Staying local for March and also canvassing a wide array of styles so that your palate does not get stuck. And yes, I do not approve of green beer and the first selection is a green hued beer, but, in my defense, it is also a sour. So that means less of a points deduction.
Far FieldMade With Luck Sour – 4.1% – “As luck would have it, your favorite clover-green sour ale returns to our shelves and draft lines just ahead of St. Patrick’s Day.”
Creature ComfortsSpring Belgian-Style White Ale – 5.1% – “We’ve got Spring Fever. Our fresh take on the classic Belgian-Style White Ale is brewed with orange peel, coriander, and local wheat from Day Spring Farms.”
Enegren BrewingDoppel Valkyrie – 8.2% – “a double version of our beloved flagship altbier, Valkyrie and a throwback to some of our first anniversary beers. This strong, dark ale has rich flavors of dark fruits with hints of dark chocolate and rum, balanced with just a touch of Mt. Hood and Herkules hops.
Time for my first beer shopping list for 2024. It is doubly toasted and very serious and all California brewed.
Highland Park BreweryToast Points Czech Style Lager – 5.9% – “brewed with our pals Moonlight Brewing. The crew at Moonlight are one of our favorite American lager producers & we couldn’t be more stoked to create a lager with them. This is also the first time we’ve done a decoction mash on our system in Chinatown. Decoction is a process that involves taking part of the mash, boiling it separately, then mixing it back into the main mash to raise its overall temp. It can darken a beer’s color, impart richer malt flavors, give it a smoother mouthfeel, & even result in more stable foam.”
Paperback BrewingSiri-ous Problems Hazy IPA – 6.8% – “anything but a problem to your taste buds, with an overload of juicy hop aroma snd flavor. Zamba, Citra, and Azzaca hops lend themselves to creating juicy tropical fruit notes, such as pineapple, mango, stone fruits, candy, and orange tangerine.”
21st AmendmentFind Your Fortune – 7.5% – “our newest Imperial Toasted Golden Ale is embellished with a QR code directly on the can so drinkers nationwide can scan the code and open their own virtual fortune cookie! Who needs horoscopes when you have a beer like this?!
With toasted sesame, vanilla, and lactose, Find Your Fortune is a complex beer that offers a delightful blend of flavors and aromas. The toasted sesame adds a nutty and slightly savory note, balanced perfectly with a sweet aroma and flavor of vanilla, followed by a silky smooth, creamy finish.”
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.
Looks like a Total Wine & More will be coming to my adopted town of Glendale. And within a five minute walk to me.
I really like that they do single can sales but they do not refrigerate the majority of their beers. I am tempted to mark some cans with dates to see how long some beers, especially IPAs, last on the shelf.
Unless their inventory process changes, you will need to be super careful as to what you buy here. Keep it to stouts and spirits.
We leave the state of California behind in this month’s shopping list as we hit up three very different styles and ABVS.
~LIGHT Boulevard Brewing/ Pop-Up Session IPA 4.30% ABV “Boulevard Pop-Up Session I.P.A. joins its big brothers Single-Wide and Double-Wide in our trailer park of hop-centric beers. This “session” model is built for frequent excursions, with a very drinkable character and relatively low bitterness tucked behind a big, fruity hop aroma”
~MEDIUM Left Hand Brewing/ Oktoberfest 6.60% ABV “This is no festivus for the restuvus – on the contrary – we start brewing in the Spring and it takes a full two months to reach lagered perfection. Biscuity, malty goodness dominates upfront while the noble pedigree hops lend a properly spicy, dry finis”
~DARK Sound Brewery/ Tripel Entendre 9.90% ABV “Complexity and balance from a simple recipe of the finest ingredients obtainable. Clear and light in color, this strong Belgian ale drinks smooth and easy but has the complexity to complement the finest meals or to savor alone at the end of the evening.”
