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A concise brewery bio
As much as I love writing about beer, it must be tough for the San Diego beer blogger to keep track and to keep up.
Here is another brewery that I have failed to mention in the years that I have been blogging, Rough Draft.
Their tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday and they have a couple IPA’s that caught my fancy Eraser and Frontal Labottleme both clocking in around 7% abv.
Might be another to add to your San Diego brewery crawl. Which at this point is probably a week long affair.
Pipe Dream is still fermenting but the brewery fronted by Brian Holter and Kingsley Toby are all about the “BREW•DRINK•DREAM”
So one day soon, we will be able to taste their flagship ale, Lazy Sunday or Green Dragon Imperial India Pale Ale or the Pipe Dream pale or the Tahoba Summer Ale.
And after trying the gamut of styles that they are creating on their pilot system, I can safely say that these are beers to be on the look out for.
The full story will be on FoodGPS tomorrow…
Brewers tend to be multi-hyphenates. And by that I mean creative or passionate in more than just brewing great craft beer. And that is the case at hyphenated Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. which “was founded in 2007 with a mission of producing world class beers that could bring awareness and resources to the preservation of the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains in California.”
Beers to select from include: Tamarack Amber, Half Dome California Wheat, General Sherman IPA, Peak Pilsner and Mount Whitney pale. And you might even see a chili pepper beer the next time you visit the brewery in Fresno.
Hess Brewing’s Great Nanobrewery List is an awesome resource.
A listing of (as of January 2012) the 82 Nano’s in operation and the amazing 50 that are on the road to brewing. It’s all alphabetized with links back to the brewery sites.
Take a spin and see if there is one in your neighborhood that you should pay a visit to.
Our second New York stop is Oceanside and Barrier Brewing.
The germ of a brewing idea hatched in 2006 and the brewery itself got going in 2009 and these are the three beers that I would put on a Barrier Brewing sample tray first.
Antagonist ESB – first for the name and second, I always like to try this style since it isn’t seem around taps very often.
Simple California Common – I love seeing the other coasts take on a California classic and I am also intrigued by the “Whirpool” hopping.
Sanity IPA – a New York IPA made with (4) Pacific NW hops. Have to try since I am an IPA fan.
Here is another SoCal brewery to keep an eye on as it puts the brewing equipment into place, Rip Current Brewing. You can check them out on FaceBook and eventually on their own website in the future.
The pace of new breweries is simply amazing, especially in locales that you would think have enough already. Now if we can get some East Coast brewers to build in LA.
Our final stop on our mini-tour of the Inland Empire prompted by this article in the L.A. Times is Dale Bros.. I have had their Pomona Queen beer as well as their Winter Haze seasonal but I would like to showcase some of their other beers in their stable.
Runway I.P.A.
“Runway I.P.A. is our first flight into the wild blue yonder of ales. While we thought that we may keep our feet firmly planted exclusively in the world of lagers we have been producing since 2003, over the years customers have been imploring us to brew a Dale Bros. version of an I.P.A. We are happy to say their wait is over. Runway I.P.A. takes off with four hop additions in the brew kettle, then brings it in for a landing with multiple dry hop additions. The flavor and aroma are courtesy of Summit, Galaxy and Cascade hops. Place your tray table in the upright and locked position — here we go!”
The Dude of York
Late Spring Seasonal
“The Dude of York is a very California take on a classic Yorkshire beer, brewed with English ingredients and fermented with our signature lager yeast. It has clean grain flavors, a floral nose from East Kent Golding and Fuggles hops, and a crisp finish. The result is a tasty medium bodied beer that will go well with your favorite foods — from Yorkshire pudding to pineapple pizza.”
Pacific Daylight
Summer Seasonal
Gold Medal, LA County Fair 2005, 2006 & 2007
Silver Medal, Great American Beer Festival 2010
“Pacific Daylight is a refeshing take on an English Summer Beer with a uniquely California character. While it is light in color, it has a full, yet crisp flavor that won’t weigh you down on a hot summer afternoon. Pacific Daylight is brewed with 100% organic grain — we just can’t call it an “organic beer” because our brewery isn’t certified organic by the people who certify that kind of stuff.”
I only occasionally see their beers in my neck of the woods usually at the Arroyo Whole Foods in Pasadena but hopefully more will be available in the future.
Continuing on to Claremont for another Inland Empire beer stop inspired by this piece in the L.A. Times, we stumble upon Claremont Craft Ales. Which is so new that their website isn’t running as I type this and their face to the outside beer world is on FaceBook.
So keep checking that link to see the progress.
One of my stops in life was a stint in Baltimore. And one that I look back on with fondness though I probably didn’t appreciate it enough at the time. Now Baltimore is getting back into the craft brewery game after an absence of a long time.
Baltimore to get its first new brewery in over 30 years
Peabody Heights Brewery might be open as early as May, but breweries always tend to open a little later than scheduled. And, Union Craft Brewing has plans to open in that time window too. Oriole town will be doubly served.
Check out this Baltimore Sun article for more information on the Charm City beer boom.