Tag: beer reviews

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

In the Tap Lines for September 2022

header_attractions

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.