Despite living in Los Angeles, I am not a Galaxy fan. I may not be Timber’s Army either but I definitely root for my hometown team and what better way to do that then by drinking some Widmer Green & Gold!
Burnside Lime Kölsch
Back in one of the monthly session postings that I participate in, I mentioned that I would love to see more kolsch and helles in the market. I have access to to cans of Hangar 24 Helles and now on my next visit to Portland, I can pick up this citrus kolsch from Burnside Brewing.
Is it over-rated?
File this under “beer names that make me chuckle”. Surly Brewing does some impressive beers that I wish I saw more often in my ‘fridge and this one might make for an interesting flight alongside some West Coast IPA’s that might have inflated ratings.
More Gigantic!
Count me as a big fan of Gigantic. I have had the opportunity to visit their tap room and try quite a few of their beers considering I am in Los Angeles and they are in Portland.
End of Reason is according to the website, a “Deep and malty Belgian-style petit quad.” where the second beer is being called a “transporting porter.” Both have the crazy and off kilter comic book-eqsue artwork that graces their labels.
A French IPA from New Belgium?
For awhile it did not look like New Belgium would play the hops game. They seemed content with their sours and barrels and their lovely flagship Fat Tire but since the release of Ranger they have caught the bug and now they have an entire Hop Kitchen!
Out of the kettles of the Hop Kitchen first is Hoppy Bock Lager followed by the beer whose label you see on this post, French Aramis that utilizes an under-used hop variety grown in the French region of Alsace. Still in “the oven” so to speak will be an IPA using Oregon hop varieties. These unnamed hops will be certified by Salmon-Safe, a nonprofit “works to keep our urban and agricultural watersheds clean enough for native salmon to spawn and thrive.” They have worked with Deschutes in the past. A final Hop Kitchen IPA will take us time traveling to hops that were popular back in the day. The days being the ’80’s and 90’s.
A Hoppy Odyssey for Green Flash
6 Hoppy Beers to be released throughout 2013. That is the trip or “Odyssey” for Green Flash and these beers are not just limited to San Diego! They will be on draft where you usually drink Green Flash.
Here is the info on the planned beers:
February – Black IPA:
“This American-style Black IPA is nearly jet black and perceived to have high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content, balanced with a medium body. The appearance may trick you into thinking you are about to enjoy a traditional stout beer when in fact your senses are about to be overwhelmed with our Black IPA. Juicy, fruity, floral, and pine from Pacific Northwest hops gives the beer a classic West Coast IPA hop character. The Black IPA is further characterized by a balanced and moderate degree of caramel malt and subdued dark roasted malt flavor and aroma.” 7.2% ABV, 85 IBU
Hops used: Warrior, Citra, Cascade
April – Imperial Red Rye IPA:
“Bigger, bolder, and hoppier is what you get in Green Flash’s Imperial Red Rye IPA…how unusual! This is quite possibly the most amount of flavor that can be packed into a glass of red ale. Columbus hops set the stage for the newly available Mosaic hops (released in 2013) to shine through the rich crystal malt base and a touch of rye malt adds a spicy dryness to accentuate the hop character further.” 8.5% ABV, 80 IBU
Hops used: Columbus and Mosaic
June – Citra Session IPA:
“When new and unique ingredients become available we often feel inspired to make a new brew highlighting that ingredient, here we are highlighting a newer hop variety called Citra. This pale gold Session IPA is brewed with high quality Maris Otter and Vienna Malt but the flavor is dominated by the Citra hop. 100% Citra hop is used to bitter and flavor the brew with additional Citra in the dry hop for aroma intensity. Citrus notes of lemon, orange and grapefruit are the main traits of the hop with light floral and lemon grass undertones. The abv at only 4.5% makes this hop laden brew an easily sessionable quaffer.” 4.5% ABV, 45 IBU
Hops used: Citra
THIS IS THE ONE THAT I BE WATCHING FOR (RIGHT AFTER THE CEDAR PALE)
August – Cedar Plank Pale Ale:
“This hoppy pale ale starts out as 30th Street Pale Ale and then undergoes Spanish cedar aging. Wood aging imparts an intense cedar aroma which dominates the dry hop. The flavor contributions from the Spanish cedar include peppercorn spiciness and a tannic dry mouth feel that makes the hop flavor and bitterness linger in the finish. The wood adds a fun and unique twist on a classic American Strong Pale Ale, “The wood is good!” “6.3 % ABV, 45 IBU
Hops used: Warrior, El Dorado, Cascade
October – Symposium IPA:
“We originally brewed this beer for the 2008 Craft Brewers Conference for the attendees that came from all around the world. The 2008 Symposium IPA was brewed a la San Diego Style with inputs from several brewers around town. This IPA is highly quaffable, pale copper in color, and lighter in body with a profound emphasis on hop extravagance as we added hops at every step throughout the brewing process. We all enjoyed the beer so much that we just had to bring it back for our 8th Anniversary in 2010. Now it’s being released as key brew for our 2013 Hop Odyssey”. 7% ABV, 75 IBU
Hops used: Simcoe, Tomahawk, Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial
December – Double Columbus IPA:
“Brewed with 100% Columbus hops this double IPA is an absolute Columbus hop bomb! Its resinous hop character comes through with huge grapefruit zest and pine notes throughout the brew. The big juicy, fruity, citrus hops add a resinous and almost sticky hop presence in the body making the medium body from crystal malts seem even richer and fuller. This is a hop head’s treat!” 8.8% ABV, 98 IBU
Hops used: Columbus
61
This may be one of those beers that I hope to score a taste of before buying. I don’t know how the malty and a little hoppy 60 Minute IPA will fare when adding the tannins of red wine to the mix. But here is the full story for you to make a decision about….
