Tag: beer reviews

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Duo Review – Replicant Beer – 1st Releases

The Shell station on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena has become a media (social and regular) darling with their beer selection tucked into a corner of their mini-mart. They have now taken a jump into brewing under the Replicant banner and have released two beers. One hoppy. One sour.

Let’s review Astringency IPA and Spawning Pool Sour…

SP pours a pretty pink/red color. This is a strawberry assault. The label says heavily fruited and they ain’t wrong here. After the strawberry, I am getting a watermelon note strangely enough. It is sour but tilted more towards smoothie to me. I like the black can but not so much the weird creature in the artwork.

The IPA is solid. Nice fresh aroma and pretty orange color. Solid hoppy hit as well. Earthy and malty are the two adjectives that I would use. Has a good snap to it as well.

If forced to choose, the sour would be more for me. A nicely balanced while also big fruit taste.

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21 V 26

Each year, I review the Firestone Walker Anniversary blend from five years ago along side this year’s model. Let’s dive into 21 and 26.

2017 – 21st

lovely espresso colored foam. bourbon and sugar aroma. silky and very sweet on the tongue. the bourbon flavors compliment the sweet notes. no alcohol burn to be found on a plus 11% beer. almost an imperial milk stout.

2022 – 26th

not much of a head at all. pours a pitch black color. aroma is surprisingly neutral. cherry is the dominant note here. bright, with no heaviness at all. there is a tiny bit of oak if you search for it. this will be interesting to see what happens with age to this.

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In the Tap Lines for November 2022

Halloween just passed, Turkey Day a’comin quick and before you can blink, Christmas. All of that means holiday beers and winter warmers and IPAs dressed up cold for the snow. Plus, this…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Brewseum Breweries

~ special featured reviews of the Sierra Nevada Bourbon Barrel Bigfoot Barleywine

~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 Endless Night by Agatha Christie

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to The Briefcase featuring Casey Holdahl

~ 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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Footbahlin

The NFL is back in stadiums but the Steelers will be without their long standing QB1 Ben Roethlisberger whose has moved behind the mic to podcast.

Footbahlin will not just be about football though, there will be a craft beer component as well.

I watched the first episode on YouTube because I could not find the just audio version and it has a California backstory. The title of the show is a nod to Anderson Valley’s Boontling dialect.

It is a good example of people not deep into beer just having fun. Something that I lose sight of and have to reel back in. The show is an hour which I find a bit too long. It is more regular conversation instead of tight and edited.

But it is a good education on tasting because kids and QBs say the darndest things.

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In the Tap Lines for October 2022

Each year, I give my royal blessing for the beer loving masses to drink pumpkin beer now that we have reached October.  So run and buy a pumpkin, hollow it out, pour a pumpkin beer or three inside and put a tap on that gourd.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from around California

~ special featured reviews of Autumnal 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 Less by Andrew Sean Greer

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Scam Likely

~ 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 September 2022

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This month I will be making my first ever trip to Kentucky, specifically, the Bourbon Trail from Louisville to Bardstown.  So get a snifter out, there is going to be some bourbon talk this month.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from cities that also distill spirits
~ special featured review of Kentucky
~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 Bourbon Empire by Reid Mitenbuler
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Bourbon Pursuit
~ 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 August 2022

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August is a non travel outside California month so I will take the weekends to play catch-up with L.A. breweries that I haven’t been to in a bit. But if you do travel, maybe layover in NewJersey and show support to their breweries who have been burdened with some truly galling laws.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from New Jersey who have been handcuffed by anti-beer laws
~ special featured review of pilsners and lagers
~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 Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to A History of Coffee
~ 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 June 2022

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We have made it to Summer.  Or as close as we can get what with climate change making things hotter and colder and just plain weather weird.  Here is what June has in store for you on the blog.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries related to June
~ special featured review of Nectar Creek Sting Ginger Mead
~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 When I’m Gone, Look for Me in the East by Quan Barry
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Doctor Who: Redacted
~ Great Beer names 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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2nd Visit – All Season Brewing

I have swung by All Season Brewing a couple of times since they opened but I finally went inside for the first time!

Chicas Tacos has a cool set-up. Nice wide open space.  Skee Ball though, what is it good for? The big cut-outs of brewer Erick Garcia which are fun to see and the tank farm behind the bar is cool as well.

I also like the green and wood accented bar.  They could probably lean more into the car theme with decorations as they do with the beer names. Though they did have a car repair show on TV.

Interesting to see which beers have kicked.  Is it due to small amounts or it was popular on Friday.  English Pale Ale, hazy pale, hazy IPA and an amber lager.

Cold Start – CIPA – yellow/orange in color.  Crisp and piney.  A bit 1D to me. But it does hit the CIPA mark.

Bullitt – had once before the awards started rolling in. Big piney bitterness.  Touch of citrus sweet as well. Has an old-school feel to it.

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Featured Reviews – Two from Abnormal Beer Co.

It was great to see that my local Trader Joe’s had a pair of beers from Abnormal Beer Co. amongst their “orphan” singles shelf so I quickly grabbed them because, I do not think that I have had anything from them before.

Hazy Dreams – pours not hazy but pretty two-toned orange color, all the same. Definitely getting a tropical and citrus nose from this dream. Flavor wise, there is a burst of wheat at the end of this that I like as a secondary flavor behind the hops. A bit of alcohol burn peers through which lowers the score in my book.

Boss Pour – IPA labeled as a San Diego IPA. Trying to cast my mind back to the early SD days as I drink this. Has a dark yellow merging into orange color. Not super spiky in bitterness. Getting candied orange peel. A bit of pine pokes through as well. Hits the old school notes.

A criteria for me when tasting a brewery for me is, would I visit to taste on draft. Have I been intrigued enough. Boss Pour is a yes and Hazy Dreams a maybe.