Where (and when) the Wild Things will be Released

If you thought tickets to the Firestone Walker Invitational were hard to get and worth every penny then how about the special Barrellworks beers?  One new one is coming out shortly, Agrestic which has been seen in the past but is now coming back in 375ml bottles.  Believe it or not it is a weird spin off of a DBA base.  Just with a bunch of what FW calls “a proprietary collection of microflora.”
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Then of course aged for a bit and blended just so to the point where even super beer geeks are wondering what sort of magic they do.  But that is not all….

Feral Vinifera
Feral Vinifera is an ultra-limited release also being liberated on September 20. Feral Vinifera was born of a collaborative effort with local grape growers and winemakers in Barrelworks’ backyard of the Santa Ynez Valley. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Orange Muscat grapes were co-fermented with wheat-based wort, then inoculated with proprietary wild yeast to create this trailblazing hybrid.

SLOambic
SLOambic is Barrelworks’ foray into the funky world of lambic style beers. It was inoculated with brettanomyces lambicus, brettanomyces bruxellensis and lactobacillus, then infused with ollalieberries to create a distinctively, dry, cidery, fruity, vinuous and oh-so sour beer. November release date TBA.

El Gourdo
El Gourdo is what happens when the local pumpkin patch calls the barrelmeisters on the day after Halloween, asking if they want some orphaned gourds. Not only did the barrelmeisters take the leftover pumpkins last year, they roasted them in a pizza oven with brandy staves, bay leaf and walnuts before tossing them into a base wheat beer for secondary fermentation prior to oak barrel aging. We’ll just leave it at that for now. November release date TBA.

Reginald Brett
Big, malty, and alcoholic, this hefty brew is supported by a firm oaky backbone and slight tartness from its time in French oak barrels in the discreet company of a certain B. Lambicus. Scandalous! Release date TBA.

 

Treasure to be Found

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Green Flash Brewing Co. have brewed up their 4th beer in the “Treasure Chest” program, their annual beer release “to raise funds for breast cancer charities” The 2014 edition is a pink-hued Barrel Aged Saison with Plum that will be featured on tap at every Treasure Chest from San Diego to Virginia Beach event through the end of October 2014. Green Flash will donate one dollar from every full pour of Treasure Chest beer sold to a breast cancer charity in each of the cities where events are being held.”

Someone should really draw up a website that features charity beer and their related events. It is hard to keep with them all.

# 4

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Ommegang brewmaster Phil Leinhart is the latest to join Steven Pauwels the brewmaster at Boulevard for a collaborative brew. And befitting the Belgian background of these two Belgian owned breweries they have gone the Saison route.  They brewed up a batch of wort wand split it into two fermentors. One had Boulevard’s primary Belgian yeast strain pitched into it, and the other got Ommegang’s house yeast strain. Then the two now different beers were blended into one, Collaboration No. 4. Oh and some sweet orange peel, lemon peel, coriander and grains of paradise were added in which is very wit-ish.  Maybe it’s a new hybrid? SaiWit. Witson?

Liqua-what?

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Figueroa Mountain has added a new special series of beers to their super rapidly growing brewing empire that ranges from Santa Barbara to practically everywhere it seems.  It is called Liquamentum and it literally means concoction but what it means for the consumer is more beer and wine blends since their Buellton HQ has some wineries around it.  They will also be doing some additional barrel aging as well.  The first two are in the pipeline already…..

Double Down Davy Brown (ABV 10.7%):

Davy Brown Ale has been one of our best-sellers and award-winners for some years now. More than that, it’s one of our favorite beers. One of our favorite beers to brew, to drink and to share with family and friends. We love this beer so much that we did what any appreciative brewery would do: double-mashed it and bourbon-barrel-aged it. This double-strength version of our beloved brown ale has all the qualities of the standard, plus the sherry/red fruit overtones of aging and a subtle undertone of American bourbon.

Hell’s Half Acre (ABV 11.4%):

Sitting below McKinley Peak, the tallest mountain in the Los Padres range, exists a craggy valley of boulders and rock outcroppings. Hell’s Half Acre, as it is called, is certainly one of the roughest and most textural features in Santa Barbara county. For its namesake, we brewed the most layered, complicated and textural beer to date: a massive, complex barrel-aged Barleywine. After a battle of epic proportions to fit the most malt we have ever put into our mash tun, testing the limits of our yeast’s strength and aging for 18 months in locally-sourced pinot noir barrels, we give you Hell’s Half Acre Barleywine. A viscous, vinous, ominous brew: sherry, oak, toffee and caramel on the nose with massive body and flavors of spun sugar, red fruit, granola, treacle and chocolate.

