Tag: home brew

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Review – Longevity Baltic Porter from Eagle Rock

Full disclosure:

A) I know the home brewer whose recipe this beer is based on

B) I had this beer at the Kick-Off Festival for L.A. Beer Week (at the end and my taste buds were shot) and I wasn’t blown away by it.

That being said, I wanted to go back and re-visit this beer with a fresh palate.  So here is a second taste and first review on the blog of Longevity Baltic Porter from Eagle Rock Brewery & the Maltose Falcons home brew club.

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The Porter pours a dark and inky black with streaks of brown to it. There are a mixture of roast, tobacco and chocolate notes on the nose that are quite nice. It did take a few sniffs to figure out exactly what was coming through to me even though the aroma is fairly potent.

The texture is quite light and very drinkable. The most dominant flavor to me is smoke with hints of a sweet cola underneath. This is no rauch bier by any means but that taste of smoke is certainly there.

This is one of those styles that may not be to my taste. It is well done but the smoke notes are a distraction to my palate.

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If you are in the mood to try other Baltic Porters then check out Flying Dog’s Gonzo Porter, Victory’s Baltic Thunder or Baltika #6.

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Who Will Win this Year?

Last year, Angel City Brewery received 270+ ideas for their first ‘What Would You Brew?’ contest. The winner was one of my favorite beers and it was Mexican Cola inspired!

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This year’s winner will be selected in October 2014 and that lucky brewer will have:

A) “opportunity to spend a day in the brew house brewing alongside the Angel City team”

B) “have their beer featured during LA Beer Week 2015

C) receive a custom kegerator, complete with a case of pint glasses, tap handle and tin tacker sign. Ideas can be submitted here: . Entries will be accepted through September 30, 2014.

Emily Finch, and her Mexican Cola beer will make a return in a “rum barrel aged version” at the LA Beer Week Kick Off September 20th at Old Chinatown Plaza, as well as on tap at the Angel City Public House.

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Uptown Market

Everywhere you look in my hometown of Portland is another great place to buy beer. And it seems like every month, I hear about yet another place.

Uptown Market has all of this going on, “Uptown Market strives to meet the needs of its clients. We have a large selection of domestic and imported brews in all shapes and sizes. One of the special features that we pride ourselves in is the two running taps that we have at all times. We offer regular tasting with a highlighted beer, stop by to find out our scheduled tastings. Along with the growler sales we also offer kegs to go for the more serious drinkers, a list of available kegs can be found on our product page. And for those of you who are the more do it yourself type we have all the fixings for making your own brew. We have Kegerators in stock as well as the parts and knowledge how to convert an old refrigerator into that kegerator you have always wanted. For those of you who live close and stop by often we have provided other convenient items that make your day to day shopping easier and efficient.”
As I write this post, they have Thai Wit from Laurelwood and Double Jack from Firestone-Walker on tap. That alone should get one to stop in.

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The 2012 Birthday beer!

Each year on this very blog on this auspicious day, I make a note, so to speak, of the special beer that I decide to have to celebrate another year in the life.

Last year it was North Coast Old Stock Cellar Ale 2009 which was a great beer but super thick and huge ABV that almost made me wish the bottle was smaller.

This year, even though I am celebrating at Golden Road Brewery. My featured beer is a home brew from my brother in law. It is the enigmatic BP11.

It took my poor, enfeebled with age brain a while to figure out that BP more than likely stands for Baltic Porter. I will add the review to the bottom of this post later, so for now, cheers and may you all have as good a beer on your birthday too!

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Home brew – Brooklyn style

While gaping slack-jawed at the beer choices at my Whole Foods in Glendale, I noticed to the side this….

Home brew kits, straight out of Brooklyn. So I investigated the boxes. Cool label. Ingredients can be bought in stores and online. Just need a kettle to cook the wort, everything else seemed to be in the box. I figured it would $60. Lo and behold it is $41. Great price for a gift or to try if I hadn’t spent my money on BrewDog beer.

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P.U.B.

I keep promising myself to check beer blogs more often for new info and yet… I always seem to fall behind.

Here is an interesting homebrew shop variant from (you guessed it) Portland. The hub of H.U.B. and most new brew innovations.

Check out the homebrew shop and tap room HERE.

Thanks to the New School Blog for showcasing great stuff in Portland!

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Rules and Regulations

I promise to get back to happy beer news with the next post today but it seems the State Government of Oregon has reinterpreted ORS 471.403 so as to ban home brew competitions!

IN OREGON! IN 2010!

Now I think the Tea Party (aside from choosing an ironic name, since they are represented by chosen politicians before being taxed) is too “me” first and community second but when government does stupid crap like this, you can see why the anger has arisen.

Enough vitriol by me. Check out this well written post by Lisa Morrison, one of the leading lights in the Oregon beer scene. After reading, please write to the Oregon government and let them know as a purchaser of beer from Oregon, you think they have misread the law.

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LongShot

This is my favorite Sam Adams beer release of each year, hands down. Each year it’s dramatically different and you get a wide style variety from a mere 3 different beers.
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Here is the pertinent information…..
“The 2010 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores beginning in April for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Michael Robinson’s Old Ale, Ben Miller’s Barleywine, and Jeremy White’s Saison.

ABOUT THE WINNERS AND 2010 CONTEST

Michael Robinson’s Old Ale is a malty English-style brew boasting notes of dried fruit, nut, and caramel. A slight bitterness balances the combination of five malts in this full bodied beer. Light brown with reddish highlights and good clarity, the ingredients of this English-style brew are all American with the exception of the yeast which is distinctively English. Created to enjoy on cold nights or as an after dinner treat, Mike’s Old Ale is 9% alcohol by volume, about twice that of the average beer. An experienced homebrewer, Mike was recognized as a finalist in the 2008 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest, as well as in the 2007 Samuel Adams® Patriot Homebrew Contest.

Ben Miller’s Barleywine is a dark red, flavorful brew with rich plum undertones to complement its caramel malt flavor. A self-proclaimed ‘hop head,’ Ben used several varieties of citrusy American hops in this beer, creating its resiny aroma followed by clean bitterness. Ben’s Barleywine is his 100th homebrew, brewed to commemorate two years of enjoying the hobby.

Jeremy White, who works in the IT department at Samuel Adams, channeled his love of Belgian beers to create his Saison, a classic Belgian-style brew. Jeremy’s flavorful, refreshing and lighter-bodied beer is brewed with Grains of Paradise, an exotic tropical spice also found in Samuel Adams Summer Ale. The peppery flavor is complemented by a slightly sweet aroma with hints of vanilla and citrus.”

The Old Ale sounds tempting.