Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
You know the craft beer world is exploding. Especially now that the OC is the home of Cismontane, Bootleggers, the Bruery of course and now Cosmic Brewing in Irvine.
Their Hell Hound brown is starting to make it’s way into the LA beer bars. I will report further when I have sampled that and their saison.
Every twice in awhile, I like to get a little nitpicky about labels. Why? Because there are indeed times when a label is the deciding factor between two unknown beers. Same for tap handles too, by the way.
So first, take a look at this label…
I like the color and the spareness of the label. It is very stark. And upon looking at other bottles in their line it sticks to the brand already established while also being separate from the rest. I like the sash across the top left as well. And the “message” on the far left is legible and nicely worded which some labels should emulate.
I am on the fence about the font. This is a Florida beer with a Louisiana tinge to the name and the modern font doesn’t quite match those two states of mind, as it were.
What I don’t like and what puts this label into negative territory for me is the logo. It matches the font but it goes way to arty for me and not modern but more shapes thrown together.
What do you think? Yea or nay?
(I still want to try their beer though, check out their offerings HERE)
To me, the sign of a healthy craft beer scene is that all markets are covered. Breweries from large to small, beer bars dedicated to the breweries in the region, restaurants that serve up the good stuff and beer stores.
Which brings us to the Best Damn Beer Shop. Located in the Super Jr Market in San Diego. They carry the locals from Alesmith to Lightning and do tastings as well.
Looks like a great place to do some one-stop SD Beer shopping.
Dave Logsdon started with Full Sail then moved to Wyeast Labs. So he knows beer from multiple angles and now he has a farmhouse line of beers under his own name.
Logsdon is entering the Belgian, farm-style ales category. He plans to release two beers this spring — a Seizoen and a Seizoen Bretta.
I love this quote that I saw in one of the articles about the new brewery, “We’re probably the only brewery in the United States that’s a farmhouse making farmhouse ales,” The beer will be made on a family farm with organic hops.
Plus, it has been set-up as a co-op. So maybe more beers from different brewers will come of this incubator of sorts.
Logsdon Farmhouse beers will pop up at New Seasons and Whole Foods as well as local restaurants in Hood River and Portland and maybe beyond later.
City Tavern in Culver City is going the tap within reach route.
They have three tables (that I am sure will be booked solid, so don’t wander in and get upset that you can’t get one) that have taps built in. You pay and off you go.
City Tavern are planning on local brews with a spectrum of choices on the three taps. Let’s hope that they keep that up. I would not want a Bud Light table for sure.
Check out this article in Urban Daddy as well for other information.
I have to admit that I am not a baseball fan. Not in the least. But I am a fan of the specialty and one off brews done in honor of sports, people or places.
Especially if done with a little creativity, which brings us to…
A black ale made with orange zest. Makes you wonder what the beer would be if the Dodgers or A’s win a world series.
It is great to see new craft breweries springing up in smaller towns that used to have a brewery before prohibition and that is the case with Port Townsend which lost a 1906 opened brewery to the anti-alcohol crowd.
Now you can sample beers like these:
Boatyard Bitter
“Traditional Fuggles and Kent Golding hops (imported from England) dominate the flavor of this English style pale ale. British grown Maris Otter barley lends a round and smooth malt flavor. Truly a classic style.”
Hop Diggidy
“A classic Northwest style IPA. Hop Diggidy has a smooth malt background and full round hop flavors. Dry hopping two separate times in the process insures an aromatic and lasting hop finish. Enjoy this very drinkable Northwest ale.”
I had a flurry of activity on the 2010 challenge in January leaving me tantalizingly close to my goal.
The only holdouts now are Alabama and North Dakota. Actually, hold out is the wrong word. There are reasons why I haven’t tasted from these places. Two to be precise. And they both start with the letter P.
Alabama – Prohibition. Yup, I lay it all on that doorstep. Once that law ended, the state took over and draconian rules were kept and/or expanded upon. If you think draconian is too strong a word then check out these restrictions at Free the Hops. Until my travel plans take me near Alabama, I will probably not be able to check this state off my list.
North Dakota – Population. There just isn’t enough to gain traction for a niche market. According to what I can find on the internet, there is 1 brewery. Granite City. And I can’t expect them to ship someone in a California a growler.
So that is where I stand. As always, if you or someone you know is willing to send me some beer from those two states. I would appreciate it. Reach out at beersearchparty@gmail.com.
This month, I stick close to home with the medium and heavy selections. The outlier being a canned pilsner from Avery.
So onward to Boulder, Redlands and San Diego!
Click the above link which (should) lead to another page. Re-click and a PDF should magically appear!
I subscribe to Beer America TV which reviews some great beers and one of the on camera talents is brewer John Pinkerton who recently won gold at GABF!
“It was for his Rosemary Swamp Fox IPA in the “Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beer” category. It beat out 90 other entries for the honor.
In addition to the normal amounts of Centennial, Chinook and Brewer’s Gold hops, Pinkerton dry-hopped the Rosemary Swamp Fox IPA with fresh rosemary. The beer’s assertive citrus hoppiness was complemented by a blast of the piney, aromatic rosemary. It tasted just like it smelled.”
