Tag: A Book and a Beer

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In the Tap Lines for June 2020

header_attractionsWe start off June with a five question interview with Partake Brewing who is in the N/A beer space and will quickly move on to….

~ e-visits to (3)  breweries who might need a re-introduction to fans
~ special featured reviews of (5) beers from Partake Brewing!
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events (Far in the future events)
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The Great Influenza by John Barry
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Forgotten Stories of Football
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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In the Tap Lines for March 2020

header_attractionsEnough of Oregon blog posts.  Well, I don’t say that but after a trip north, it is time to re-focus on what is happening here in Los Angeles, along with the following fun….

~ e-visits to (3)  Las Vegas breweries – Able Baker, Banger and Crafthaus
~ special featured reviews of beers from the Wheel O’ Styles.
~ 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 Tightrope
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Dead Eyes
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your March started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) March 14th – Select Beer Store 8th Anniversary
2) March 21st – Common Space 2nd Anniversary

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In the Tap Lines for August 2019

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~ e-visits to three breweries with “bear” in the name
~ special featured reviews of beers for super hot weather, from Angel City
~ 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 The Porpoise by Mark Haddon
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Noble Blood
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your August started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) August 2nd – Brew at the L.A. Zoo
2) August 4th – New Original Breweries Beer Tour

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A Book & A Beer – Miss Subways by David Duchovny


Yes, it is that David Duchovny of X-Files and Californication. And Miss Subways is his third book but the first that I have read.

The book follows Emer, a teacher in New York City whose romantic life is complicated not only by the usual pressures of life but by the existence of Gods of long ago erase her boyfriend Con, from her life, only for them to re-connect. It is a rom-com mixed with Neil Gaiman lite and chock-filled with contemporary asides.

Overall, I like quite a few of the ideas in the book. Quotes in the subway cars amidst the ads and people on phones is well done. Duchovny has selected telling quotes without being too obvious. I like the school characters as well. From the principal Sidney to her friend Izzy and even the three troublesome students have single but cool dimensions to them. New York is given a lived in and local character as well which adds a nice dimension.

The boyfriend with the weird Gaelic name seems a bit wimpy to me, especially in comparison to Emer. She could do a lot better, is something I uttered out loud on a couple of occasions. And that shortcoming sort of cuts the book’s knees out from under it. Con doesn’t have to be perfect but he seems weak even for someone who has proverbially sold his love.

Now if this blog came to you from New York and not Los Angeles, the beer choosing would be a lot easier. Most New York beer doesn’t really make it out to us but considering the romantic nature of the book, I really do need to pick an Other Half beer, so I will go for Short, Dark and Handsome, their Stout.

In wider release, since their is plenty of Irish in this book, Guinness would be a good choice. Or you could go light and go for Harp instead since that musical instrument has more romance behind it.

More local, head to Ogopogo Brewing in San Gabriel and pick up their stout, Ashrays. Those are mythical water creatures and the book deals heavily in myths but as the kicker, they are sometimes called the water lovers or water ghosts.

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A Book & A Beer – Strange Weather by Joe Hill


I went into this book with high hopes. I have been on a bit of a King kick so I figured this would be another thriller/horror ride. Plus I love the novella format too.

But only the fourth of the set from Strange Weather was what I was looking for. And worse, the longest piece, Loaded, seemed an easy mark about our gun culture. Plus it was quite grim. Neither side of the debate would feel good after reading it and maybe that was the point. Aloft, the third tale, was weird with a lead character that I found annoying at times and didn’t end well. The book started with Snapshot which had a good thing going but the mechanics of the mysterious camera were never really explained so some of the scares were lost to me. I would have liked to have seen the gun polemic shortened to give more room for the other stories to fully firm.

The last story, Rain, was the clear winner. Great idea playing into our fear of the changing climate with a great and new type of lead character. She had spunk and was smart. The plot was scary and horrible at the same time and could possibly be real.

Here are some beer choices to “pair” with the book
Bottle Logic Stronger than Fiction Strong Ale
Maine Beer Co. Peeper
Burial Beer Weathered Scythe

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In the Tap Lines for March 2017

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March, when the PtY madness has passed and the weather is still cool enough to drink a variety of beers. So get out and visit some of the more far-flung breweries in the L.A. area.

