Another day, another beer for charity. By now, I think you could probably spend an entire year just drinking brews for a cause. It is one of the reasons why I love the craft beer. Kudos to Skagit River
Pilsen’s Small Breweries Club
I saw this article in the NY Times earlier this month and is my style, am just now getting to post it for those traveling to the wellspring of lager.
This part of the travelogue caught my eye….“The best news for thirsty tourists, however, might be the new Klub Malych Pivovaru, or Small Breweries Club, an easygoing, youthful bar whose dinginess belies that it is refreshingly (and atypically, for the Czech Republic) nonsmoking. Four rotating taps offer unusual beers from regional Czech and Bavarian producers, with several oddball specialties available in bottles, like the Regenator doppelbock from Germany’s obscure J. B. Falter label.
Though the ramshackle, romper-room décor of the bar leaves something to be desired, the beer geek is likely to be satisfied by its blend of picnic tables, grime and obscure beer-related knickknacks. But for thirsty pilgrims who chance upon an exciting new brew — like the madly hoppy Quarterback IPA from Pivovar Kocour — in one of the world’s greatest brewing towns, finishing a trip here can feel like the culmination of a religious experience.”
Who knew that you can get an American style IPA named after an American football position in the land of Pilsener Urquell?
Beachwood BBQ AND brewing
The beer scene in LA will be a little bit brighter on July 5th.
“We are pleased to announce that after two-plus years of hard work and anticipation, that Beachwood BBQ and Brewing will be opening our doors Tuesday July 5th, 2011 in downtown Long Beach. For those of you who don’t know, we have teamed up with well-known Southern California home brewer, Julian Shrago, to bring to you a new 10-bbl brewpub with 90 barrels of fermentation space.
We’ll be producing about eight year-round finely crafted brews, with a
few seasonals and other special beer projects going alongside. And
yes, we are keeping our normal guest tap list of about 24 rotating
taps featuring only the finest in craft beer. You can bet we’ll have
an extensive cellar in downtown Long Beach too. Our HopCams will be up for both locations, so if you don’t see a chalkboard with what you’re
looking for… who knows it could be on at the other place. And, of
course we’ll pour Beachwood Brewing beers at Beachwood Seal Beach on the regular.
In addition to Julian’s signature IPAs, he’ll be brewing a range of
craft beer styles including stouts, wheat beers, Belgians, and pale
ales. Some of the house beers Julian’s got ready include:
Foam Top Cream Ale, which is traditional American cream ale brewed with American 2-row malt and imported German hops. Delicately hopped, light in body, and very refreshing with a clean finish.
Uno Belgian Single Ale is a lively Belgian blond ale accented by notes of lightly toasted malt and graham crackers. Brewed with imported German and Belgian malts, this beer is finished out with German hops. Floral and fruity aromas round out this refreshingly dry Belgian ale.
Kilgore Stout: an American stout brewed with rye malt for a silky body. Kilgore is brewed with British roasted barley and chocolate malts for a roasty backbone with notes of coffee and cocoa. Hopped with Chinook, Columbus, Centennial, and Amarillo hops for a citrusy Pacific Northwest punch.
The food menu will be the same great Southern barbecue we serve at
Seal Beach with items like slow-smoked, dry-rubbed baby back ribs,
beef short ribs, and smoked chicken. The same great sides like
blue-cheese grits, smoked asparagus, and skillet-baked cornbread will
be there too.
We’ll have much more dining room and bar space, and huge patio area on the Promenade, which is a pedestrian only street. Live music and
special beer festivals are definitely on the agenda. And sure, we’ve
got a few tricks in the bag we’ll break out in due time.
Cheers!”
30
Redhook has been changing labels and bottles but the outside doesn’t matter as much as the inside. And I am glad to see the ESB added to the new Blueline Series. Of course the “B” in this case stands for Birthday, as in 30th.
Here is the info… “a highly modified version of ESB that replicates the flavor profile of Redhook ale in the early 80s, lovingly referred to by Seattle locals as “banana beer.” A Belgian yeast is used to create these spicy banana notes. This special brew has a deep red color, bold hops, and rich malty body.”.
Review – Iron Fist Velvet Glove
For the month of June, the Beer Search Party is reviewing beers from Iron Fist in Vista California. The last to be reviewed is Velvet Glove…
colLAboration in July
If this can happen…
…then what may happen when the colLAboration takes a month long residence in West Hollywood?
Check out the website HERE to get all the details because you don’t want to miss the beer or the people at these events.
But for starters here is the general where and when….
Saturday, July 9th
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 16th
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 23rd – A Salute to Belgian Beers!
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
8950 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA 90069
The new Duvel/ColLAb glasses are $15. Those who purchased the $10 glass from the first or second event can use that as their admission; most beers will be $5 to $6.
Stone SourFest
My beer buddy Richard and I traveled to Escondido for the pleasure of puckery sour beer at Stone Brewing. And at 10am no less.
We arrived and quickly received are elegant sampler glasses, our 15 taster tickets and the menu…..
I started with Sang Royal from famed (and often mentioned on this blog) Cascade Brewery in Portland which had (6) sours on the menu. Of which I sampled two. The Vine with it’s big white grape taste and milder acidity was my favorite. We found a rock wall to sit on at the lowest level and plotted our sour choices on the sunny day…
My plan was to alternate between fruit sours and barrel aged sours. Mostly to keep the acidity level in check. (Even though I brought some Tums in case). And because there were so many choices, 53 on tap plus 49 bottles, it was easy to do.
There were only a couple of duds in the 11 that I sampled but they were far outweighed by two from Cantillon that were simply amazing. The Lou Pepe Kriek and the Iris.
The kriek was like a spiced cherry pie. It was a cloudy red with excellent aroma. My number one choice of the day.
If you went this year or last, what were your favorites?
City Tavern + Cismontane + TAPS
Last Thursday, I had the great pleasure to partake of another great night of beer and food at City Tavern in Culver City. Great vibe and great location in Culver City.
Anyway, here is the menu from the night. Try to guess the theme….
To me, the best pairing of beer and food was course # 2. The spiciness of the pork and the hushpuppies worked really well with the amber maltiness of the steam beer. I mean California common. The Blacks Dawn with the salted Caramel ice cream played well together too but since I am not a big pecan pie fan, it comes in a notch lower.
TAPS and Cismontane give us the rationale behind the pairings. It is essential to have this before beer dinners. Victor from TAPS really explained the choices and even how to eat and drink. A little of each food on the fork to catch all of the flavors.
The TAPS witbier that paired with the first course of ambrosia and cream. And below are the buttermilk fried chicken and the dessert at the end of the night.
The portion size was good for both the beer and the food. But even so. I was stuffed by the end. And a little filled with salt. My only course correction would be to subtract either the pork or shrimp dish for a soup or a salad one to give the breweries a chance to choose a beer that would work with different food and also to lighten the meal.
If you haven’t been to a beer dinner, you certainly should and if you get the chance to try one at City Tavern. Hop on the opportunity.
more in Reserve at Widmer
I still haven’t had the Galaxy Hopped barley wine and another special reserve comes down the pike. This one a lemony slice of summer. Lemongrass that is. With the added kick of muscat too. Another one for the wish list from Widmer.
Pour it Black
One of the announcements lost in the shuffle (a bit) on the Stone grand expansion plans was the addition of the Pour it Black festival.
More will be said later but for now, save the date.
One beer that might be in attendance is the latest collaborative brew….
