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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…”
Long Beach’s Trademark Brewing is joining in on the 2nd location fun with a taproom in the very yellow, Enclave in Torrance.
This just adds to the large scene in that area which was already full day trip before.
I recently had the Winter Welcome from Samuel Smith and then I saw their Yorkshire Stingo (with a super classy logo) which I have not had in many moons and decided it was high time to review to see if I get the same notes of “fruit, raisin, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding and slight oaky flavours”.
The last item on that list certainly comes through but the rest, not so much but despite that adjective failure, this is a real classic of a beer. There is a slight hint of future souring in the taste in the amber coloured ale. I taste grass and wheat and pea shoots myself. Complex and strange for sure.
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).
Some months, the best of is better than others. This month, I had three beers that just bowled me over. And they were not one style, they were all over the spectrum. I will go in order of drinking them and not rank since they are within a hair of each other.
First was the 2024 version of Topa Topa Brewing’s Howler DIPA. No ordinary hop attack, this is a coffee DIPA with beans from Dune Coffee and it was a two-pronged attack of coffee and hops in equal measure.
Second is a three way collaboration from Brewyard Beer Co., Ambitious Ales and Five Point Five Brewing. The beer is a fruited pastry beer. No stout, no sour just a Filipino driven ode to JolliBee named Jolli beer and it was spot on. Crust and mango combined.
Finally, Long Beach Beer Lab had an excellent winter ale named Amburana for the wood the beer was aged in. Spiced up with cinnamon and hearty without being overly heavy. A great example of a winter warmer.
I dare not type this winter ale’s name for fear of unleashing the wrath of Santa and Mrs. Santa so this review is posting safely after. Frogtown Brewery debuted Christmas is Cancelled this year and it has a very cool retro Palm Springs look to it.
Now on to the liquid inside. The Cancelation pours a dark brown and a bakery spice pours out when the beer is poured. Lovely nice light brown foam as well. This tastes like a classic British Winter Warmer just with amped up American spice and hops. If it pops up next year, I will get it again.
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.
