The last two bottles of Anchor Christmas Ale. A bit melancholic this is. Sad to have Sapporo be such a Grinch.
But time waits for no one or no brewery so before these go too far, time to crack them open and taste….
2017 – I got an aged barrel, slightly sour smell when popping the cap. A bit of cherry aroma as well. Pretty foamy latte head of foam. Super dark brown color tinged with red. Initial taste is a bit smoky but also bubbly. Mouthfeel is light and what I am left with is a cola note.
2018 – this year pours a bit more red in color and the foam is a shade whiter. Much less aroma upon opening. Initial taste is much hoppier even after 5+ years. Tastes much less lighter than the previous year despite only being .02 higher in ABV. Like a red ale this.
The 2018 is more straightforward while the 2017 is more complex in flavor but I like that streamlined red ale a touch more.
Last week, I posted my Best of 2017 list over on Food GPS.
Since then, I have had a pair of really great Oregon beers that I believe deserve special mention. One is Fort George’s City of Dreams Hazy Pale Ale which has a really cool “woodcut” vibe design to it and the beer inside is one of the better hazy’s that I have had.
The second was Alesong’s French 75 described as “…this beer draws on some inspiration from the classic French 75 cocktail – a refreshing medley of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and champagne. Our version is dry, citrusy and spicy, with a bubbly effervescence that we hope is worthy of the French 75 namesake.
This beer started as a French-style saison – primary fermented in stainless with saccharomyces, then transferred to Old Tom Gin barrels with brettanomyces. It spent nearly 9 months resting in the cellar, picking up citrus, juniper and peppery notes and a subtle brett-induced earthiness.”
Both the juniper and lemon shone through with the brett being a minor but important note.
Before we check out the medal counts for Los Angeles, some numbers to toss by you and a disclaimer because of those numbers.
There were 7,923 entries submitted for judging this year. Just think about how you would organize that amount of kegs and people to rate them.
2,217 breweries were represented out of 5,200+ total. That means that if you have two favorite breweries. One of them, on average, did not send in a beer to be judged.
That means anything can happen. Even a marriage proposal right in front of Charlie Papazian and the whole crowd.
The LACBG leader, Fran on stage with Ohana’s medal.
Seven medals will be heading back to Los Angeles this week. Beachwood (again) leads the pack with two. One GOLD for their Ghost, the band, inspired Black IPA, Hoppa Emeritus and one BRONZE from their sour side, Dia de los Mangos in the Chili Beer category. Ohana picked up BRONZE for Spa Water Saison, Sanctum won SILVER for their Solar Helles. Also on the SILVER side was Three Weavers for their Seafarer Kolsch and HopSaint for their Pure Intention Pale Ale. Last, but not least, Claremont Craft Ales and their Jacaranda Rye IPA picked up BRONZE.
Congratulations to all the winners and to our L.A. brewers and to all those who watched all 98 categories get medals. Three Weavers and Seafarer Kolsch other notes:
Packinghouse Brewing of Riverside picked up a silver and bronze this year. Winning once is hard, twice is a really good year. Saint Arnold of Texas was the big winner with 3 medals and a Mid-Size brewery award.
Speaking of big winners, Figueroa Mountain had another dazzling year with three total medals.
The Firestone Walker folk got a pair of medals for 10 Buck Chuck and for Pivo.
A shout out to Zoiglhaus of Portland and brewer Alan Taylor who took home a Gold for Zoigl-Pils. Is this the first ever GABF medal for a Linfield College alum? I think so.
#QuadGoals was my favorite name from 515 Brewing.
No wins for Hazy. Maybe GABF did not get in line fast enough.
Only one category was deemed not gold worthy. An improvement from 2016.
Damn, 2017 is flashing past like, well, Barry Allen. Since half the year is history, time to highlight beers that have struck a chord in the past six months.
Since the interwebs loves a Top 10, here (in no order) are the beers that made me want more…
Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Golden IPA
I have tasted five 1/2 of the beers in the Beer Camp Across the World, none have the zip and hop bite of this January release.
Firestone Walker / Beavertown West Side Beavo
This is a fun can design and a super satisfying lighter beer. A London-ized take on Pivo.
Oskar Blues Hotbox IPA
Not many black or coffee IPA’s get the balance right but the coffee and the hops really work here.
El Segundo / Highland Park L.A. Gold
A hop amped Kellerbier that doesn’t hold out on either side of it’s equation.
