Tag: beer reviews

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Review – 12° and 14° from Urban Roots

It comes down to a matter of degrees, which of the Czech Lagers from Urban Roots Brewery will I prefer? 12° or 14°.

12° – pours a orange yellow color. very crisp. getting a lot of mineral water taste that offsets the smooth mouthfeel of the lager. the barest touch of malt sweetness.

14° – Speciál Ležák” pours a slightly darker orange. fuller and sweeter. getting toast and strawberry preserve here. rounded mouthfeel.

Fourteen Degrees would be my pick. I think it would pair with a wide variety of foods and that bigger lager taste is more my thing.

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Review – No Vacancy West Coast IPA from Firestone Walker and Alvarado Street

This is the official beer for the 2023 Firestone Walker Invitational. Alvarado Street is the dance partner and the beer is out in the wild already so those who did not get tickets can enjoy a piece of the festival.

This westie pours a really light yellow. Typical for Firestone Walker it is a fairly subdued ABV which is good. Light pine and orange peel on the nose of this lightly bitter beer. Tastes close to sessionable to me but others not as hop assaulted might find it more bitter. Super well-made, bright and simple down the middle IPA. This will really work well in the sunny Paso Robles June at festival time as well as summer anywhere else too.

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In the Tap Lines for May 2023

It has been a colder than usual spring here in L.A., heck the whole West Coast. No joke but it snowed in Portland on April 1st. Let’s dive into a month of beer fun with shorts on.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the upcoming Firestone Walker Invitational

~ special featured reviews of whatever is new in my ‘fridge

~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 Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Doctor Dante

~ Sports & A Beer returns with the proliferation of team jerseys

~ 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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In the Tap Lines for April 2023

We just have to get few the April Beer Fool’s Day and then we can re-focus on the search for great beers here in Los Angeles and beyond, along with the following…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the State of Washington

~ special featured reviews of whatever is new in my ‘fridge

~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 Dr. No by Percival Everett

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Ringer Food News

~ Sports & A Beer returns for month three with Tanking talk

~ 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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In the Tap Lines for March 2023

March, where the national holidays are sparse but a big ol’ beer drinking holiday is smack dab in the middle of the month. Also smack dab is the California Craft Brewers Conference. I will be in Sacramento covering CA Craft from my point of view.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from around the Golden State

~ special featured reviews of Sacramento brewery 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 How To Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Let’s Make a RomCom

~ Sports & A Beer returns for month three 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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In the Tap Lines for February 2023

Technically the shortest month of the year, unless you know me, then it is sooo long because I really do like my birthday month and I like to find a really cool beer to have for that special day. So there’s that and…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Sacramento area in preparation for the California Craft Beer Summit in March.

~ special featured reviews of my 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 reads The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Let’s Make a Sci-Fi

~ Sports & A Beer returns for month two with All Star Games

~ 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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In the Tap Lines for January 2023

Welcome to 2023! Are the years moving fast for you as well? I know time is a construct of humans but boy does it move fast at times. This blog now enters its 14th year!! Crazy. Let’s start strong with….

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Hop Culture Best New Breweries list of 2022 like Fox Tale Fermentation Project, Bizarre Brewing and Mahalo Ale Works

~ special featured reviews of ciders received for Christmas from Portland Cider Co.

~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 Fairy Tale by Stephen King

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Seen Through a Glass

~ 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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Christmas Beer Review – Christmas Ale from West 6th

I received this Kentucky Christmas beer from the Beer of the Month Club (Rare Beer Club division). If you haven’t checked out their clubs and the customizing you can do, then please do check them out.

I visited the Louisville NuLu outpost of West 6th Brewing and am glad to try another of their beers.

The Christmas Ale is Gingerbread right off the top on a light brown / red ale base. Almost an OG pastry stout. Big spice without being cloying.  It is a 9% beer that tastes way, way slimmer. Deceptively easy to drink. Not a complex beer at all but simply tasty.

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Christmas Beer Review – Gimme Yule, Gimme Fire from Stone

Christmas beers have been thoroughly invaded by IPAs but the holiday still brings wintry styles such as the bock beer. Stone Brewing has a new One Batch Dispatch holiday bock.

Here is my take on Gimme Yule, Gimme Fire: It is nice and malty. Very Germanic. The barrel char is not coming through in the typical Stone mega proportions. I was expecting ash and charcoal and whiskey but this is a pleasant little bock that does not taste 9% at all with a touch of sweetness to it. If it was labeled a Christmas bock, I would probably have viewed it in higher esteem.

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In the Tap Lines for December 2022

Congratulations! You made it to month 12! Some people are into Easter eggs, some love a BBQ on the 4th while others love a costume and scares. Me, I like Christmas even in Southern California. There will be holiday beer fun all month so get ready…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Western New York where the snow is as deep as I am tall

~ special featured reviews of Winter Seasonals

~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 Revolutionary Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens The Sunshine Place

~ 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.