Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Today is a beer holiday. It is time to see what sort of mad experiment the folks from Escondido have unleashed upon the craft beer world. From what I have gathered from the interwebs is that this will feature some peppers.
By tomorrow, the reviews will be in and we can see how this release stacks up to past offerings.
La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado from Stone Brewing is first up for review of the three Escondidian ales that I will tackle this month.
Here is the full spiel from Stone….
“All of us are kind of known for big, imperial beers, and the fact that we came together to make this mellower pumpkin beer… I think it was very restrained and dignified of us,” jokes Rue. “And I think we brought some really interesting spice additions to the table.”
The eclectic mix of ingredients was selected to introduce a decidedly different spin on traditional pumpkin beers. “The taste starts with citrus and herbal notes, but then a very smooth roasted malt character comes into play,” Steele explains. “The yam and pumpkin make their appearance on the finish, with some Eastern-influenced spiciness and trace maple notes from the toasted fenugreek, combining with hints of birch. This is no pumpkin pie beer. No cloves. No nutmeg. No cinnamon.”
Stone Brewing Co. President Steve Wagner had been tossing the idea around for a pumpkin beer with Elysian Brewing Company for over a year. Elysian, well known for conjuring up an impressive variety of pumpkin beers as well as hosting the annual Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Fest, was quick to come on-board and loved the idea of working with The Bruery, which is highly respected for its innovative beers including Autumn Maple (made with “a lot of yams”).
“That’s the great thing about collaboration beers,” explains Cantwell. “Everyone brings their own strengths and awareness to the project.”
“This is one of the more unique beers I have ever been involved with,” says Steele. “A very cool beer, and I toast the creative minds of Patrick Rue and Dick Cantwell for their willingness to put this recipe together with us.”
Since this is CanFest month, my featured breweries don’t come from just one state or region but share the commonality of canning!
And I will start with the one that is literally a 25 minute walk from my home…Golden Road Brewing.
They will be canning their Point the Way IPA (see above) as well as their Hefeweizen to start. You can also get two different sizes of growlers filled as of now and their tasting room will be open sometime in the near future and you will be able to watch the trains zip by as you sip your ale.
I have posted about Brooklyn Brew Shop’s home brew kits that you can either purchase online or get at a Whole Foods and now they have the companion book to go along with it!
Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Better Beer Making Book, by Erica Shea and Stephen Valand.
Here is the blurb from the press release: “Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Beer Making Book takes brewing out of the basement and into the kitchen. Erica Shea and Stephen Valand show that with a little space, a few tools, and the same ingredients breweries use, you too can make delicious craft beer right on your stovetop.”
Yesterday, beer buddy Richard and I headed to Orange County ostensibly to pick up a bottle of the famed Black Tuesday that he had purchased but also to hit up Cismontane for some saisons. (Including a Nelson Sauvin version that was excellent).
But we also wanted to check out Bootlegger’s Brewery in Fullerton for the first time.
I was mightily impressed by the amount of offerings on their board. It was a hard decision to finally settle on the Eliminator IPA.
The space is industrial with a bunch of folding chairs and tables in amongst the brewing equipment and barrels.
I really like the canning jar as beer receptacle. It is a homey sort of touch. I just wish that my IPA was better. I like their Knuckle Sandwich brew but the Eliminator (even though it earned me another Untappd badge) was too harsh and and a bit metallic. And Richard wasn’t overly fond of the Mint Chocolate porter either.
I did pick up a bottle of Black Phoenix to use as a cellaring experiment. I want to see how the pepper and coffee flavors hold up after a year.
If they can make a shirt out of milk, then why not paper out of beer? And not just any beer, from the spent barley of famed Upland Beer in Indiana.
Here are the details from Twisted Limb paper:
“Cheers! woodcut by Darian Goldin Stahl on front of card. Text on the back of card lets receiver know the special ingredient and beer name. Cards include matching handmade beer paper envelopes.
Colors match your favorite beers–wheat, pilsner, amber, and porter. Set of four cards and envelopes includes one card in each of the four beer colors.
We can print your brewery’s logo on the front of these cards on orders of 50 or more cards. (50 logo cards for $195/100 logo cards for $375)”
I am one of the lucky who have had a taste of the XV from Firestone-Walker and I am really jazzed about it being released. Due to limited cellar space, I generally buy only one bottle to store. (I have XIV and Parabola) But I liked this one so much, I might get more and I highly recommend getting it. And this coming from a guy who occasionally mocks the Big/Imperial/Double craze.
But here is the rest of the story from Firestone-Walker, “The result of one of the most unique and intriguing beer projects in the world will be released the beginning of November. “XV”, Firestone Walker’s 15th Anniversary Ale, celebrates the founding of the brewery as well as pushing the boundaries of what beer can be.
The anticipation and reputation of XV precedes this beer. XV is the culmination of intense blending sessions by local Paso Robles area winemakers to create a complex yet balanced ale. Eight beers were artfully blended together to create this masterpiece.