Russian River Scratching Post Pils
This beer edges out West Side Beavo as most refreshing on a hot day in Paso Robles. Just a simple, table beer that I wish I had a keg of at home.
Cellador Firegold # 6 with grapefruit
I had this on draft and on cask and both times the grapefruit really popped. Tasted like a fresh cut ruby red.
Arrow Lodge Pale to the King
First beer from this new outer L.A. brewery and a strong start to their hoppy game.
New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA
I haven’t had the latest fruited IPA’s from this Jack Skellington-esque series but the regular IPA is tasty and light.
El Segundo Unity 2017 IPA
Call me a homer, but this year’s LABW9 beer was excellent. Not as strong and Hammerlandly as the normal beers from ESBC.
Fonta Flora Carolina Custard
My favorite beer from the Firestone Invitiational. Weird. Silky. New flavors. It all worked.
Eagle Rock Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Bitter
No, not a hop bomb but it is my favorite of the year so far. Smooth and silky with a focus on malts that seems single minded but just works. If you see it on Nitro, get two pints.
With one 1/4 of the year in the history books, and with the US still standing despite our current not-my-president, it is time for a quick look at the numbers of my beer drinking.
This little Excel spreadsheet was initially done to track spending primarily and then sheer tonnage of drinking. It has diversified a bit with the addition of ABV and a limited style selector.
When we ended 2016 I was spending $60.95 a week and drinking 204.31 ounces with an average ABV of 6.74%.
To compare and contrast, so far in 2017 that spending number is down significantly to $42.25 a week. Partially chalked up to beers bought for me for my birthday and an increase in media samples. But also due in part to the fact that the amount number is down 14oz to 190 even. The ABV saw the least dramatic shift down to 6.58%. But the ABV has been the slowest to change and in a much tighter band.
I have been quite aware of the amount each week, more so than last year and have made progress in decreasing the ounces drunk each night. This is part of the reasoning behind tracking the beer is to make myself cognizant of what I am doing and then make alterations.
Speaking of altering…
The style descriptor is a quick and dirty measurement. For each beer, I tag it with a Y or N. Y for the “Big 3” styles. IPA, Sour and Barrel-Aged. And those three show up 152 times as opposed to 77 for everything else.
I volunteered at Firkfest this year, and took a few “fotos” while I was there…. In my finest tiki attire. My pouring station. Berliner via Hawthorne Anders drops the hammer on the Reserve. New fad, Hazy Tiki IPA
Posted on
#LABW9 is packed with beer happenings! Make the most of the remaining days of L.A. Beer Week by checking the calendar for event information.
Now that Herr Gropenfuhrer has been installed as POTUS and the contractors at the White House are getting stiffed on invoices, it is the time to drink up, for the end of the world is nigh. So keep checking in to see what to drink and where to go in L.A. in February.
~e-visits to three breweries from around the world like the Hong Kong Beer Company and Microbrewery Le Castor + 1 more. ~ special featured reviews of Beer Duos. ~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events ~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark ~ A Book & A Beer reads Dark Matter from Blake Crouch. ~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.
Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 4th – Melvin Brewing from Washington State invades Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach
2) February 5th – Super Bowl Sunday at Surly Goat West Hollywood
Coming next year…..
…the latest trio collaboration from Stone Brewing. And despite their forays into milk stouts, wits and pilsners this year, they are going to start with hops in 2017.
This wheat style IPA is, “M” hop heavy, imperial IPA. “M” hops like Mandarina Bavaria, Motueka, and Mosaic.” and is brewed with help from Odell Brewing from Colorado and Marble Brewing from New Mexico.
2016 has been called out in general by Last Week Tonight and John Oliver….
…and it hasn’t been super great for craft beer either. I know there is a month left but I am left to hope that 2017 will be better.
Among the items that disturbed me this year:
-the unstoppable fruit IPA trend. I remember talking to the folks from 21st Amendment and they were dismissive of it, then they released one.
-SABInBev buying into homebrew supplies. Really? Trying to choke off innovation or just cashing in (late as always)
-rising prices. Each year it seems that I and other consumers need to be smarter shoppers.
-slow response to born on dating. Come on. If you are scared your IPA won’t sell because of it then you should make a better one.
-declining growth. Not that decline but the response to it. Why does everything have to grow double-digits every year. That’s how you end up chasing illusory dreams.
-whale hunters. I will have to add them to every frackin’ yearly round-up. And it irks me every time. But hey, some people like standing in lines.
Come on 2017. I like Canada but I don’t wanna do all that paperwork.
