Tag: brewery tour

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Nashville Brewery Tour # 2 – Honky Tonk Brewing


Most brewery websites have the same generic “origin story” on their About page. The Honky Tonk Brewing site has that too, but they also convey this funny story about a classic Johnny Cash song that “tells the tale of a GM assembly line worker’s ingenious plan to steal all the parts to build a Cadillac one piece at a time and put it all back together before he retires. Johnny’s plan worked out just about like our plan to build this brewery one piece at a time. It’s fired up and running but we get a few strange looks every now and then. The beer tastes mighty fine and “It didn’t cost us a dime!” I like that a brewery has a sense of humor and isn’t full of themselves.

Now onto what beers I would put into a taster tray….

TN Jed
“A unique American wheat beer created especially to be a year- round beer for a broad TENNESSEE audience. It’s crafty, but you don’t need to twist your mustache to enjoy. Slightly sweet from a healthy does of Caramel malts, finishes clean with low bitterness.”

LeBrown James
“A dark, chocolatey brown ale brewed with flaked oats making it smooth & full bodied with a dry finish. This beer is rounded out with a generous dosage of hops, giving it just the right amount of bitterness.”

West Coast IPA
“True to the style, our West Coast IPA is a Hop BOMB! loaded with “C” hops to 85 IBUs. We dry hop it for a big hoppy aroma. It’s dry, citrsuy, with notes of grapefruit & orange with a lasting bitterness.”

Blackberry Berliner Weisse
“Our Spring Seasonal Blackberry Berliner Weisse is tart & approachable. The addition of ripe Oregon Blackberries is the perfect compliment to the taste bud tingling sour affect of the Berliner Weisse style. This beer pours a beautiful magenta color and sits at 4.3% ABV”

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In the Tap Lines for April 2017

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March Madness is almost done and it is time to settle in the heart of spring. That means reading about apples and hops and agriculture since it is integral to our beloved beer. Plus the following monthly features….

~ e-visits to three breweries from Oakland, Sacramento and Anaheim. Trebek says, where Golden Road has plopped down “local” pubs.
~ special featured reviews of Double / Imperial IPA’s
~ 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 The Apple Orchard by Pete Brown
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your April started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) April 13th – Lessons in Beer at Verdugo West Brewery
2) April 29th – Session Fest at Eagle Rock Brewery

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Brewery Tour ‘Round the World – Loverbeer


We have landed at our last foreign destination of the month and it is in Italy for the very Valentine’s Loverbeer.
Here are the (primarily sour) beers that I would sample first….

BeerBera
“Fermented and maturated in oak vats. No adding yeast. Spontaneous fermentation because of adding freshly pressed Barbera grapes juice that contains the skins, directly from a viticulturist near Alba. Brewed once a year at vintage time obviously.”

Madamin
“Oak amber ale. Fermented and maturated only in oak vats. The name “Madamin” is a piedmontese word meaning “young lady”.”

Nebiulin-a
“Blend of three vintages with grape juice added.”

Papëssa
“Beer inspired to the old real Russian imperial stout style. Dark beer made with a generous quantity of roasted cereals as black roasted and chocolate. After-dinner or with chocolate. The name you can translate with “high priestess”.”

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Complete IPA Brewery # 3 – Odd 13

Our final hop stop is at Odd13 Brewing in Colorado.

This brewery has a heroes and villains and comic book theme running through their beers so lets get to the lupulin threshold which is more powerful than any infinity stone out there.

Noob – American IPA
“The first batch brewed at our production facility, n00b is an American IPA. Heavy dry hopping with Mosaic and El Dorado combine with restrained bitterness to create a juicy flavor and aroma profile. The hops and yeast work together to provide hints of blueberry and orange candy.”

Thirdeen Cent – 100% Centennial
“Thirdeen Cent is an IPA with Centennial hops that was initially brewed as a celebration of our 100th batch. It was too good not to bring back in our rotating IPA series. The Centennial imparts an intensely fruity citrus character.”

Bad Guy with an Agenda – American IPA
“Bad Guy With an Agenda is an American IPA designed to showcase Experimental Hop 07270 from Hopsteiner. The hop is so new it doesn’t even have a name yet. 07270 imparts a resiny pine flavor and aroma complemented by strong citrus characteristics reminiscent of mandarin orange. Chinook, Mosaic, and Equinox add complementary flavors of pine and tropical fruit. The malt bill is extremely simple, intended to showcase the hops.”

Fairy Hopmother – IPA
“Fairy hopmother is a ridiculously delicious IPA featuring hops from three different continents. New Zealand’s Nelson Sauvin adds flavors reminiscent of white wine grapes and gooseberries. Notes of honeydew and strawberry come from German Huell Melon. American Mosaic rounds out the hop bill, kicking in notes of blueberry. A full body with slight caramel sweetness balances the rich fruity flavors from the hops.”

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Icelandic Brewery Tour # 3 – Vifilfell


We make our final Icelandic stop with a day to spare in the month. But here we are at Vifilfell. Also known as the Viking Beer. They are known for their Thule and Viking labeled beers but here is what I would put into a taster tray.

Organic Pils – Pilsner
Katla Geopark Lager – Helles
Thule Jólabjór Lager – American Amber
Thule Svartbjór Lager – Euro Dark
Black Death – Stout
Viking Stout – Stout

Happy New Year to everyone and if you have a hankering for Icelandic beer, your best and easiest to find are the beers of Einstok.

