Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
September can be too hot for heavy beers and chilly enough to make pilsners too little and nowadays pumpkin beers are hitting the shelves early too.
But I have found three great choices for your next beer shopping excursion….
Sean suggests for September
Click twice and the PDF should appear ready to print out!
Above is the second of three new logos designed for me by Charissa Santos. If you like the look of it, check out her site HERE
Usually the backstory of how a brewery came together contains some familiar elements. Hurdles overcome. Fortuitous meetings and the like. This is the first “Our Story” that I have read that includes surprising someone 4,000 miles away to re-kindle a brewery dream.
But that is the case with 5 Rabbit Cerveceria.
They have three main beers of which I want to focus on two:
5 Lizard
a Latin-Style Witbier
“5 Lizard is a creamy and refreshing wheat beer with some spicy complexity and light touch of passion fruit for a delicious and slightly exotic flavor.”
5 Vulture
an Oaxacan-Style Dark Ale
“5 Vulture is a deep ambered-colored ale with complex caramel aromas with toasted sugar notes and a long, elegant spicy finish. Roasted ancho chile is used to add depth and complexity, without adding heat or strong chile flavors.”
One week from today:
“Belgian Cheese and Beer
with Kendra, The Bruery Cheesemonger @ The Bruery Provisions, $30
Wednesday, September 21st 2011 8pm-9:30pm
Do you love Belgian cheese and beer? If you do, or just want to learn more about the two, then stop what you’re doing and let us pour you some beer and cut you pieces of the perfect cheeses! During the Middle Ages in Belgium, monasteries were known for their exceptional beers and cheeses – a staple of their daily diets and form of income. You will get an overview of Belgian cheese and beer styles as well as discuss with you the fundamentals of pairing the two, all the while eating and drinking the syllabus.
Class will include:
Overview of basic Belgian cheese and beer styles
History of the Belgian Beer and Cheese world
5 Cheeses and Beer Parings
Fundamentals of Beer and Cheese pairing
Print out of Basic pairings and tasting notes
Additional accompaniments chosen”
Call (714) 997-2337 to see if there are any spots left.
Every time I get my latest Beer Advocate magazine, one thing usually jumps out at me and in the issue with Surly on the cover it was this….Sunoco gas stations in the Buffalo area are conducting a three month test of a growler fill area with local craft beers.
Oh and they trained the staff on the beer too with people from the breweries being poured. It’s called the “Craft Beer Exchange” and I am sure there are some rules and regulations on it. But if the idea itself could migrate to grocery stores, I would be a happy camper.
So thumbs up to Sunoco for the effort!
First I see a Gratzer on the menu at Burnside Brewing in Portland, then I hear of this bottled version from Dr. Fritz Briem…
Here is the description for us newcomers to this revived style: “Grodziskie or Gratzer is a Sour Smoked Wheat Ale that was brewed in the 1900x in East Prussian and dates back to as as the 15th century. It was named after the Polish town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski or Gratz in German. Our historic version is brewed according to the German Purity Law with air-dried barley malt and beech smoked wheat malt and hopped with Perle and Saaz. A sour mash is created using the old and forgotten technique called “Digerieren.” Finally a three month aging and maturation process creates a complex sour, smoky and heavily hopped wheat ale.”
So I returned 24 hours later to pretty much the same spot in El Segundo to attend the debut of Mountain Goat beers in the U.S. at Rock & Brews.
Goes to show that great beer can come from anywhere. One of those came a little bit further though.
Both the Australian Pale Ale and the Hightail utilize the galaxy hop which we here in California don’t see a lot of examples in the craft beer market. Due to my recent preference for lighter ABV brews, the Australian Pale was my favorite. It really showcased the galaxy and had a nice bitter kick to it. The Hightail should win some barley wine fans though. Much bigger and maltier. A muscular beer for sure.
The third beer that was poured was the intriguing Coffee IPA. To me it had three stages on the palate. First was a hit of bitterness followed by a red bell pepper flavor that melted into a mild coffee note at the back end. Quite different from the usual coffee/porter combo. This would really work well with Japanese food.
You will be seeing their beer at BevMo’s around town and I strongly suggest picking up a bottle (or two). SoCal beer geeks (myself included) need to continue to taste what the entire world has to offer our lucky cosmopolitan city. We need to remember to support any and all craft beer.
Thanks to Cam and Tom for making that long flight out to talk about their beer. It was great to here their story and to taste their fine beers.
This last weekend was all about El Segundo, first up on Saturday was a sneak peek at the soon to open tasting room for the Blue House Ales of El Segundo Brewing.
The space is cozy with a view through the big window into the brewery.
Taps three and four were my favorites. Both had huge aromas. The Nelson has such a gentle hop kick and a grape flavor and the Sand Dune had two distinct spices, one from the herb and one from the hop. I highly recommend both.
When the tasting room opens, El Segundo will have three great beer destinations along with the across the street Rock & Brews and the Whole Foods nearby.
If you haven’t tried any of the Blue House beers, do yourself a favor and order a pint the next time you see it.
Beer # 1 of the September reviews is Pure Wit from Upright Brewing….
…NOW!
In 1 month the festivities start. If you haven’t gotten your ticket to the Union Station finale, what are you waiting for? Go to the WEBSITE and do it now!
And once you are there, check out the events. I will be giving my best of the fest recommendations later this month.
I got my first chance to sample some new Ventura County Brew from Enegren Brewing last night at the crowded but AC filled tasting room at Wades Wines.
My final Verdict was that the X1 Valkyrie was the best followed by the Protector IPA, regular Valkyrie and then the Summer Session.
If you are in Santa Monica next Wednesday, Enegren will be at the famous Library Alehouse.