Tag: beer reviews

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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.

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In the Tap Lines for May 2022

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Moving into May with another month of fun beer news and maybe even longer visits to breweries and even maybier festivals but for sure, this…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries in NBA playoff team cities
~ special featured reviews of Abnormal 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 Kaiju Preservation Society
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Dishing on Julia
~ 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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In the TapLines for April 2022

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One quarter of the year gone by in a flash.  Now it is time for spring-y beers or as they should be called in SoCal, early summer ales.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that will be pouring at the return of the Firestone Walker Invitational
~ special featured reviews of press review beers from Figueroa Mountain, Stone and Firestone Walker
~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 South to America by Imani Perry
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to History Hit with Dan Snow
~ 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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In the Tap Lines for March 2022

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Out of Birthday Month and into a mask free world?  Not quite in L.A. County but it regular life is looming, does that mean regular beer life is here, or did I miss its re-introduction?

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that you may look past because they are “old”
~ special featured reviews of classic dark beers from yesteryear
~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 Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Plain English with Derek Thompson
~ 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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City Beer Store – Review 3 of 4

Time for another round of which beer is the best! I have four beers to review over the course of this month that I purchased from City Beer Store in San Francisco. (You can subtract the mead, that I will review separately.)

Next up is a muted colorful can from Parliament Brewing in Rohnert Park of Sonoma County. A hazy IPA named Kaleidoscope.

This is my first beer from them and it pours a murky light yellow. Quite fragrant. It has the distinctive fluffy yet fruit hop roughness to it. Has a mix of pineapple and coconut close to a tropical tiki cocktail. Soft, with a bit of vanilla to it.

This scores above the first two with one beer to go.

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City Beer Store – Review 1 of 4

Time for another round of which beer is the best! I have four beers to review over the course of this month that I purchased from City Beer Store in San Francisco. (You can subtract the mead, that I will review separately.)

I start with Kentucky Mule from Firestone Walker. Bourbon barrel + ginger + lime peel all at 11.8% ABV. The aroma is bourbon trailed by lime. This is a very viscous beer. Big mouthfeel here. The bourbon barrel is lead guitar with lime following as bass. And if you wait, there is the heat of ginger. As the beer warms up, the bourbon and ginger take over strongly with a brown sugar note piping up. This is a strong one, a sipper for sure but damn tasty for ginger fans.

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In the Tap Lines for February 2022

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It is birthday month!  That means special reviews and fun.  Also a head to head battle of beers, the Premier League and a big ol’ doorstop of a book.  And a white tiger too.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Premier League locales
~ special featured reviews of beers bought from City Beer Store
~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 Love Songs of W.E.B Dubois
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Wild Things
~ 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.