Tag: April

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In the Tap Lines for April 2024

Spring sprang a day early this year and SoCal has been getting actual weather with slight variations instead of 80 degrees and dry as hell, so time to celebrate the season and bottom left corner of the country.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from San Diego

~ special featured reviews of Spring 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 Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzales James

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to A Crispr Bite

~ Sports & A Beer returns with

~ New Beer Releases 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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Best Beers of April 2022

I do not drink a lot of sours these days. One is that there is a tilt toward the smoothie sour which is a little to kids candy for me and second, that acid rumbles my tummy big time.

All preamble to April and the choice of two sours for my best of the month. First is Honey Mile from Cascade. No surprise that the NW masters of sour made something tasty but the mix of chamomile and honey was excellent. Second was French Twist from Smog City. A barrel-aged “cocktail” beer. Saison aged in gin barrels with lemon and vanilla.

Same story for both beers. A base sour with adjuncts that added layers and depth of flavor.

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In the TapLines for April 2022

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One quarter of the year gone by in a flash.  Now it is time for spring-y beers or as they should be called in SoCal, early summer ales.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that will be pouring at the return of the Firestone Walker Invitational
~ special featured reviews of press review beers from Figueroa Mountain, Stone and Firestone Walker
~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 South to America by Imani Perry
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to History Hit with Dan Snow
~ 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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Sean Suggests for April 2021

Collaborations. But not the normal kind are the theme for April. Be it with coffee people, bakery people or pink booted people, beer can be made with practically anything and certainly everyone.

LIGHT

Eagle Rock Brewery Loafer Rustic Ale – 5.5% “Rustic ale made with bread. Made in collaboration with Bub & Grandma’s in part of the Zero Waste LA initiative.“

MEDIUM

Indie Brewing Squad Hazy DIPA- 8% – “This double hazy IPA was brewed by the women of Indie Brewing Company on International Women’s Day. This beer also spotlights the Pink Boots Society which promotes women in the beer industry.”

BIGGEST

AleSmith Brewing Speedway Stout Mostra Coffee – 12% – “For this special edition of our signature imperial stout we partnered up with our friends at Mostra Coffee to provide their artisanal flair. Combined with copious amounts of coconut, this beer has intense notes of chocolate, roast, dark fruit, and a touch of milky sweetness, creating a perfect decadent blend of flavors.”

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In the Tap Lines for April 2021

header_attractionsNo fools today.  Just more exciting beer news from Los Angeles and the world.  Really, we will go traveling as we transition from home bound to bound for taprooms  

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Indiana and March Madness
~ special featured reviews of Belgian styled beers
~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 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Tagline
~ 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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The Firkin for April 2020

OK, rule breakers. If you were allowed to sit in a taproom today, would you? I would feel safe that breweries or restaurants would not keep a sick person serving because the backlash would be really bad. But if the normal seating capacity of a space was, say, twenty people and there was already more than five there, I would hesitate.

Partially because I do not want to go this far without catching the virus and then get it on the rebound. But, obviously, I am in the minority. If a beach is open , people will flock together no matter if someone dressed as the Grim Reaper is walking with them mocking them.

I will be taking it slow and steady. As restrictions are eased, I will go out a little more, maybe travel to a further away taproom while traffic stays lighter than usual. But I won’t be returning to my normal clip of visits until the second wave has passed. And that first brewery party or fest is going to be real weird for sure.

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In the Tap Lines for April 2020

header_attractionsMarch was not a good month.  I wish I had my receipt so that I could get my money back on those 31 days.  Hopefully April will be full of washed hands and six feet of distance and less bad posts on social media.  I will keep up the parade of good beer news while talking about what will happen when the virus dust has settled

~ e-visits to (3)  breweries from states hit hard from CoronaVirus
~ special featured reviews of canned IPAs from Strand 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 Dutch House by Ann Patchett
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Gangster Capitalism
~ 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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The Firkin for April 2019

I really, really hope that someone is writing a book about the rise and selling out of Golden Road Brewing because this month saw a screeching left turn in the narrative.  Salacious details aside of what may or may not have happened involving, a-hem, mergers and acquisitions, the one detail that struck me was how ABInBev allegedly had (6) attorneys helping one of their high-up employees in a matter that is clearly personal, divorce.

When people ask why I am dismissive of this corporate giant, I can now point to this as a glaring example of the shady shit that they seem to always do.  Is it illegal?  I don’t know and probably not.  But does it show that they are out to protect their own and their own money?  That would be a yes. 

Let me say, straight away, that small, independent breweries are not inoculated against shitty people and poor behavior.  But what I do know is that with great money power comes great responsibility.  The owner of a small brewery in Los Angeles just won’t have the money and time to pair with vengeance to send a battalion of attorneys out to secure the best deal in a divorce for one of their employees.  But ABInBev can and apparently will.  (probably not if you are a drone in sector 7G though) Heaven forbid that they stay out of the divorce, put someone new in charge of the Golden Road purchase and perhaps re-evaluate their plans.

That would probably not get through all the layers and divisions that make up this corporation the same way that brewing a good beer hasn’t made it through either.

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Sean Suggests for April 2019

Let’s put the focus on some new hops, including one of my new favorites, Strata.

~LIGHT
Fair State / Strata 6.20% ABV
“Strata is the only hop variety used in this DDH Hazy IPA”

~MEDIUM
Novo Brazil / Sabro Haze 7.00% ABV
“Focusing on a unique New Mexican hop, the Sabro hop, Sabro Haze has distinct tangerine and tropical fruit, along with undercurrents of pine, mint, and cream. It is a complex and delightful beer that must be tried. “

~BIG
Pizza Port / Palapa IPA 7.20% ABV
“A fruity and dank IPA with heavy doses of Mosaic complimented by Waimea, Columbus, and Grungeist hops. Golden and bright in appearance with a crisp and dry finish”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for April 2019

header_attractionsHope you are ready for pranks today.  I fell for one briefly already before catching myself.  Hopefully, the beers you have this month are not pranks.

~ e-visits to three breweries that made the Fastest Growing Breweries like Werner Brewing of Tillamook, Oregon, Humble Sea of Santa Cruz, California and Oak Road Brewery of Summerville, South Carolina
~ special featured reviews of Orange County beers since it is there month for beer week.
~ 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 Milkman by Anna Burns
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your April started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) April 9th – Tuesday’s at Tonys features the beers of Enegren Brewing
2) April 20th – Smog City Anniversary Party