Tag: February

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Sean Suggests for February 2020

In my birthday month, I look to some weird beers, since I am pretty weird. I found three new beers with fruit that I found super interesting.

~Light
Cellador Goseque- 4.7%
“This Gose-style ale was fermented on Summer Grand nectarines from Masumoto Family Farm, and is drinking great! It’s light and refreshing with very mellow acidity and noticeable salinity, brewed with Coriander and Sea Salt.”

~Medium
Almanac / Strange Brewing Mapache – 6.2%
“Collaboration with Strange Brewing Co. in Buenos Aires. Sour Ale Aged In Oak Barrels With Blueberries, Plums, Peaches & Pears. This fruity sour ale was brewed with the masked menaces at Strange Brewing, hailing all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mapache, or raccoon in English, is inspired by rustic farmhouse beers and is packed with blueberries, plums, peaches, and pears.”

~BIG
Ogopogo Borries – 7.2%
“Pastry sour with raspberries and donuts. Borries are a type of hellhound that roam the Netherlands. They may live both in water and on land. They walk differently from regular dogs. Using their two left or right legs simultaneously with each step. This gives their stride a sway that is unmistakably the walk of a Borries. When a Bories runs, its tail positions parallel to its spine. Some said the sight of a Borries was a bad omen, foretelling dangers. When a Borries approaches you, there’s not really any hope of outrunning it. The best thing to do is be still. Don’t talk or move, don’t even blink.”

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In the Tap Lines for February 2020

header_attractionsFebruary will find me back in Astoria for the second time in as many years.  This time to visit during Stout month.  Reports from the Oregon Coast as well as birthday beers are to be expected but first there will be a little bowl of Super…

~ e-visits to (3)  off the beaten path breweries like Everybody’s Brewing in Washington State, Taos Mesa Brewing in New Mexico and Zillicoah Beer Company in Asheville.
~ special featured reviews of beers that are low alcohol and/or low calorie
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to The City – Season 2 – Reno
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 3rd – Brew Lab at Dry River Brewing
2) February 15th – Los Angeles Ale Works 3rd Anniversary

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Sean Suggests for February 2019


For January, let’s look to the darker side and to devils and doubts.

~LIGHT
Bear Republic/ Sonoma Tart 5.20% ABV
“A pleasantly sour golden ale kissed with guava and passion fruit. Delicious fruit flavors with a sweet and tart finish.”

~MEDIUM
Little Beast / Ferme Rouge 7.50% ABV
“Oak-Aged Tart Red Ale. Our mixed-culture farmhouse red ale has bright flavors resulting from a balance of developed malt character, toasted oak and soft acidity. Unfiltered and bottle conditioned.”

~BIG
Indie Brewing / Nobody Walks in LA IPA 8.00% ABV
“A double dry hopped double IPA featuring Sabro, Styrian Wolf and Moutere hops.”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for February 2019

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We have come around the sun to my birthday month again.  Planning a trip to Temecula for some beer visiting as well as a planned trip to Ventura plus this little Super Bowl game as well.  Should be a fun read this month.

~ e-visits to three breweries from San Diego, new to the scene like Kairoa Brewing, Kilowatt Brewing and Double Peak Brewing
~ special featured reviews of Flagship February beers
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 8th – The Shroud Unveiling Day at Bravery Brewing
2) February 9th – Broxton Brewery launch day

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Sean Suggests for February 2018

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Let’s talk color, or more specifically, color and texture by starting with a Hazy IPA, moving on to the clarity of a West Coast DIPA and then finally the dark malts of a strong coffee beer.

~LIGHT
Bootlegger’s/ CLOUDWARE IPA6.3% ABV
“This Hazy IPA has an Orange juice-like appearance with fruit juice aromas of passionfruit, lemon, and stonefruit. The low bitterness and high fruitiness make for a very drinkable hazy IPA”>

~MEDIUM
MacLeod/ DOUBLED OVER HAPPY DIPA8.3% ABV
“An homage to the west coast, Macleod Ale’s “Doubled Over Happy” is all of the citrus, dank, and pine on the nose you want from an IPA, all while having a perfect malt blend on the palate for an easy drinking, balanced, crisp DIPA.”>

~DARK
Founders/ SUMATRA BROWN9.0% ABV
“This bold, imperial brown ale gets its body from a team of malts including Caramel malt for sweetness, flaked barley for dense foam, a bit of Chocolate malt for its deep color and Aromatic and Munich malts to add even more depth. German and Perle hops add a touch of bitterness to balance the malty sweetness. The addition of rich Sumatra coffee takes this perfectly balanced imperial brown ale to a decadent level.”>

