You may not believe it but some craft beer comes in bottles, Benny Boy Brewing has a reminder for us in their flagship Lincoln Heights Lager, could be a summer go-to…
Lager Day – Bottled Lincoln
Stacked
Russian River keeps on with the hops and one of these days, I will be a Johnny on the spot and order before they are sold out. And Mosaic Stack will be first on my shopping list. The only issue is that you have to buy a case.
Bottled Simmzy’s
Simmzy’s has always been more draft centered even in the canniest of 16oz four-pack Times and even when they entered the package realm they went towards a different style, bottles.
Three IPAs dot their landscape starting with their Tips Up, then Tips Down the DIPA and then the cheekily names “It’s What Day” Hazy.
They will certainly break up the can monotony in your fridge
The Next Package
It would be safe to say that back in 2010, no one would have predicted that beer shoppes would be primarily filled with 16oz cans. Bombers were the reigning king and cans were seen as the realm of big beer.
It is not too early then to guess as to what will be the package of preference in five years time. Maybe this….
…yeah, I doubt it too due to simply figuring out how to shelve them. But the question still stands. What will we be pouring our beer out of. Cans or bottles? What size? Will 10oz stubbies reappear?
All the Packaging
Wine Enthusiast recently posted this…
…a handy size chart of ALL of the bottles.
Now if I had any design skills at all, I would have created TWO beer versions. Thankfully Vinepair did all the heavy lifting…
To be honest, I have never/ever seen a Nip-Pony-Grenade or a Caguama-Ballena so maybe that is the internet making things up.
Review – Grandpa Tractor from Barley Forge
You have to look for and grab any lagers that aren’t hopped or imperialized. And if you want to dig deeper to Vienna or Dortmunder Export, you have to search further.
Thankfully the refurbished beer aisle at my local Whole Foods recently had two bottled offerings from Barley Forge in Costa Mesa. One of which is the excellently named Grandpa Tractor, a Dortmunder “style” export lager.
This beer is a bit too mineraly and salty to me but otherwise is close to the style mark in my mind. It has a nice hit of malty sweetness to it and drinks easy. The initial aroma was a bit off-putting but it soon rounded into form. I would categorize this offering as better with food than without. It offers some compare and contrast flavors that would work in the pairing arena.
Cardbeerd
Do you like wood-aged beers? What about wood-fiber beers? Looking to sustainability, Carlsberg premiered the Green Fiber Bottle which they have been working on with the company ecoXpac who have bullet pointed the bottle attributes on their website:
- Optional design of bottle with either screw cap or single-use seal. And fits in with any existing filling plants.
- Made from paper pulp, which also is renewable resources.
- New patented production technology guarantees high level of energy saving – up until 80% compared with conventional moulded pulp production.
- After use the bottle can enter into recycling systems on equal terms with cardboard and paper, or decompose directly in nature.
- The production unit is small and compact, thus it can be transported and put up wherever in the world the bottles are to be filled.
Admirable, yes. But this country struggled to use cans because of early versions that affected the beer (oh, and association with big beer that were considered negative). And the elephant in the room is how will this protect the beer from light? Gotta be better than green or clear glass, right?
So I don’t see how this bottle will be more than a novelty. Though it would be really cool to see an L.A. Beer Week beer packaged this way. Would make quite the collectors item. Tip of the Hat to the Brookston Beer Bulletin for posting about this earlier.
Amalgamated
I really don’t know if Julian at Beachwood sleeps much. Every time I turn around he has another beer on draft or another beer debuting in bottles. Now here comes….
“…Amalgamator India Pale Ale. This powerful and insanely hoppy brew is the perfect addition to Beachwood’s series of bottled IPAs.
Amalgamator is a West Coast India Pale Ale that’s bursting with unique aromas and flavors. This bold IPA is kettle hopped with Amarillo, Warrior, Columbus, and Mosaic, a new American variety. The dry hop is a massive charge of Mosaic that lays down an amalgam of passion fruit, blueberry, dank resin, and citrus aromas. ”
Amalgamator IPA bottles will be released at both Beachwood locations on February 25th, 2014 at 5pm.
Melrose IPA – NOW in bottles!
Beachwood has been pumping out the bottles this year and one of their stalwart IPA’s is making its debut on July 16. Hey, that’s today!
Here is the info on the beer: “Melrose is brewed with American 2-row malt and a touch of Canadian honey malt to accentuate the tropical and citrus hop. It’s generously dry hopped with Simcoe and Amarilllo for an over-the-top aromatic experience. As Brewmaster and co-owner Julian Shrago explains, “Melrose is a true West Coast India Pale Ale that I’ve been brewing for many years.” A throwback from his days as a homebrewer, Melrose IPA is already a favorite among Beachwood Brewing fans. “After many humbling requests, it’s finally here!” “Melrose is a great beer and we are excited to finally see it bottled for the first time,” echoes co-owner Gabriel Gordon. “There’s no doubt that those who tried Thrillseeker IPA will be pleased to have another great go-to Beachwood IPA.” Melrose IPA will be sold in 22 oz. bottles at finer craft beer retailers across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The IPA will also be available on draft at both Beachwood BBQ locations.”
Their IPA’s are fantastic and they sell fast so get a bottle quick and drink it fresh.
Strand in Bottles
It is getting easier than ever to get your favorite LA craft beers in bottles! El Segundo and Beachwood are now available and Monkish may be following suit soon and Strand Brewing will be jumping into the game mid-month.
And you can grab some of these handsome bottles at their tap room this Saturday March 16th from 12-8
the following Beers will be available in bottles:
24th Street Pale Ale
Atticus IPA
Beach House Amber Ale
Second Sleep Imperial Stout
*Bottles are for take out only, same as a growler
And while you are there you can also sip on the re-released White Sand Double IPA on draft that day and/or sample a Special Cask of Oaked Second Sleep Russian Imperial Stout tapped at Noon.
