Thanks to the lovely and talented Kristine Oller, I got not one but TWO beers from New Mexico. Here is the one from Sierra Blanca Brewing that I chose.
LA Mill and not just for coffee
Here in Los Angeles we are not only blessed with great beer but great coffee too. Groundwork and Intelligentsia to name two. But a case could be made that LA Mill is the strongest of the bunch. And now they have added beer to the menu. Check out the following:
Black & Black
North Coast Old Rasputin and hand drip iced Lamill Coffee
Ozeno Yukidoke IPA
Using five times the hops of other beers, this IPA is well balanced, with smooth flavor, mellow bitterness, and citrusy tones. This hoppy IPA is surprisingly California in style.
Tama No Megumi
Bottle conditioning is the process of putting live yeast into the actual beer bottle. This process is used to continue aging the beer, even as it sits on the shelf. It can be aged for 5 years.
Coedo Beniaka
Fermented for an extended period of time, this premium lager features an aromatic sweetness in its amber tones. This truly unique beer is a rare combination of high quality malts and “Beniaka”, the roasted Kintoki sweet potato of the Kawagoe region.
Mt. Tabor Brewing
OK, Portland! I get it. I need to re-visit. So many new places to try. It is obvious that the web snub of Asheville has pushed Beervana to new heights. Mt. Tabor Brewing is another place to go to.
Dragon Lounge Pale Ale – American Pale Ale with a Chinese twist. Custom Brewed for the Canton Grill. 5.6% ABV/41 IBUs.
Asylum Ave IPA – Bittered with Amarillo and finished with loads of Cascades, this beer will drive hop heads insane. 6.3% ABV/85 IBUs.
Qwest Porter – A hoppier version of the classic UK style. 6.0% ABV/25 IBUs.
Soapbox Blonde Ale – Pilsen malt with a dash of honey malt gives this beer a crisp but sweet taste. Finish that steep descent and this beer will reward you. 5.5%/28.2 IBUs.
Little Bull Stout – Dark, hoppy, and delicious, the only thing “Little” is the name. 7.0% ABV/130 IBUs.
Reinheitsgebot Alt – We pay homage to the German Beer Purity Law with this traditional “Old” German beer. Prost! 6.2% ABV/32 IBUs.
Growth?
The Wall Street Journal interviewed Jim Koch of Sam Adams recently and this one question and answer really struck a chord.
WSJ: Could craft beer ever represent the biggest segment of the industry?
Mr. Koch: No. I hope not. Because that would mean we dumbed the beer down for volume, and I don’t ever want to see that. I used to say I make beer for 5% of beer drinkers. The reality has always been that 95% of beer drinkers don’t like my beer. Now, that number has probably gone down to 90%. Because most people drink beer for refreshment, and that’s fine. And that’s the domain of the big brewers and they’re great at that.
This is something that I have thought about occasionally. The less good beer other people drink the more there is for me. But if demand isn’t there then the beer isn’t. So I need craft beer to grow. But how much. If we are 5% of the overall market, is that enough? Is 10% too much?
I, unlike others, do not hate big companies just because they are big. Stone is large now as is Sierra Nevada and Boston Brewing. The beer can still be flavorful or not depending on how it is made.
What I think the industry needs are enough large micros that are on solid footing, financially, who can mentor younger start-ups but also distribute to and educate the non craft consumer.
I don’t think there is a magic number but we should keep pushing. The enlightened few shouldn’t hoard the good stuff.
Review – Wilco Tango Foxtrot
for Mother’s Day
Bring Mom Out for a Beer on Mothers Day
May 9, 2010
1:00-4:00pm
Mom’s like beer, right? You like your mom, right? Brewpubs won’t be as crowded as the Sunday brunch houses so it’s a win-win!
Live Oak Brewing
Our southwestern swing continues with Austin’s Live Oak Brewing. They focus on authentic European style beers like….
Primus – Winter Seasonal
Our new winter seasonal, Primus (pronounced, “pre moose”), is a dark, rich German-style Weizen beer (beer made with wheat malt) fermented with a very particular strain of brewers’ yeast that gives this beer it’s unique spicy and fruity character. The unfiltered beer has the characteristic clove and banana flavors familiar to HefeWeizen drinkers but with a darker and richer roasty malt character that is typical of some German-style Bock beers. The alcohol strength will be around 8%. Available November – January
Liberation Ale – Winter Seasonal
With about 6.0% ABV, this one will surely warm the ol’ gullet during a cold central Texas winter – both days! Our India Pale Ale (IPA) is light in color and strong in hop character. Dry hopping with Cascade hops, gives this winter favorite a delicious citrus note reminiscent of a Texas Ruby Red. Yes, it’s warming but you don’t need to be huddled around the furnace to enjoy this one! IPA fans really love this ale during a beautiful Texas winter on the porch or indoors.
38 Degrees Alehouse
Last night I had a great beer conversation with Clay Harding from 38 Degrees Ale House in Alhambra. It will be appearing either in next weeks FoodGPS beer blast or the next. (Depending upon my writing speed).
In the meantime, I highly suggest making the trek to Alhambra. Clay has a some really good draught beers and some amazing bottles. Victory at Sea from Ballast Point is on there. Also be sure to ask if there are any special bottles not on the printed beer bible. As you can imagine it is hard to constantly update a list in this ever growing beer world.
Session # 39
Here is the May 2010 topic:
“Who’s brewed some of your favorite collaborations?
Who have been some of your favorite collaborators?
Who would you like to see in a future collaboration?”
For me, the first two are easy so let’s dispense with those right away.
Favorite collaboration is the John-John series. I know technically that both John’s work under the Rogue umbrella. But the brewer meets distiller meets the criteria for me. And the Rogue Hazelnut mixed with rum barrels is one of my favorite beers. I can’t wait to grab a bottle of the Juniper aged in gin barrels.
Favorite collaborators are the geniuses from Stone Brewing. I’m sure I will be joined by many others in voting for them just based on the Maui / Ken Schmidt porter collaboration but working with an all-star dream team of BrewDog, 21st Amendment, Firestone-Walker and Jolly Pumpkin is amazing.
Future collaborations is such a tough one. There are just so many choices. So I had to set some rules.
1. Breweries with different styles but not philosophies.
2. Breweries that haven’t collaborated with each other before.
3. Only three breweries and what beer style I would like to see.
With that groundwork in place, here are the three breweries and why I selected them + what beer should be made….drumroll please…..
Eagle Rock Brewery
Captured by Porches Brewing
Black Star Co-Op
First reason why – All relatively new. No preconceptions of what to do or how to do it.
Second Reason why – The first two are from my hometown (Portland) and adopted hometown (Los Angeles). And Black Star is just cool for doing this Co-Op style.
I would love to see them make a simple style with a twist. Perhaps a rye pale ale or a multi-grain porter.
Italian Beers & BBQ
The hot brewery country is still the ever re-imagining US but if you haven’t tried Italian craft beer yet then you are missing out on something amazing. It is influenced by Slow Food, Belgian beer and food. And if you are in Southern California between the 6th and 9th you can taste some truly imaginative beers that Celebrator writer Tomm Carroll has selected along with Gabe Gordon from the great Beachwood BBQ
Two Great tastes that taste great together.
