Posts

Posted on

2024 Statistics

Time to pause 2025 for a bit to look at some statistical beer drinking highlights from my 2024.

564 beers were tasted in total from samplers to large format bottles.

6.29oz less beer was drunk per week – but I made up alcohol ground with more home cocktails in 2024.

High of 203 ounces in a week with a low of 112 ounces.

The average ABV over the year was 6.97%

Best of the week winners were led by Smog City Brewing in Torrance with (4) weekly winners. There were (3) other breweries tied with (2) wins.

I had 56 barrel- aged beers, 82 pilsner or lagers, 11 sour beers and a very paltry 14 beers from Europe. Of course the big style winner was 256 IPAs with 125 of those being West Coast

Below are the breweries with the most tick marks next to their names:

Firestone Walker 52

Stone 20

Smog City 16

El Segundo 15

Santa Monica Brew Works 15

Beachwood 14

Radiant Beer Co. 13

Creature Comforts 10

Highland Park 10

Sierra Nevada 10

Posted on

Hop Culture Best of Brewery Tour # 3 – FUZE

We head to Europe, specifically the Czech Republic for FUZE. A French restaurant in Prague with a brewing operation.

We will go from light to dark starting with TransFUZE the Czech Pils then moving on to FUZEnáč 13 what they call their semi-dark lager and then finish up with InFUZE 14 their dark beer. And while there they also have beers from Brewery Zichovec to compare and contrast.

Posted on

El Segund-two

El Segundo Brewing had their Power Plant weekend recently but tucked in amongst those real, real big IPAs were two other beers you might want to add to your beer shopping list.

First up is Spark Plug, described as “just a little 4-percenter”.  A Light IPA hopped with Amarillo, Simcoe and Centennial.

Second is the first (surprisingly) Slice & Pint beer, Perfect Companion IPA.  It is “an IPA made to be enjoyed while eating pizza.” Hopped with Simcoe, Citra Dynaboost and Amarillo.

Posted on

Super Dope

I have a laundry list of styles that I wish I saw more of in production or even just special release, on that list is the imperial pilsner. Thankfully, Dogfish Head has one out now that I will certainly be on the lookout for…

Super Doppio a “leveled-up Italian-style Imperial pilsner.”

Posted on

Review – Lifeblurred from Stone Brewing

SoCal has had a tiny not cold spell which has allowed me to thoroughly enjoy darker, heartier beers like Lifeblurred, an imperial brown ale from Stone Brewing.

Per Stone, this is a biggie. 11% to be exact and though at first it doesn’t seem alcohol heavy, by sip three, you feel it. I would describe this as British ale seen through a Black IPA glass, then bulked up. Very woodsy and oaky with an ever so slight citrus hop note. It is a russet and brown colored ale with a hint of a dark caramel taste to it.

Posted on

Sports & A Beer – Teams You Love to Hate

Since America is in a hate moment.  Sorry, strong words to start a sports post but with the recent election cementing our centuries long march of hate. I thought I should inaugurate the year with a look at franchises that I, and many others hate. 

The logos above show off a few truly despised teams but different parts of the country have their own heated rivalries.  For me, any Seattle team is automatically on the list since I am from Portland.  Also, add the Lakers as well.  Nothing like hearing all of Portlandia screaming Beat L.A. even if I do currently reside in SoCal.

The Cowboys are on the short list with their whole America’s Team showmanship.  The Patriots because of Brady.  The Yankees because of their open checkbooks (much like another baseball team formerly of Brooklyn).  Alabama as a representative of the high and mighty SEC conference and Ohio State with that super annoying THE Ohio State crap.

A sure way to get on the hate agenda is to have success plus be uppity about it.  All the teams mentioned have both and boy does that spur people on.  On the flip side, when those teams are not in their thrones boy is there some gloating going on.  The Michigan Wolverines helped the country out with that last year.  The other factor that I noted is that, like the orange baby, there is more crying of unfairness from the hated teams and not as much of the traditional fans saying, wait till next year bonhomie.  There just aren’t many Chiefs haters and the small amount that there are feel like their hearts are not in it.

Now I am not going to ask you to drink a beer from someplace you do not cotton to. What I instead suggest is getting a beer from a brewery you admire and jotting down why you admire them. Why? It is much better to spend time with those we love than those we hate. That is why I do not watch the Lakers.

Posted on

Paperback Tiki

If you are a Mai Tai fan, Paperback Brewing right here in Glendale has a new sour ale out for you, Tiki Tini.

You will get sweet lime, pineapple and cherry notes. If you are like me, you like that fruit salad mix and we all need to get our sour ale drinking done.