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In the Tap Lines for November 2024

It is peak holiday season with Halloween decor still up (probably) and Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching. As with previous years, the elves, reindeer and I will start highlighting holiday beers, but only AFTER Turkey Day.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries inside airports for those flying this holiday season

~ special featured reviews of two beers from The Rare Beer Club

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads Wool by Hugh Howey

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to My Unsung Hero

~ Sports & A Beer returns with the coaching carousel

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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The Firkin for October 2024

It is easy nowadays to summon a car to deliver you to a brewery or from one brewery to another. You also will find running clubs associated with a brewery. And if you really want to take your life in your hands, you can bike. I hate to run but even I would take that over bicycling.

My choice A is walking and whilst in Denver, I was able to saunter from a brewery, to another and then another. The next day, I walked around a lake from one corner to another to visit two breweries. I miss being able to do that in Los Angeles as there are relatively few neighborhoods where multiple breweries exist.

Torrance on Del Amo is one. Arts District in DTLA is a second. Both have their charms and drawbacks. And maybe if economic times improve or a new gust of brewery wind hits the sails we will be able to create more walkable beer paths.

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Best Beers of October 2024

This is going to be the all Pumpkin, all Colorado vacation edition of the Best of the Month.

Here are the contenders:

Bristol Brewing Pumpkin Ale weighing in at 5.9%

Our Mutual Friend Porch Pumpkin at 8.8%

Odyssey Beer Works Fluffy Pumpkin lowest at 5.6%

4 Hands Pumpkin Ale at 6%

Odell Brewing Pumpkin Spice Dottie 6.4%

Fluffy Pumpkin edges out Bristol Brewing because that marshmallow and pumpkin combo just had the Halloween vibe, even though Bristol has the most gourd to it.

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Colorado Report # 2

Took a Lyft from LoDo to Novel Strand Brewing for a first visit to a truly neighborhood spot. Houses on the other three corners. Looks like a typical pub or coffee house, which it also is in the AM. Had the Ninja Shit and Green Showers on the beertenders recommendation. Both were easy drinkers. 

After a Vieux Carre cocktail night, it was time to hit a really good brewery triangle centered on Larimer Street. First point was Our Mutual Friend Brewing where I taster tray-ed a few beers from their selection that held quite a few Belgian and funky choices like their two time GABF winner Biere Ovale. Which was quite a tart burst. I also quite enjoyed the Industry Appreciation IPA. You can’t miss the space as it is brightly colored outside.

Ratio BeerWorks is the punk brewery and again, Denver surprises with an eclectic beer list including a scotch ale and multiple saisons such as the carrot and elderflower that I chose. Bigger footprint than OMF but familiar garage door, indoor-outdoor set-up just one block up from OMF.

A slightly longer walk of three blocks led me to the very large industrial space of Bierstadt Lagerhaus where I had to notch the beer bucket list item of a slow pour pils at the source. The presentation, after the requisite time had elapsed, was spot on with the fancy gold embossed glass and the little paper doily and the parfait of foam is something to see. And of course to taste.

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GABF Medal Winning Brewery Tour # 3 – Olfactory Brewing

Off to San Francisco for our last GABF winning brewery, Olfactory Brewing and Blending. They won gold for Proverbial Fork a mixed- culture Brett beer.

Here are some fine choices to get to know this Bay Area brewery:

Tsunduku Rice Lager – “decocted and naturally conditioned local pilsner malt and jasmine rice. Hopped in abundance with Sterling, Loral and Saaz.”

Mind Fuzz Fuzzy IPA – “Brewed pilsner malt, oats, and wheat and hopped with Simcoe Cryo, Mosaic, Nelson and Motueka.”

Manic Pendulum Batch # 2 – “Mixed fermentation Saison aged for over a year in oak and blended in stainless with an abundance of Citra hops.

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Fall Into IPA

Institution Ales Fall Seasonal is back with a Black IPA.  It is “brewed with Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo hops. Deceptively dark in appearance, this beer drinks similarly to a piney, citrusy West Coast IPA with only small hints of toasty and chocolate malts.” 

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The Pitch

It is safe to say that I enjoy a good entrepreneur story and if you don’t like the personalities of Shark Tank there is a different show that you can listen to as a podcast or on YouTube called The Pitch and recently they had a beer episode.

The founder of Hoplark which makes hop water and hop teas is branching out into brewing efficiency.  ReCraft has engineered a way to get more utilization of hops and water that might save some money for a brewery.  

Take a listen (or watch) HERE.