Whose Crafty?

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After having the pleasure of speaking with Ben Love of Gigantic, I saw this new label pop up for a beer named Craftylicious described in the press release as, ” a limited release collaboration beer brewed by Portland, Oregon’s Widmer Brothers and Gigantic Brewing. It  is a unique, bright, partial kettle-soured beer that’s tart, hoppy, citrusy, and perfect for late summer.

You can read more about the cheeky slap referenced in the name over at the great Portland beer blog, BrewPublic.

 

Cedar Hop

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I am not fond of the beer name though I do like the bifurcated label and color scheme for this To Øl collaboration IPA.  But I am quite interested to see how the Mosaic hop, aged no less, works with the strong taste of cedar.  I am also intrigued by the new to me Siren Craft Brew from Berkshire,  England.

Unity ’14

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Ever had a beer collaboration? Sure, you have. There are plenty out there. Ever had a beer where all the ingredients were from one state? Longer shot but you might have. But I am sure that you haven’t had a beer brewed with Gargoyle hops. Oh and it’s a sessionable pale ale with local fruit.

And it is the signature beer for L.A. Beer Week the 6th. Of course I am talking about the beer named Unity. The beer was brewed at Eagle Rock Brewery with members of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild. Country Malt Group also pitched in with a donation of California-Select malt and add in some Centennial hops to pair with the rare, native to California Gargoyle and you have one heck of a way to celebrate all things craft beer in Los Angeles.

UPDATE: I sampled 6 on its release day on the 12th and I really liked it.  Nice and hoppy but it has the characteristic sessionability you come to expect from Eagle Rock.  I detect quite a bit of grapefruit notes throughout but without crossing over into juice territory.  I strongly suggest trying a pint and getting a bottle to toast with later.

Merkin ’14

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In ten days, Firestone Walker’s Velvet Merkin barrel-aged oatmeal stout will return with the new 2014 Vintage.

Here is the barrel breakdown from the brewery: “The 2014 Velvet Merkin was primarily aged in bourbon barrels from Elijah Craig and Woodford Reserve, along with a selection of Rittenhouse Rye whiskey barrels. The Elijah Craig and Woodford Reserve barrels imparted fine bourbon qualities, while the younger Rittenhouse Rye whiskey barrels provided subtle spiciness with an elevated vanilla character.”

Five different iterations of the beer have been blended to come up with this beer, almost a test blending drive before the Anniversary beer which comes later in the year.

Last years oatmeal was splendid and I can’t wait to see how this one turns out and how it compares.

Tour de Fall

Fall (which we don’t seem to be getting this year in L.A.) used to be a time for Oktoberfest biers. But more and more, you start seeing hoppy fall beers. And New Belgium is adding to that sub-genre with Tour de Fall, a beer that I thought, at first, was a signature beer for their bicycle festivals Tour de Fat. The Hop Kitchen in Fort Collins must be a busy place.

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and Five Armies to Drink Them

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Fish Brewing of Washington State has teamed up with the Shire on the Hobbit Series of beers that they are calling “a collaboration of bold imperial style beers selectively tailored to emulate the Hobbit characters – Gollum (Smeagol), the Dragon Smaug, and the vicious Orc chieftain Bolg.”

Gollum Precious Pils: A strong Imperial Pils, with flavors as smooth and crafty as Gollum himself. Like the ring which Gollum pursued for the rest of his life, his “precious” pils, if your quest leads you to it, could extend your life too! (at least we’d like to think so) It will, at a minimum, make your journey a little more enjoyable!

Smaug Stout: Smaug Stout is styled after a classic Russian Imperial Stout, but with a subtle hint of Habanero chilis to remind you of the fire and danger awaiting you in your journey to The Lonely Mountain. Pronounced notes of Coffee and Chocolate balanced with Northwest Hops and a touch of heat produce an exceptional imperial stout, a worthy reward for your hard-fought journey.

Bolg Belgian Style Tripel: An Orc chieftain who ruled for 150 years, Bolg would drink his grog of choice and no one would tell him otherwise – a flavorful strong Belgium Tripel. Some said it refined an otherwise gruesome character.

The Hobbit Series of Beers are now out so if you have friends in Washington or Oregon, get on the phone and start bartering.