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Best Beers of September 2024

This month we are going to toggle between Fest and IPA for the best of the month.

My fest best are the always good Oaktoberfest from Firestone Walker and Paulaner’s Oktoberfest Bier. A journey from Germany to Paso Robles.

Hops wise, the Stone 28th Anniversary DIPA strayed a bit from their heavy format to a balanced fruity and big beer. The other is a spooky season named beer from ISM Brewing with Ghost Town Brewing, the 6.66% Death Dealer IPA.

As an added bonus, the Strudel Cider from Benny Boy here in Los Angeles literally tasted like an apple pie. Even though it is not fall yet here, it sure tasted like it.

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Colorado Brewery Tour # 3 – Public Offering Brewing

Our third and final stop for September and Colorado breweries is Public Offering Brewing. The name sounds like it belongs on Wall Street but the brewery is on South Broadway in Denver.

Time to grab a taster flight….

Brilliant Disguise West Coast Pilsner – “Delicate passionfruit, orange, guava and grapefruit rind aromas and flavors rest on a light pilsner base.”

Le Spritz Italian Pilsner – “Light bread malt, a touch of honey sweetness and notes of elderflower, lemongrass and quince with a crisp, dry and slightly bitter finish.”

Quite the Pear Fruited Sour – “Our collaboration with Monolith Brewing – a light, refreshing, and slightly tart beer with a hint of pear.”

The Green Mile Hazy IPA – “Bold tropical pineapple, sweet mango and shaved coconut combine with peach, key lime & Valencia oranges on a smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet finish.”

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Review – Fresh Wave XPA from El Segundo Brewing

El Segundo Brewing is throwing it back to the ’80s in both beer style and font with their Fresh Wave XPA, Extra Pale Ale. Like most monikers XPA is a bit weird give it is basically just word replacing. Session IPA is a bit cleaner and understandable.

That said, let’s taste the liquid inside and not get too hung up on verbiage. At 4.9%, this is low ABV but that first sip doesn’t give too much away because the hops come in the front door, loud. There is a second wave of malt where the lightness of the body shows up but at the end, it tastes almost like a hoppy Wit as a tropical burst comes in.

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Fall Travel

I am a beer traveler. When I go to a destination, part of my prep is a list of breweries to visit. That list will always be too long. Part of the reason why is that there are guides like San Diego Beer News that put a lot onto a plate.

And since fall is a great time to travel with fares down from summer highs until the holidays hit, you should check out the guides again since I have already told you about them before.

There are new ones out though!

You can start HERE with the local San Diego breweries.

Then head HERE for the rest of the U.S.

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Firkenstein 2024

One of the most unique beer festivals out there is Firkenstein, the ghoulish themed cask ale festival from Greg Nagel.

It has a great location in the park area between the Anaheim Packing House and Monkish Brewing. It always has a great roster of brewery attendees and is always a well run event.

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Two of Two

Even the most optimistic of Sean’s looked askance when not one but two breweries opened next door to each other on Maple Drive in Monrovia.

Unfortunately, first Wingwalker Brewing called it quits and now Over Town Brewing is pouring its last beers on October 5th. So, if you want to make a last visit, make it soon.

I was able to visit both and they were fine but they never seemed to break out further and were behind the more established Pacific Plate in Monrovia and even they are sadly no longer with us. With those three losses comes an opportunity for a brewery since that city is no clear.