Not Red Handed

…instead try Red Hearted. Bell’s Brewery is adding to their Hearted Collection with Red Hearted. I am a fan of the Red IPA sub-style but I think Bell’s could have found a new name as this line has been quite extended. That said, if I see it in a variety pack here in L.A., I might just have to try it.

Radiant Numerology

What do you get when you add 702 + 303 + 630 + 586 ? 

You get Radiant Beer Co.s By The Numbers DDH West Coast IPA.  It is collaboration with Yakima Chief Hops with “advanced hop products from YCH like Citra 702 flowable extract and 303 Trial (a blend with Phantasm®), while also featuring HBC 630 Cryo and HBC 586 T90 pellets.

With “hop character with fresh pineapple, ripe strawberry, guava and orange zest flavor.”

Review – Scottish Golden Aged in Single Malt Whiskey Casks from Innis & Gunn

One of four barrel-aged expressions of a Scottish Ale, the Single Malt Whiskey matured version might not have the spirit geek cred of Caribbean Rum or Islay casks, but the issue is how does the base Innis & Gunn beer react with each cask.

Though I am afraid of the combination of clear bottle and non-refrigerated bottles, I picked up the lone bottle to try and the aroma is nice and Scotch-y but then the flavor turns a little too sweet. Almost cola sweet but that aroma keeps pulling the affair back to center. I like the subtle smoke note here as well. I wonder how this tastes fresh, would it have less caramel?

Station and a Port

The last two times that I have visited Mom and by extension Portland, my first stop after acquiring the rental car has been a stop at Belmont Station Bottle Shop and Beer Bar to stock up on Portland beers.

This year Belmont Station turns 27 and they have a special IPA for the occasion…

Eagle eye beer fans will recognize that motto at the top as from Pizza Port.  Yup, a SoCal brewery got the nod this year.

It drops today so get thee to fair PDX soon.

Resurgent Quintuple

Replicant Shell announced a while back a new Resurgence Series, bringing lost beers back and coming in will be a Quintuple Blonde Ale.

Which, I do believe is from the late Five Threads Brewing in Westlake Village. Looks like a big and promising start to this series.

The Lair

I have been following craft beer long enough to have been through the high IBU wars and the high ABV battles so it is with a bit of nostalgia for tgat time that I post about New Holland Brewing’s Dragon’s Milk, Triple Mash a riff on their Dragon’s Milk line that I only just heard about recently.  It is a “rich 18.7% ABV Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout” that is released early in the beer calendar year.  And I like seeing that breweries are still going big.

Leaves of Oak

Brouwerij ‘t Verzet has a unique spin on an already unique beer style with their 10th Edition of Oud Bruin called, Oak Leaf.  

Here is the description, “Freshly harvested from a local forest just 500 meters from our brewery, our Oak Leaves are handpicked with care. These late summer leaves impart a woody taste and astringent mouthfeel that truly captures the essence of the season.

The wild yeasts that call these leaves home work their magic, fermenting the residual sugars in the beer and creating a symphony of complex, organic aromas.”

8Zero5

Seeing as how a N/A Parabola would not be the best course of action, Firestone Walker has made the much more logical choice of creating a non-alcoholic version of 805, with the clever insertion of the word Zero for the number Zero.

Could be a popular beer this summer, up and down the Central Coast.

Sean Suggests for April 2024

Time to play, one of these things is not like the other. I am a fan of collaborative beers and so that is two-thirds of the theme this month.

Enegren Brewing / Bierstadt Lagerhaus American Reinheitsgebot – 4.8% – “Being two breweries that share a passion for exceptional, filtered, and crisp German lagers, we decided to brew one of our all-time favorite beers for this year’s American Reinheitsgebot: an American Helles Lager. This classic beer is crafted with American malt and hops, staying true to its style. Make sure to swing by Frühlingsfest and grab a taste before it disappears!”

Santa Monica Brew Works Todo Chido Mexican-Style Lager – 5% – “this crisp Mexican-style ‘surfveza’ is pure golden refreshment. Enjoy the bright, well-balanced taste with delicate notes of orange blossom and a touch of tangelo.”

Wagon Wheel Brewing / Tarantula Hill Wagon Full of Tarantulas –  6% – “We set out to brew a Hazy Single IPA and the resulting brew is a Tropical fruit bomb that is out of this world! Wagon Full of Tarantulas is a Hazy IPA featuring HBC 630 and Mosaic hops. This beer is layered with flavors of papaya, grapefruit and pineapple.”