Tag: 1st visit

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1st Visit – Euryale Brewing

I don’t usually trek to far past Pasadena due to the 210 Freeway being an omnipresent threat to be trafficed the hell up. But beer buddy Richard wanted to check out Euryale Brewing way out in Riverside so I set aside my distance reservations and joined up on the journey.

The taproom is tucked into a long and deep industrial park and the space looks like small office. And a kitchenette out in the open. I ordered up a flight of four and set to tasting.

I should have seen a yellow flag when the nitro Dry Irish Stout took ages and ages to pour. The best of the bunch was the DIPA and that was mid at best. Though the Glazed Donut Beer was close based on the fact that I sorts expected it to be a mess.

The Oroblanco Grapefruit Kveik was neither citrus nor kveik and too watery to boot. The Irish Stout was far too saline for me. And by the time the head had dissipated, my taster pour was not close to full.

I did really like their can label design. It was the most thought out part of the brewery.

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1st Visit – Ikasu Brewing

I am glad that a new brewery is taking advantage of the former Modern Times L.A. space on Olive Avenue. I will need to taste through more beers from the homebrew to pro, Ikasu Brewing because my initial two beers were fine but did not blow me away.

I started with the New Z Pils since it was a broiler of a L.A. day and it was quenching for sure but it lacked crispness and hoppiness that I was on the search for in that style. Staying low ABV, I went for the Matcha Gose. Both beers were under 5% which I appreciated. I wanted more gritty Matcha texture and some tea tannin in this but what I got was mostly a down the middle good gose.

I do have my eye on the sesame porter.

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1st Visit – Broken Timbers Brewing

Tucked into a very sparsely populated industrial park, Broken Timbers Brewing has a country shabby chic interior and a tap list with an altbier as a mainstay. 

I went through a taster tray of a variety of non hoppy beers and came away impressed. I had a light lager which actually had some flavor and mouthfeel and their Dublin Dawn Irish Coffee Oatmeal Stout was redolent of Irish whiskey without going too far in that or a too sweet direction. The stout and altbier were also quite nice. 

My visit was to the main brewing location but they also have a nearby satellite tap room as well.

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1st Visit – Windsor Home Brew Supply

Not many places sell home brewing supplies, as well as craft beer to-go, as well as having a well curated beer bar too but Windsor Home Brew Supply does and has two locations to boot.

It is a Swiss Army Knife of shops just across the road from Bottle Logic Brewing but totally without the noise level. There is a small but mighty selection of craft beer, the tap list utilizes clip boards and bright yellow 8 1/2 by 11 paper to showcase an eclectic selection of beers for those looking for a deeper cut and less IPA than is normally seen.

I did not leave with any bottles but I did grab an ISM meets Threes beer, plus another collab beer from Highland Park and Pinthouse as well as a Czech Pale Lager from Solaris.

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1st Visit – Validation Ales

I had the chance to check out a new to me brewery in Santa Barbara this month, Validation Ales. And they have an interesting hook or gimmick, they pit two beers against each other and whichever sells more gets brewed again and then matches up to a new recipe. Their website joins in on the fun as well which makes for repeated engagment.

I sampled an Italian Pilsner, a Cold IPA and an IPL and found all three to be quite good. I wanted to get an overview so I did only the one head to head match up. You can taste two seltzers or two light or get a taster tray with two match-ups.

The staff and the space were warm and engaging making for a fun visit.

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1st Visit – Beachwood Distilling

We are starting to see the shoots of the Beachwood Distilling with a new cocktail menu at the Bixby Knolls location starting with rum, gin and (unfortunately) vodka too.

With many reviews of breweries, I give allowances for youth.  Finding your footing is a process.  And I will have to reserve some judgement until  I can taste their spirits near but on first blush, the cocktails are pretty darn good.

I went with a classic Gin and Tonic but using the orange gin vs the botanical.  I found it to be well in balance with citrus and gin and a light quinine touch to it.  My beer and cocktail buddy Rich had two other gin cocktails, despite the allure of the special tiki glasses, and liked the Saturn and its constellation of ingredients over the lime tinged Gimlet.  

I am excited to see how this spirits program develop.

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1st Visit – Campsite Brewing

Usually, visiting a brewery taproom for the first time, you expect it to be, putting it kindly, industrial. Campsite Brewing in Covina is decidedly not that.

It is a little oasis with a camping theme but more glamping since there is draft beer. There is an expansive outdoor area with fire pits, an outdoor balcony area, a hidden inside seating area and then the main indoor spot and bar. Oh and an event venue too. This is a restaurant compound. A smaller version of Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens.

I gad sampled two beers from Campsite two weeks ago at the L.A. Beer Week Festival in Long Beach and was heartened enough to go see it.

The beers were all well done and distinct. I went one light, two IPA and one dark plus a Shandy to gauge where their strength was and found all but the Blonde Ale well good and even the blonde was more m’eh than anything wrong. My favorite was the Cold Front Cold IPA since they are on Front Street. It was bright, real bright with a great combo of citrus and dank to it. The S’mores Sweet Stout was also good and sweet in a good way with getting too deep into marshmallow.

Next time I find myself in that neck of the L.A. County woods, I will drop in again.

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1st Visit – Western Station

After driving by it many, many, many times, I finally made a point of stopping at Western Station a mostly wine (but also beer) bar in Eagle Rock.

It is a small and dim but not dark space with a group setting in front but mostly bar seating. The beer and wine lists are chalked up in frames on one side. There is also a side wall with bottles of wine and a couple coolers with a small but nicely curated choice of beers. Any place that has Duvel bottles is a step ahead of the game.

The small draft list had Highland Park, There Does Not Exist and a pair of Craftsman beers and since I had not had the famous for Los Angeles 1903 Lager in quite some time, I went with that.

File Western Station under where you want to go when you have bi-curious beverage groups. Wine fans will find something and beer fans will too.

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1st Visit – Trusted Gut

The old King Harbor space on 182nd Avenue did not stay quiet for long as it was quickly taken by Trusted Gut Beverages.  A Long Beach company that does not only beer but seltzer and kombucha too.  It has taken me too long to visit but I finally made it.

And though the space can louden up real quick and the food truck outside was generating a generator racket, the beer list was a happy surprise. Saison, Kolsch, Amber Ale and a Schwarzbier among many styles to pick from. I went Kristalweizen and followed with a Scottish Ale because, don’t know when I will see either on draft in the near future.

Both were solid examples of their styles with the K-weizen being my favorite. I did not the either of the two kombuchas or the POG seltzer but I would come back when next in the Lawndale / Redondo borderlands to hit up some of the other lesser seen beers.

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1st Visit – Audio Graph Brewing

Yes, this is a bit of a cheat since Audio Graph Beer Co. is the same brewery just with a new name but I thought I would re-1st visit anyway.

I started with a flight comprised of the fairly new Ambient Amber Lager, Flathead Hazy Pale, Noise Violation DIPA, finishing with Bass Clef Barrel-Aged Barleywine at a whopping 15.45% ABV.  The last was rich and boozy and I am glad I savored that at the end.  

Of that group the amber, a throwback to microbreweries past was my pick.  Malty and filling and just great for a cloudy day.

I also got small tastes of the pils, the berry sour and the fermented michelada which was super savory and spicy (for a wuss like me) and really tasty.

And despite the LAFC contingent offending my Timbers vibe, it is still the same cool DTLA space that many don’t know about but should.