Best of Brewery # 3 – Grist House Brewery

Our last stop for all of 2021 is in Pittsburgh at Grist House Brewery.

Let’s see what is in their house…

Twilight Hour Czech Amber Lager – “A sessionable lager full of flavor that is ideal for the winter months. This 14° Czech Amber lager was brewed with Bohemian pilsner and a variety of Crystal, Munich, and Vienna malts that lend flavors of caramel, biscuits, and honey. Hopped with CZ Saaz for balance and slight spice flavors and fermented cold with Czech Pilsen yeast.”

Frosted Silence Dessert Sour – “A beer to warm your soul in the cold winter months. Tart red plums and apple cider combine perfectly with cinnamon and vanilla for a delightful frosted treat.”

Clean Line West Coast IPA – “With big aroma and inviting bitterness, this West Coast IPA may rock the boat. Brewed with Ekuanot, Mosaic, and Simcoe, Canoe Rocker boasts delightful notes of tropical fruit and citrus.”

Siberian Highway Imperial Stout – “This Russian Imperial Stout was aged 12 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels and condition on cacao nibs, Indian Mysore coffee from Allegheny Coffee & Tea, Madagascar Vanilla beans, Cinnamon, Cascabel peppers, and Lactose.”

In the Tap Lines for November 2021

header_attractionsThe penultimate month of the year. We will start the month with some Central Coast beverage coverage. And as we slowly dig out and start to holiday like it is 2019 again, let’s ramp up the festive beer coverage to close out the month.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that won in the fresh hop competitionat GABF
~ special featured reviews of beers from the Central Coast of California
~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 Normal People by Sally Rooney
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Jacked Ramsays
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

College Football Town Brewery # 2 – Narrow Path Brewing Co.

Next up is the land of the Bearcats who are in the top 20 in the rankings this year and Cincinnati where we head to Narrow Path Brewing Co.

Here is what I would drink:

Pomegranate Mint Kettle Sour

Tire Patch IPA – “tropical, citrus and soft lingering bitterness.”

Old Fashioned Lager – “bourbon oak chips, orange peel and Luxardo cherries.”

Barrel Aged Pathinator – “vanilla, orange marmalade, chocolate and mild oak.”

College Football Town Brewery # 1 – Alluvial Brewing

Iowa State is ranking just inside the top 10 so off to Ames and Alluvial Brewing we go to see what beers I would cyclone into a taster tray…

Lutris Pale Ale – “Our flagship pale ale featuring Citra hops & heirloom Maris Otter malt. Double dry-hopped with Citra and Apollo. New England style, hazy.”

Lontra IPA with Coconut – “Citra, Citra, Citra, Maris Otter, Citra and Citra. Made using the Norwegian Lutra Kveik yeast which brings a strong tropical flavor, pineapple and stone fruit. This variant was finished with hand toasted coconut for a summery twist.”

Waitoreke NE IPA – “Softly hopped, NE style IPA with tons of late hops from the famous New Zealand hop, Nelson Sauvin. White wine and gooseberry notes. This variant features additional Galaxy hops adding hints of tropical fruit.”

Coastdream DIPA – “Double dry-hopped w/ Mosaic and Sultana hops. Pineapple, bright citrus.”

BTW – Alluvial refers to alluvium which is “clay, silt, sand, gravel, or similar detrital material deposited by running water”

In the Tap Lines for August 2021

header_attractionsWelcome to the second half of 2021!  Sad to say that hopes that the world would be back to normal by now have yet to come true thanks to the  unvaccinated but there is plenty of good beer news to talk about, like…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries in Anaheim
~ special featured reviews of beers from breweries in the El Segundo area.
~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 a Rachel Cusk trilogy
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Dolly Parton’s America
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Smoothie Brewery # 3 – Omnipollo

I finish the Smoothie brewery month with what I consider the grandfather, progenitor of the style. Omnipollo. I remember seeing them tap out of their wild creations at the Firestone Walker Invitational at least twice and wondering what was driving the interest. The following beers might answer that question.

Pleroma Blackberry Blueberry Lime Crème Brûlée

“Blackberries, blueberries and a dash of lime crème brûlée sour ale brewed with berries, lactose sugar and lots of finely ground vanilla. The creaminess and notable flavors of berries are balanced out with the bite from the gentle amount of lime.”

