Angel City Brewing and Jameson’s Irish Whiskey threw quite the shindig on Tuesday night. I’m still recovering from it. The theme of the event was Drinking Buddies and it was a beer release party mixed with whiskey and cocktails plus the back-story on the different blends that went into the final barrel-aged Imperial Irish Ale.
My drinking buddy Richard and I sampled the three beers that made up the blend of choice and though we may have liked different components of the beers. I personally thought the dryness and woody-ness of the sherry barrel version was the most intriguing, the Jameson’s came through loud and clear in the end.
Jon Carpenter, the brewmaster gave the rundown on the process and the flavors that each component added after we got a little whiskey lesson from the Jameson rep. It was kinda surreal to see a vey Irish Whiskey juxtaposed against the gritty graffiti and urban L.A. vibe of the brewery but this was a serious party. Plates and glasses whisked away quickly. Plenty of food and gelato and more than plenty of whiskey.
Jameson LA
Supply and demand. Barrels are at a premium in craft beer land. Each new brewery dreams of a barrel aging program, which means that getting your hands on one is like getting your hands on enough hops.
So landing a barrel or three from Jameson Irish Whiskey is a coup. And Angel City of DTLA came back from Ireland with barrels as part of the Jameson Drinking Buddies program.
Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles was one of five American breweries that also included Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in New York, Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas, Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, and Hilliard’s Beer in Seattle.
Each brewery got a ticket to the distillery in Ireland and was tasked with making a beer that reflected the barrel and their neighborhood where they brew.
Plus the whole thing was filmed and you can see what Angel City got involved with at JamesonNeighborhood.com. From there you can learn about the Angel City Imperial Irish Ale and the other four beers.
Obviously a tasting will be held at some point and you can either Social Media-ize the brewery to find out when it will happen.