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1st Visit – Untamed Spirits

Down in the Silver Lake basin in that busy stretch where the world’s tiniest Trader Joe’s parking lot, Untamed Spirits has found a home for their food and drinks as well as enough TVs for all sports but with an emphasis on Women’s professional sports.

It is a neat location perched off the main street at the base of one the rolling hills that dot the city and it is an even split of indoor and outdoor seating. Nothing overly grand but the point is to gather with friends and maybe get a passion fruit margarita like I did and root on your favorite team, or again, if you are me, root for Portland to always Beat L.A.

Drinks wise, it is probably more of an order their specials type of place as the beer list is bang average and you will want to try the fancy ingredient driven cocktails that they offer and then settle in to watch and cheer with more sessionable drinks or N/A options. The food was quite good too and the service on a night when a special party was coming in was still quite attentive.

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In Summary

OK – I want you to watch this short history of beer video first…

…now, I want you to look at the comments (if you haven’t already). Notice that no matter how well researched or the fact that it has summary in the title, commenters gotta comment. And though most are just little jabs, none seem to suggest future, detailed videos or even acknowledge that in a short synopsis not all little items will be covered.

This is a good grounding video for new beer fans and also helpfully orients old-timers like me to the place and time of the brewing events that shaped beer.

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In the Tap Lines for November 2025

We are heading into the silly season of American holidays from the just completed Halloween to Thanksgiving and then the grandaddy of them all, Christmas. As per protocol, once Thanksgiving has been given its proper due, we will start in on the Christmas seasonal beer celebrations.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from GABF Medal Winning breweries

~ special featured reviews of random beers from the ‘fridge as well as a Winter Ale or two

~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, well, still deciding which to pick from the TBR pile

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Doctor Who – The Missing Episodes

~ Sports & A Beer returns with underwhelming Premier League teams

~ 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 2025

As we slowly saunter into autumn in Los Angeles, I have been wondering where the American sweet tooth is going to land in beer next.

We have had pastry stouts thar have amped up the candyfication of stouts, porters and barleywines and that was followed by the muddying thickness and disgusting colors of smoothie sours but I cannot picture which style will get the sugar treatment from there.

IPAs are right out since they already have hazy guarding the door but will amber ales or brown ales be given a new adjunct heavy lease on life?

As the industry contracts, there will be more throwing things at the wall to see what sticks and since the U.S. can sweeten anything to within an inch of its life, I expect more to come.

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Best Beers of October 2025

Alas no pumpkin beers broke into my top of the month ranking but don’t be bitter about that. Get bitter with the three hoppy beers that I did love.

Starting with the honorable mention of my first ever beer from South O Brewing in Oceanside, Grave’s House IPA which just had a burst of fresh energy from it. It is hard to break through with so, so many IPAs out there but this was zippy from first sip to last.

Second was a fresh hop from Threshhold Brewing in Portland. They had some unique fresh hop styles but the tried and true Electric Falls IPA really showcased the Strata hops.

First was a big, big TIPA from Humble Sea Brewing, their Nectaron Socks & Sandals. Quite soft and pillowy while also hiding a double digit abv.

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MLB Playoff Brewery Tour # 3 – Here Today Brewery and Kitchen

Brewery # 2 this month was from Milwaukee which had just been eliminated by the Dodgers. Brewery # 3 is from a city that had the same fate, Seattle who fell in seven games to the Toronto Blue Jays (see brewery # 1 of this month tours).

The brewery is Here Today Brewery and Kitchen. Here are some beers for the Mariners fans who are in need of some consoling after a great season.

Patino Pils – “A snappy Bohemian-style pilsner, malt kissed and aromatic. Inspired by our friend, bar industry luminary Chris “Turtle” Patino.”

Milpa Especial – “Mexican Lager brewed w/masa harina & heirloom corn from Milpa Masa“

Jaguar Jade – “Hazy IPA brewed with corn, flavored with lime and salt”

Vector Shift – “Hazy IPA brewed w/ naturally captured yeast”

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Review – Yakima Fresh IPA from Common Space Brewery

Still fresh hop beers out there though the clock is certainly ticking on them. Before that buzzer rings, I wanted to review a local version from Common Space Brewery, Yakima Fresh! with hops from Carpenter Ranches and Sauve and Son.

YF! pours a real clear dark yellow and it is quite delicate overall. The aroma is fairly muted, no big whiff of lupulin, more a light touch of lemon. The flavor follows that course with lemon and grassy notes intermingling but only lightly bitter. It is interesting that once Common Space got the fresh hops, they were pelletized by hand at the brewery and then used as dry hopping.

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Newer

Creature Comforts Brewing now has a Creature Crafted spirit – a London Extra Dry Gin distilled in Athens, Georgia.

They describe it as having “clear scents of fresh pine and juniper with vibrant citrus notes to blend beautifully with any gin cocktail.”

Probably limited in scope and Georgia only to start but since there is a CC in Los Angeles, a few bottles might make it our way.

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Bigger

My buying hack for RTDs is to make sure that it is actual spirit in the can (or bottle) because many and even brand names are just fermented sugar water with more sugar water added.

One way to check is to see if the producer making the cocktail also sells spirits too. Which is the case for Big Yay!. They have a gin and a vodka. So you will be getting something of much higher quality.

From their current line-up, the orange aka Meyer Lemon and Gin and the green aka Pineapple, Mint and Rum sound the most intriguing and I do like the brightly lit colors.