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In the Tap Lines for December 2016

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The holiday beers have been rolling onto the site fast. And it will continue until the Big Day arrives. Enjoy our last holiday season before the dark times

~ e-visits to three breweries from Iceland. Olgerdin, Olvisholt Brugghus & Vifilfell. Don’t forget about Einstock too.
~ special featured reviews of (wait for it) Christmas beers!
~ 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 Valiant Ambition about George Washington & Benedict Arnold
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your December started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) December 7th – Far Bar hosts a ‘retirement’ party for Firestone Walker beers that are being discontinued.
2) December 14th – MacLeod Ales C.U.P. Hearing

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Coastal Oregon Brewery # 3 – Chetco Brewing

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Chetco Brewing is based in Brookings, Oregon. And thanks to Radio Shack downsizing have a home next to a Thai restaurant on Chetco Boulevard where they serve up 16 taps to the crowd in the Brookings Harbor area.

My first taster tray would include:
Chetco Logger
“Pale Ale, sweet, lightly malted with a small percentage of Maris Otter grain.”

Re-leaf Session IPA
“Delightful blend of Summit, .Cascade & Zeus hops. Might just be all things to all IPA fans. But then again, we’re a wee bit partial. A little avante garde dry hopping with Magnum, gives it a surprisingly bold, strong finish despite the low 4.3 ABV”

Appreciation Ale
“A nice, soft, sweet IPA to say “Thank you!” to all our our investors and supporters – it takes a village to get a Tap Room up and running and that village likes it’s hops! Tangy Chinooks and fruity, sweet Mosaics make this IPA very drinkable.”

Our Unite Series
“An eminently drinkable pale with hints of raspberry in both aroma and finish as the flagship standard. As seasons allow, we also do plum, blueberry, and kiwi offering a bright, lively finish”

Imperial Coconut Porter
“Brewing with 60 organic lbs of coconut is not pretty, my friends. But it sure is delicious! Rich and weighty, but not too sweet.”

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Sacramento Brewery # 2 – Track 7

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The very first Sacramento brewery that I visited was Track 7 after Day 1 of the California Craft Beer Summit. My beer buddy and I Lyfted to the Curtis Park location and ambled outside to enjoy the beers and the weather and the smell of the food truck nearby. You can currently get Panic IPA and BeeLine Honey here in Los Angeles. So I am going to give you info on three other beers to look for when you head north….

1. “This is no typo. Yes, the spelling of Trein Wrak looks jumbled. But that is only because we opted to use the Dutch translation, since Dutch is the primary language of the Flemish region of northern Belgium. Fitting for a Belgian-style IPA, right? In our take on this amalgamation of beer styles, Belgian malts, American hops and Belgian Abbey yeast collide creating a bold IPA boasting an unbridled union of citrus and spice. This winter seasonal is a fan favorite, so enjoy it while you can. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Proost!”

2. “Riot Act Rye IPA boasts 11 hop additions that marry earthy and citrus hop flavors with the rustic spice of rye malt. Failure to comply with this proclamation may be met with looks of mockery and disdain from your friends.”

3. “Burnt Fog is a dark, smooth and complex porter with rich chocolate flavors suffused with subtle smokiness from the addition of smoked malt.”
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New Portland Brewery # 2 – Ferment

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It is not new to have a main brewery in Hood River and a taproom in Portland. Full Sail trod that path first. And now a second brewery will be bi-river. (Columbia and Willamette)
Ferment comes from former head brewer at the excellent pFriem Family Brewers, Dan Peterson. The plan is to eventually brew in Hood River and operate their taproom at the new building called The Yard on 3rd and Burnside.

The brewery is aiming for a fall 2016 opening. You can read more about them and why they are so anticipated HERE.

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Minnesota Brewery # 1 – Venn Brewery

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You may see the word Venn and think diagram but it is also Norwegian for “Friend” hence the head brewer working at another area brewery while Venn gets up and running, later this year.

When Venn Brewery does open, these are the beers I will be trying in their Minneapolis taproom:

SCHWARZBIER (BLACK LAGER) (4-5%)
“Sometimes called a “Black Pilsner,” this beer is deceivingly dark. It is nearly black in color, yet light and refreshing, and offers a mild roasty flavor with hints of bread crust. If you’ve never thought of yourself as a dark beer drinker, this is the beer that will make you think again.”

MUNICH HELLES (5%)
“Pronounced Hell-ess, this golden lager is evenly balanced between malt and hops. Easily drunk, yet plenty flavorful, it will satisfy both the craft beer connoisseur and the dedicated light lager drinker. We call it our gateway beer, because, well, taste one and see.”

CLASSIC AMERICAN PILSNER (5.5-6%)
“Light gold in color, this hop-forward lager has notes of fresh bread dough with a crisp, floral, slightly spicy finish. A throwback to the way pilsners were made pre-Prohibition, this beer takes the best American ingredients and treats them the way our German immigrant ancestors did. It’s a pilsner with the volume turned way, way up.”

SAHTI (7%)
“Venn’s take on a traditional Scandinavian farmhouse ale. Mashed with rye and oats and boiled with juniper berries, Sahti offers an earthy and complex malt profile with a bright, piney finish. We may not make it over burning wood fires in the forests of Norway during the deepest part of winter, but we do imbue this unusual brew with all the flavors of the northland for a beer that’s as captivating as it is delicious.”

BELGIAN TRIPEL (9%)
“The complex union of lemon, orange and black pepper compliment the soft and elegant malt character of this amber Belgian ale. It is very dry and carbonated, a refreshing drink for spring and early summer. If champagne died and was reborn as a beer, this is what it would come back as.”