Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
I am giving you ample opportunity to stock up for April 27th. What am I stocking up on, you might ask? Saisons of course. Throwing no shade on IPA Day or Stout day but other styles need the push more and Allagash has picked the 27th for Saison.
Start looking now, you don’t have to just drink them on one day.
Cribbing from the Winners column from the recent San Diego Beer News Awards, let’s travel to the greater San Diego area and sample some award winning beer, starting with Hoponymous Brewing.
Hoppin’ Pils NZ Pilsner – “a NZ Dry-Hopped Pilsner that leaps with lively hop character, blending New Zealand’s unique hop varieties into a crisp, refreshing pilsner with a twist of bold aromatics and a clean finish.”
Leaving Without Saying Goodbye – “an Irish Red Ale, combines a smooth, malty flavor with a hint of caramel for a quietly complex farewell.”
Gal Fawkes NZ West Coast IPA – “by the Hop Girls, is a revolutionary brew that ignites with vibrant New Zealand hops, offering a spark of tropical and citrus flavors against a backdrop of crisp, clean bitterness.”
What You Need West Coast IPA – “delivers a crisp, hop-forward journey, balancing piney bitterness with a clean, dry finish—the quintessential brew for those seeking the essence of the coast.”
Haven’t been on Netflix for awhile. Too busy catching up on shows on other streamers but they have recently announced an interesting beer series helmed by “Peaky Blinders” writer Steven Knight. Called House of Guinness (for now) it will tell the story of The Guinness Family. Yes, that one.
It “will be set in the 19th-century in both Dublin and New York, and will focus on the aftermath of the death of Benjamin Guinness, who is frequently credited with the brewery’s long-standing fame and success. The plot will follow Benjamin’s children Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben as they navigate the challenges of the business in the wake of their father’s passing.”
Unless you have been under a large rock, you will have run across the Stanley Tumbler trend. A (somewhat) affordable must have item that people wanted to be seen with so coolness can be associated with and then some started obsessively collecting and fighting for.
But Stanley also has beer items as well. Like this….
A few problems, not clear so you can’t see your beer. Also not something you would use for Kolsch service or a barrel-aged beers and lastly, that is a price tag.
Needed? – No, a simple collection of a few specific beer glasses would be a much better choice.
Well, haven’t had a Ruby Ale in far too long. Should have got one when I was in Portland in February and now more envy and FOMO with the imperialized version, Ruby Royale. In time for the can you believe it 38th anniversary!
Need to clone myself so I can have time for all these craft beers I want from McMenamins alone.
Back to Smog City Brewing and their 2024 edition of Infinite Wishes, a barrel-aged stout, after a lager review detour.
The 2024 pours an inky black with a nice coffee foam head that dissipates in a bubbly fashion. For such a big ABV beer, this is not thick sludge but rather a sprightly beer. The predominant note is oak. Dark and roasty and far more dry than sweet. As it warms, a little chocolate pops through the wood but curiously not much bourbon coming through on this. Just perfect though for a spring day.
I do like when a beer label has a little fun fact or a hack on it. Something with a little bit of clever. Such is the case with Allagash White that makes you give a second look to a classic American beer.
…away by the last ingredient listed in the latest Stone Brewing One Batch Dispatch offering, Down the Rabbit Hole.
“Our Innovation Brewer Fritzi Lara Lino concocted this creation along with our Small Batch team using coffee, chocolate, strawberry… and mushrooms.”
Cultural anthropologist Dr. Lauren Crossland-Marr hosts the five-episode spanning podcast A CRISPR Bite. It takes a look at gene editing with a critical eye but also with hope too.
I like me a limited podcast series where a topic can be presented and a deeper dive can be made and this cleverly titled food podcast does just that as it clears up the difference between GMOs and gene editing as well as discussing the long term implications of changing, say, tomatoes to have more of a certain vitamin. The episode about creating cows with no horns was particularly thought provoking.
Since this topic is in the agricultural weeds, I have three drinking suggestions for you. First is cider, second is mead and then third, a little harder to find, a single malt or hop (SMASH) beer. Anything that has an easy link to nature.
I don’t usually go for flavored ciders, I tilt towards just the apple please. But I am intrigued by Benny Boy’s Madame Ruby’s a bourbon barrel-aged cherry cider.
Here is the short description from the brewery / cidery, “10 months in the making, she’s tart, she’s fruity, and slightly boozy.”