Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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Barrier Brewing


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.

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Rip Current


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.

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Inland Empire # 3 – Dale Brothers

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.

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Baltimore Brew

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.

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Monkish Brewing


On the last day of March, I visited the newly opened L.A. brewery by the name of Monkish that has opened in Torrance. (And I squeezed in a visit to Strand and their new tasting room too)

These photos are the teaser for the main article on Monkish that will arrive tomorrow over on FoodGPS.

Henry Nguyen with a flight of Monkish Belgian ales. Oblate, Crux and Rosa’s Hips.

The brewing operations and a saint too!

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Inland Empire # 1 – Packing House


Recently the L.A Times ran an article about the expanding brewery scene east of me in the Inland Empire of California. I took that as my cue and for April, I will focus in on three breweries from that article. First up is the Packing House. You will recognize their origin story. Home brewer gets rave reviews of his beer. Encouraged to open a business. Finds partners and voila! Off and running.

Their year round annuals include…..

Heritage Citrus Pale Ale,Riley’s Irish Red, Sunburst Golden Ale, Blue Eyed Loon Blueberry Wheat, Cream Stout and Packinghouse IPA

Their seasonals include…..

Holiday Ale, Liberty Belgian, Wheeter Melon, Boysenberry Coffee Stout and ACB (Accidental Chick Beer)

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Irish Brewery # 3 – Metalman Brewing

Our final Irish stop had one of the most intriguing names on the Beoir website, Metalman

According to their blog, they didn’t get the hops that they had ordered so their flagship pale will be tweaked this time around but I still put i down as one to try just to see how the American hop gets used by Irish brewers. Their Summer and Fall seasonals sound tasty as well.

Metalman Pale Ale

“American style pale ale, dark gold in colour with a delicate white head. Citrus and floral aromas lead into hop flavours characterised by grapefruit and mandarin produced by American hops. A dry bitter finish makes this an eminently enjoyable and refreshing beer.”

Windjammer – Summer Seasonal

“A pale amber beer, hopped exclusively with lots of New Zealand varieties. An antipodean extravaganza, lightly carbonated with a soft bitterness from a combination of Southern Cross and Pacifica, leading into tropical fruit flavours of pineapple and mango, with the wonderful addition of grapes from Nelson Sauvin hops – a delightful spring beer!”

Alternator – Autumn Seasonal

“Hazy golden wheat beer with a punchy Belgian twist! Alternator is a light-to-medium bodied beer, lightly bittered, with a citrus finish from Cascade hops which is complemented by spicy flavours from coriander, pepper and a saison-style yeast.”