Common Space Brewery is hitting up #GreatBeerGivesBack hashtag with the new Furry Friends Hazy IPA. They already did the puppy part but if you want to support by getting a beer and not a new pet, then hustle down to Hawthorne.
Friendly and Hazy
Review – Rosso from Menabrea
It is not often that I drink an Italian beer. And even less often that I taste one on draft so when my wife and I went out to Pasta Sisters in Culver City and I saw that they had two beers on draft from Menabrea Brewing, well, I had to try.
I had to really adjust my taste buds and expectations after having a DDH and a TDH IPAs earlier in the day. This is water from the Alps. A slight touch of Old World hops and then leaning into malt without being a big beer. This is subtle. No spice notes, no bitterness just malt and it was a great way to end a drinking day or to start one. Rosso is a beer that can get lost in the shuffle between hoppy bangers so one needs to have this with food and enjoy it.
All Day
One of my first favorite craft beers was the Thomas Kemper WeizenBerry. So, when I saw this can and saw that it was also a raspberry wheat beer, I immediately added it to my buy it if I see it list.
Strung Along
There are some weird bedfellows in craft beer collaborations and here is another one not on my bingo card as Firestone Walker has teamed with Ernie Ball, they of the guitar strings for a West Coast DIPA…
Catherina
I have had a few beer styles in my beer drinking lifetime so it is rare to run across one that is totally new to me but All About Beer podcast hosts Em Sauter and Don Tse have found one.
“The Catharina Sour is a popular beer style in Brazil that showcases the rainbow of fruits grown all over Brazil from fruits Americans know like guava and passion fruit but some fruits Americans may not be aware of like caju and jabuticaba.”
“Recognized as a style by the BJCP, the Catharina Sour is a source of pride for Brazilians as this showcases their love for craft brewing, culture, agriculture and more. But what is Catharina sour and how is it brewed?”
Head HERE to learn more about this South American beer.
NAGBW talks to the N2BA
A few beer writers got the chance for an update on the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) thanks to our guild and it was heartening to see that for an organization that was put together just in December of 2022 has made such strides. Kevin Asato from the NB2A and Beny Ashburn from Crowns & Hops were on hand to break it down for us.
Here are some of the positives for what is still a nascent trade group:
- there are around 86 black owned breweries in the U.S.
- over the last two years, 70% of black breweries have been outpacing breweries overall
- National Black Brewers Day is part of the agenda of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Bill 1297 is in the works to make it official on a federal level
- there has been numerous brewing equipment donations that help one of the biggest hurdles in opening a brewery, the cost of equipment
- and a real biggie, before she took up the presidential mantle, VP Kamala Harris had made contact with the group to work together with the White House!
Now, the picture is not all rosy. It is still a small organization staffing wise and the current craft beer malaise makes the overall job more of an uphill one but that climb will be easier once black owned breweries are seen as less DEI and more integral to craft beer success and vitality.
I have never understood either purposeful exclusion or almost worse, not even trying to appeal to a broad swath of customers and I wholeheartedly agree with Ashburn that it is critical for sustained success to reach out to anyone who shows interest in craft beer. Everyone in this country should have the access and encouragement to either enjoy craft beer or make it.
With a K?
I have a sore spot when it comes to new products that use a K when it should be a C or vowels being left out. The new Haas hop only breaks the first rule as HBC 586 is now Krush.
The hop grower describes the flavors as “mango, guava, citrus and resin character.” Sounds up the alley for a tropical IPA. I am now on the clock to see how ling before I see that K on a beer label.
Enegren’s 2024 Fest
Enegren Brewing’s Oktoberfest is on the way and if you are looking for a close facsimile of German fests, then this is a good one because it is not just about one beer, though they do have a Festbier ready. But you can get pilsners and lagers as well. Mark your calendars for end of September and enjoy.
Pennsylvania Brewery Tour # 2 – Yorkholo Brewing
The second PA stop is one that Lew Bryson talked about on his podcast Seen Through a Glass when he was covering the town of Mansfield. It is Yorkholo Brewing.
Here are three beers that have been done in the past to give you an idea of their beer range…
Honey Lemon Saison – “Brewed with floor malted German pilsen, oats & spelt. Mildly hopped with cluster & cascade in the kettle with some bittering orange peel”
Mosaic Hopped IPL – “Brewed with a blend of German floor malted pilsen, vienna, flaked corn & rye. Kettle hopped with mosaic. Dry hopped during primary & secondary with mosaic. layered for 6 weeks. Incredibly crisp & refreshing with notes of citrus, lime, tropical fruit, pine & fresh cut grass.”
Pink Guava Fruit Smoothie IPA – the fourth version of a smoothie IPA, “The notes are incredibly interesting with flavors of starburst, strawberry & watermelon jolly rancher.”
The Quick Return of Solidarity
All Season Brewing has collaborated with the now defunct Eagle Rock Brewery to bring back the L.A. flagship beer, Solidarity Dark Mild back, at least for a limited time.
So, if you want a hit of nostalgia in these turbulent times, then head to south of Wilshire to have a pint or two. It will be available later this month.