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Beer Labels – Wag of the Finger

I am, of course, blatantly using the Stephen Colbert phrase unfortunately not in the ironic way that he does though. First take a look at this Smuttynose label…..

Prudish, I am not. But this label weirds me out. In the walking in on your parents way. I can live with the sperm graphics. I can live with the label copy pregnancy puns. But combined with the creepy smiling faces on the sperm just pushes it over the line. And it also intimates that there is something not beer related in my glass.

It may still be an excellent beer and I would not turn it down but I would tear the label off first.

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Mohawk Bend preview

Speculation has been rife on the interwebs about the exact opening date for Tony Yanow’s Mohawk Bend in Echo Park. The time is almost upon us. In less vague terms, Sunday the 24th of July. CORRECTION-THAT DATE IS INCORRECT. I WILL UPDATE WITH OPENING DATE WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE>

I along with a few others got to test drive Mohawk Bend on Tuesday night and here is what you need to be excited about….

Tony and Paige introduce the crowd to Mohawk Bend...

…and there is a lot to acquaint yourself with. This is a large space. With an outdoor seating area. A large communal table in the middle. A vegan and non-vegan kitchen that you can watch in action while you eat. Or you can gaze upon the craft beer on the other side of the room. Or pick a booth in the front. You can try a different spot each time you visit.
The many, many choices on the beer list...

…which includes 72 taps of beer. Two of which are cask. Primarily California brewed but each month a new “guest” brewery will be featured that may or may not be from the Golden State. If you like the beer list at Tony’s Darts Away, you will be quite happy here.
Cherries and goblets

The crafted in California extends to the spirits and cocktails, Keith Taylor is bringing in a mother lode of artisinal spirits. Obviously, I gravitate towards beer but the bottles Taylor has procured are the equivalent of the great beer list. And though the Mildred Pierce cocktail was quite tasty, I would suggest trying these gems straight-up first.
The fireplace in the Ramona room...

….named for the movie house that was on this spot 26 years ago. It is a sunlit room with that great big fireplace and two large indoor trees where you can sit and enjoy the great food like the dungeness crab and roast corn rolls or maybe a little casserole with your craft beer. Oh and pizza too. Who could resist a pie named Pig Newton?

For all of you who patiently waited, your reward awaits you.

Check out these other rave reviews:
Drink Eat Travel
Quarry Girl

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Coronado + Surly Goat =

what is going down tomorrow night, Thursday, July 21 at 6pm.

The Surly Goat in West Hollywood welcomes one of the great big shining stars of the world renowned SD beer scene ~ Coronado Brewing Co.!

Special guests from the brewery include: Head Brewer – Sean Ferrell, Owner – Rick Chapman & Local Rep – Clinton Smith.

Special Tappings include:
Blue Bridge Coffee Stout – Irish style stout, 6% with Calabria coffee beans & cold brewed coffee added

Saison by the Sea – 7 % with chamomile, ginger, spearmint & grains of paradise

Frog’s Breath IPA – 6.5% with citrus peel added

Idiot Imperial IPA 8.5%

Islander IPA 7.5%

On Cask:
Orange Ave Wit with Habanero & Cilantro

Saison by the Sea is one of my new favorites and the cask selections at Surly Goat always surprise. So check it out.

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(2) Stone Collaborations

I had the great fortune to sample both the current and future Stone Collaborative brews recently. I had the Green Tea IPA while watching the Women’s World Cup Final on Sunday and thought it was a little too tannic and a little too alcohol forward. The hops and the tea just fought each other in my opinion. The appearance and aroma are the strengths of this beer.

The Cherry Chocolate Stout was shared a day later with my beer buddy Richard and it was less alcoholic by 2%! There was an interesting sour, tart cherry taste of this dark brown brew. But the chocolate was non-existent. I would take this over this Green Tea. But I would have liked to get at least a touch of chocolate to bridge the gap of cherry to stout.

Both were interesting experiments that were just a touch off to my palate though I am sure there are people who are going to love these offerings.

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Vices & Versa

Craft beer and clever names go hand in hand. And thanks to the Beer Advocate magazine, I found another great one for a Canadian beer bar.

Vices & Versa is in Montreal and has 33 Canadian craft beers on tap from places like Hopfenstark, 3 Musketeers, Brasserie Dunham and more!

Whenever your beer travel takes you to Montreal, this should be a required stop.

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beer wallet

Eco-friendly and beer go hand in hand. And here is someone who takes the leftover packaging and turns it into a useful item that shows your craft beer street cred.

Check out the Etsy shop for some beer wallets and cuffs and six pack holders.

(Thanks to Beer O’Clock for highlighting this product)

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2500 IBU’s

Now that the highest ABV battle is pausing (thankfully) a new battle front is opening with Alpha-fornication.

This is what the brewer, Peter Chiodo has to say about it, “Clocking in at 2500 IBUs and 13.3% ABV, Alpha-fornication proves that sometimes people climb mountains just because they’re there. And sometimes, Beer Geeks will try anything on a dare. The hoppiest beer we know of was a meager 2007 IBUs, so we bested that and then some. We Flying Monkeys see extreme beers as the continuing evolution of Craft Brewing and the expansion of Ontario beers. It’s not just a contest of bravado to see who can make the world’s strongest beer (even though now we’ve got the world’s hoppiest one covered); it’s a movement – a movement to showcase the craft and how complex and versatile beer can actually be.”

Named for the alpha acids, or the compounds in the hop plant that are the source of hop bitterness, Alpha-fornication is brewed through highly creative and complex manipulation of the high alpha acid hop varieties, Warrior (17% AAU) and Centennial (11.5% AAU). A hop-steeped wort re-circulated through an additional “Hop Vorlauf” punches up the insane intensity of this brew to a stupefying 2500 IBUs. Keeping with the concepts of extreme brewing, the 13.3% ABV of Alpha-fornication adds bigness to this beer.”

I am not so sure about this one. Maybe a small taster will be enough but I do like the end of the press release that talks about the series that Alpha-F is part of, “Created as part of the Flying Monkeys’ Everest Experiments, a series of extreme beers showcasing the complexity and versatility of artisan brewing, the Flying Monkeys are actively engaging the expanding minds and palates of Ontario’s craft beer drinkers.”

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July’s Other Beer blog

Being born and raised in Oregon means I like to hear about what is going on in Oregon beers from down south in LA. And one of the better stops to get my Portland Beer Info fix is Jeff Alworth’s Blog Beervana.

He has also in the process of writing a book plus he has a book of his best beer musings out too.

Check out the Beervana. It’s almost as good as going to the actual place.