Ogopogo Brewing is going to the marker, the upcoming Haven City Market with a second location in the food hall.
Ogo2Pogo
Slow Cocktails
I am a hearty supporter of taking your time with your drinks. No beer bongs or shots for me and bartender and writer Danny Childs has taken his work as an anthropologist and ethnobotanist and merged those studies in the botanical world and bartending into the new book Slow Drinks.
And it must be quite good since he won a James Beard Foundation Award. Makes me wonder what I could forage here in Glendale.
Effing Around
Audio Graph Beer Co. has a new summer beer out in cans and they are not effing around….
Fountain of Youth
This Instagram reel HERE shows a lovely outdoor beer garden in Slovenia where you can buy a commemorative glass and get six pours of local beers.
At first, I wished that there was one of those in my town but then I realized that it must need to be policed and monitored and maintained all the damn time. Here in the U.S. those beer taps would be targeted and taken apart or, at the least, graffitied to within an inch of their lives.
Maybe I am being too negative and I should visit this one and see for my own eyes.
Purple, Orange or Both
Moonlight Brewing beers have been showing up on Los Angeles beer shelves this year and maybe, the two below will as well…
I would go for the orange label first, then purple.
A Podcast & A Beer – The Ringer-verse / Deadpool & Wolverine
The long anticipated and long hyped Deadpool 3 is in theaters now and for this month’s edition of A Podcast & A Beer, instead of focusing on an ongoing series or a podcast season, the featured podcast is just that, one podcast.
It is the Ringer-verse and the story of how Deadpool and Wolverine is the summer of 2024 blockbuster. Ringer staff writer Daniel Chin does a deep dive on these two iconic (now fellow MCU) characters.
For an 1 1/2 podcast, the pacing is brisk with, thankfully, minimal commercial breaks for Mint Mobile. The timeline is laid out well so that even a non comics fan can follow from point D to point W. And there is also a good though discussion of why Marvel is at a low point and could really use that Deadpool mystique.
For beer, well you could skip beer and find bottles of red or yellow branded Aviation Gin but I would suggest looking to the year 2009 when X-Men Origins: Wolverine arrived and brought them together for the first time. It might take a little sleuthing where you live and it might bring back memories of long lost breweries but the easy thing to look for is a brewery that just turned 15.
For Los Angeles that would have been Eagle Rock Brewery and Ladyface Brewing. The former just called it quits but you might find some last remainig cans around. So instead head to Agoura Hills and Ladyface to have a draft and a 4-pack.
Lagunitas Review # 2 – 19.2 ounces of IPA
The second of the duo of re-looks at Lagunitas Brewing is their IPA in the big ol’ stovepipe can.
This 3.2 extra ounces IPA pours a real dark yellow tinted with orange color. Has a pilsner aroma to it and the first sip gives off orange peel, cracker and a dry finish. Very current hoppy pils with old school malt vibes. There is a weird mix of watery mouthfeel but at the top is a very earthy and sodden with hops. As if the brewers were going one way then made a sharp U-Turn. This is a real solid IPA overall and one of the few that is an actual low ABV one compared to big DIPAs that usually get put into these bigger cans.
Endorsement for President
I know that this choice does not surprise nor will it change minds but I do have to say what I feel will work better for both this country and for the beer industry as well.
It is easy because of one factor. Yea, oversimplified, I know when many aspects should be contended with but for me the choice is for stability. Business hates unpredictability. And who represents chaos. Pretty obvious that. Harris + Walz will be stable. There won’t be unhinged junior high attacks. No tax breaks for the wealthy because, you know who, stills clings to the fable that he is wealthy. No isolationism from the world. Just down the middle government with occasional turns towards actual progressiveness. Sturdy supply lines, reduced inflation and a solid economy are a pipe dream for Republicans but achievable for Democrats.
On a personal level, I too crave the SSDD of life. I shudder thinking about the Orange One’s psycho tweets that bombarded us all under in his ( hopefully ) one term. It was mentally exhausting. With Biden, I didn’t have to worry about some loose tweet riling up some faction against the other. I can go weeks not having to think of the White House.
At this age of my life, I do not need drama. I want boring, mostly ineffectual, sometimes helpful government. I am not asking for the moon just not to be dragged into a tar pit. Harris + Walz might get the former whilst the other duo are 100% certain to give us the latter.
Sean Suggests for August 2024
Gonna lean into the hops for August seeing as how we are nearing fresh hop season. Here are three SoCal IPA’s to add to your shopping cart.
Benny Boy Brewing Hazy Persuasion IPA – 6.3% – “first ever hazy has landed and a juicy one with an intense amount of Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. The result is a light, pillowy body with a dank fruity nose.”
Beachwood Patio Project – 7.1% – “Get ready to fire up the grill, grab a deck chair, and start sippin’ this new aromatic West Coast IPA featuring Mosaic & Citra hops!”
Riip Beer Riip’n Greens – 7.5% – Back to Back winner of the Best of the West Coast IPA National Throwdown at the TopWire beer garden at Crosby Hop Farms.
Back to Life
Jeff Alworth always posts interesting and thought provoking beer content at Beervana Blog and this piece HERE, is no exception. Using the premise of what other breweries could use a Chobani like savior to bring them back to life.
His picks are more centered in Europe and are much deeper cuts so I propose three additional choices….
One – Bert Grants – this was a Spokane, Washington based pioneer in the early craft beer movement. With the titular Scotsman as the branding lead. They made quite a few Americanized British Ales and were decidedly on the malty side of the spectrum.
Two – Thirsty Bear Brewing – this San Francisco based brewery and restaurant was on the organic bandwagon and Spanish tapas too. Maybe too niche to last too long but I would love to see a beer and serious food pairing space.
Three – Eagle Rock Brewery – this recently closed Los Angeles brewery led the way in L.A. but despite heroic efforts, could not find a winning combination of beers. Bigger bucks could bring back the opening year line-up and maybe find a better location as well.