“Sixty-One, Dogfish Head’s first new core beer since 2007, was born at the crossroads of serendipity, experimentation and brotherhood.
Whenever Dogfish Head President Sam Calagione and his neighborhood friends gather for drinks, they give each other a big ol’ man-hug and order a round of 60 Minute IPA. A few years ago, Sam also ordered a glass of his favorite red wine and poured a little into each pint of 60 Minute. They all dug the combination of fruity complexity and pungent hoppiness, and the blend became a beloved tradition.
dogfish bonnie prince billy 1Sixty-One captures that tradition in a bottle and marries two Dogfish Head innovations: beer/wine hybrids — which Dogfish has focused on for well over a decade with beers like Midas Touch and Raison D’être — and continually-hopped IPAs.
The name Sixty-One is a reminder that this beer is Dogfish Head’s best-selling 60 Minute IPA plus one new ingredient: syrah grape must from California. The label, painted by Sam, is a twist on a typical watercolor. Rather than using water, Sam mixed the green pigment with beer and the red pigment with wine. And because Sixty-One pairs so well with chocolate, he painted the browns on the label with melted chocolate.”
32 Via dei Birrai
I have been seeing some new Italian beers at my Whole Foods….
“32 Via dei Birrai is an artisan brewery. Its philosophy follows the movement of the circle that contains the logo: a curved line that outlines the cycle of the traditional craft of brewing and leads on to discovering as yet unexplored paths.
32 Via dei Birrai represents the perfect equation between taste and design, between research and method without ever straying into industrial standardisation.”
Has anyone (with a bigger beer budget) bought any of these $14 beers? And if so, were they good?
Of the beers on offer, I would probably be most likely to have the Nectar because I know Italian’s brew up some great chestnut beers.
Celebrate the 25th of the Celebrator
Anyone who knows the history of craft beer in the U.S. understands the heralded place that the Celebrator beer magazine holds. It truly does celebrate beer all over the country. And now they get a special beer for a special anniversary.
Take it away Tomm Carroll (a good friend and the Celebrator L.A. beat writer)
“Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. invited all of us writers for The Celebrator up to its acclaimed Beer Camp in Chico, Califronia, last November to brew a beer to commemorate The Celebrator’s 25th anniversary this February.
That’s right, the country’s oldest “beeriodical” is a quarter century old, and is celebrating (as always) with an anniversary party on the closing day of San Francisco Beer Week (February 17, 2013), when our draught-only brew will make its debut. This year, the festivities will be held at the Oakland Convention Center Marriott Hotel.
Now, about the beer. Dubbed “Celebrator Beer News 25th Anniversary Double Pale Ale” (see tap handle art, attached), it’s basically an imperialization of Sierra’s classic flagship Pale Ale, the brew that not only launched the brewery over 30 years ago, but arguably kick-started California’s obsession with West Coast hop-forward beers.
Here’s a description of our anniversary beer from the forthcoming Celebrator article (February-March 2013 issue; out next week) on our adventures at Beer Camp #93:
“We landed on the idea of taking the original Sierra Pale recipe, doubling the malt bill and adding some newer hops for a beer that we thought of as an Imperial Pale Ale. The grains used were pale malt in copious amounts, Caramel 60 and Golden Promise for a little something extra. Bravo and Cascade hops went into the boil while the dry-hop addition was to include more Cascade, symbolizing Sierra Nevada’s past, Citra for the present, and Hop #366 — a new experimental hop — for the future. Dry hops were added to the tank with the help of a hop torpedo, a large cylindrical tube filled with hops and shot directly into the solution for full effect. Of course, we used Sierra’s house ale yeast for fermentation.”
The abv for 25th Anniversary Double Pale Ale should be around 8.6%.
If you can’t get to SFBW to try the beer, don’t worry. Like most Beer Camp brews, it will be available on tap at beer bars in the city of the campers, after the anniversary party. So that means you can expect to see it being poured at a couple of L.A.-area drinkeries..” Which as of now are T.H. Brewster’s at the Four Points Sheraton LAX, The Surly Goat and Beachwood BBQ (the Seal Beach location).
It IS pilsner season in L.A. (it always is)
So I will scope out my local Whole Foods that usually carries Peak Organic and see if this is on the shelves….