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for February 2018

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We are back around the horn to birthday month! Time to decide what beer I want to imbibe as a special treat to me. While I do that, the blog will keep going with…

~ e-visits to three breweries from Canada
~ special featured reviews of beers NOT IPA’s (except for one)
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 6th – Bruery, Bruery Terruex & Offshoot Beer Co at Tony’s Darts Away
2) February 10th – L.A. Ale Works 1st Anniversary

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Sean Suggests for February 2017

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For February, let’s go with the color red. I know it is a day after Valentine’s Day but beer (like cards and chocolates) shouldn’t be just one day a year.

~LIGHT
Dieu du Ciel/ Rosee D’Hibiscus 5.9% ABV
“The Rosée d’Hibiscus is a soft spoken wheat beer. The rose colour comes from the hibiscus flowers added during the brewing process. The aromas and flavour of this tropical flower are very prominent in the beer, giving it a slight acidity and a very agreeable fragrance. It is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.”

~MEDIUM
Crux Fermentation/ Banished-Better Off Red 7.00% ABV
“Flanders Reds may be called the Burgundies of Belgium, but we age our take on this complex, slightly tart style in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels for nearly a year. A fresh batch will present spicier notes while older versions pick up more oak and yield cherry flavors. So we blended them figuring we’re better off presenting this exotic mélange simultaneously. “

~DARK
Logsdon/ Ceraus 8.5% ABV
“From Hood River, Oregon near the orchards of the Fruit Loop, a Flanders Style Red Ale with organic cherries.”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for February 2017

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Now that Herr Gropenfuhrer has been installed as POTUS and the contractors at the White House are getting stiffed on invoices, it is the time to drink up, for the end of the world is nigh. So keep checking in to see what to drink and where to go in L.A. in February.

~ e-visits to three breweries from around the world like the Hong Kong Beer Company and Microbrewery Le Castor + 1 more.
~ special featured reviews of Beer Duos.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Dark Matter from Blake Crouch.
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 4th – Melvin Brewing from Washington State invades Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach
2) February 5th – Super Bowl Sunday at Surly Goat West Hollywood

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Sean Suggests for February 2015

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I came so close to an all encompassing theme for this month. Gluten beers and pale lagers are oft ignored in favor of IPAs and barrel-aged beers. So one from each category headlines this month’s shopping list but I also want to appease the other side as well so I will pander with a new series from Saint Archer under the Tusk & Grain nom de plume.

~LIGHT
10 Barrel/ Pub Beer 5.00% ABV
Just recently dropped into the L.A. market. A pale lager emblazoned without a logo and just saying Pub Beer on it. It’s a nod to the old generic beer cans of yore.

~MEDIUM
New Belgium/ Glütiny Pale Ale 6.00% ABV
“Glütiny Pale Ale is brewed using an enzyme to break down the proteins that trigger a reaction from gluten sensitive drinkers. Therefore, these beers are being referred to as “gluten removed” instead of gluten free. The beers fall within the FDA guidelines of less than 20 parts per million.

New Belgium Glütiny Pale Ale features Equinox hops, for flavors of guava and papaya. “

~DARK
Tusk & Grain/ 01 12.50% ABV
“For our inaugural barrel release, we present to you an expressive union between hand crafted beer and American Oak. We carefully designed three beers consisting of a Barley Wine, Imperial Porter, and Imperial Stout, to mature in some of Kentucky’s finest bourbon barrels, and the result is beautiful. Overwhelmingly rich. Staggeringly decadent. This beer challenges complexity by bringing toffee, chocolate, dark fruit, and oak to your palate, all while maintaining the essence of what defines a great barrel aged beer”

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In the Tap Lines for February 2016

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We head into the second month of the year and more beer around the L.A. area. And a trip to Portland as well to do some new brewery hunting.

~ e-visits to three breweries from the pages of All About Beer magazine (again, but from England) including Brew By Numbers, Tiny Rebel Brewing and Howling Hops.
~ special featured reviews of beers from Founders Brewing of Michigan + a pair of Gose’s
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads a novel co-written by Laker legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 108 covers the topic, “Snowbound”

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 4th – Bell’s Hopslam release at the Surly Goat
2) February – 10th – Bells’ Hopslam at the Glendale Tap