Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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SoCal Beer Co.

I have yet to try any beers from this new-to-me brewery which brews in Modesto and is headquartered in Tarzana. Hopefully their Seismic IPA, Angelino Pale and Red Carpet will make their way into one of my local beer bars.

They have a nice website and a good roster of beers (even though some aren’t produced yet) They also have a charitable bent to them which is a plus in my book. Count me as cautiously optimistic.

Have YOU tried SoCal’s beers? If so, let me know your opinion of them.

UPDATE
I sampled the Seismic IPA and Red Carpet Ale last night at Blue Palms. Part of the SoCal tour that takes them to a beer bars here in LA. I and my beer buddy, Richard both preferred the IPA over the red but both made us hopeful for the rest of the line-up.

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O’ Canada – Crannog Ales

Out last Canadian stop is Crannog Ales in British Columbia.

All of their brews are certified organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized. And here are a couple to look for:

Gael’s Blood Potato Ale
“This rich Irish red ale is made with organic potatoes for an exceptionally smooth, rich body. It is extraordinarily rich in malt flavour, with just the right amount of hop finish. It’s an immigrant ale, uniting the staple food of Ireland with plenty of new world hops.”

Back Hand of God Stout
“Lean in body and powerful in flavour, Back Hand of God Stout has won many consumers’ choice awards. This dry stout is easy to drink, rich and inviting. It is extraordinarily smooth and mildly hopped with a distinct coffee/chocolate presence.”

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O’ Canada – Dieu Du Ciel

Don’t be scared off by the labels on the Dieu Du Ciel beers. Yes, they are a little freaky but they match the beers quite well.

Here a couple to whet your appetite…

“Corne du diable aka Horn of the Devil IPA is a contemporary interpretation of the classic English India Pale Ale. This new style, born on the west coast of North America, is characterized by stronger and hoppier beers. The result is a red ale expressing caramel flavours coming from the malt, sharp bitterness and powerful hop aromas, thanks to dry hopping”

“La Rescousse (To The Rescue) is a noble Altbier that celebrates life in all its diversity. Malty up front with accents of toasted bread, the well-balanced hops provide a tongue-tingling finish and give this copper ale with mahogany highlights its freshness, complexity and unique character. Dieu du Ciel! Brewers will donate 11 cents for every bottle sold to Fondation de la faune du Québec, in support of efforts to save endangered species such as the wolverine, the copper redhorse, and the western chorus frog. “Liberté, égalité, biodiversité !”

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Kernel Brewery of London

I saw this brewery mentioned on the Pencil and Spoon blog. Glad to see smaller craft breweries popping up in London. It reminds me of Los Angeles.

The Kernel Brewery is located in London and has a great mission statement, “The brewery springs from the need to have more good beer. Beer deserving of a certain attention. Beer that forces you to confront and consider what you are drinking. Upfront hops, lingering bitternesses, warming alcohols, bodies of malt. Lengths and depths of flavour. We make Pale Ales, India Pale Ales and old school London Porters towards these ends. Bottled alive, to give them time to grow.”

And in a recent beer list check, I saw a decidedly American bent. Black IPA. Citra IPA and a Pale Ale with Columbus hops.

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O’ Canada – Propeller Brewery

Our first north of the border brewery is from Halifax. Let me introduce Propeller Brewing.

Now let’s get down to the beers that interest me…..

ESB
“Our ESB is a rich, full-bodied English-style bitter, brewed with carefully selected malts and hops. This copper coloured, English styled ale is our best seller. Smooth, Full bodied and All Natural, like all our beers.”

Kristall Weizen
“Literally “crystal wheat.” A Kristall Weizen is a filtered pale Weissbier. It pours “crystal”-clear rather than yeast-hazey. Propeller Kristall Weizen is made with special Weizen yeast, German Noble hops and equal amounts of barley and wheat malts. Like its Hefeweizen counterpart, Kristall Weizen develops a richly-textured, firm, white head in the glass. Very light, spritzy-effervescent and refreshing on the palate, with creamy texture and gentle, lightly fruity character, it finishes with a touch of dryness. Propeller Kristall Weizen pairs well with summer heat and good times… Prost.”

What’s great about their site is the glassware and temperature recommendations as well as a “Prop’r Learning” section that educate people about not only their brewery but about beer in general.

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Let’s Tour – 8 Wired

Our final stop of New Zealand breweries is 8 Wired.

Here is what they have to say about themselves:”8 WIRED BREWING is inspired by the legendary Kiwi can-do mentality and fellow craft brewers who have dared to challenge the masses and show us all that beer is no longer “just beer”! Crafted by Søren Eriksen, a nomadic Danish brewer who has finally found permanent ground in Marlborough, New Zealand. Expect unique brews, expect ingenuity in flavour.”

And here is their brew listing:
ReWired – Brown Ale
HopWired -I.P.A.
The Big Smoke – Smoked Porter
iStout – Imperial Stout

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Let’s Tour – Mac Brewing

Our second beery stop in New Zealand is at Macs.

I heard about this brewery from one of my friends parents who was traveling there and just raved about the stout and asked me if they could buy it here in America. Alas, I have not found it here, yet!

Here are some of their signature brews:
Black Mac – they call it a dark beer. a porter
Currant – yup, made with currant berries
Sassy Red – English style bitter.
Hop Rocker – you would think IPA but it’s their pilsner

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El Segundo Brewing

There are reports on the food blogs such as Grub Street about a new brewery in El Segundo (near LAX).

They have the prototypical initial beers: a pale ale, a red ale, an IPA and a stout under the Blue House name plate.

They may be opening soon but as faithful readers will know, these openings are never set in stone.

More news and reviews when the beer becomes available.

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Let’s Tour – Epic Brewing Company

This month, I am focusing my e-brewery tour focus onto New Zealand. And our first stop is Auckland’s Epic Beers.

Here are some of their unique offerings:
PORTAMARILLO
“A collaboration, a Festive brew and the world’s first tree tomato beer. A sorta-Porter fermented with New Zealand grown Tamarillos, which were smoked using wood chips from the sacred Pohutakawa tree (also know as the NZ Christmas tree).”

PALE ALE
“You can only drink so many beers in a lifetime, so you better make each one count. That’s where we can help. Because at Epic we’re obessed with creating big hop-fuelled beers. This takes a shed-load of skill. It also takes a shed-load of hops. In fact there are 23 crammed into this bottle. Many brewers would call that ‘insane’. We call it flavour.”

ARMAGEDDON IPA
“In the beginning, there was nothing. Then an impish brewer piled a ludicrous amount of hops inot a batch of beer. This zymurgical big bang is Epic Armageddon, an apocalyptic assault on your preconceptions and taste buds. It may be too huge for this fragile planet so enjoy this beer like it was the last one on Earth”