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Tomorrow marks the 1st ever can release for Arts District Brewing!
Head back to “The Study,” at the rear of the brewery building on Saturday July 29th starting at 10AM. The brewery will open early at 10AM to celebrate.
Six packs of “Traction” IPA, 7.5%abv, in 12oz cans will be available for purchase for $15 each. Supply limited so come early!
I was beer shopping and finding quite a few new Artifex beers in the coolers when I thought I saw some beers that were upside down. My eyes were deceiving me though. Artifex’s logo is similar in font to Ventura’s MadeWest.
I ended up with a pale and IPA and now is the time to render a verdict. Which can would I buy again?
Pale Ale – Pours a clear and dark yellow. Aroma is very herbal and grassy. Nice dank bite with a spritz of carbonation at the start that rounds into a lovely peach note. That bitterness sticks to the side of the mouth long after the sip is over. Right at the end is a wheat toast note. The combination is nice if stronger than expected for a Pale Ale.
IPA – Pours an orange color. Aroma has a touch of citrus but somewhat mellow. Picking up grapefruit here in the flavor, it is predominant. More silky than the Pale Ale. Less dynamic in certain ways too.
I think the peach notes puts the Pale over the top. Or maybe I don’t cotton to hop 07270.
The folks at MacLeod’s have done a bit of bottling in the past. It was good to see low ABV, British styled beers in bombers.
Now, they are embarking on a run of cans….
Perhaps 16oz cans will take off and start a cask can revolution.
Recently at Sunset Beer, I spied the Alosta Brewing logo on cans. I grabbed both and now it is judgement time.
Starting with the 39 Highway lager which pours a pretty and bubbly darkish yellow tint. I catch a little bit of metallic in the aroma alongside the grain. This lager has a bit of sharpness that is balanced out by a grain based sweetness. With a bit more floral notes, this would be quite good.
I think the historical backstory on this beer is quite cool. Learning about lost cities of SoCal while having a beer. The initial taste of Spadra is good but quickly turns to mineral flavors that never quite leaves. There is a soft fruit aroma hidden in there and it tastes watery to me. More like a session IPA. That fruit aroma leads to a fruit punch taste which is hidden as well in the almost savory quality of the bitterness.
I would take the Highway over Spadra.
# 3 in the Day Trip series of cans from Eagle Rock Brewery will be dropping on July 18th. And it has the perfect name for those hikers who have backpacks filled with beer, :Summit Seeker American IPA is an homage to Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states, and is chock full of pine, citrus and tropical notes from Galaxy, Simcoe and Summit hops.”
The fourth and final Day Trip release for 2017 will go by the name of Salvation Mountain and will be a 180 from IPA land, a prickly pear gose slotted for late August.
“All four in the series are named for an outdoor site only a short journey outside the city, and a portion of the proceeds from every can of 2 North and Salvation Mountain will benefit the national monuments they represent.”
Follow #ERBDayTrip for more about the series.
When I heard that Rodenbach was canning and that Fruitage would be the name, I set my sets to pay special attention to the foreign section of the cold case and now I will double that attention as their “Classic” will be in cans as well.
Rodenbach calls it a Flanders Red-Brown Beer that is created using “mixed main fermentation and maturation in oak casks (“foeders”)” and consisting of “3/4 young beer and 1/4 beer matured two years in oak.”
When found, I will certainly be reviewing.
This news item from The Bruery did appear on April Fool’s Day and unlike the other attempts at humor, (Some succeeded more than others) it seemed even more fake. I mean, what brewery has shied away from hops more than The Bruery. (shade thrown) We all sorta talk about canning IPAs or their hazy brethren that seems more business decision or credit card for equipment purchase.
But a few days past the Fools and no retraction or gotcha seemed forthcoming, so lets sort through the beers listed from OffShoot Beer Company.
Fashionably Late™ a juicy, hazy IPA
Hops: Citra, El Dorado, and Mandarina Bavaria
Malts: Two-Row and Pale Wheat malts, rolled oats
Yeast: S-04
ABV: 6.5%
Better Late Than Never™ a juicy, hazy Double IPA
Hops: Mosaic, Vic Secret, Citra
Malts: Golden Promise, Wheat Malt
Yeast: BSI-Barbarian
ABV: 8.5%
with another pair….
Out of Context™
IPA with a West Coast personality and Western World malt bill, featuring Vienna malt, a light haze, a slightly bitter personality and equal heaps of Simcoe, El Dorado and African Queen hops.
Perjury™
Double dry-hopped Double IPA, fabricated from a malt bill featuring two-row, pilsner malt and oats, and an intense, fruity hop character forged from heavy doses of Simcoe, Citra and a dash Huell Melon.
Delayed Gratification™
Juicy East Coast-style IPA, with impeccable timing and mouthfeel, thanks to a malt bill featuring two-row, wheat and oats, and a fruity yeast character complemented primarily by Citra, with El Dorado and Mandarina Bavaria hops.
Man, the people at Modern Times know how to market and they do it with a design style and beer name moxie that probably causes jealousy.
And I think that Ice, the San Diego breweries’s first pils, might be a can you see more of in the future. It has been on draft but if they can get this can that is hopped with Czech Saaz and Australian Summer hops into high circulation, it could be a big seller.
Eagle Rock is firing up their summer can series, Day Trip with the new Mosaic Canyon which will hit shelves on March 28th.
Here are the specs from the brewery:
Your best bet to find them is at the brewery taproom.
It is one thing for an American craft brewery to can a beer but when you see Rodenbach of Belgium try it, you know that cans have gained wide acceptance.
Fruitage is a blend of 25% 2 year old traditional Rodenbach foeder beer and 75% young ale. That blend is then aged on the eclectic mix of elderberries and cherries.
This tart and fruity sour beer will arrive in March.