Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
These are the beers that I wish I could taste for the first time.
El Segundo has found a winning design template for their latest Tone Series IPAs. I really liked the green of the softball field on a previous can, and now we are treated to the expanse of sand along with a solitary tower and transport. Many are working with new views from home but this one is a great workplace.
Oh, and the beer inside is…
Style: West Coast IPA (obviously)
Hops- LORAL / Centennial / Idaho 7
Not a fan of pastry stouts or other sticky sweet beers but considering their stellar IPA track record and the addition of Nitro, makes this Faction beer sound like a lot of fun to taste. And they didn’t Nesquick IP the label either. Glad that L.A. gets shipments from them.
New Belgium has no lack of creativity or creative partners it seems as they have a new canned Blackberry Black Tea Sour that was brewed in partnership with Teatulia Teas of Denver. Here are the details, “The beer is a blend of 40% golden ale brewed with black tea and blackberries and 60% foeder-aged dark sour ale.”
Surfridge Brewing In El Segundo is one of many breweries who lost an anniversary due to Covid. But if you hop on it, you can get a bottled celebration with a barrel-aged oatmeal stout. Get your online ordering on.
Place your bets as to who won the blending challenge for this year’s Anniversary Ale from Firestone Walker. Paso Robles wineries: Denner, Halter Ranch, Herman Story, Ledge, Linne Calodo, Lone Madrone, Tablas Creek, Thacher, TH Estate Wines and Saxum competed.
The winning blend—the basis for XXIV—was ultimately created by Winemaker Kevin Sass at Halter Ranch.
XXIV: The Final Blend
Velvet Merkin – Milk Stout – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (27%)
Stickee Monkee – Central Coast Quad – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (26%)
Parabola – Russian Imperial Stout – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (16%)
Smoked Imperial Walkers Reserve – Robust Porter brewed with beechwood smoked malt- Aged in Bourbon Barrels (16%)
Bravo – Imperial Brown Ale – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (11%)
Tequila Barrel Helldorado Blonde Barley Wine – Aged in Tequila Barrels (4%)
Finally in cans, billed as a hoppy golden lager, is Firestone Walker’s, Welcome to LA adorned in a Rams hued blue and gold. If I remember correctly, this beer has been done a few times on draft. I hope the Marina Del Rey location thrives.
If you have neither had a fancy bottle from the Wood Cellar at Smog City Brewing or have had wild and chocolate then the new, Fancy Chocolate will knock both items off of your bucket list.
Here is what the Torrance brewery has to say about this beer, “this deeply nuanced Dark Wild Ale with Berries brings a complex presence of bakers chocolate and espresso with aromas of bright berry fruit and hints of toasty barrels eliciting the sense of enjoying a delicious bar of fruited dark chocolate.”
Firestone Walker’s Lager is getting a label makeover and bigger news, Mind Haze is growing. Now there will be a Double…
The lager label seems old school beer design without the font and the use of the word premium. Plus it has the earthy tones of the barrel-aged beers like the Gin Rickey. As for Hazier, I bet they took their time with it like they did the original so I expect a winner.
Red Ales are kinda stuck in a place where unless hopped up, they don’t get much attention. But if you are going to Double, might as well have Kern River Brewing do it and at 8% ABV, this will have some heft to it.
Boomtown Brewing has a Spooky Season release! The next installment in their artist series, is Devil’s Delight. Here is the info: “This Hazy DIPA design was created by Keenan Shur (@not.shur), who brought an old-school graffitied twist on everything creepy to house flavors of Orange Marmalade, Honeydew, and Herbal Tea.”
The devil does look delighted on the label.