Tag: beer review

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Review – Rosso from Menabrea

It is not often that I drink an Italian beer. And even less often that I taste one on draft so when my wife and I went out to Pasta Sisters in Culver City and I saw that they had two beers on draft from Menabrea Brewing, well, I had to try.

I had to really adjust my taste buds and expectations after having a DDH and a TDH IPAs earlier in the day. This is water from the Alps. A slight touch of Old World hops and then leaning into malt without being a big beer. This is subtle. No spice notes, no bitterness just malt and it was a great way to end a drinking day or to start one. Rosso is a beer that can get lost in the shuffle between hoppy bangers so one needs to have this with food and enjoy it.

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Lagunitas Review # 2 – 19.2 ounces of IPA

The second of the duo of re-looks at Lagunitas Brewing is their IPA in the big ol’ stovepipe can.

This 3.2 extra ounces IPA pours a real dark yellow tinted with orange color. Has a pilsner aroma to it and the first sip gives off orange peel, cracker and a dry finish. Very current hoppy pils with old school malt vibes. There is a weird mix of watery mouthfeel but at the top is a very earthy and sodden with hops. As if the brewers were going one way then made a sharp U-Turn. This is a real solid IPA overall and one of the few that is an actual low ABV one compared to big DIPAs that usually get put into these bigger cans.

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Lagunitas Review # 1 – A Little Sumpin’, Sumpin’

There are quite a few Sumpin’s in the Lagunitas Brewing back catalog but the latest is a near DIPA range Wheat IPA. So, this month, I thought that I would review a couple from this heritage brewery that is still hanging on after more halcyon days.

The wheat Sumpin’ pours a swirl of orange and yellow. Getting orange peel on the nose. First sip is close to an orange pekoe tea flavor but something seems off here. There is an earthy undertone that isn’t fitting in well. Or maybe it is just to tea tannic for my tastes. Doesn’t taste 7.5% though.

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Review – Mayfaire 2024 Winners

Santa Monica Brew Works hosted the winners of this year’s Maltose Falcons Mayfaire Competition by brewing the top 3 beers. Which are as follows:

  • Best in Show: “The Bird” Rauchbier by Trevor McGuire – A masterfully crafted smoked-malt beer celebrated for its rich, roasty flavor and complexity.
  • 2nd Place: “Halfcolt” American Pale Ale by Jack McQueen – A perfectly balanced pale ale with refreshing hop character highlighted by a blend of Simcoe and Amarillo.
  • 3rd Place: “Ikasu” Matcha-infused Gose by Masahiro Katano – A distinctive gose brewed with Matcha, offering a unique blend of tangy sour notes and earthy green tea essence.

So I had to taste them. The Bird is my winner because it fulfilled its task. Bring some smoke and some malt. It did that and made you hungry for BBQ. Ikasu was my second choice. I did not get Matcha notes but I did get a quite nice mix of cantaloupe and lime that I liked. Last was the pale ale. It was kind of dank but not super hoppy. Has a bit of stone fruit to it. But stood out less than the other two winners.

Thanks to Santa Monica Brew Works for providing a platform to taste what homebrewers are doing.

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Featured Review – Lough Gill Barrel-Aged Beer # 1 – Spear

Yes, it is hot out and barrel-aged beers are not the best style for the weather but I did not know when I would see beers from Lough Gill Brewery in Los Angeles again, so here we go…

Lough Gill is based in Sligo, Ireland and they have three big beers on three different barrel types…

Since this is an Irish beer, I started with the Irish Whiskey barrel-aged oatmeal stout, Spear.

The booziness starts up strong once the can is opened. The first sip brings maple syrup notes. Not faint ones, big ones. Quite a sugar high, maybe a knock-on effect from the Oatmeal Stout base. The Irish Whiskey is backing it up as well making this a small sip at a time beer. It is relatively thin mouthfeel wise but because the other flavors are so big, that works to its benefit.

Next up is Trinity!

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In the Tap Lines for July 2024

For me, May Gray and June Gloom are the best time in SoCal but I know that I am in the minority and that most people love the sun. Whichever Angeleno you are, please make July – Visit a brewery month. It is really needed beer fans.

~ e-visits to (3) new breweries in my home state of Oregon

~ special featured reviews of barrel-aged beers from Lough Gill Brewing in Sligo, Ireland

~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 Napoleon of Crime by Ben MacIntyre

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Finally! A Show About Women That Isn’t Just a Thinly Veiled Aspirational Nightmare

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Sports and climate change

~ 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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Review – 7-ish from Los Angeles Ale Works

It is still close enough to L.A. Beer Week to sneak in another L.A. beer review so here we go with 7-ish from Los Angeles Ale Works…

This special anniversary IPA pours a dark orange color with yellow highlights at the bottom of the glass. The aroma is a little spicy and little orange. Getting a bit of a dankness and citrus on the first sip. The juiciness does linger if it is not super strong. It also lands a bit heavier on the palate which I kinda expected since I am tasting this not super fresh and some of the early vivaciousness might have worn off.

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Review – Surreal Kush from Roadhouse Brewing and Mother Earth Brewing

Wyoming’s Roadhouse Brewing Co. meets California’s  Mother Earth Brewing Company for a surreal collaboration. 

According to the brewery notes, Surreal Kush is a “regular ole’ New Zealand Hops Fruit Basket” featuring a blend of four New Zealand hops Nelson, Riwaka, Wakatu and an experimental hop grown by NZ Hops LTD with the temporary name of NZH-104 which “brings intense passionfruit and guava aromas and a mineral character reminiscent of Southern Hemisphere Sauvignon Blancs.”

This medium dark orange hued IPA starts with a load of tangerine to my tastebuds. Getting a distinct guava smell. Light overall but not lacking balance. As it warms a bit, more tropical fruit notes start to pop. Almost hits a candy flavor but pulls back from that precipice. I don’t get the tart burst of a passionfruit but it is pretty close to the other descriptors.

You can find this beer at the following locations: Pasadena Erewhon Market, King’s Row, Elbow Room and at Lucky Baldwin’s.

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Review – Unity 2024 Hoppy Pilsner from Boomtown Brewery

Boomtown Brewery tucked between the Arts District and Union Station is the Unity host for 2024. Unity being the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild collaborative beer for L.A. Beer Week.

The graffitied cans holds a hoppy pilsner and I both had it on draft and bought a four-pack as well because it is really good for the incipient L.A. summer.

The celebratory beer pours a straw color with light fruity hops being the predominant taste. I get both grape and orange. This almost tastes pale ale to me but the carbonation and the heft of the beer does keep it tethered to the lighter side of the ledger.

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Review – Wheater Melon from Los Angeles Ale Works

Even though one can buy watermelon practically all year round, it still remains, stubbornly, a summertime fruit to me and with summer just a few June Gloom days away, it was time to taste Wheater Melon from Los Angeles Ale Works.

Right off the bat, back in childhood with a watermelon Jolly Rancher. The beer is light orange in color. That candy blast comes in strong and then leaves just as strongly, leaving a watery and light finish. Was hoping for a bit of wheat backbone here. Would be quite enjoyable on a hot day by the pool but I fear it would clash or be drowned out by most summer BBQ foods.