Hollister

As a prequel to LA Beer Week (which starts today, should I reiterate that more?), I headed up to the Santa Barbara area and Goleta, California specifically to sample Hollister beers for the very first time.

Overall solid beers and good food even though the football was on too loud and the outside patio overlooked a parking lot.

I was surprised that my favorite beer was Tiny Bubbles a sour wheat beer. It was tart but not super sour with a nice little grain taste. Second was the Hippie Kicker IPA, which was better than two other IPA’s sampled. The Pope which was more a pale ale and Maiden Voyage which was a bit of a mess to me. The other surprise was that the Irish stout was better than their touted Black Ice in my beery opinion.

I was sorry not to get to taste the pumpkin saison though.

Let’s Tour – Hollister Brewing

Goleta is just north of Santa Barbara and tucked into an unimposing mall is Hollister Brewing. Where you can see (and hopefully drink) some fine beers like this…

KRISTALWEISS – 5.4% ABVFiltered German wheat beer with oats and honey malt for a smooth mouthfeel.

Orange Blossom Special – 5.8% ABVA light and reafreshing golden ale brewed with 6 gallons of local orange blossom honey and the peels of 25 pounds of oranges.

beer with hops – 5.5% ABVGolden yellow pale ale brewed with a blend of Minnesota 2 row barley and English floor malts. This rendition of an old friend is exclusively hopped with the Amarillo hop varietal.

The Pope I.P.A. – 6.7% ABVFull bodied yet dry this West Coast style India Pale Ale is packed with flavors reminiscent of fresh fruit and pine forests.

sorachi san – 7.5% ABV
Belgian style ale brewed with 100% Sorachi Ace hops. Deep golden in color with a spicy and earthy hop bite that fades into flavors of citrus. Strong aroma of freshly peeled lemons and aromatic yeast.

abbey Dubbel – 6.8% ABVDeep, flavorful, Belgian ale brewed with 25 lbs. of raisin puree, 12 malts and a fruity yeast profile.

Five Foot Shadow – 10.8% ABVA nontraditional strong ale, this Imperial Oatmeal Porter is beguilingly drinkable due to large quantities of oats and chocolate malts. A subduded hop profile dominated by a rich malt body.

2:01 Imperial Red Ale – 9.7% ABVSupercharged red ale that balances a hop profile with a rich malt backbone.