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Christmas in Eagle Rock

Your L.A. Christmas needs are ironically met at Eagle Rock Brewery where you can wear an ugly sweater and toss some fruitcakes

We start on December 20, 2012 from 4pm to 9pm

“You’ve got it and we want to see it! Get dolled up in your finest….. fugly sweater that is!
We want to see large Santa faces, glitter, bells, lights, multi-colored yarn, pom-poms…. the WORKS. Also welcome is any kind of talented creativeness that in some way resembles our product/crew.”

Judging will go down around 8:30pm so be sure to get here and get fancy before then. Winner will receive a fabulous prize and full fugly bragging rights.

Then on December 27, 2012 from 7pm to 9pm

“Did the holiday season approach and along with it some delicious (ahem, gross) fruit cake? Well we’ve got the BEST solution for you.

1st ANNUAL Fruit CAKE TOSS! BYOB fruit cake and see how far you can toss it into our parking lot. Furthest toss wins a prize and of course FULL bragging rights.

It’s seriously a win even if you don’t toss it the furthest since you get rid of that nasty fruit cake and all your holiday aggression. Haha. We’re always here to help you out. Oh, and there’s always beer here too.

Tossing will begin approximately 7pm so be sure to be here and be ready. Remember….fruit cake not provided so be sure to bring one with!”

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Sean suggests for December

This month I pick out another grab bag of beers going from light(ish) to heavy. We start with Boulevard which is now distributing in L.A., then head to Redlands for a winter beer from Hangar 24 before getting a Widmer special release with a southwestern twist.

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Xmas 2012 – Moor Beer Co. / Winter Blend

Now for more Moor Beer, their holiday offering Winter Blend

“Eat and drink too much during the holidays? Yeah, we’re all guilty, especially with all those great barley wines and winter warmers out around that time. Sometimes when your discipline is about to fail you need a more sane beer to brighten the cold days and long nights. This is the one you’re looking for – a beautifully blended Brown Ale. Fruity, nutty, chocolatey, and bitter, it’s perfect for the dark winter season. One landlord commented that it “still has that full on Moor flavour hit.” It’ll keep your taste buds satisfied and the rest of your body relieved. Great taste, less…”

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“Hang”in around the Barrel

I wish Redlands was a little closer to Glendale. But then again, it is probably why their special events are so much fun and with little to no lines even during a great barrel aged beer event at Hangar 24.

They are known for their excellent Orange Wheat (now in cans, along with their Helles) but beer geeks know them for their “Barrel Roll Series” of beers. It started with Immelman’s five years ago and this year they released Chandelle. And then re-released Pugachev’s Cobra from year three.

I was finally able to catch up on Immelman (in two versions) as well as Roll # 2, Humpty Bump. And even though I missed the apricot accented Chandelle, there was plenty to choose from, especially if you like rye whiskey barrels.

Immelman (the bourbon version) was my co-favorite of the day in a tie with a rye whiskey barrel version of their 4th Anniversary Dopplesticke.

The staff was friendly and helpful. As mentioned, lines were practically non-existent from the time I arrived two hours in until I left two hours later. Some of the bottled offerings were running dry but you could spend your six drink tickets on multiple versions of Pugachev’s or sit at one station and have an enjoyable time and get your $25 worth. The pours were very generous considering the weight of some of the beers and you could gaze upon their new canning line and huge tanks in the newest part of the facility.

So keep your eye’s peeled for their next event. You will not regret it.

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Xmas 2012 – Sound Brewery / Entendez Noel

We head to my favorite new (to me) brewery of 2012, Sound Brewery for their Holiday offering…

“AKA The Mother Of All Tripels (MOAT)Entendez Noel is a unique intense Belgian-style that can be considered an imperial triple or pale quadruple. Some warming alcohols and spicy notes (from fermentation only, no spices added) make this beauty perfect for our first holiday beer. Enjoy the ever changing aroma and flavors as you and the beer warm up.”

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FoodGPS Teaser – Christmas is coming

Tomorrow on FoodGPS, I give you some “special” christmas shopping ideas the and the beer and homework is from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. It is the yearly tradition of Our Special Ale. The holiday ale with a different tree on the label and a slightly different recipe each year.

Recently, I did a vertical tasting of this beer starting with the 2008 version and going through to 2012.

2008
Very frothy pour with an espresso head. Aroma hints that this one may have passed prime tasting time. An old ale background with a touch of sour creeping in. Very British ale tasting.

2009
Another frothy beer. Both were stored standing up so I don’t think it was my cellaring technique. But this one had a much lighter head to it. Some minor roast notes and a little whisper of pine. That same sourness and apple cider taste is evident in this one as in 2008.

2010
This one poured better. More Belgian-y. Good sparkle to this one in comparison to the flatter beers form ’08 and ’09. More coffee acidity here. Again the tree and pine notes are only faint and way in the background.

2011
Dark with a brown ale backbone. Not much spice or flavor in the 2011. Even tastes a little thin. If the others did not stand up to aging then I fear for this one.

2012
Pours dark black. Almost a Dr. Pepper type of aroma. Flavor has a burnt quality to it. Body is light and it is quite sparkly. Flavor does linger on the palate.

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Xmas 2012 – Brouwerij Dilewyns / Vicaris Winter Ale 2011

We head to Belgium for Vicaris Winter Ale 2011 brought to us by the Vanberg and DeWulf people…

“Vicaris Winter ale pours an intense dark brown, almost black. The nose is a warming mix of licorice and ground coffee. Flavore of anise, sweet molasses and roasted coffee dominate the palate. Like all of Dilewyn’s offerings, Vicaris Winter is never filtered. Instead it is only cold clarified by lagering for at least one month. This is one reason why the beer is so well attenuated and smooth. You would never guess it was 10% ABV.”

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Review – Ichigo Highway

In my mind, the Bruery has been on a roll in 2012. So many beers covering a wide range from light to dark and some great local collaborations with Eagle Rock and Bootlegger’s to name just two beers. Now they have teamed up with the high flyers at Hangar 24 for a strawberry accented beer called Ichigo Highway. Here is the review…

Here is the label copy, “Ichigo Highway is a collaborative beer that we created with Hangar 24 Brewing from Redlands, CA. The base style is a sessionable sour red ale that we aged in oak barrels along with a whopping amount of strawberries, most of which were picked from the fields besides Hangar 24’s brewery. Aged for approximately 8 months, this beer has developed a pleasant funk and a delightful acidity that is balanced by the intensely sweet aroma and flavor of the strawberries as well as a unique dryness achieved by using a sake yeast along with our house strain along with souring bacteria.”