~ e-visits to three breweries “ignited” in San Diego such as Pariah Brewing, Rouleur Brewing and Wiseguy Brewing.
~ special featured reviews of sour beers
~ 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 The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your March started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) March 3rd – Solidarity returns to Eagle Rock Brewery
2) March 12th – Beer and Girl Scout Cookie Pairing at Craft Beer Cellar – Eagle Rock

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In the Tap Lines for February 2017

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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

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In the Tap Lines for January 2017

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Good riddance to 2016! Let’s get 2017 off on the right foot with some rays of light and hope and great craft beer in the L.A. area.

~ e-visits to three breweries found in the pages of the Complete IPA book by Joshua Bernstein
~ special featured reviews of beers that I bought with my Craft Beer Cellar – Eagle Rock gift cards from Christmas.
~ 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 All That Man Is (and I did not care for it)
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 8th – Cheese and Beer Tour with LA Beer Hop and Vagabond Cheese
2) January 28th – L.A. Beer & Food Festival

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A Book and A Beer – City of the Lost

There is a certain type of book that falls into the “airplane” read category. The swiftly paced thriller or mystery that you can finish in a plane ride or layover and forget about the next day. City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong falls into that category.
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I picked it up due to an intriguing premise. A rustic community, off the radar, houses criminals and those trying to escape their past. Some inhabitants pay a premium, others are pro bono but it is a working community and those with skills in high demand are desired. Doctors, cooks and carpenters.

But then people go missing and a detective is needed. Enter the heroine of the piece. A tough but sexy. Damaged but sexy. Determined but sexy. Casey Butler. She buys a friend in need of escape from an abusive relationship a golden ticket. She gets six months to solve the case.

More people die. She falls for the gruff sheriff. Adventures ensue.

Two issues caused me to lose interest:
1. It takes way too long to get the protagonist to the outpost. Too many pages are chewed up with backstory which leads to problem…
2. The villain is apprehended basically on the last page and it’s no great reveal. It’s your basic mystery where anyone could be the killer. No real set-up that leads you to guess. You just have a list of characters who have appeared enough to be possible killers.

To drink, I would recommend the upcoming New Belgium Cookie Dough beer that the Colorado brewery developed with ice creamer Ben & Jerry’s. Cookies are part of the character of the “town” of Rockton as is tequila, which leads to the second beer choice, also from Colorado. Avery Brewing has aged a few beers in tequila barrels, but the latest is Expletus, which has cherries added as well.

Or you could pick up a Canadian craft beer and make believe that you are in your own witness protection program.

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A Book & A Beer – Wood & Beer

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Normally, I would review a book of Fiction or Non-Fiction for this monthly post that was totally unrelated to craft beer. But this month, I break that rule to talk about Wood & Beer a new-ish release from Brewers Publications written by two heavyweights in the beer world, Dick Cantwell and Peter Bouckaert.

The book covers a lot of ground delving into history, construction, natural resources and microbiology. Mostly, you will know a lot more about wood after reading this book. From the veins and structure of trees to fashioning staves that make up the barrel.

Yes, it is directed primarily at brewers and to a lesser extent home brewers but there are lots of interesting factual nuggets to be found in the pages. One that really stood out for me was that over 85% of U.S. breweries are at least dabbling in using wood in creating beers. That seemed astonishingly high but it does account for the exploding market in barrels and the growing range of types of barrels being used.

I had hoped to read more about how Elysian and New Belgium grew their barrel programs and what they learned, mistakes made and surprise successes. There is a bit about the Foeder Forest and the Salazar influence on the wild and sour beers coming from Fort Collins but I would have lapped up even more. Maybe I will have to wait for Lauren Salazar to write a sour book. There is nothing about Elysian, which is understandable but still a bit disappointing to me.

For drinking with this book, I can give two California suggestions. Amburana Porter from Three Weavers is a lovely dark ale that really showcases the Brazilian wood and imparts tremendous cinnamon notes into the beer. It is one of my favorites from the Inglewood brewery. I have been told it is a limited release but it seems to pop up frequently.

Then, I should say try anything from Barrelworks – the sour arm of Firestone Walker but let’s narrow that down to trying two Bretta’s. Rose and my absolute favorite, Bretta Weisse. They really showcase how oak works on a beer to add layers. These are two very well rounded beers.