Sean Suggests for September 2015

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Screw the pumpkin beer! It is my new motto in this monthly shopping post. But, you may argue, the medium choice is a Halloween beer. Am I contradicting myself? Nope, because AleSmith beers are best really fresh and their haunting offering is no different. Get it now rather than later.

~LIGHT
Bell’s/ Best Brown Ale 5.8% ABV
“A smooth, toasty brown ale, Best Brown Ale is a mainstay in our fall lineup. With hints of caramel and cocoa, the malt body has the depth to stand up to cool weather, but does not come across as heavy. This balancing act is aided by the generous use of American hops.”

~MEDIUM
AleSmith/ Evil Dead Red 6.66% ABV
“Each Halloween we release this special concoction to celebrate one of our favorite holidays. Deep blood-red in color, an intense aroma of pine and citrus from an abundance of American hops balances the sweetness and rich, bready flavors of this beer’s caramel malts. The result is a fiendishly smooth brew that will make your taste buds scream with delight.”

~DARK
Green Flash/ Green Bullet 10.1% ABV
“With the aim of finding new and unique ingredients, we honed in on New Zealand grown Pacific Gem and Green Bullet hops to create this adventurous Triple IPA. Green Bullet leaps onto your palate with bold, spicy pine and citrus flavors including tropical notes of mango and pineapple. The aggressive yet well-balanced finish will stun the senses of even the most skilled hop hunter.”

Sean Suggests for July 2015

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Trying to keep things a little light without being too one-sided in beer styles. The other, more noticeable theme is, breweries a good day trip distant from L.A.

~LIGHT
Claremont Craft Ales/ Indian Hill 4.0% ABV
Indian Hill is our version of a Session IPA: bursting with hop flavor, but restrained in alcohol. We aggressively hop this one with huge amounts of citra, while the addition of wheat keeps this beer crisp and easy-drinking – perfect for your adventures to the beach or the mountains

~MEDIUM
Pure Order Brewing/ Red Eye Wheat 4.85% ABV
“The inspiration for this beer is derived from the old Dunkelweizen style of South Germany. It is a red wheat beer with slight caramel and raisin tones. While a traditionally bitter beer, the Pure Order brewing team’s western influence has made it a perfect brew for the warm Santa Barbara sun. Contrary to what you may think, the name Red Eye Wheat is a reference to the flight you might take to the German home of this beer’s style rather than the state of your eyes after a couple Pure Order cold ones. The label itself is a tribute to the famously convenient and uniquely styled Santa Barbara Airport.”

~DARK
Bravery Brewing/ Old Rat 9.0% ABV
“An old rat is a brave rat. This is an English style old ale, with flavors of chocolate maltiness,toffee, and subtle dark fruit. ”

Sean Suggests for March 2014

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There are two common threads amongst the choices for this month. Three if you count that they will be perfect for a sunny spring day in Los Angeles. See if you can catch the other two.

~LIGHT

Avery Brewing/ Joe’s Premium American Pilsner 4.7% ABV

“A contemporary rendition of a classic style, Joe’s is hopped with purpose: beautifully bitter and dry with an abundance of floral, Noble German hops.

Über sessionable. Utterly American. This is Premium American Pilsner.”

~MEDIUM

New Belgium/ Snapshot Wheat 5.0% ABV

“Snap! You just captured an unfiltered wheat beer full of refreshment and a flash of tart at the finish. Smile-inducing aromas of citrus hops jump from the nose, accompanied by the sweetness of coriander and grains of paradise. Brewed with wheat and pale malt, Snapshot pours a hazy, lemon-yellow with bright-white lacing. But the real enticement is the snap of tart. New Belgium’s affinity for sour beers led to the in-process blending of lactobacillus to pucker up Snapshot’s base. An extra step to acidify and beautify and get this beer ready for its close up.”

~DARK

Great Divide/ Lasso IPA 5.0% ABV

“LASSO is the new frontier of India Pale Ale. Brewed with a robust roundup of Columbus, Centennial and Cascade hops, its sessionable simplicity proves bigger isn’t always better. But make no mistake – the Wild West hasn’t gone mild. That same untamed IPA spirit thrives, and we reckon this’ll go down mighty fine.”

Sean Suggests for January 2014

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Welcome to 2014 of the craft beer calendar!  Have you had a mind altering, world bending beer in the first two weeks?  I certainly hope so and if not, I will suggest three that might do the trick.  All were recently seen at the large Arroyo Parkway, Whole Foods which has a wonderful selection to choose from.

~LIGHT

San Gabriel/ Hefeweizen 5.0% ABV

An Italian take on the classic German style and at a very affordable price for beer shipped in from the “boot”.

~MEDIUM

New Belgium/ Rewind IPA 7.0% ABV

“An homage to our roots and craft-brewing heyday of the early ’90s, Maris Otter and Special B malts give a big, sweet background to a palate of Horizon, Willamette and Galena hop varieties.”

~DARK

The BrueryShegöat 8.7% ABV

“Shegöat is a brand new beer to our lineup, based on one of Patrick’s original, multiple award winning homebrew recipes. Based primarily on the traditional weizenbock style of Germany, brewed with both malted barley and wheat, the beer is rich in the flavors of bananas, cloves and caramel with a notes of cake spice hovering in the background. Just like the banana bread that großmutter used to make.”

Sean suggests for October

Been back from the Great American Beer Festival for a couple days and getting back into the swing of the blog again with the monthly beer shopping list….

October 2012

Click the link (once or twice depending on the type of computer) then print out the list or memorize (depending on the type of brain) and then shop for beer. It’s my favorite pastime.

Sean Suggests for June 2012


The beers to buy for June all came off a recent e-mail list of what is available at one of my local beer buying stops Red Carpet, here in sunny Glendale, CA.

So click the links (may take two clicks depending upon the browser) and either head to Red Carpet if you are in L.A. or go to your store of choice and support craft beer from two gypsy brewers and a beer that has traipsed all over the globe.

Sean suggests for June 2012

Sean suggests for March


For the start of spring here are some suggestions that start with a Dig, go to Wall Street for a share of beer then head to church for something Big and Bad.

Double click this list……March 2012 then print it out (or memorize it) and demand these beers from your local beer shoppe. Or ask nicely, whichever way you prefer.