Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
These are the beers that I wish I could taste for the first time.
Moonlight Brewing ended 2024 (or started 2025) strong with a winter pils. “A nod to our classic Reality Czeck Style Pilsner and the Czech holiday tradition of higher gravity beer. 14° P Special clocks in at 6.7% ABV with extra special hops, grains and all the mouth watering deliciousness of a Moonlight Pilsner with a little
extra to keep you warm and fuzzy.”
Sierra Nevada will be going agricultural with their upcoming new Estate Series Heirloom Landbier that will be brewed with 100% homegrown purple Egyptian barley. This new 4.8% lager will come in 16.9oz bottles so quite different from the current can culture.
Firestone Walker has a heads up on a future beer release. Wandering Don a West Coast IPA brewed in collaboration with Colorado’s Odell Brewing has been unveiled as the official beer of what is now being called the FWBC Beer Fest which will be happening in Paso Robles on May 31st of this year.
Topa Topa will be canning up some 19.2oz beer this year but the Good Good Hazy Series of 19.2s won’t be flagship IPA or a high alcohol DIPA but instead “four staggered releases of hazy single and double IPAs each made in partnership with select 1% for the Planet non-profits…”
The first will be “a 7.2% hazy IPA in partnership with Heal the Ocean, a Santa Barbara-based non-profit that focuses on combatting ocean pollution that is caused by wastewater and ocean dumping. Heal the Ocean and Topa Topa will celebrate the launch by hosting beach cleanups in Ventura and Santa Barbara in late February…”
We are in the heart of football action both in the U.S. and abroad. So when I see a beer with Irish football connections, it is right up my alley. And we have seen some Lough Gill beer here in SoCal so there is a teeny tiny chance that we might see this.
The sorta official beer of the Bit O’ Red – Sligo Rovers, 1928 Lager where 50 cents from each can goes to improving the club and jump up a level.
She’s The Brewer is a new collaborative IPA brew with “bold flavors for bold women.” from the combined force of Stone Brewing and the Pink Boots Society using the 2024 editions of the Pink Boots Malt (Odyssey Barley) and Pink Boots Hop Blend (Mosaic, Simcoe, Chinook and Krush).
We have another entrant in the West Coast (aka hoppy) Pilsner market. This time from almost Glendale’s Paperback Brewing.
For the record, not a clown fan at any time, even on a beer label.
I do like seeing brewing history dusted off and worked with now and again so that craft beer fans do not forget our flavorful beer past and a beer that I would really like to try is the new Burton which is a collaboration between Thornbridge Brewing and The Kernel. Two British craft heayweights that I have yet to taste anything from. A boy can dream.
We have quite the special brew to talk about today. Three Trappist breweries ( La Trappe, Tynt Meadow, and Zundert ) have banded together on a new beer: Three Rules of Authentic Trappist.
“The Three Rules of Authentic Trappist is a full-bodied, perfectly balanced Dubbel. The beer is characterised by a full, layered taste of sweet caramel, toasted malt, and a hint of peat, combined with subtle spicy and hoppy notes. This leads to an unparalleled taste experience with every sip.”
Part of the proceeds of the new beer will benefit Trees for All.
There is a real steampunk hipster on the label of the new Hop Secret Dark Lager, Speakeasy. But whatever your opinion of either is, make sure you jump on board the dark lager train for sure.
