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I have noticed a micro-trend in brewers adding vintners to their job description. Patrick Rue at the The Bruery was the first one that I noticed and now two more are entering the wine world.
Ogopogo Brewing dipped into cider first but also have wine coming soon under the Hartlam banner.
Lastly is Silva Brewing…
…which is starting up with Amok Wines in Paso Robles.
There are quite few breweries in the cider space, but maybe it is time to let a winemaker in. I have had a few Thacher wines and their spread in Paso Robles is so calming. And if we get back on track by June next year, maybe I will be buying wine and cider.
I do my level best to stay seasonally appropriate. You don’t see mentions of Maibock in January or oodles of Oktoberfest posts in Summer. But, I am making an exception for this…..
…because, well 2020 needs more spirits and I think this one could make some fine fall cocktails since Southern Tier knows it’s way around pumpkin spice.
Perhaps the fine brewing folks at Strand Brewing in Torrance are gonna use some of their massive space for distilling, that would be quite the coup. Then they could use their barrels for beer as well. Put a pin on this one and we will see what develops.
One of the things that I missed about visiting Paso Robles this year was a trip to Re:Find Distillery. And when I win the lottery, one thing I want to buy is…
“Preserve your favorite craft cocktails, beer, cider, or any other carbonated beverage for days! Our growler uses food-grade C02 cartridges and a regulator cap to pressurize the growler maintaining carbonation. Its space-saving square shape has a tap that swivels out of the way for so it will fit right in your fridge door. It’s a simple but elegant piece of equipment for any craft beverage lover.”
On demand cocktails. That is the life.
I dabble in spirits. I know that I prefer Southern whiskey and gin above all, though I dabble in tequila and other drinks. Thanks to the L.A. Times Food Section, I found a Torrance based canned cocktail maker that delivers with the name of Drnxmyth. And they have bartenders creating some interesting spins on classic cocktails. The recipe makers get a cut too, which I think is great. So I ordered up a pair to be delivered and here is my verdict…
First up was the Margarita, at first I had a hard time twisting the bottom. You see, these drinks have two separate compartments. When you are ready to drink, you twist to mix the two together. Quite ingenious. The aroma was really nice and it tasted fancy. It had nuanced flavors and wasn’t just a tequila hit. The Gin drink was a little too out there for me. It tasted fine, it just wasn’t to my taste. I wished there had been more cucumber and mint notes. It just tasted a bit herbaceous to me.
They have a whiskey and a rum drink and I would not hesitate to try either. The 10 price point for what is essentially two cocktails is a steal.
You shouldn’t be surprised to hear that distillers from coast to coast have turned their eye to sanitizing liquid. Granted Dogfish Head and spots in Portland are not going to meet the extreme demand but the quick pivot made by these companies is yet more proof that they are more “essential” than Governor Newsom can imagine. I say buy all that you can from these locals and post about it, with a hashtag of your governor or mayor.
Put together two sour blenders with great pedigree and you just might come up with something like Big Mood, a combo of BarrelWorks and Sante Adairus. Then French Oak and apricots to go along with the wine grapes.
I decided to chaffeur my wife into her job on a recent Saturday and used the time to hit a couple spots in Long Beach. One was Beachwood Blendery and the other is the new (a couple months old) Ficklewood Ciderworks. I will write more in depth about it for Food GPS next month but suffice it to say that they had two hopped ciders that actually were both hoppy and apple-y at the same time. So, I recommend heading out there. Bonus points is that it is next to a Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.