Tropical Smoothie Hard Seltzer

Pineapple Peach Passionfruit Tropical Smoothie Hard Seltzer brewed with our friends at Untitled Art blends our favorite juicy, tropical fruits with a dash of lactose sugar and our finest ground vanilla pods. 

Bianca Guava Lychee Passionfruit Lassi Gose

Tropical, fruit heavy gose containing some of our favorite fruits of the season. Brewed with rock salt, lactose, guava, lychee and passionfruit. 5

Smoothie Brewery # 2 – Urban South Brewing

Next up is the bi-located Urban South Brewery which has spots in both Louisiana and Texas.

Let’s dive into there fruited beers…

Spillage Sour IPA Raspberry Vanilla Lemonade – “Base on a blend of milkshake IPA and our barrel fermented sour base. Conditioned on Raspberry, Vanilla and Lemonade.”

Double Spilled Pineapple Marshmallow – “Riped pineapples with the creamy smoothie Marshmallow mouthfeel.”

Triple Spilled – “Passion-fruit, Papaya, Tart Cherry, Guava, Pineapple, Apple: Over the river and through the woods to Fruit city! Explosion island of passion-fruit exploding right at first sip leaving you blown away over to the jungle of papaya city exotic flavors leaving you with doses of Pineapples and Apples lane to stop you at your tracks with Guava punch.”

In the Tap Lines for July 2021

header_attractionsHalf of the year is gone by.  Time certainly flies by as do all the new beers.  Too many to count but I will find the beer news to keep you updated for the last half of 2021.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that do these slushie brightly hued beers
~ special featured reviews of beers from Oregon purchased via City Beer of San Francisco
~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events (not as far in the future now, events)
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Gangster Capitalism
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

NBA Playoffs Brewery Tour # 3 – Simple Machine Brewing from Phoenix

Basketball is easy when all five players operate as a unit. See what I did there? Booker, Paul, Ayton and coach Monty Williams have been playing great basketball since the bubble last season and maybe if I don’t jinx them like I did the Jazz could hoist a trophy.

But on to the brewery.. Simple Machine Brewing Company is known for Helical Haze IPA but let’s fill our e-taster tray with ..

Coffee Crusher Blonde Ale – “We’ve collaborated again with our friends at Roastery of Cave Creek (ROC2), infusing our Day Crusher Blonde with their cold brew coffee to give it just the right amount of coffee roast while still being a light & refreshing blonde ale.”

Camper Red Ale – “Roasty malt aroma with a deep caramel malty flavor that finishes in a smooth, medium body.”

Dark Side of the Mash Black IPA – “Dark Side of The Mash is a Black IPA coming in at 6.3% ABV and 85 IBU. It starts off with a delicious bitter taste up front and then finished with an incredibly smooth chocolate and toasty flavor.”

Rye Around the Corner – “Rye Pale Ale brewed in collaboration with The AZ Brewers Guild, Kitsune Brewing, Furious Beer & BBQ, Coriega Beer Co and Ember Brewing.”

NBA Playoffs Brewery Tour # 2 – Talisman Brewing Company from Utah

Every team needs that player that takes the last shot, for the Utah Jazz that talisman is Donovan Mitchell, so let’s head to Ogden and see what Talisman Brewing has on tap for the recently eliminated #1 seed, Jazz.

Coming in Hop Session IPA – “In an effort to make beer not war, we decided to drop some hop bombs… look out, we’re Comin in Hop! This refreshing well balanced wheat based IPA is crisp and full of amazing cities and pine hop flavor and aroma.”

Bel’s Fury Irish Red Ale – “Bel, the Celtic Sun God was believed to ride the blazing sun across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot. The slightly sweet, well balanced Red Ale has moderate malt flavor coupled with caramel and toasted notes for a smooth finish.”

Uplifted Export Style Scottish Ale – “As a tribute to the 5,000 year old tradition of brewing in Scotland, we brewed this classic 80 Schilling Export Scottish Ale. This Ale features a malt forward, lightly-roasted, and caramelized flavor incorporating faint hints of smokiness.”

Hazards Triple IPA – “Hazards Canyon on California’s Central Coast is a surf spot that Head Brewer, Dusty, grew up surfing. This majestic stretch of coastline is know for some epic surfing, but its beauty can be deceiving. Beneath the waves is a treacherous reef that demands respect. This IPA represents big tropical, citrus aroma and flavor.”