Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Baja Brewing’s burro is straying far from beach and into the waves with a new Baja lager and in a world filled to the brim with IPAs, it is nice to see a new lager enter the market. The new beer is “made with Hallertau and Sterling hops resulting in a herbaceous aroma and a slightly bitter finish.”
To some, this is the week to explore Mexican craft beer. For me, I avoid the high holy drinking days which is why I was glad that I could head out a day early on May the Fourth to sample beers from Baja Brewing at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood.
I have had their Cabotella brand as well as the Baja (Peyote) Pale Ale. Neither lit my fire but I am still interested in the closest foreign brewing scene to us in L.A. and want to support further exports up to us.
Well the Peyote Pale on draft was much better. Brighter citrus notes and more effervescence dialed back the caramel malt notes and created a more balanced beer that showcased those three different notes.
Then I got to try the new Karl Strauss Collaboration “Dos Californios”. Karl Strauss Brewmaster Paul Segura and Baja Brewing Company Owner/Brewmaster Jordan Gardenhire created a perfect Cinco de Mayo beer, a Mexican Lager with a subtle green vegetal kick of habanero mixed with agave nectar, on a base darker amber lager. It really worked and I was glad to get to finish the growler.
But it was just as good to talk to Gardenhire about his beers, the Baja lifestyle, Mexican craft beer and their newly formed Guild as well as the issues with procuring supplies in Mexico.
It certainly made me want to schedule a trip to see what the beer is like, especially fresh.
As breweries expand distribution, I sometimes get samples sent to me to review, usually though, not saying “Sample” right on the bottle. Baja Brewing sent me there to-be renamed Peyote Pale Ale to test out.
Here are my thoughts…
I am of two minds on this beer. It is firmly in the class of the maltier side of pale ale. All well and good once I re-calibrated my tastebuds and my mind. There is a nice caramel note without the sweetness that I think plays well with the hops. But those hops are just a little too buried for me. As it warms, the beer opens up though and some fruit notes knock on the door.
It would be educational to me to try this beer fresher at the source to see if a little more bitter brightness would come through and ameliorate the caramel notes.
I didn’t quite know what to expect from this beer. Cabotella is the flagship of Baja Brewing of which I knew little about until the beer arrived at my doorstep.
I was expecting light to watery. Hoping for more, secretly. And what I tasted was quite strange. But not in a bad way at all. It was very grainy yet had notes that reminded me of Naughty Sauce from Noble. It was no blonde for sure and I wouldn’t consider it a thirst-quencher in the model of a kolsch or crisp pilsner. It is also a bit too much for food in my opinion because of the malt heaviness and sweetness. Though it would be interesting to taste it on nitro to see if that amps it up.
Disclaimer – This beer was provided free of charge for review.