Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
In case you missed the bi-weekly posts over on Food GPS in June. Here is a handy dandy summary with links on what I wrote about…..
from June 7th
Firestone Walker, Mother’s Milk and L.A. Beer Week
from June 28th
Coastal Beer, Stalking Horse and Canadian beer
This month will be a recovery of sorts from Firestone Walker and L.A. Beer Week. But that doesn’t mean the posts will be any less fun. For July Roadhouse Brewing sent me a “care package” introduction to their beers that will be talked about all month.
~ e-visits to three breweries from Wyoming
~ special featured reviews of Jackson, Wyoming’s Roadhouse
~ 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 I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.
Here are two events to get your July started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) July 11 – Summer Fermantality Dinner at Beachwood Blendery
2) July 22 – DTLA United Festival 4.0
Let’s have another round of big and expensive beers. For when you need to impress first and then lie down after drinking.
~LIGHT
Fantome/ Brise BonBon8.0% ABV
“With joy and a little bit of mischief, Fantôme brewer Dany Prignon dedicates this very bitter beer to all of the many varieties of brise-bonbons – literally, ball-breakers – in the world. Specifically, this beer is meant for wise-guys, braggarts, pains-in-the-ass, muck-rakers, troublemakers, know-it-alls, stuffed-shirts, blow-hards and bores, as well as nut-cracking, wind-bag, prattling-on, self-appointed experts on everything, and nose-in-the-air snobs, convinced they can do anything better than you. Dany intended to make a beer too bitter for a normal person to enjoy. The problem is, everyone loves it!”
~MEDIUM
Three Weavers & Alpine/ Off the Beaten Path Double IPA9.0% ABV
“This Double IPA is built on the foundation of mutual love, respect, and camaraderie that exists between Alpine Beer Company and Three Weavers. Friendship truly makes the best beers and we hope you enjoy the product of ours.”
~DARK
Fremont Brewing/ Rusty Nail13.2% ABV
“The Rusty Nail begins life as The First Nail, an oatmeal stout of epic proportions with brewer’s licorice, smoked barley, and pale malt and is then aged on cinnamon bark. She becomes the Rusty Nail after spending 15 months in 12-year old bourbon barrels. The Rusty Nail pounds your palate, challenges your perception of all that you’ve known of beer, and leaves you wanting … another sip.”
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
June was tough. In a good way but I am glad that the big L.A. fests are in the rearview and I don’t feel like I am missing some cool event every ten minutes. Here is what will be going on this month…
~ e-visits to three breweries from Detroit. Batch Brewing, Lake Brothers and Motor City Brewing Works
~ special featured reviews of a random set of beers as I catch up from L.A. Beer Week
~ 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 George Lucas – A Biography
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.
Here are two events to get your July started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) July 1st – Canada Day at Southland Beer
2) July 7th-9th – Bravery Brewing 5th Anniversary Weekend
Running the gamut of styles this month as we head into the back half of 2016. Going from cherries to Wussies and then Imperialists for those with a political bent.
~LIGHT
Bell’s/ Poolside 5.0% ABV
“A refreshing Belgian-inspired Wheat Ale, Poolside is fermented with Montmorency cherry juice made from cherries grown near Traverse City in northern Michigan. It adds a subtle tartness and bright counterpoint to clove and other fruit aromas that result from the Belgian specialty yeast strain used to ferment this beer”
~MEDIUM
Stone/ Who You Callin’ Wussie Pilsner 5.8% ABV
“For far too long the tyrannical industrialized beer overlords have disgraced and cheapened the noble heritage of the pilsner with their relentless multi-generational downward drive to commercialized homogenization. Over decades, this once vaulted style has been slowly and methodically gutted, bringing forth a soulless and anemic result, all the while spending billions in advertising to convince the unwitting public that their fizzy yellow end result was beer. Well, I will not have it. We are striking back for true craft by stealing the pilsner back from their evil clutches, and restoring it to its almighty glory. They do it cheaply. We do it right. Choose vapidity, or choose righteousness…but whatever you do, choose wisely.”
~DARK
Eagle Rock/ Imperialist 10.0% ABV
“For many years American Light Lager dominated the global beer market, and the industrial brewers who made it worked hard to ensure a long reign of their beer king. Well, times have changed and the old king is dead. No more imperious agendas limiting your choices. You, my friend are the absolute ruler of this new, diverse landscape. Long live the new King!”
