Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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from the Austin Beer Guide – Twisted X Brewing Co.

There is Tex-Mex cuisine and if you order a pint from Twisted X Brewing, 2
The labels are fun and playful despite being filled with barbed wire and the beers are mostly on the light side! With one hoppy exception.

Here are the lagers that struck me as the ones that I would sample first….
Siesta Prickly Pear Lager
“A summer seasonal based on Twisted X. “Bloody Butcher” red corn from Richardson farms provides a slight hint of color. Prickly pears from the fields of Texas provide the rest of the color and add a fruity cactus flavor. Siesta is more carbonated than our other beers and this adds to its summer time drinkability. It has 5.5% alcohol by volume. We vote to reinstate the Siesta tradition, sit back, take a snooze, relax and ride the Texas heat wave with a refreshing Siesta.”

Senor Viejo
“This Schwarzbier has been “imperialized” (alcohol content increased) and then left to age in tequila barrels (used Jack Daniels barrels which are then used by Republic Tequila to age there tequila to Repasado or Anejo styles). Aging this unique beer in tequila barrels adds subtle flavors of vanilla and oak while the tequila adds a mild citrus/agave sweetness. At 8.2% alcohol by volume Senor Viejo is our strongest, most seasoned beer.”

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Base Camp Brewing

I expect a little rustic-ness at most start-up breweries. Toss in the fact that I was in Portland and that the name of the brewery is Base Camp and the rustic quotient should be huge. And it was, but this was an impressive tap room.
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Nice and roomy. Though still incomplete in spots the wood and rocks under the tables plus the carabiner’s hanging from the sparkly tap handles made for a warm and classy spot.
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I picked up the 9 strong taster tray for a cheap price and set about trying the beers.
My favorite was the cleverly named In-Tents IPL. Nice and citric on the nose with a balanced load of hops. After tasting it I brought a can home to L.A. with me. Of course the can is shaped like a bottle but that doesn’t detract from the beer inside. Second and winner for presentation was the S’More Stout which came garnished with a toasted marshmallow. First time I had seen that effective touch. It was a lovely stout. Smooth with roast notes.
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Some of the other beers tasted good but suffered from being style misplaced. The brown ale was more a hoppy red and the kolsch was way to un-crisp for that style though still tasty.

Enough promise is shown here and great branding style that I will return when next I hit Portland.

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Ritual Brewing

Took a little time to find this new-ish Redlands brewery, but once the small sign saying “beer here” was spotted, I was sure that I had found Ritual Brewing for the first time.

I am accustomed to breweries wedged into industrial parks. Comes with the territory. But you walk into Ritual and feel dwarfed by the cavernous space. There is a tiny bar area and a few barrels upended to stand around but it mostly feels like an echo chamber. Not particularly a bad thing but it is a little off putting.

I got a sample tray of four beers that looked good despite the plastic cups and set forth to try a range of styles.

The wit looked good but boy did it taste of salt. A taste that I unsuccesfully attempted to rid my palate of. So, I set aside that offering and moved onto Hellion. Which was OK but was not super. Third in line was Extra Red. I had sampled it at Union Station as part of LA Beer Week and was impressed but this batch fell short of that one. I was left wondering where the water came from and what they did to it. The first three beers struggled to get the flavor through this salt water barricade. The stout at the end was the best of the day but not drive worthy like the samples at nearby Hangar 24.

I left most of the beer. That should tell you something.

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from the Austin Beer Guide – Hops and Grain Brewery


Our second stop in our swing through Texas is Hops and Grain. They have two canned beers. A pale ale and an alt. One of the first canned alts that I have seen.

But what really got me interested is their Greenhouse series. Here is how their website describes it, “The Greenhouse is a breeding ground of sorts. A place where all new ideas are invited, style guidelines thrown out the window and happiness abounds. The Greenhouse is our 3 bbl pilot system and in the Greenhouse we grow all sorts of things. Some of it we sell, some of it we keep but we always serve it in the tap room first.”

Oh and they are part of the sustainability movement too. So I like them all the way around.

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from the Austin Beer Guide – Adelbert’s Brewery

Our first stop in Texas is Adelbert’s Brewery…

…in Austin. They have been brewing with Bohemian Floor Malts and a multi-step decocotion method since 2010 and these are the beers that jumped off the computer screen and got me thirsty.

“Scratchin’ Hippo is a dark reddish-brown ale brewed in the style of a traditional, rustic artisanal French farmhouse ale, Bière de Garde. Complex flavor profile with a prominent malty sweetness and earthy character.”

Philosophizer is a “hearty flavorful reddish orange beer with natural spices, clean hops, and a dry finish.”

