Tag: brewery tour

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NBA Playoff Brewery # 3 – Federation Brewing in Oakland

Last up are the mighty Golden State Warriors, who have reached the final four after a couple seasons absence. So we travel to Oakland and Federation Brewing.

Let’s pick a taster tray…

Cerveza de Primarvera IPA – “This lower-alcohol, easygoing IPA is perfect for a spring day, and was brewed with the specially-selected Pink Boots hop blend as part of the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day®. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this beer goes to the Pink Boots Society.”

Purple Midnight – “A lovely dark sour ale with notes of dark chocolate and a rich plummy tartness. (Contains lactose.)”

Oakland Gold – “Light, crisp & refreshing golden Ale”

Gingerator – “Gingerator 5000 5.1% ABV Tart, lightly sweet, and made with real ginger, this gose is the perfect beer for the porch, patio, or an apocalyptic future in which ginger-powered robots…look, don’t worry about that for now, just enjoy the beer while you can.”

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NBA Playoff Brewery # 2 – Distraction Brewing

Well, the Celtics outlasted the champion Bucks in a seven game series so let’s head to Boston, specifically Roslindale for Distraction Brewing.

Stieffelboogie Hefeweizen would be the starter for the taster tray before heading to Target on Maibock, an amber lager perfect for this month. Then time for hops with an NE IPA, Intensely Distracted before finishing with Hello Lover a Belgian Chocolate Quad.

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NBA Playoff Brewery # 1 – Component Brewing in Milwaukee

Gotta start with the defending champion Bucks, so let’s head to Component Brewing and find a starting five…

Chase Avenue Chaser – pilsner

Three Steeples – pale lager

Mosaic Theory – Flagship IPA brewed with local honey.

Haze the Lord – “We add lactose to this hazy IPA to give it a smooth mouthfeel and pronounced hop aroma/flavor. Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops.”

Junk Drawer #002– “New England IPA 6.3% ABV. Double Dry Hopped with Idaho 7, Azaca Cryo and Citra. We used a thiol producing strain of yeast the brings out even more fruit aroma. Think passion fruit and grapefruit!”

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Firestone Walker Invitational Brewery # 3 – Liquid Gravity

Our final stop before the Firestone Walker Invitational is in San Luis Obispo and Liquid Gravity. Let’s fill up a taster tray…

Killer Stratagy West Coast IPA – “100% STRATA WEST COAST IPA WITH BIG, STICKY NOTES OF DANK AND TROPICAL FRUIT.”

IPA – “LIQUID GRAVITY IPA IS A MODERN WEST COAST IPA WITH A BRIGHT, TROPICAL HOP CHARACTER, REFRESHING BITTERNESS AND CRISP FINISH. BURSTING WITH AN INTENSE BOUQUET OF PASSIONFRUIT, GUAVA AND TANGERINES, THIS 100% MOSAIC DRY-HOPPED BEER IS THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR LINEUP.”

Miami Heist Hazy DIPA – “MIAMI HEIST IS A HAZY DOUBLE IPA BREWED WITH CENTENNIAL AND CITRA HOPS. AT FIRST APPROACH YOU’LL FIND BRIGHT AROMAS OF CITRUS, MELON, AND TROPICAL FRUITS EXPLODING FROM THE GLASS. THE USE OF OATS AND WHEAT HELP TO BALANCE THE BEER WITH A GENTLE SWEETNESS AND LUSCIOUS TEXTURE THAT SOFTEN THE HOPS AS THEY LAND ON THE PALATE.”

Coffee Porter – “THIS BEER IS A TRADITIONAL ROBUST PORTER BREWED WITH PREMIUM LIGHTLY ROASTED ETHIOPIAN COFFEE BEANS FROM HONEY CO. COFFEE. THE RESULTING BEER HAS A MEDIUM BODY, GENTLE CARAMEL-LIKE SWEETNESS AND SOFT, CHOCOLATEY ESPRESSO FINISH.”

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Firestone Walker Invitational brewery # 2 – Chuckanut Brewery

We head to Washington State for Chuckanut Brewery. They do traditional styled ales and do them very well and I hope that their booth gets mobbed with people drinking beers like…

Export Dortmunder Lager – “Honey colored, bready, moderate bitterness.”

Grodziskie Lager – “Pale straw colored, fresh grain, gentle smoke, effervescent.”

Mosaic Leaf Pilsner – “Golden, dry, bitter, fruity noble hops, refreshing.”

Yellow Card Ale – “golden colored, spicy, crisp.”

Alt Bier Ale – “Deep bronze, zesty hop flavor, snappy, full malt flavor.”

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“Old” Brewery Tour # 3 – Alaskan Brewing

Our final “old” brewery is Alaskan Brewing. This brewery is past the 35 year mark which is quite an achievement.

