Culture Brewing has two San Diego area locations and one spot for us Angelenos in Manhattan Beach. And it is the last one that is hitting the three year mark and their special beer for the occasion is a Citrus Gose.
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Beer Review – Lagerville by Figueroa Mountain with Wild Fields Brewhouse and West Coast Brewing
This year for Lagerville, Figueroa Mountain traveled a bit of distance to Atascadero and Wild Fields to grab one collaborative partner and then a much bigger distance to Japan to get West Coast Brewing for a Matcha Rice lager.
It pours yellow with a tinge of green (unless that was me reading into it). There is an orange aroma coming off this at first and then in the first sip, the matcha tea comes through the citrus. This is very light and I am getting a bit of tea bitterness at the end.
Cinco de Sour
I appreciate when a brewery or bar zags instead of zigs. It would be easy to brew up a Mexican Lager and maybe some micheladas for Cinco de Mayo.
But the Glendale Tap is bringing in sour beers. Fifteen of them for the fans of puckery.
No Forbidden Hops
Pizza Port / Ghost Town Forbidden Beach is certainly filled with enough hops for two breweries: Riwaka, Mosaic, Columbus, Simcoe and the yet un-named HBC 586.
44 IPA
RnD IPA # 44 is coming from Russian River Brewing with quite the interesting hop list. HBC-586, Luminosa, NZH-106, Riwaka and Zumo hops.
On occasion, bottles will end up in my local Whole Foods and I will grab and review if this one shows up.
El Mundo
Norwalk Brew House has a worldly new beer and it “is an homage to the West Coast and our love for our Mexican-American culture.”
The name to look for is El Mundo Hazy IPA and you might see it at some beer shoppes but it will be a bit of a hunt so keep your eyes peeled and use the beer finder on their website.
Non Beer Book Day – American Cider
If you are like me, there is always another book needed. And if you need more cider info then I have a book recommendation for ya’. It is American Cider by Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo which gives “a new wave of consumers the tools to taste, talk about, and choose their ciders, along with stories of the many local heroes saving apple culture and producing new varieties.”
Non Beer Book Day – Dusty Booze
Craft beer went through (as did I) a keepsake / cellar phase but when you talk Bourbon the shit gets real weird and in Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits by drinks writer Aaron Goldfarb you get story after story of the hunt for old bottles of you name it, whiskey, tequila, rum, and even chartreuse.
I heard Goldfarb talk about “dusties” on the Bourbon Pursuit podcast and the stories are wild so I am heading to my local library to order.
Save the Date – 5 / 18 / 24
In a little over two weeks, El Segundo Brewing will unleash their 13th anniversary upon Los Angeles craft beer fans so get that calendar updated either paper or digital or both.
In the Tap Lines for May 2024
With the Craft Brewers Conference in the rear view, it is time to prepare yourself for summer beer festival season. Though not as busy as in past years, there will be plenty to do and plenty of souvenir cups to collect. Below is what is currently planned for the month of May here on the blog.
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Central Coast of California in advance of the Firestone Walker Invitational
~ special featured reviews of whatever is in the refrigerator throughout the month
~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 The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Tales from the Tardis
~ Sports & A Beer returns with Drafting for QB1
~ 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.