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Some beers are popular for stretches of time but then lose steam. But then there is the joy when a beer from times past returns. Bottle Logic is bringing back a beer last seen 22oz bombers.
Tattered Prince Spiced Saison “blends ginger root, coriander, and orange peel for a bright, effervescent experience.”
Readers of the blog will know that I am not a hard seltzer type of guy. But every hard and fast rule has exceptions and mine is Bottle Logic and their barrel-aged seltzer program.
They are much closer to cocktails than sweetened sugar water in weird colors and they have a new one (at least to me) that sounds quite good….
I have not had a traditional Milk Punch so a “Cocktail-Inspired Hard Seltzer aged in bourbon barrels and finished with Pineapple, Lemon, Sugar, Spices and Lactose Sugar.” might be the next best thing.
If you had to pick a pair of breweries with star (and hop) power, Pure Project and Bottle Logic fit that duo description and they have a new collaboration recently released…
…time to find that murkiness.
I have been quite dismissive of hard seltzers on this blog for what I think are good reasons but one outlier has been on my mind, Bottle Logic Brewing and their barrel-aged versions.
I made a beeline one Saturday to finally try one and settled on…
Miehana Madness part of their Lightning in a Bottle series of cocktail-inspired spirit barrel-aged hard seltzers. It is a rum barrel-aged seltzer in honor of famed Anaheim tiki bar Strong Water that has “layers of juicy orange, lush coconut, a zing of pineapple and lime, and the familiar warmth of rum. With a light, cocktail-like mouthfeel and intentionally low carbonation…”
There is coconut and orange and very much a rum texture to this. Fairly slick on the tongue and not seltzer bubbly at all. abv is well hidden. Some vanilla sneaks in at the end.
Agua Fresca IPA. OK, that is a new twist for sure, maybe not for Bottle Logic Brewing. Might be an interesting beer especially if the hop bill can compound the interest of the fruit notes brought via the fresca part of the beer.
Right now there are two breweries that I can say with confidence can nail a Quad IPA. El Segundo Brewing and Pure Project. The latter has teamed with Bottle Logic for a long but funny named QIPA.
“”A Quad IPA? In This Economy?!” emerges with a pale yellow haze, a hugely tropical aromatic output, and a bullish 12% ABV. Our diversified portfolio of Nectaron, Strata, and Citra Cryo hops lends flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, and stone fruit to the palate’s balance sheet, where bold malt sweetness tempers the punchy ABV and eases the hop bitterness into a delicious depreciation.”
I got a taste of luxe life in San Juan Capistrano over Christmas at the Inn at the Mission and now not far away is another event that looks extravagant. Below are the details. I will pop back in with why the beer is special at the end…
“The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel’s first Culinary Cookout of 2023 is Brews & Bites – a beachside beer festival with an incredible and diverse lineup of brewers from across the nation and internationally on Sunday, February 19 from 1- 4 pm.
Set on the resort’s lush Dana Lawn that overlooks miles of the Pacific Ocean, attendees will enjoy an afternoon of unlimited beer tastings with a keepsake glass and access to global street food stations serving up wood fire Bavarian pretzels, Korean corn dogs, New Delhi fish and chips, and borracha tacos. Lawn games and entertainment complete the afternoon.”
Here is a link to buy tickets ($150 per person; kids under 9 are complimentary).
Brewery Headliners:
This is not a hastily thrown together brewery list. Bottle Logic and The Bruery may not have whales at their tables but even their most basic list of beers are great. Many have not had a beer from Kimberly Rice and Sage and this is a great way to introduce yourself to their beers. They do a lot of farm to table and grow hops via Sow A Heart Farms. For me the headliner is Bow & Arrow from New Mexico. Most of the press is about the owners, and rightfully so, but I have had a couple of their beers and they are great. I say have the beers then read their story.
Let’s take a little drive around SoCal to taste all sorts of hops from Noble to un-named and Pilsner to IIPA to start the year off right.
Bottle Logic – Semplicitá Italian Pilsner – 5.2% “Saphir and Saaz hops tout delicate aromas of pine and white flowers and transition to the palate with an up-front bitterness. It lingers for a moment and folds into the fresh bready sweetness of the malt base with a medium-light body and effervescent carbonation.”
El Segundo Brewing – Simcoe West Coast IPA – 6.8% – “Once again, we love a hop so much, we had no choice but to name a beer after it. Simcoe’s been around since 2000, making it a classic hop of the West Coast IPA. There’s been plenty of hops that have made a splash since then, but Simcoe has a certain… je ne sais quoi that keeps us coming back for more.”
Ogopogo Brewing / Harland Beer Co. – Merlion 2 DDH Hazy IIPA – 8.5% – “With Citra, Incognito Citra, HBC 586 and HBC 586 Cryo.”
Getting near the end here, let’s add in a new beer from Bottle Logic Brewing and one of their pastry-esque beers with a memory, a Mulled Memory.
“Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Mulled Golden Ale with elegant aromas of wintery apple cider curl from the glass of this Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Golden Ale. A subtle wisp of lactose twists through the base, tethering the delicate apple character to a warming blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and citrus peel.”
Most Bottle Logic Brewing news regards their barrel-aged program and pastry stouts. But I would suggest looking for this Super Dry instead…
The regular Hanamachi is a great beer but this dark malt version looks good plus the label has a real Silence in the Library – River Song vibe.