Stratasphere IPA – “Brewed with a ton of Strata hops and Alaska-grown wheat for a slight haziness, this bold IPA is big in citrusy mango flavors that showcase this new exciting hop variety.”

Juneau Juice – “This unfiltered IPA is a glowing medium gold, with a hazy appearance reminiscent of a lazy summer day in Juneau, AK. Ripe pineapple, fresh tangerine and pine resin abound in the aroma, with a host of other tropical and stone fruit flavors. Juneau Juice is all about bright and succulent hop character.”

Pilsner – “It’s been said that Pilsners represent the high art of brewing. Named for the region of the Czech Republic known as Pilsen, this style of beer is considered both challenging to brew by brewmasters across the world and an easy to drink beer that delights beer drinkers everywhere.”

and of course, Smoked Porter – “Known as “rauchbier” in Germany, smoke-flavored beers were virtually unknown in the U.S. until Alaskan Smoked Porter was developed in 1988.”

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“Old” Brewery Tour # 2 – Great Lakes Brewing

Another, more descriptive term for old is heritage and that applies well to Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland.

Dortmunder Gold Lager – “A classic award-winning balance of sweet malt and dry hop flavors, proudly waving the flag for Cleveland and refreshing beer drinkers everywhere since 1988.”

Conway’s Irish Ale – “A pint for Pa Conway! Our co-owners’ grandfather and policeman who’d likely uphold that an Irish Ale with full-bodied caramel malt flavors is just the ticket.”

Lake Eerie Monster Imperial IPA – “Issue a small craft advisory: this South Bay Bessie-inspired brew launches an intense hop attack amid torrid tropical fruit flavors.”

and of course…

Edmund Fitzgerald Porter – “Robust and complex, our Porter is a bittersweet tribute to the legendary freighter’s fallen crew—taken too soon when the gales of November came early.”

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“Old” Brewery Tour # 1 – The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Well, it is right in the name ain’t it? Our first March stop is at Charlotte, North Carolina’s oldest brewery, Olde Mecklenburg.

They have a line-up filled to the brim with old(e) school beer styles, so let’s dive in…

Fruh Bock – “Our seasonal “Spring bock” captures the promise of warmer days ahead, combining a slight malty sweetness with a refreshing touch of citrus aroma from its noble bavarian hops. The result is an amazingly fresh, crisp beer that masks a higher alcohol content in its smooth character.”

Copper Altbier – “OMB’s flagship, Copper, is an authentic Düsseldorf-style Altbier (German amber ale). Its full-flavored start suggests notes of graham cracker, toffee and caramel, transitioning to a smooth and balanced finish. Altbier is a “hybrid” beer – although it’s brewed as an ale, it is “lagered” (stored on the yeast at very cold temperatures) for several weeks after primary fermentation. The result is a beer that combines the full flavor of an ale with the crisp, clean refreshment of a lager. Copper is great by itself or as a complement to any cuisine.”

Hornet’s Nest Hefeweizen – “A German classic, Hornets Nest hefeweizen is the original hazy, unfiltered ale. This subtly sweet wheat beer is rich in body and finishes with notes of banana and clove from the unique hefe yeast. At OMB, we love our local history almost as much as we enjoy brewing our premium local beer. While most people think Hornets Nest is an ode to Charlotte’s basketball team, it’s actually the nickname England’s General Cornwallis gave Charlotte after 16 futile days of trying to take the city during the Revolutionary War – “Let’s get out of here, this place is a damned hornet’s nest.” Raise a glass to the spirit of rebellion in the Queen City!”

Fat Boy Baltic Porter – “a bold, full-bodied, dark beer that wraps a rich malty sweetness in notes of caramel, toffee, dark fruit and rich chocolate. Despite the higher ABV, this porter drinks smooth, owing to the use of lager yeast and extended cold conditioning. With a beer this good, every season is dark beer season! Fat Boy is a tribute to our original brewer’s passion for his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which could often be seen parked outside of the brewhouse in the early days of OMB. Winner of a GOLD European Beer Star.”

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Premier League Brewery # 3 – Chalk Hill Brewing in Norwich

Norwich has has a rough go this year, it seems that the green and gold brings goals for the opposing side but you can head to Chalk Hill to have a pint and plot how to escape relegation.

Start with…

CHB Bitter – “A copper-coloured beer with a malty aroma, fruity sweetness and bittersweet hoppiness towards the finish.”

Gold – “A straw-coloured and malty golden ale with gentle sweetness.”

Flintknappers Mild – “A mild that’s black and malty, full of flavour. Available in Autumn and Winter.”

Pump Action – “Pumpkin spiced ale”