Round two of the Black is Beautiful campaign has an excellent start with a collaboration between Fremont Brewing and Inglewood’s own, Crowns & Hops.
Empathy, Action, Love and Repeat
What Color of Peach?
I don’t normally go for the super fruited beers but this description and the two breweries starting with L.A.s own Crowns & Hops has me wanting to pick up a can…
“THE BLUE PEACH” BLUEBERRY PEACH GOSE is brewed with peach puree, blueberry puree, graham cracker, vanilla, black lava sea salt, cinnamon and coriander. This beer is a collaboration for Barrel & Flow (Pittsburgh, PA) with Black Calder Brewing Co, (Grand Rapids, MI) and brewed in honor of Stacey Abrams.Her fight to ensure the rights of all voters is an example of being a committed servant of the people.”
Arrow to Crowns
Covina’s Arrow Lodge & Inglewood’s Crowns & Hops have a new hazy release, Culture Vulture with Guava and Bird Pick Tea and hopped with Motueka, El Dorado.
Double the Inglewood
Staying with Three Weavers for the day, they have a collaboration with Crowns & Hops on shelves…
West Coast IPA’s seem to be resurgent.
Also Be on the Lookout For
Crowns & Hops has been busy with four! new beer selection out this month and Hermosa Beach Brewing has a three year anniversary beer for beer fans…
Review – Two from Crowns & Hops
Crowns & Hops has a knack for illuminating a cause in an elegant way. I speak primarily of the 8 Trill project they have undertaken. But let’s switch over to what is inside the cans of the latest beers….
8 Trill Pils
Pours a bright yellow color. Initial aroma is a little funky. First thought was Belgian Pilsner. Metallic and ready. Viscous and not bubbly. Almost like water is the most dominant flavor profile.
Elevated Cypher IPA
Really nice aroma on this IPA. Easily my favorite of the four C&H beers. Crystal clear. Nice Concord grape taste. Bitterness level is nicely dialed in. There is an undertow of lemon that really rounds it out.
Featured Review – Black is Beautiful from Crowns & Hops
Thanks to the Glendale Tap who have been killing it as a to-go spot, I picked up the Crowns & Hops version of Black is Beautiful, Pecan Pie Stout.
Right in between silky and robust. Good strong taste here. Pecans are a light touch, have to dig a little to taste. Lactose seems light as well. But overall it comes together as a real nice robust Porter edging into stout territory. Would have liked to ge5 a little sweetness for a version labeled as pecan pie. Don’t need pastry stout levels of sugar but a touch would be nice.
8 Trillion
Crowns & Hops has recently announced the 8 Trill Pils Initiative, this is a fund that will financially assist Black brewers wanting into the craft brewing world.
This is another great piece in building a pipeline so that more can enter this industry without extra barriers.
That number is based on economic figures posited by Ani Turner. That is the amount of money that could be boosted into the economy over the next 30 years if racial disparities would be stripped away from business decisions.
The new fund starts with a $100,000 check from BrewDog. The Scottish brewer also has invested in Crowns & Hops last year.
Now, the larger societal fixes need to be added to really make this work. We need to get every child speeding towards success. That means schools, healthcare and housing. And specifically from the brewing perspective, we need a robust mentorship program in all aspects from hop farming to label design to brewing.
Review – BPLB from Crowns & Hops
BPLB, the first Los Angeles release from Crowns & Hops with an assist from Eagle Rock Brewery, doesn’t pour super hazy. Haze being hard to nail down. The first taste leads me to think Session IPA more than the ABV on the can. A bit watery to me with a grassy aroma. Some haze softness and a decent amount of hop bitterness. Part orange, part grapefruit taste here. I want to like it more than I do. I am still looking forward to trying more of their beers as they move towards their own brewing facility and tap room.