Now we enter the heatdome. It has been way too hot for way too long in Los Angeles so break out the pilsners and lawnmower beers and stay cool. In addition to the items listed below, there will be an Allagash Little Brett report this month as I recover from the fests of June.
~ e-visits to new Minneapolis breweries Utepils, Wild Mind Artisan Ales and Venn Brewery which will open soon.
~ special featured reviews the Fat Tire & Friends Variety Box
~ 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 Wood & Beer
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
Here are two events to get your July started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) July 9th – Beachwood – Long Beach 5th Anniversary
2) July 23rd – Bottle Room – Craftsman Brewing Special Event
…and here is the beer photo of the month
Trying to keep things a little light without being too one-sided in beer styles. The other, more noticeable theme is, breweries a good day trip distant from L.A.
~LIGHT
Claremont Craft Ales/ Indian Hill 4.0% ABV
“Indian Hill is our version of a Session IPA: bursting with hop flavor, but restrained in alcohol. We aggressively hop this one with huge amounts of citra, while the addition of wheat keeps this beer crisp and easy-drinking – perfect for your adventures to the beach or the mountains”
~MEDIUM
Pure Order Brewing/ Red Eye Wheat 4.85% ABV
“The inspiration for this beer is derived from the old Dunkelweizen style of South Germany. It is a red wheat beer with slight caramel and raisin tones. While a traditionally bitter beer, the Pure Order brewing team’s western influence has made it a perfect brew for the warm Santa Barbara sun. Contrary to what you may think, the name Red Eye Wheat is a reference to the flight you might take to the German home of this beer’s style rather than the state of your eyes after a couple Pure Order cold ones. The label itself is a tribute to the famously convenient and uniquely styled Santa Barbara Airport.”
~DARK
Bravery Brewing/ Old Rat 9.0% ABV
“An old rat is a brave rat. This is an English style old ale, with flavors of chocolate maltiness,toffee, and subtle dark fruit. ”
Now that we are all recovered from L.A. Beer Week it is time to suss out what July will be like in the L.A. craft beer world Plus…..
~ e-visits to three breweries in Portland including Baerlic, Buckman Botanical & Culmination
~ special reviews of beers from new to L.A. Left Hand
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ Beer-centric podcast review, 1 Beer, 1 Song
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 101 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is Bottles, Caps and other Detritus
Here are two events to get your June started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) July 4th – 4th of July Backyard Boogie at Beer Belly
2) July 11th – Draft Day at Cismontane Brewing in Santa Ana
Last month was a little light on the ABV, for June, we are cranking it up a notch. Starting with a dry hopped beer that is not to be missed followed by a pair of collaborations on the darker side. Enjoy!
~LIGHT
Alaskan Brewing/ Freeride APA 5.30% ABV
“Alaskan Freeride APA features a lush, green, almost tropical hop aroma paired with the unique taste combination of these three, distinctive hop varieties, making it both full in flavor and crisply thirst-quenching.”
~MEDIUM
Ska Brewing/ Modus Hoperandi 6.80% ABV
“Strong citrus aromas followed by pine rise from the glass. As it moves across your tongue… bitterness… following close behind is a melding of citrus and pine with light caramel sweetness.”
~DARK
Almanac/ Farmers Reserve Citrus 7.00% ABV
“melding the intensely aromatic zest of Buddha’s Hand citrons with the bracing tartness of Bergamot oranges in a sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels. ”
Each month in 2012 I have an extra $20 (courtesy of my wife) for craft beer and this month, I decided to go all Widmer….
I have tasted all of the Rotator series of IPA’s and so far, my favorite of the bunch is the Spiced IPA. Primarily because it was sooo different from the normal IPA. I first encountered Shaddock at the Oregon Brewer’s Festival a couple year’s back and was mildly impressed but I wanted to re-visit thinking that the recipe may have been tweaked.
I had two Omission choices. Lager or Pale Ale. I went with the lager simply because I don’t normally buy lagers and it was a hot day when I bought it. We shall see if that decision pays off.
You can check out what I bought in June (also from Oregon) HERE