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She’s The Brewer is a new collaborative IPA brew with “bold flavors for bold women.” from the combined force of Stone Brewing and the Pink Boots Society using the 2024 editions of the Pink Boots Malt (Odyssey Barley) and Pink Boots Hop Blend (Mosaic, Simcoe, Chinook and Krush).
Each and every year, I start the blogging calendar with a disclaimer. As a beer blogger, I feel it is important to be clear about my rules and morals.
Every beer, brewery, event, restaurant reviewed on this site whether paid for or complimentary will get the same treatment when reviewed. If I don’t like the beer, it will be described as a beer that I did not like, even if it was handed to me by the brewer and I like the brewer.
If I forget, (which probably will happen, because it has before) to mention how I got a beer or a pass to an event, then go back and read the previous paragraph.
I clearly want the Los Angeles local beer scene to continue to flourish and I want craft beer in general to do so as well. So, my reviews will also take that into consideration. Some points in 2025 once past the doom of Orange Mussolini and their “project 2025 loss of rights” will require cheerleading and others require harsh sentences. I am not subtle in any way, so I am sure you will figure it out quickly.
I will be as impartial and truthful as I can be while also staying as opinionated as usual.
Strap in folks, there is gonna be some turbulence in 2025. I have mentioned, just yesterday in fact, that economics are going to be bad and the now annual Dry January will not help the beer world so be kind and helpful to counteract the bad vibes that are sure to be spinning.
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Hop Culture’s Best of List
~ special featured reviews
~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 Knife by Salman Rushdie
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
~ Sports & A Beer returns with teams that are easy to hate
~ 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.
I am not inclined to doom and dread when it comes to the New Year. Perhaps because the bar of past years is not the highest of hurdles.
But I do feel mighty trepidatious about our breweries in Los Angeles and this country overall. Zooming out, it is clear that most voting Americans have no idea of the deleterious effects of tariffs and how they are best used in tiny, targeted doses. It is also clear that the ultra religious right cannot stay in church and rather enjoy pushing their twisted morality onto anyone and alcohol is one of their targets.
On a local scale, breweries here are closing or are in trouble. Will that balance out naturally with the remaining breweries getting the dollars? Perhaps. And I do think that turnkey breweries and cheaper kit may lead to a new set of exciting beer but that may not come to fruition until 2026. Until then, we may be looking at a lot of light lagers as draws since slushies and seltzers are fading fast.
The one thing that I will be tracking in 2025 are beer prices. I routinely purchase mixed 4-packs and I used to be able to get them at the $20 mark but in the last half of the year it has been more $24 to $25 and I am looking at barrel-aged beer prices with a sharp eye and substitute a hoppy pils for them. And I don’t even look at big bottles.
However this year turns out, I hope you all have a great beer year and I urge you to visit local and also travel to beer. It might make a difference.
Some months, the best of is better than others. This month, I had three beers that just bowled me over. And they were not one style, they were all over the spectrum. I will go in order of drinking them and not rank since they are within a hair of each other.
First was the 2024 version of Topa Topa Brewing’s Howler DIPA. No ordinary hop attack, this is a coffee DIPA with beans from Dune Coffee and it was a two-pronged attack of coffee and hops in equal measure.
Second is a three way collaboration from Brewyard Beer Co., Ambitious Ales and Five Point Five Brewing. The beer is a fruited pastry beer. No stout, no sour just a Filipino driven ode to JolliBee named Jolli beer and it was spot on. Crust and mango combined.
Finally, Long Beach Beer Lab had an excellent winter ale named Amburana for the wood the beer was aged in. Spiced up with cinnamon and hearty without being overly heavy. A great example of a winter warmer.
This year, Santa gifted me 12 Days of Straightaway Cocktails from Portland, Oregon.
I have now gone through them all and it is time to do summary reviews…
Day 1 – Mai Tai has big rum aroma but the orange lime mix kicks in while the almond note adds a bit of creamy texture.
Day 2 – Blanco Margarita has the balance of spirit and citrus just right. simple ingredient list but works really well.
Day 3 – Espresso Martini, my first ever, nitro too. smooth and creamy. weird duality. good cold brew then not good vodka .
Day 4 – #3 Daquiri coconut top note, heavier abv than the other 3. the acidity keeps it bright though
Day 5 – Manhattan is a classic and this is right up my alley. big bitters taste here. nice and spicy. perhaps a touch too much. whiskey is a minor player.
Day 6 – Negroni is not one of my favorite tipples. I find that Amaro and me are not friends which is a problem for a cocktail heavy with it. But this one, I can get down with. Crimson Snap liquer seems more accessible to me.
Day 7 – Oregon Old Fashioned which is quite strong. was hoping for more of a filbert nutty taste to it. the fir note is not there either. mostly getting honey and whiskey.
Day 8 – Margarita with jalapeno scared me a bit since I am heat averse but this was more on the green vegetal pepper side and though not my favorite had a nice balance of sweet and spicy.
Day 9 – Bee’s Knees first time trying this drink. not as sweet as expected. quite strong. have never heard of the liqueur in this but it makes this a little top heavy even as it cuts the honey.
Day 10 – Maple Old Fashioned is not super syrupy which is a good thing? quite a bit hot as well. the other old fashioned is slightly better. was expecting more sweetness or viscosity.
Day 11 – Thai Gimlet has quite a bit of spice to it and a nice hit of lime as well. for a vodka drink, i quite like it. no alcohol hit but that is ok since the other big flavors take control.
Day 12 – Pacific Paloma has a slight grapefruit pith aroma and a larger citrus taste here. seems a bit watery overall though. the other listed ingredients do not pop out.
The final brewery tour of 2024 takes us to Oklahoma and The Big Friendly brewery. They were honored for their Vanilla Oil Boom, a big imperial stout.
Time to check out a few other of their beers…
Peace Piece – “West Coast IPA made with Simcoe & Mosaic.”
Joe’s Balaton Cherry Preserves – “Made with Balaton Cherries from Michigan.”
Old Growth – “This dark lager offers a beautiful balance of flavors you’d want as we come into the fall. Light nuttiness, hints of bakers chocolate and fresh baked bread round out the flavor profile.”
Space is the Place – “A Barrel Fermented Brett Saison that has a mellow funk & complex fruit sapidity on the palate. Effervescent and delightful flavors of dried apricot & sand plum with hints of white wine grapes, agave & figs.”
I do not know if as a youngster with internet if I would have participated in viral challenges with either ice water or cinnamon or whatnot but I may have tried my hand at this…
Is it silly, yes. Will it be tremendously uncool come 2025? Most certainly. But it is causing supply line havoc as Guinness gets more pours and as noted drinks writer, Pete Brown has theorized, it may cause a knock-on effect of when he Guinness is gone, stout drinkers may look for other stouts to try.
I have had the great pleasure of judging beer writing so when I saw the announcement of The British Guild of Beer Writers winners, I quickly clicked this here LINK to see how many names I recognized.
And I did see folks who I have mentioned on this blog such as Mark Dredge and Emma Inch and Ruvani de Silva who I will recommend reading again to anyone who is looking for more beer knowledge.
If you missed it, 2 Towns Ciderhouse released their final Cellar Series cider of 2024 and it is festive and fruity, a Pear & Red Plum Imperial.
“Delicate and juicy Northwest dessert pears are met with warming, slightly tart Northwest red plums to provide a balanced fusion of flavor.” Plus apples as a base of course.