a cereal taste to it. A dump bucket was provided but none of these needed that drastic step.
The weaker ones were the Belgian Cheval and the Black Jax. Both were flavorful but also suffered from a bit of a thin taste. Cheval had a nice clove/banana mix that got overwhelmed by a bit of metallic notes. The initial aroma and taste went downhill. The Black Jax was a strong ABV imperial stout that could have used a bit of that warming in the cheeks. A strange thing to be seeking, I know, but the alcohol would slow a person down and make it more of a beer to savor because as of now it tastes too similar to the regular stout. (Plus if you name a beer after a nearly 200 pound dog, it should be a 200 pound beer). The HR Amber could have used a less heavy hand on the hops to put it more in line with the style. It was hoppier than the IPA’s and it would have been better for their beer portfolio if it was more of a malty option to compare and contrast with the brown.
The difficulty here is that these are not brewed on the larger system that they want to build. That is another difficult hill that they will have to climb in ramping up recipes to a larger volume. But this is a solid base to build upon and if they can find a spot in Montebello it would be a link in the geographic craft beer chain that is being built in LA and every city could use a brewery, don’t ya’ think?