14 Cannons Brewery will celebrate the number 5 tomorrow….
…there will be four new beers for the special occasion so you will have to make a decision as to which to try first.
Five and Fourteen Tomorrow
October 2019 Brewery Anniversaries
Going in order this month…
1st Visit – 14 Cannons
Way at the back of the same industrial park as Westlake Brewing is where 14 Cannons has put their taproom and they have cleverly branded t-shirts using “Beermuda Triangle” as their slogan, promoting themselves, Westlake and Five Threads which all have taprooms within very short walks of each other.
Wicker lighting and ship reminiscent wood on the walls
Really nice weathered and round bar with metal accents.
Fire in the Hole slot games. Couches on one wall and there is fun blue lighting on the tanks giving them an otherworldly vibe. 14 Cannons has really gone for the theme. It almost looks like a stage set.
Their flight of four comes in wine glasses. With the NON hoppy menu to left, hoppy to right. Below are my bullet reviews of my taster flight:
Patient Pilsner
Nice. Got a bit of a metallic bite to it.
Marooner Marzen
Spicy malt nose to this one. Light but still substantial.
One Cannon – Mosaic
Rotating hop series. Good citrus aroma. Comes on strong and isn’t really a hop showcase to me.
Wreck Yo Ship
Seems initially lighter than the One Cannon. But it is teetering toward Barleywine. Fits with the taproom theme though
Still to Visit L.A. Brewery # 3 – 14 Cannons
Up north of us, 14 Cannons is a hybrid showroom and brewery. The Westlake Village location “showcases the industry’s leading vendors while also producing beer by award winning brewer Nic Bortolin.” Basically, they can get you started in your building a brewery process with actual brewing going on.
Here are my initial taster tray choices:
Spice Island Chai Tea Brown Ale
“a traditional English style Brown Ale. Brewed with a
Maris Otter base malt and old-world Brown malt for a great biscuit flavor and rich toasty mouthfeel. We then brewed fresh Chai Tea and added that to the finished beer. Fragrant aromas of ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and black pepper transport this beer across continents and will make you swear you’re sitting in an ancient royal tea house.”
Patient Pilsner
“Pilsner is a centuries old obsession for brewers and beer drinkers alike. 14 Cannonshas boldly and patiently added a true to style Czech Pilsner to their core line-up. Patient Pilsner is brewed with 100% Czech ingredients. First, our reverse osmosis water is engineered to matched to the soft water profile of Pilsen, Czech Republic the birthplace of the modern-day pilsner. Next, floor malted barley is flown halfway around the world to create the classic pale color and clean malt taste. Kazbek hops provide the classic noble spice of a Czech pilsner with refreshing lemon peelovertones. Finally, the beer is laid to rest in our lagering tank, where it rests andtests one’s patience and isn’t served until absolutely ready.”
One Cannon Single Hop IPA
“Hop head alert! Our brewers are notorious hop heads. One Cannon is a new rotating Single Hop IPA series. This is a great way for you and our overzealous brewers to learn about new hops. The first batch of One Cannon featuresIdaho 7 hops. This experimental variety of hops is from Wilder, Idaho.Aroma and flavor characteristics include pungent notes of orange peel and tropical fruit with a dank resiny pine finish.”
Slippery Deck Imperial IPA
“! Hold on to your senses, Slippery Deck Imperial IPA can
overwhelm even the most experienced IPA lover if they’re not prepared for a tropical-boozy- trip off the coast of New Zealand. This heavy hitter clocks in at 10.5% abv although it is deceptively easy to drink. Tropical aromas of pineapple and fresh crushed citrus, from the New Zealand hop Motueka, are expertly paired with a 100% pilsner malt body to create a dangerously drinkable IIPA. Resinous notes of pine on the finish are brought to you by the Zythos hops added to compliment the aroma.”
How Many Cannons?
14 to be exact.
In what is new to my knowledge, 14 Cannons will be both a brewery in the crowded Westlake Village market, that already has two big players in Figueroa Mountain and The Dudes as well as Westlake Brewing and Five Threads, and a showroom for future breweries to Ikea shop for a brewhouse design.
From the website, “The showroom is a working operational teaching facility for brewers and novices alike. It features top of the line equipment from Premier Stainless, Microbrew Water, ProBrew, Blome Tile, Airgas, Pro Chiller, Keg Credit, and GF Piping System.”
Infrastructure like this has been slow in coming but could really help those building a brewery now.