Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
These are the beers that I wish I could taste for the first time.
Chimay has been putting some of their classic Belgian ales into barrels and this year, the new Barrel-fermented Grand Reserve is aged in “barrels of Brandy sourced from one of the oldest wine regions in the world”. It is certainly on my extra long wish list.
AleSmith has a new Speedway racing to you. This time Speedway Stout German Chocolate Cake Edition “an imperial stout with cacao nibs, toasted coconut, roasted pecans and coffee.”
Science, along with agriculture underpin beer and a brewery who is deep into both has another experiment coming out. Actually two as Russian River Brewing recently released RnD IPA #40 & #41.
They “were born from a collaboration with Omega Yeast for a special discussion at the 2024 CCBA Summit. Similar in taste yet distinct in appearance – one embraces a subtle haze while the other stands clear, all due to a genetic variation in the yeast.”
As the rain recedes and sunny days intrude, it becomes lighter beer season in Los Angeles and one that is out again now from Lincoln Beer Co. should be on your radar, Verdugo Pilsner named after the mountain backdrop for Burbank where the brewery is located.
Angel City Brewery has a new Artist Series beer out and inside the pretty label is a not often brewed or canned style, Biere de Mars.
The DTLA version of “this Belgian-style table ale is a lightly veiled, crispy springtime refresher brewed with a medley of natural herbs like purple sage, Yerba Santa, yarrow & California bay leaf, giving it a mixture of fruity and herby notes on the tongue alongside floral and earthy aromatics.”
It has been a bit since I have mentioned Firestone Walker and Buellton but a new beer is coming out that changes that trend and it is a unique one, Saffron Saison a wild saison ale with (take a guees) saffron, sweet orange peel and Indian coriander. It is a Batch No 1 release.
Beachwood Brewing released a pair of IPAs this month that you should look for on shelves….
First released was Pizza Corgi, “A double dry-hopped West Coast IPA packed with enough dankness to make and hop-head drool featuring Nectaron Cryo, Nelson Sauvin, and Nectaron hops.”
Second was Animatronic Friends, “This modern West Coast IPA boasts a futuristic blend of innovative hops and electric aromas.” With Mosaic, Ekuanot Cryo, Columbus, Centennial, HBC-586 hops.
The Short Lived Series from MadeWest Brewing has thankfully not been short lived and the latest has arrived with a gator on it and the latest partner, Firestone Walker.
It is a Cold IPA hopped with Mosaic, HBC 1019 and Nelson and the description is “bright hop character full of citrus and tropical fruit with notes of orange, honeydew and peach.”
Stone Brewing is getting into the science of Zumology with their new “monstrously refreshing” IPA with Zumo hops from Segal Ranch as the lead. Their will be some Mosaic in there as well if you want an extra bitter boost. Per Stone protocol, this will be a higher ABV beer hitting 7.5%.
Yes, I thought that the movie The Witch was great and that the goat portraying Black Peter should have won an award but what caught my eye about this Wayfinder Beer release is not the sinister connotations that abound, but rather that the style is sparkling lager. Hope a bit makes it way to L.A.from Portland.