“I really like what the winemakers bring to the process, they usually go for blends and flavor profiles that brewers never think of,” said Firestone Walker’s Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “That’s why I like bringing them in, it pushes the boundaries of our taste and that’s exciting.”
Past year’s anniversary ales from Firestone have changed the perception of beer. These higher alcohol complex blends are more akin to wine than beer. Like wine, the anniversary beers are vintage releases that can be laid down and aged for years with the flavor profile slowly changing. The secondary market for these beers is similar to wine, with bottles that originally sold for around $20 now fetching upwards of $100 each.
“Who’d have thought a bottle of beer would be valued at $100 plus. It is an affirmation that there is real passion for beer out there,” said David Walker, Co-Owner of Firestone Walker.
Firestone XV will go on sale for the first time on Saturday, November 5 at the Firestone Walker Brewery in Paso Robles. Patrons who purchase 3 bottles or more of this amazing beer will gain access to the brewery’s anniversary party featuring complimentary beer and food tastings, music and more.
“XV” will make its debut across all markets where Firestone beers are sold this fall in limited amounts in 22oz bottles. It will also be made available on draft in select accounts.”
Mikkeller (as usual) has been busy. They have a new IPA out on the market….
with the odd moniker of a Double Imperial pale ale.
More importantly, according to the interwebs, Mikkeller might do some of his brewing right here in California at Drake’s facility. That would be a boon to us in terms of availability and freshness because I know that some of his beers probably suffered taste-wise on the voyage from Europe to my ‘fridge.
Here is the topic from last minute host Beer’s I Have Known
“One of the things I most enjoy about blogs and personal writing in general is the ability to have a window into another’s life, in a semi-voyeuristic way. So I’d like to know your beery guilty secrets. Did you have a particularly embarrassing first beer (in the same way that some people purchase an atrocious song as their first record) or perhaps there’s still a beer you return to even though you know you shouldn’t? Or maybe you don’t subscribe to the baloney about feeling guilty about beers and drink anything anyway?
You’re also welcome to write about bad drinking experiences you’ve had as a result of your own indulgence or times when you’ve been completely wrong about a beer but not yet confessed to anyone that you’ve changed your mind.
Its fairly wide open, take your pick. Variety is the spice of life as they say (and I hope there’s more than 57 of them…)”
I am going to make a confession that just might lower my craft beer street cred.
I sometimes drink craft beer straight from the bottle.
Yup, I will read an article about proper glassware or how to pour a pint correctly and I feel a tinge of shame because of the bottle sitting next to me. The bottle that I could have easily poured into one of many pint glasses that I have in the cupboard.
I know that the bottle (or the can) is just the conveyance for the beer and to properly enjoy the aroma and to see the beer and listen to it as Fred Eckhardt instructs, I have to pour it into the glass. But after a day of work that includes Los Angeles traffic that is akin to hand to hand combat, I just want to enjoy a beer.
I refuse to drink the industrial water lagers but I empathize with the joy of sitting down with a bottle and just relaxing with a beer. Not caring about putting the beer into the glass, or what the correct type of glass I need, or the proper serving temperature or what food is goes with. Sometimes, I just want a beer and not savor a craft beer. Maybe it is some DNA coding from caveman days.
I have been caught red handed on a few occasions and at first, I would equivocate. Try to explain that the beer was not super aromatic or some other hogwash. Now I just take a long pull and say that I just wanted to have a beer.
This isn’t all the time of course, in fact it is in the minority. And there are some beers that I would never, ever swig straight up. And I will continue to tell people to always drink from the proper glassware with my one guilty caveat being the exception that proves the rule.
After winning the Canfest 2011 trip and I reading this article about ethics by Pete Brown, I was reminded that I need to re-iterate the standards of this blog to either re-assure or horrify whoever is kind enough to read it.
1. I do receive the occasional free beer. But ALL beers get reviewed on their taste ALONE. I will endeavor to always note if I have received a beer for free but if I forget or am too hasty on the publish button then note that the default applies.
2. The same goes for any beer event I cover. Due to the kindness of the people in this industry and the fact that I blog for free (at this point), expensive events that are out of my financial reach are sometimes accepted in order to attend and write about them. But they do not get free passes if poorly run.
3. All editorial decisions are mine and mine alone. No one holds sway over anything I write. If there seems to be more positive coverage about a brewery or a beer it is due to the fact that I like what they are doing, they are in close proximity to me and I visit them regularly or that they have regular PR that I feel is important or noteworthy.
4. Currently, the advertising on this site is a test to see if it generates revenue. How I utilize ads may change in the future or they may disappear all together. Whichever way the winds blow, I will make sure that ads look like ads and are not hidden or embedded anywhere.
5. I also write a weekly post for FoodGPS about beer and I compile the Weekly LA Beer Blast for that blog. I carry all of my standards to wherever I write. I do this and my blog simply to educate people about craft beer and to promote it as much as I can.
6. There is blatant “homerism” to where I grew up – Portland and where I live – Los Angeles. You, as the reader, will have to read between any lines when I post about either place.
Thank you for wading through the boilerplate. We can now resume regular posts.