Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
All I can say is Excellent!! The Bottle Room in Whittier is great. I had the Rosemary Chicken pizza along with Telegraph White Ale and the Maredsous 10. Then followed it up with my 1st ever beer float!! Very good with caramel and nuts and Downtown brown ale. Highly recommended!
1. Port Brewing – Hot Rocks Lager
Nice and malty. I like the fact that it was a collaboration with Tonya Cornett at Bend Brewing and that they were trying a new brewing technique. Had a nice full flavor without losing that lager style completely. Would be really good with a hamburger or ribs.
2. New Belgium – Mighty Arrow Pale Ale
A slight but noticeable citrus tang. Beautiful color and carbonation. Like a cross between a pale and an IPA that captures the essence of both. This would be an excellent gateway beer for people who aren’t into big hoppy beers. Chicken or pork in a citrus glaze or rosemary would taste excellent with this.
3. Telegraph – Reserve Wheat
First taste is very sour then it settles down some. Made with lemon verbena which accounts for the pucker but not very refreshing and not as easy to drink as the Mighty Arrow or the Hot Rocks. I would have to say that this goes into the noble experiment category.
4. Ommegang – Ommegeddon
Very funky smell. Barnyardy to the max. Complex but still a little on the astringent side. The brettamyoces yeast doesn’t do it for me. Sort of like the Telegraph in that it is thin but not easy to drink. Because this beer has such an overpowering aroma and taste, I would hesitate to pair it with any food because it would compete against the food instead of complement.
5. La Baladin – Nora
When I opened this bottle, it erupted which is sad considering the cost. My first sip of this was all pepper. I didn’t taste other spices but still drinkable. Very complex. Alot of things going on with this beer. This is another beer that defies food pairing but I think it might work nicely with a Caesar salad.
My favorite was the New Belgium with the Hot Rocks lager taking the silver medal and the La Baladin the bronze.
Today’s just concluded Beer Discovery Tasting had quite a few surprises. Today’s tasting was a wide range of beers that, I personally, had not tried but that I knew the brewers were good because I had tried their wares before.
On the list were Port Brewing’s Hot Rocks Lager which pours very dark but was well received. Nice malty brew that would go great with a burger or ribs. The second beer got even better reviews. The Mighty Arrow from New Belgium has a lovely citrusy hop tang without being in your face. New Belgium really makes people pleasing beers. The Reserve Wheat from Telegraph in Santa Barbara was the least enjoyed of the five. Very sour for a wheat beer but not good lambic sour. It was made with lemon verbena. Better as a dessert beer maybe. Next up was Ommegedon from Ommegang. This beer divided the panel. Some enjoyed it but others could not get over the bret funkiness of it. All liked the nuclear label. Lastly the winner of the night was Nora from La Baladin in Italy. Has a peppery, cinnamon taste that people really liked. Probably the most complex and different beer of the night but obviously well made.
A big shout out to Charlie, Julie, Marguerite, Karen, Jennie, Robert & Marcie for their excellent questions and willingness to try really new and different beers.
P.S. They would all go well with oatmeal cookies.
Collaboration not Litigation. One of the reasons why I love the craft brewing movement is the open source code ethos that runs through it. New Belgium and Hair of the Dog make special beers for a bottle shop in Seattle. And Russian River in California and Avery in Colorado get together to make one great beer out of two great beers.
I tasted the 250 from Guiness today. Quite the odd beer. The barkeeps were not enthused by it at all and I can see why. It is the regular stout that is watered down with Irish spring water. It is not bad at all. But it does have a more carbonated/soda-esque taste to it. With a nitro tap it might be even more pronounced. Either way, I am not sure if it is a marketing ploy.
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I have posted about how much I enjoy Drifter but now there are two new offerings from one of the big Portland breweries. As part of their rotating W line is a Belgian beer but more interesting to me is the 25th anniversary double Alt beer. For those who only know the Hefeweizen. Widmer’s Alt was their first success and know they are returning and I for one can’t wait to try it.
A wonderfully strange romp through the world of beer through the eyes of Tom Robbins. Odd but endearing.
Every new beer enlightened place that opens is like an angel getting wings. The scene,Whittier, California. 24 beers on tap. Rogue Hazelnut in a float! It is on my list of places to check out soon. Plus the chef is super cool. It’s called the Bottle Room. Check it out for yourself.
http://www.thebottleroombar.com/
http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/pizza-beer-recipes