Happy Emoji of July!
Be safe out there driving and stay hydrated!
IPA Flight Test at Pacific Plate
Pacific Plate hosted a holiday weekend, IPA 4th of July. I arrived via the Gold Line which drops you off a mere 4 block from the brewery without the hassle of traveling the increasingly worsening traffic of the 210 East. And I had my beer in time to catch the pk’s of Germany vs. Italy in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euros. Worst penalty kicks I have seen in a while. Buffon did all he could do in goal for Italy but I have seen grade schoolers do better.
I settled down with the 6 beer flight and jotted down my notes:
Mango IPA – lighter orange not as cloudy as guava. Potpourri a bit. Bitter first.
Guava IPA – wins the fruit IPA cup. Cloudy. Grapefruit. Fruit first.
San Andreas IPA – grassy and a little weird. Not as good as the rest.
South Pacific Smoked IPA – Very smoky. Good balance even though the burnt notes take over.
Widowmaker DIPA – caramel. Sugar. Bitterness comes in at the end.
Black Widow Black IPA – British at first then the hops kick in.
Overall, the Guava is the leader for me with the Black IPA coming in second. With more hop bite, the Smoked South Pacific could sneak into the top three.
Next anniversary for the Monrovia brewery is in August. Number three.
Happy 4th of July
Now that I have exercised my right to free speech, all I can say is be safe out there.
Beer and Fireworks can be fun but take care. I do not want to read about some dude blowing off a thumb tomorrow. And if you have to celebrate our independence with a lot of beer then understand that many people are doing that exact same thing which means even more and worse drivers out there and even more police out there ready to ticket. Call a cab or designate a DD please.
…and if you can get your hands on one of these two patriotic brews, then celebrate Founding Father’s style…
Food GPS Teaser – Beer Pros
This week instead of pimping out the latest post over on Food GPS. I am going to tell you about the Beer Pro interviews that you can find, yes, on Food GPS. I have interviewed people from breweries far and wide as has Josh (who runs the site) and you get to read about the people behind the beer you have in your glass. Recently I have talked to Wayne from Cigar City, Dave from Dry River and and Rob and Ron from the Limited Release web series. But there are a load of beer pro interviews in the archive.
You can start this week with my interview of A.J. Stoll the brewmaster at Figueroa Mountain Brewing in Buellton and Santa Barbara….
Yulesmith for 4th of July
It would be downright un-American not to have a bomber of this on Independence Day.
“Hop heads rejoice! Our latest seasonal, Summer YuleSmith Holiday Ale, is scheduled for release in late June. Packaged in a red and blue 22 oz. bottle, Summer YuleSmith is a bold and flavorful Double IPA. An abundance of American varietal hops gives this beer its’ signature flavor and aroma profile, full of citrus, pine, and grapefruit-like characteristics. The hops also lend balance to the malty sweetness, adding to the overall smoothness of the body and mouthfeel.”