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Review – Saint Archer Pale ale

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Here is my thumbnail review of my first ever beer from San Diego’s Saint Archer, their pale ale…..

“Pours a light orange. Has almost a Nelson Sauvin aroma and taste. Some herbal dankness as well. Almost a white wine set of notes. Bitterness is medium. A bit sharp. I am a bit conflicted on how to rate this.”

Here is the description from the brewery, “Balanced toward the hoppy end of the spectrum, this straight-foward, California-style pale is eminently sessionable. Crystal and Munich malts provide a backbone to showcase the bright, citrus, piney notes of Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe hops.”

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Review – Sculpin (in cans)

My bier buddy Richard aka Cap’n, recently went to San Diego and he brought back the new, canned version of the iconic Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point.

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Here is what I found when I opened the cans….

Pours a lovely orange color.  I am a little dubious about the variety of fruits listed on the label but I am surprised to get quite a bit of apricot balanced out by a charming hit of hops.  The bitterness isn’t super big but it adds a nice punch akin to sea salt too caramel.  Just tastes more frutier than I remember and I like it.

And here is the website info from the brewer, “The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops.”

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Brian’s Cellar Collection

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Blue Palms continues to hatch new plans to get people to keep returning to the venerable Hollywood beer destination, as if the beer wasn’t enough.  But one of the most intriguing option is Brian’s Cellar.

You can follow which beer will be making it’s way topside to the bar HERE.  Maybe you will see a rare beer that you have to try.

 

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Lip Balm

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If you head to the Atlantic Farms website, you will be confronted with a choice of which hoppy lip balm to buy.  I have seen hops in lip balm as swag from Sierra Nevada at some beer events but this is the first that I have seen Double IPA and grapefruit.  Grapefruit works well with beer so that would be my choice.

 

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Change the Game

“Buffalo Wild Wings partners with Redhook Brewery on Game Changer”

Redhook Gamechanger AleRedhook Brewery is partnering with the casual dining Buffalo Wild Wings to produce a new beer called Game Changer this summer.

This from the press release, “Redhook has become savvy when it comes to pairing strategic partnerships with beer brands. The company launched Audible Ale with The Dan Patrick Show earlier this year and previously created a beer for the Seattle Sounders soccer team.”

Now, the rest of the release details economic numbers and talks about locations and margins.  And that makes me not want to even look at this on a store shelf.  The first, second and third paragraphs should be about the beer.  And only the beer.

It could be the best beer in the world but it wasn’t made except for monetary reasons.

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Review – Class of ’88

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I will admit it.  I graduated in the Class of ’88 when North Coast, Deschutes and Rogue started their breweries.  So I was drawn to this beer the moment I heard about it.  So, expectations were high from a brewery reputation standpoint and a sentimental viewpoint too.

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’88 pours a bright and clear orange color.  The head is bubbly and then fades.  It is 10% abv after all.  Initial aroma is reminiscent of many a barleywine before.  With some orange notes at the back too.  Good sparkly and carbonation to this that fades into an orange zest and alcohol taste.  The top of the mouth is coated with hops of a medium/high bitterness.  That orange taste could be amped up some to combat the slickness and the alcohol but a damn fine sippin’ beer.

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Trumer in LA

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Trumer Pils is one of my favorite beers.  Clean and simple and refreshing.  I understand it is not extreme and so the beer snobs eschew it but I have been cognizant to look for it whenever I was beer shopping and now I might be able to get it on a more regular basiss because, ” the award-winning pilsner brewed in Berkeley, Calif. is now available to craft beer enthusiasts in Southern California – from Monterey to San Diego – making Trumer available throughout the entire state of California. Trumer can be found at Vons, Total Wine, BevMo! and select Costco locations. Trumer is available in 6- and 12-pack bottles and will be available on draught at select restaurants and bars.”

And I have seen it at City Tavern and at the Verdugo.