Category: Canned Beer

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Featured Review – Leo V Ursus – Fortem

We start our featured reviews with the first beer in the Leo Vs. Ursus series. AKA Chronology. AKA Fortem. This series of rotating beers follows on the success that Firestone Walker has with Luponic Distortion.

Here is how the brewery describes the canned beer: “Fortem is a new-age imperial IPA that draws upon a range of influences, all while exhibiting DNA from our own forays into the IPA style. As such, it blends newer hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest and Hallertau, Germany along with pale malt, wheat malt and flaked oats for a full body and rounded mouthfeel. Fortem has been left unfiltered for a full hop impact.”

Pours a clear peach orange color. Stone fruit and caramel in the initial taste. This doesn’t taste hefty like some triple IPAs but it certainly isn’t a sneaky high ABV beer. As it warms some grape notes start to emerge. Has a touch of silkiness in the mouthfeel without sacrificing bubbly carbonation. I feel like this series could be the stronger brother to the Luponic Distortion.

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Pizza Port Special Can Release Schedule


Pizza Port has now been around for 30 years. And to celebrate, each of their Southern California brewpubs will be canning the Pub Release Series throughout 2017.

Nine beers are on the board and to help you plan your visits south from LA, here is the current schedule…
• March: Solana IPA (Solana Beach)
• May: The Jetty IPA (Ocean Beach)
• June: The Fish IPA (Bressi Ranch)
• July: Bottle Shop 10th Anniversary IPA (Carlsbad)
• August: TBD Beer
• September: Fest Bier Traditional German Lager (Bressi Ranch)
• October: TBD Carlsbad Village Beer (Carlsbad)
• November: Dusk Till Dawn Imperial Porter (San Clemente)
• December: Liquid Mistletoe Style TBD (Bressi Ranch)

Liquid Mistletoe sounds intriguing to me.

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Be Logical


If I had been given the following True/False question, I would have gotten it wrong.

Have AleSmith and Pizza Port collaborated on a beer?

Now they have, which means that trick questions are now more logical. And of course it is hoppy, we aren’t living in a bizarro world.

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B. West Cans


Brouwerij West of San Pedro will be releasing their first canned beers next week. 16oz Can-conditioned versions of 2 of our favorites: Dog Ate My Homework – blackberry saison and Mor Mor Belgian-style Quadrupel will be sold in limited run can-conditioned 16oz cans.

They go on sale Saturday January 7th when the coastal taproom opens at Noon and will be available as singles & in 4-packs.

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Strand Canned

Earlier this month I posted the teaser about the Strand Brewing 7th Anniversary party.

Now I am returned from a media excursion with some photos and a bit more news….(with more info to follow later)

First, here are the new cans….
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The Strand team has had the machinery up and going for just over a week now and are busily canning as much as they can to hit the market in November. You will be able to purchase boxed six-packs of Beach House Amber, Atticus IPA and the 24th Street Pale Ale or if you are near a Costco, 18 can variety packs of all three.
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The canning line from Wild Goose doesn’t look like much when just sitting there but moves at a much higher velocity than the current Strand bottler.

On the Anniversary front, the party is now scheduled for three days November 11th-13th. The large space will be opened up a bit to allow for more guests to try whatever specials may appear to celebrate the 7th year of business.
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Featured Canned Beer Review – Hop A Feel Pink IPA from Eagle Rock

Yes, it is a Pink IPA. And the color comes from beets! Which is literally the only way I can eat that loathsome vegetable.

With each 4-pack purchased, Eagle Rock Brewery sent $2.00 to the Keep A Breast charity.
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Now onto the review, wow that is a pink head of foam on this beer and then you hold the glass up to your nose and the fresh aromas bounce around but it is hops with a citrus hint and not what we expect upon seeing a really red beer.

Hop-A-Feel is labeled a Session IPA but this is no weak sibling. No watery-ness this is full bodied and more on the border of Pale and IPA. And damn if it isn’t the prettiest beer that I have had in a long while.

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Featured Canned Beer Review – Wet Hop from Fremont Brewing

Fremont Brewing has been absent from my tasting for a long, long while but thanks to the delivery site Tavour, I got to sample a couple fresh hop ales from their Field to Ferment series.
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Strong with the cat pee this one is. Big aroma of hearty Simcoe in this fresh hop beer. This is really bright and hop filled. Pretty much what you would expect from a fresh beer. This has a solid bite to it that really hits the palate. I think it beats out the Centennial version which is has a little less zest to it.

I am still a little confused as to why they have a website to distinguish which hop varietal you have when they could put that info on a label and make it easier for the consumer. Instead they have a number on the cans and colored coded bottle caps on the bombers which you then figure out yourself.

That aside, I am glad that I got to try this hoppy beer from Seattle.