Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
I am all for more beverage websites and I have found another one for us to bookmark, Beaumont Drinks leans into the review side of drinks which is a good thing, most beer sites have more news and event coverage (myself included), so a resource of strong reviews is certainly needed. Check the website out HERE.
(there are also non-review pieces as well)
Fall is probably my favorite season even though the biggest holidays of the year (my birthday and Christmas) do not fall (sorry) inside its months. The switch from SoCal summer to milder temps and the Festbiers just make me happy. Enough about me, let’s get to what will be covered this month…
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Richmond, Va.
~ special featured reviews of fall seasonal 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 Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Strike Force Five
~ Sports & A Beer returns with re-aligning college football
~ 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.
Today, I picked two beers from Ventura Coast Brew Co. from two far apart styles.
We start with the Hazy IPA collaboration with Seaward Brewing (also from Ventura). It pours a light yellow with a bit of haze to it. There is a bright sugar candy Sweet Tart aroma to it. Doesn’t have the softness I would expect from a hazy. Light bodied but with a firm hit of earthy / piney bitterness. If just called an IPA, I would rate higher.
Earth Day Dopplebock pours a dark brown garnet color. Lovely foam at top too. Very pretty to look at. Lovely cereal malt smell, like being in a brewery. Big and simple taste here. Getting a bit of Kix cereal. Full mouthfeel without being heavy or cloying. Tiny touches of sweetness and smoke add to the whole.
California has been in weird times lately. Hollywood strikes, a tropical storm for the first time in 84 years and robotaxis wild in San Francisco. Let’s get back on sturdier ground in beer…
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the new trendy beer city, Pittsburgh
~ special featured reviews of Oktoberfest 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 Circe by Madeline Miller
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers
~ Sports & A Beer returns with too many hot takes
~ 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 start the Portland beer reviews with YPA from Shimai Toshi which means Sister City in Japanese. They focus on Yuzu which has flavors of Meyer lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit.
Time to try their Hazy Yuzu…
YPA isn’t hazy hazy. Great citrus aroma and very bright. It has a hoppy burst up front that fades into softness. A bit of piney bitterness lingers.
August is filled with lots of, shall we say, interesting posts coming from me. Stay tuned in for the two daily posts for monthly features like where I pair beer with books, podcasts and eve sports stories.
~ e-visits to (3) breweries from around the United States
~ special featured reviews of beers from around the country
~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 Sullivanians by Alexander Stille
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Who Shat at the Wedding
~ Sports & A Beer returns with bad Womens World Cup vibes
~ 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.