Tag: Halloween

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In the Tap Lines for October 2023

Fall is probably my favorite season even though the biggest holidays of the year (my birthday and Christmas) do not fall (sorry) inside its months. The switch from SoCal summer to milder temps and the Festbiers just make me happy. Enough about me, let’s get to what will be covered this month…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Richmond, Va.

~ special featured reviews of fall seasonal 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 Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Strike Force Five

~ Sports & A Beer returns with re-aligning college football

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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Review – Ommegang All Hallows Treat

If anything screams Halloween, this treat from Ommegang Brewing does…

My first two words for this beer are sweet and sweet. This is a Halloween treat yo’ self for damn sure. The beers pours pitch black and initially has a big chocolate aroma. Flavor wise, it is a mix of milk and dark chocolate and quite roasty. For me, the peanut butter promised on the label us too faint. As it warms, more peanut aroma and taste arrive, but it is not peanut butter.

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Why is Curiosity Bad?

If there was enough content, this blog could be devoted to the Red IPA, one of my favorite styles, and in time for scary season, Trademark Brewing has one for us.

I like the touch of having a cat on the label for a beer that has curiosity in the name. Head down to Long Beach or wherever you buy Trademark beers for this Halloween treat.

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The Firkin for October 2020

I have ranted about IP (intellectual property) casual theft on the part of breweries across our nation. In fact, got a post coming up about a specific example.  But instead of using the same old adjectives like lazy and stealing or making a comment about if they try to get away with those type of labels, imagine what they are doing with the actual beer.  I am going to give some constructive ideas so that a brewery can stop doing it.

  1. Hire a local artist – there are great design artists out there, and a flock of great artists as well.  Contact your local universities or ask your regular fans to make suggestions.
  1. Create your own cartoon character – if you are so keen to put a toucan on your still fermenting fruit pop beer, then create your own mascot.  Hire a caricaturist to design one to be the face of your next beer.  Explodey the Covered in Beer Eagle is available.
  1. Use photography – rarely used so it will stand out if that is all you are looking for but you could document your since day one fans or your neighborhood.

Now get creative!

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Best Beers of October 2020

Sadly, no pumpkin beers made the list for best of the month, thankfully no winter seasonals did either. In the bronze and silver spots are the Gaviota Coffee Ale reviewed on this very blog at the beginning of the month. I still remember that bright green coffee bean flavor. Next is a beer I had yesterday, Tiki IPA from AleSmith. This beer popped with coconut aroma in a way that other tiki themed beers haven’t and then it settled into a well done IPA.

The winner though is Black Tuesday from The Bruery. So smooth and surprisingly not needing to age to get to that point. Just a lovely bourbon barrel beer just in time for the fall.

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Delighted

Boomtown Brewing has a Spooky Season release! The next installment in their artist series, is Devil’s Delight. Here is the info: “This Hazy DIPA design was created by Keenan Shur (@not.shur), who brought an old-school graffitied twist on everything creepy to house flavors of Orange Marmalade, Honeydew, and Herbal Tea.”

The devil does look delighted on the label.

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In the Tap Lines for October

header_attractionsHave we entered Fall?  L.A. has seen 90+ then practically shady temps, then back up again.  The weather whipsaw might be best suited to those lighter Oktoberfest beers.  Now onto what is coming up this month….

~ e-visits to three breweries from Ohio (see A Book & A Beer below)
~ special featured reviews of the Firestone Walker Hoppy Lion Variety Pack
~ 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 Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Eaters Digest
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your October started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) October 1st – MacLeod Ale night at Tony’s Darts Away
2) October 13th – DTLA Brewers United Fest