With the Craft Brewers Conference in the rear view, it is time to prepare yourself for summer beer festival season. Though not as busy as in past years, there will be plenty to do and plenty of souvenir cups to collect. Below is what is currently planned for the month of May here on the blog.
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Central Coast of California in advance of the Firestone Walker Invitational
~ special featured reviews of whatever is in the refrigerator throughout the month
~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 Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Tales from the Tardis
~ Sports & A Beer returns with Drafting for QB1
~ 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.
I admit that I do not have a poker face. If I did have one, it has since evaporated. Others have mastered subtlety and can eve pretend that they like that candle you bought them for their birthday even though they have not lit a candle in decades.
That is all preamble to this post about instant reactions to beer. Read it HERE.
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.
Springtime in SoCal as we move into what I jokingly call “early summer”. Hoping to find some bock beers, either strong or dopple would be nice plus the following features this month….
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the newer cities in the NWSL
~ special featured reviews of a potpourri of 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 Trees by Percival Everett
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Heritage Mezcal
~ Sports & A Beer returns with Thoughts on March Madness
~ 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.
Smog City Brewing does a lot of IPAs and a lot of IPA series as well to keep hop lovers coming back to their Torrance brewery or their other L.A. locations. For 2024, their experimental series is Haze Craze and the # 1 is Moonbow.
Time to haze…
Moonbow pours a darker yellow color with a nice amount of haze to it without being too murky. Light overall tries to be a bit fluffy on the palate but has a bit of strength to it. First note that I get is apricot which is not the usual fruit one finds in a hazy. Getting a bit of green melon as well.
Another trip around the sun for this here beer blogger. Time to celebrate with an extra day and some extra special beers along with the usual posts such as….
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Washington State in honor of George’s birthday that he shares with me
~ special featured review my chosen birthday beer
~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 Black AF History by Michael Harriot
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to True Detective – Night Country
~ Sports & A Beer returns with What are sports now anyway?
~ 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.
We are back around the calendar horn. A whole beer year stretches before us. All sorts of new brews and new news are waiting for us craft beer fans. Starting with…..
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Craft Beer & Brewing’s Best of 2023 Canadian picks.
~ special featured reviews of beers of ciders from 2 Towns Ciderhouse
~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 Roughhouse Friday by Jaed Coffin
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to The Food Programme from the BBC
~ Sports & A Beer returns with Streaming Sports
~ 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.
Each year, I taste test the current FW Anniversary blend and then taste the blend from five years ago. This time around it is 27 vs 22.
This years anniversary beer, aka XXVIII or 27 was created by the team of Molly Lonborg from Alta Colina, Kevin Sass from Halter Ranch Beer Club Member Ezekial Palmer. Below are strands used in the blend:
DDBA Batch 10k – Aged in Wheated Bourbon Barrels (33%) – Imperial Special Bitter
Dividing Time – Aged in Wheated and Rye Bourbon Barrels (29%) – Munich Wine Made in Collaboration with Private Press
Bravo – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (13%) – Imperial Brown Ale
Rip This Joint – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (13%) – Imperial Stout Made in Collaboration with Side Project
XXII is made up of the following componemts: 44% Stickee Monkee, 22% Parabola, 22% Bravo, 7% Rum Barrel Helldorado, 5% Gin Barrel Helldorado.
Now onto the reviews…
22 – even though the rum and gin barrels are only 12% of the total, I am getting a bit of both. There is chocolate and a kick of spice here that I like the interplay between. Has a definite Belgian quad taste, sorry Central Coast Quad.
27 – seems kind of one note to me overall. It is a really good chocolate brownie. in beer form. Thick and muddy in a good way. Not much barrel notes to be found which I was sorta expecting considering the beers in the blend.
Even five years on, the 22 wins. If there has been more bourbon in 27, I might have given it the nod though.
Fall is well and truly here in SoCal. And with Halloween in the rearview we can focus on the twin heavy hitters of Thanksgiving and Christmas and by that I mean the Doctor Who episodes forthcoming. And also plenty of craft beer talk and general foolishness like…
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from NBA cities for the new season
~ special featured reviews of beers to take to Thanksgiving (or not)
~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 Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Patented
~ Sports & A Beer returns with Demanding Trades
~ 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.
