Russian River’s Fonio will be a Belgian-style blonde ale in a collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery. The beer will be a Belgian-style blonde ale that will be releasing in August.
Refraction
One of these days, I want to ride along with wort as it is passed from one brewery to another to see what that journey is like. I assume Refraction went via land or rail and not air.
That wish aside, I hope a few bottles of this collaboration between Russian River and Brooklyn Brewery makes its way to SoCal bottle shoppes
Mezcal with Lime
Some barrels are harder to use than others is what I have gleaned from the breweries that I have visited. That is why you rarely see gin or tequila or in the case of Brooklyn Brewery, mezcal. That is such a wild and wooly spirit that many beers would be subsumed by the spirit. But, maybe the addition of lime and salt and the sour Gose touch will create a piece of music.
The ‘Gram
If you were going to go after social media, I think that striking at Facebook or Twitter would be better targets. Instagram is the nicest platform (IMHO) but I understand that influencer culture can be a skosh toxic. That being said, I don’t think Brooklyn Brewery is being mean spirited, just taking a poke. Hopefully LA, will be getting some of this special release.
Featured Review – Special Effects from Brooklyn Brewery
This N/A brew from Brooklyn Brewery pours a dark orange color. It has a big wort smell. Real big. Like what I would smell walking by the old Weinhard brewery in Portland. Called a non-alcoholic hoppy brew. More the former than the latter. Great name but the beer tastes green andunfinished to me. Not getting any hops at all. My non-drinking wife tasted and it brought back memories of Lucky grocery branded generic “beer”. That is not a compliment. I poured half of this out.
Strata-sphere
Usually when I see astronomy or space themes on a beer label, I think Ecliptic Brewing but Brooklyn Brewery has gone hop pun with a new IPA (in 16oz cans naturally)…
…I have been highlighting beers with Strata hops because I have had a higher percentage of really good IPA’s with that hop as the focus. Hopefully this beer goes across the whole distribution footprint.
Party Magic
Following on the heels of their Special Effects (low alcohol) amber comes the IPA version from Brooklyn Brewery, Party Trick. It will be interesting to see if this one becomes part of the SoCal distribution because I want to do a taste test between these two.
Brooklyn in Los Angeles – 2019
Finally, in 2019, Brooklyn Brewery has come to California! Something I have been asking about in at least a post a year since I started blogging way back in 2009.
Beelmans in DTLA hosted part 1 of the event and I had the honor of interviewing Steve Hindy and the man with the custom made hats, Garrett Oliver. More will be written about next week over on Food GPS but let’s say that it was great to taste Sorachi Ace Saison again. It is one weird beer. Some dill notes and funk. Lager, the Flagship was great too. Simple and malt driven. The surprise of the night was the Stonewall IPA which was session strength but was packed with hop flavor.
Holiday Beer # 11 – Winter Lager from Brooklyn Brewery
Since I am California based, I had to do a double-take at the label for the Winter Lager from the Brooklyn Brewery before I saw that it was a coat. When it is 90 degrees on Thanksgiving, one doesn’t need fur-lined coats.
Wheelin’ & Dealin’
Activity comes in bunches it seems. After a few quiet weeks, acquisitions came roaring back into the beer world.
Those who don’t believe in coincidence might think that the news was timed to hide under all the Make America Sick Again healthcare debate.
Lets recap:
1. Brooklyn Brewery enters into a sales “platform” with Funkwerks and 21st Amendment
2. Shorts Brewing sells 19.99% to Lagunitas
3. Coronado acquires fellow San Diegan, Monkey Paw Brewing.
4. An un-named SoCal brewery put itself up for sale
Call this a response to having the highest number of breweries in operation ever. For events 1 & 2, it also shows the creative ways that people are staying Brewers Association street legal while growing bigger.
Thanks to a soft Twitter ban and some judicious unfollowing of the Debbie Downers that seem to populate the Tweet-isphere, I haven’t seen much vitriol towards the these moves. Mostly because they avoid the Scarlet A of Anheuser-Busch. Which shows me that some people see what a stain that is on a company and are opting to avoid it.
But if I can get a supply, even limited of Short’s beers in L.A., it is a development that I welcome.