7 for HPB

This week Highland Park Brewery is celebrating turning seven with a trio of beers…

#1 – “High 7 IPA is a 7%ABV hazy west coast IPA hopped with Chinook, Riwaka, Citra, Simcoe, & Citra Cryo. Popping with big aromas of grape Big League Chew, mixed berry Skittles, & giant tropical fruit aromas. Four packs of High 7 IPA are $19 & will be available for pickup or delivery this Tuesday through the link in our bio.”

#2 and 3- “Keep an eye out for more releases this week, including High 7 DDH Hazy DIPA & High 7 Blended Barrel Aged Anniversary Ale.”

Beer Paper LA and David Walker

I admit it. I am an unabashed fan boy of Firestone Walker. I have the latest Luponic Distortion in my ‘fridge right now. So yeah, I will be tuning in to hear David Walker chat. As substitutes for an anniversary party goes, this is a good one.

Recap – LA IPA Festival 2020

Circumstances (aka Life) got in the way of me attending the Leap Day celebration of IPA at Mohawk Bend, but I did sneak over on March 1st to sample some leftovers.

Tarantula Hills Thousand Oaks IPA

People’s Choice Winner. Good solid bitterness. Nothing jumps out as to why this would make a mark. Pours a solid yellow color.  Tea and spice here.

Harland Brewing Leap Year

First beer from Harland. Had the beer a day late. Light yellow. Coconut but light. Strong amount of bitterness.  Some earthy pine as well. 

Gunwhale Ales California Scenario IPA

My fav of the three.  Light. Good amount of bitterness. More earthy but bubbly. 

This year’s winners did not include Green Cheek or Highland Park and cover a wide swath of California too. North Park took Gold with Sorta Mostly Dead, Silver to Heal the Bay from ABInBev subsidiary Golden Road and Bronze to Fieldwork for Boss of the Plains.

Sunset 7


Before the Highland Park 2nd location comes online, we need to celebrate the fact that the Sunset Beer Co. on Sunset is reaching the 7 year mark.

Saturday, October 27th is the celebration day. Expect a wide ranging and fun tap list as well as food and maybe, just maybe a special Sunset Beer beer from Arrow Lodge.

Get Suerte


El Segundo is getting lucky for their latest anniversary IPA.

Sietes de las Suertes will be released on Saturday May 12th, starting at noon. This Double IPA “has got all the sexy hops we love- Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Amarillo and Nelson.”

And if that beer isn’t enough, you can get the variant – “Siete’s Grapefruit and Orange Bombed brother “Cítricos de las Suertes” and a cask of Hyperion’s Sheet Cake Stout- A delightful mix of Vanilla Beans, Coconut Milk and a packet of Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa powder.”

Darts7


Hard to imagine but Tony’s Darts Away, keeps getting older and will celebrate Seven years of tapping California brewed beers with their usual exclusive beer tappings every hour from Saturday, May 12th through Sunday, May 13th. Most importantly the tapping of the new 2017 Darts Away IPA, a custom IPA brewed in collaboration by Bluebird Brasserie and Kern River Brewing Co.

Here are the recipe notes….
• 9% Imperial IPA
• Malt: 2 row, crystal, and wheat
• Hops: Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook, Ahtanum, CTZ, and one top secret super special varietal

In honor of the 7 year anniversary: boiled for 70 minutes with 7 hop additions throughout the brewing process and dry hopped generously.

Follow their social media to find out about what special beers will be tapped.

Ladyface Invitiational – Recap

Last weekend, I trundled up to Agoura Hills to check out the Ladyface Invitational for 2017….

What a difference a day makes. Saturday was bright an chilly with a blue sky above. On Sunday, as I drove up the 101 to Ladyface, it was grey and rainy and you could barely see ahead of you.

The whole party was forced inside due to the rain which changed the dynamics a bit but I gotta say that Cyrena and crew improvised well. Tucking tables into the brewery and adding signage to help the fest goers navigate in tight quarters.

The beer list was quite the different beast from other festivals that I have been at. It was quite stout heavy and sour heavy. If you were looking for hops, you had two full throated IPA’s but past that, old ales, sour stouts and saisons were in force.

I quite liked the anniversary beer, The Shepherdess. It was strong but not warming. Good solid beer with some spice hints. Perfect for a rainy day. Other standouts were the Saison Bernice from Sante Adairius and the return of The Messenger from Three Weavers and Noble Ale Works.

My only quibble is the amount of pours allowed. The wristband allowed for 20. On a rainy day no less. 10 pours tops though I prefer 5 personally. It forces you to slow down and enjoy more rather than racing from beer to beer. And there was plenty of good beer to choose from. Beer that is normally sold in larger format bottles for over $20.00. Much better to try a small amount and see if it blows you away.

Next year, let’s hope the rains waits until Monday to come down.

Ladyface Shepherdess


Ladyface Ale Companie has released the details for both its 7th Anniversary ale – The Shepherdess (along with some local history) and their special Invitational later this month.

“A traditional 7th anniversary gift is wool and The Shepherdess’ name is a nod to the history of Agoura Hills. The city was named after French Basque shepherd Pierre Agoure, who homesteaded the area in 1871.”

The new beer from Brewmaster David Griffiths is a Belgian-style Barleywine that is “aged 20 months in California red wine barrels”. It will be released on January 16, on draft and in 1-liter Anniversary growlers, and 500 ml bottles.

Then on Sunday, January 22, Ladyface plays host to its 2nd annual invitational boutique beer festival and party. This year “will feature hand-selected special releases, barrel-aged, and hard-to find ales from guest breweries such as Russian River, Eagle Rock, Smog City, Sierra Nevada, The Bruery, Sante Adairius, Lost Abbey, Pizza Port, Crooked Stave, Stone, and more to be announced.

Tickets are available HERE.

Eagle Rock at 7


January in Los Angeles is a celebratory beer month. It is when Ladyface Ale Companie and Strand Brewing had their born on days and also when Eagle Rock Brewery opened up shop in Glassell Park.

On January 21st, ERB will honor their 7th anniversary with “a carnival complete with a dunk tank, pie throwing booth, giant Jenga, cornhole and more.”

More importantly they will unveil their latest anniversary beer, La Suerte, a 14% imperial Mexican stout brewed with chocolate, vanilla, flaked maize, cinnamon and chile.

Get those Early bird tickets early. They are on sale now for $25 HERE. Tickets include commemorative glassware + 5 beer samples. Day of prices rise to $30 at the door, so save yourself a few dollars to buy an extra sample.

Strand Canned

Earlier this month I posted the teaser about the Strand Brewing 7th Anniversary party.

Now I am returned from a media excursion with some photos and a bit more news….(with more info to follow later)

First, here are the new cans….
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The Strand team has had the machinery up and going for just over a week now and are busily canning as much as they can to hit the market in November. You will be able to purchase boxed six-packs of Beach House Amber, Atticus IPA and the 24th Street Pale Ale or if you are near a Costco, 18 can variety packs of all three.
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The canning line from Wild Goose doesn’t look like much when just sitting there but moves at a much higher velocity than the current Strand bottler.

On the Anniversary front, the party is now scheduled for three days November 11th-13th. The large space will be opened up a bit to allow for more guests to try whatever specials may appear to celebrate the 7th year of business.
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