Thankfully there are a lot of Pink Boots Hop Blend beers out there and one that I want to try is actually two from Claremont Craft Ales. I like the Breaking the Glass name and it is the West Coast one which is my preferred.
In the Pink
CCA 2/8/20 IPA’s
Claremont Craft Ales has been pretty aggressive with the IPA releases and come February 8th, there will be two more to look for…
All you have to decide is West Coast or Hazy.
Review – Unity 2019
When I went to Sunset Beer to pick-up a 4-pack of the 2019 Unity, I saw an empty cooler where the beers should have been lined up. I turned to the helpful staff who pointed me where I needed to go in the store and off I went with my prize.
Truth be told, I was kinda hoping for something more strange this year. Maybe some fruit or herb that is local to the Claremont area where Claremont Craft Ales is located could have been added.
But the fact that the cans were in short supply must mean a level of popularity that the style still draws and economics does factor into the equation when selecting a beer style.
And yet, this beer, fine as it is, seemed like something down the middle. It is a bigger beer, north of 8% but other than that it was a DIPA. It lacked a certain spark in the aroma, flavor profile or bitterness. Park this beer amidst three or four other West Coast Old-School DIPA’s and I could not have picked it out or said, that it had an ingredient that screamed L.A.
I know that a Unity beer will evolve. It can’t always be strange beers and it does need to be of the moment. The moment now seems simple and businesslike
Unity 2019 Brew Day
Here are some photos and notes from Claremont Craft Ales on the LABW11 brew day….
Unity 2019
#UNITYBREW will be returning to taps and shelves in early June just as the 11th LABW kicks off. 2019’s collaboration brew is led by Claremont Craft Ales. Marking the furthest east that the beer has been brewed.
More coverage and photos tomorrow and then EVEN more in the June Issue of Beer Paper LA.
Fuzzball
Beer and Star Wars goes together like protocol droids and astromechs. And if you are looking for a May the 4th beer, well Claremont Craft Ales has you covered…
Though for a hazy, the more appropriate quote might be…
“Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi
R.I.P. Peter Mayhew
Pair of Sixes
Separated by many miles but not by age, there are two July 6 year birthdays to check out….
#1 – Claremont Craft Ales
#2 – Bravery Brewing
Two Tiki’s
You may not think of tiki in regards to Claremont Craft Ales. or jacaranda when it comes to King Harbor. But they know each other and have collaborated on a dueling set of IPA’s.
King Harbor – “Tiki Jac IPA – is our Tiki Hut IPA recipe with a hint Claremont’s Jacaranda Rye IPA. Rye spice malt bill with a big juicy tropical hop layered on top.”
Claremont – “Tiki Hut Dry IPA – is their awesome Mosaic Dry IPA with a hint of our Tiki Hut IPA hop profile. Bone dry west coast style IPA with dank mosaic and tropically fantastic citra sending a roundhouse kick to your pallet.”
If you can find both, would be a good brewing comparison.
Featured Review(s) – Claremont Craft Ales
For August, I have grabbed a variety of beers to review that are adjacent to Los Angeles and we start with Claremont Craft Ales and two of their canned offerings….
First up is Baseline which began it’s journey as the 2nd Anniversary beer and is now, as the can explains, “part crisp blonde ale and part over-the-top Double IPA”. With lemon peel.
It certainly has a hop kick and the lemon peel weaves in and out as you sip the beer. After I poured the beer, I looked at the ABV and noticed that it certainly is imperial at twice the percentage of the Hoppy Wheat Ale. As the beer warms up, the lemon becomes a bit more pronounced in the aroma with almost a candied note to it. There is a bit of viscosity off this beer as well. That combination makes this beer stickier and slower to drink. Probably best as a taster as opposed to a full glass.
Next up is Indian Hill part of the weird nomenclature that makes this sorta / kinda a Session IPA or XPA. How will it compare to the recent Citra Bend from Golden Road that is also in the WHA category?
The focus here is squarely on the Wheat. It starts behind a citrusy aroma and hoppiness but then the grain just takes over the palate which is the opposite of what most in this group are like. There are also some orange notes in the back as well. Despite the lightness of this beer it doesn’t fall into the watery trap that can be the downfall of the session beer.
Both beers are interesting and well above average and I certainly hope a steady supply will be in stores.
In the Tap Lines for August 2015
We got a bit of rain here in L.A. Enough to tamp down one fire but boy we could use a respite from the humidity and heat so that the wider spectrum of beer can be enjoyed instead of just lawnmower beers. But enough gloomy weather talk, a new brewery opened in San Fernando at the tail end of July and it will be reviewed this month along with….
~ e-visits to three breweries in Idaho. No potato beers here. Just Payette, Sawtooth and Portneuf beer.
~ special reviews of beers from just outside L.A. from places like Santa Barbara, Claremont and Temecula
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ Beer-centric podcast review, Strange Brews from WBEZ in Chicago, (also home to This American Life)
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 102 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is the future landscape of beer
Here are two events to get your August started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) August 7th – Brew at the Zoo
2) August 19th – Phantom Carriage One Night Stand at Beer Belly