Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Throughout the month, I will be highlighting some Festbiers from Los Angeles ( and adjacent county ) breweries that will be readily available for your Germanic beer needs, here is post # 1…
Around the horn, clockwise, we have Oaktoberfest, a classic from Firestone Walker, Bear Ears from Brouwerij West, Huftgold from El Segundo Brewing and Das Hof from Hermosa Brewing.
Just down the coastline, Brouwerij West has a late summer Pilsner out now that they brewed up with Altamont Brew works, the resulting light beer is Live Animals and is a 5.5% West Coast Pils.
When I saw the label for this beer from Harland Brewing, before I looked at logos, I said to myself that it has a touch of Brouwerij West to it. By golly, it is a collaboration beer.
I do like the lava lamp look.
Brouwerij West has come out with another creatively labeled IPA but this time not a hazy, “Cactus Eaters is our 6.8% ABV West Coast IPA brewed to celebrate the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking, and great summer trips. This beer features Alora, HS16660, and Mosaic. It’s super bright and clear with notes of peach, apricot, and lemon zest.”
May brought a nice mix of new beers and new breweries and that is shown in the Best of for the month…
Santa Monica Brew Works Flecha Azul Margarita Sour – I have had a couple nice sours recently headlined by this SMBW that smartly combined margarita with sour in a Gose-ish way.
Trusted Gut Kristalweizen – clean and crisp but unmistakably weizen. Perfect for a summer day.
Ghost Town + North Park Ghost Park IPA – Cannot go wrong with North Park even if they are just half of the brewing team.
The big winner for the month is…..
Brouwerij West 8x8x Hazy DIPA – now this was a proper hazy. it was like drinking cream and pineapple and it had an impressive layer of murk to it.
Doing a hazy double dip with Brouwerij West….
Frizzonaire with Citra, Enigma and Cashmere – hazy if not murky appearance. little sawdust and Concord grape on the nose. very soft mouthfeel with that grape taste there in the leas with some prickly hop bitterness popping here and there. as it warms a bit, I get a subtle hit of peach and creamsicle.
Next up is Scissor Run with Amarillo, Huell Melon and Ekuanot – this is very berry bright upon opening the swirling labeled can. a lighter yellow shade of haze in the glass. getting a berry, peach combo here. a little brisker upon the palate, but still soft mouthfeel. a little more piney bitterness as well.
Hard to pick a winner here but based on my haze guideposts, Frizzonaire hews closer to the line for me.
Since IPA day snuck up on us on the 3rd of the month, I thought it would be proper to go hoppy with the beer suggestions as well as keeping it L.A. local.
Brouwerij West Scissor Run – 6.2% – “Indulge in this unique Hazy IPA and let it launch those tastebuds into a hoppy melon paradise. This dewy lil’ mama is packed with Amarillo, Huell Melon, and Ekuanot hops.”
Common Space Between the Lines – 7% – an intriguing flavor combination of mango, orange juice and pine. Released for IPA Day.
Beachwood Brewing Dank Brigade – 9% – “We’ve assembled our finest battalion of hops for this massively aromatic double IPA! Hopped with Mosaic, Citra, Ekuanot, & El Dorado. 100+ IBUs.”
Somebody is about to turn seven. Not to draw things out, it is Brouwerij West in San Pedro.
If you go, start with the Popfuji, it is an underrated pilsner gem. Then you can head to their hazies.
If there is something I love more than a collaboration beer, it is a two-way collaboration beer. Brouwerij West and Common Space bring you Maximum Decline (the BW half) “is a West Coast Double IPA loaded with citrus flavors of tangerine and grapefruit, and piney dankness from copious use of Cryo Amarillo, Amarillo, Galaxy, and Nelson hops. We used malted barley, malted wheat, and flaked rice to keep this hoppy brew crisp and clean for maximum enjoyment this holiday season.”
And Minimum Incline IPA (from CS) is releasing Friday, December 9th.
If you are like me, you probably don’t drink enough sour beers. Brouwerij West can help get your tartness levels up with the flavors of mango and hibiscus in their new beer, Rock Awash.