Maybe, if a trip to Austin happens, I will be able to buy a pint at the Alamo Drafthouse and watch a movie with an Adelbert beer.

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Bagby beer

One of the hardest things to do in opening a brewery isn’t brewing the beer or designing the logo or hiring staff. Nope, one of the hardest things to do is find a suitable location. One that doesn’t require breaking through mile after mile of red tape and that can fit into your vision for now and the future.

And in California, what with prices still being higher than in other parts of the country that problem is exacerbated. Even for someone like Jeff Bagby who has Great American Beer Festival medals galore.

But now the good news. The Bagby Beer Company has taken that step and found a place to call home in Oceanside. They have taken over an old car dealership space. If all goes well, construction will begin in 2013 and maybe if the process goes according to plan beer will be made.

The San Diego scene shows no sign of flagging.

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ManRock Brewing

One of my great joys in life is to travel and when I do, I love finding a local brewery that doesn’t distribute beyond its borders but supplies the community with great craft beer. That is one reason why I write this blog, to expose all these places and beers to the masses. So now we travel to Grover Beach in California to ManRock Brewing.

You will notice a them amongst the beer names. If you are paying close attention…..
“Reap Wheat You Sow” – Banana Wheat
“Dirty Reapin’ Blonde” – Blonde
“Fear The Reaper” – Amber
“Reapers Creepers” – Pale Ale
“Reaper-cussion” – IPA
“Apocalyptic” – DIPA
“Grim-onade” – Barley Wine
Their tasting room is open 7 days a week and all you have to do, if you are in LA like me, is to drive north a stretch and get out of the city.

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Brewery Tour – Fort Collins stop # 1 – Funkwerks


I was quite happy that I was able to get a taster of beer from Fort Collin’s Funkwerks. They along with Crooked Stave (which brews at their facility) have been getting a bit of beer praise and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. And I was impressed.

They focus on the saison style and have a primer on this now thoroughly Americanized style on their website HERE.

I had the Tropic King but their list of beers include ingredients like grapefruit, fennel, and green tea too. So after hitting New Belgium and Odell’s, head over and try a Belgian Oatmeal stout or a citrus saison.

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Brewery Tour – Fort Collins stop # 1 – Odell’s

I made my first trek to Fort Collins this year. It was brutal. Shuttled by New Belgium with beer on the bus to their brewery. But I did miss out on the rest of the scene in this Colorado beer city. So this month, we will travel together to some breweries that I have not visited, yet.

First up is Odell Brewing Company…..

I have had their 90 Shilling Ale and their recent Woodcut offering (#6) but there are quite a few more beers of theirs that I want to try. So let’s get to my list….

St. Lupulin
“A mystical legend echoes in our brewhouse – that of St. Lupulin (loop-you-lin) the archetypal hophead. He devoted endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within – lupulin. Extraordinary oils in this yellow resin provide this dry-hopped extra pale ale with an undeniably pleasing floral aroma and clean, crisp finish.”

Shenanigans
“Our spirited brewers diligently cultivate recipes on our pilot brewing playground. Sometimes, things don’t turn out as planned…they turn out better. Destined for another adventure, this delightful crimson ale is aged in oak with just a touch of Brettanomyces. The subtle Brett tartness balances the rich amber malt with hints of dried fruit and light citrus. Our ode to the happy accident, Shenanigans was just too good not to share.”

This is family started business that counts sustainability and philanthropy among their core beliefs. That is three mission statements (when you count the beer) that I can believe in.

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Pacific Plate

There are many breweries bubbling under the surface here in the Los Angeles area and here is some positive news from one of them, Pacific Plate via Jonathan Parada! “..we found a location in San Dimas and will be signing the lease sometime this month. Supposing the licensing goes well we can look forward to having a tap room open as early as February or as late as July 1st.”

And it looks like the brewery swag will be really cool, “We’ve found an exciting relationship with a clothing company called Loud & Obnoxious that have become full-time partners of our company and are heading up the marking/merchandise of the company. They’re looking to turn the name Pacific Plate into more than just a beer, but a brand, a style. With some really innovative artists on board we’re looking to design labels/ logos for two lines of beer.”

But let’s focus on the beer, shall we, “First, our historically accurate Ales/ Lagers will consist of a Double Decoction Bavarian Heff, a California Common, and a Trappist Duble.

Our second line will be modern day fusions of popular styles with Central American Flavors, Horchata Stout: An English Milk Stout brewed with cocoa beans and cinnamon, Mango IPA, Agave Wheat, and our WidowMaker IPA.” I am glad to see a twist on the near forgotten milk stout. Looking forward to tryin’ them.

Pacific Plate Brewing Co.