Tag: June

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Best Beers of June 2025

For this month of pride, here are the beers that I drank that shined the brightest to me in June.

Two IPAs, both collaborations, are the runners up to a barrel-aged beer that was quite a surprise in the heat of a SoCal early summer.

The IPAs are Little Bay from Far Field Beer Co. and HopSaint Brewing and then a super big collab, Dankerman 3 from Tarantula Hill Brewing, Artifex Brewing, Burgeon Brewing and Craft Coast for this San Diego County inspired beer.

The winner is Brandy Barrel-Aged O.E. Barleywine from Smog City Brewing. When barrel-aged beers work for me, it is because that particular barrel takes the lead without dominating proceedings. And that is truly the case with this beer that is so brandy forward, in all the good ways. I also have the Bourbon version as well and am excited for that as well.

As an honorable mention, I would strongly suggest that you get a 4-pack of the Unity 2025 beer from ISM Brewing. It is a light and lovely IPA that doesn’t skimp on bitterness.

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Best Beers of June 2024

June is now in the books so it is time to review the best beers that I laid my hands on this month.

It is a tie for first and a tie for second. And each has an IPA and then a German beer style.

Tied for 2nd are Russian River Brewing’s RnD IPA #44 and Human Robot’s Hallertau Pils. The latter is my first beer from the Pennsylvania brewery and boy was it good on a steamy LA day on the Highland Park Brewery patio. And what can be said about Russian River, whenever I see an RnD IPA, I buy it.

Tied for first was the Hana Munich Helles from Headlands Brewing. When someone says malt makes a big difference, this is what I will point to as Exhibit A. A luxury of a beer, Lastly, Monkish Space Cookie IPA just should not be as good considering it is such a weird beer but boy was it, standing out from a festival crowd.

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In the Tap Lines for June 2024

June is L.A. Beer Week Time so the BSP blog will be celebrating that all month long.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Sister Cities of Los Angeles

~ special featured reviews of whatever is in the refrigerator throughout the month

~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 There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to The Curious History of Your Home

~ Sports & A Beer returns with NIL thoughts

~ 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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SD Beer Weekend

If you need help in choosing a weekend that would be optimum for visiting San Diego, well, read on….. “The 2nd-Annual SD Beer Weekend presented by the San Diego Brewers Guild will take place Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11. The now annual celebration of the local independent craft beer scene is a prelude to San Diego Beer Week in the fall.”

Think of it as a teaser trailer for the full movie.

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Best Beers of June 2022

LABW13 ran its course this month and I have picked a beer tasted at the Cellador Friends Fest as well as an L.A beer as my four best for the month. It’s just not the sane beer.

Non-LA favorites were the Ledge Bier from Great Notion Brewing. It was a very gin and botanical lager to me and it was more silky than I expect a lager to me. And yet, really struck me as good. Staying with Great Notion but with a collaboration with Fremont Brewing, Mr. Sun II. This hazy DIPA ticked all the hazy boxes that I have and was just fruity all the way.

In LA, Chilloo IPA re-gained the winning ways of Brouwerij West and revived an interest in driving down to their coastal brewery. That leaves North Park and my favorite beer of the month with a fantastic name as well, Ancient Civilization West Coast DIPA which I liked more than its sibling, City of the Future Hazy DIPA.

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June Brewery # 3 – Eternal City Brewing

Our last stop is in Rome and Eternal City Brewing. How is that related to June, you ask? Sources claim June is named after Lucius Junius Brutus, founder of the Roman Republic.

Tiber Beer – “Light beer, golden in color with white and fine foam. Drinkable and thirst-quenching due to the low alcohol content which also makes it easy to drink. The herbaceous and slightly fruity aromas of the American hops used blend with the flavor of the malt and make it an unmistakable beer, different from all the lagers you have tasted before.”

Dea Golden Ale – “La Dea is a Golden Ale with a classic golden color.  Apparently it is a “simple” beer but the floral and slightly fruity scents denote a special and brilliant character.”

XXI Quattro – “Blanche with a characteristic straw yellow color with white and compact foam, the XXI QUATTRO on the nose takes us to the Mediterranean scrubs due to the intense scent of rosemary.  On the palate we find the balsamic of rosemary and the citric of lemon that make it a fresh and thirst-quenching beer.”

Cinzia Bock -“This bock faithfully follows the style of belonging. Deep ruby ​​color, compact foam, very present malty notes, red fruit and caramel on the palate, make it a round and pleasant beer. On the nose we find red fruit, caramel and a light herbaceous given by hops.”

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June Brewery # 2 – Barnaby Brewing Co.

North to Alaska and JUNEau to visit Barnaby Brewing Co.

Let’s grab a couple taster trays to try out the following from the BBC.

OMG I Love Trees – Imperial Spruce Tip Blonde

Theresa’s Meadow – Altbier

Jiggle Jiggle Wiggle Wiggle – Tropical Stout

Rodeo Clowns – Flanders Red

Slack Tide – BA English Barley Wine aged in Cherry Brandy Barrels

Guava Blood Orange – Imperial American Sour Aged in Tequila Barrels

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June Brewery # 1 – June Lake Brewing

It is a bit of a silly theme this month, but the world can always use more silly. Breweries with June in the name or a beer name. Let’s start in California with June Lake Brewing.

Here is what I would put in my taster tray…

Lager for Joggers – “Classic North American Light Lager, JLB version of Hamms.”

Archimedes Red Ale – “medium body, well balanced, malty and biscuity.”

Oishii Japanese Rice Lager – “Floral, notes of jasmine rice, extremely crushable.”

Potter’s Porter – “Smooth Porter, Mild Roastiness, Brewed in Memory of Keith Potter.”

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In the Tap Lines for June 2022

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We have made it to Summer.  Or as close as we can get what with climate change making things hotter and colder and just plain weather weird.  Here is what June has in store for you on the blog.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries related to June
~ special featured review of Nectar Creek Sting Ginger Mead
~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 When I’m Gone, Look for Me in the East by Quan Barry
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Doctor Who: Redacted
~ 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.

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Firkin for June 2021

Here is your next recommendation for helping women during this reckoning on abuse in the craft beer world.

Acknowledge it.

Acknowledge that it has happened, is happening and will happen again. This is an ingrained problem but to many it is either invisible or not “that bad”. You don’t have to throw out innocent until proven guilty but you DO have to allow the case INTO court.

So whatever you can do to acknowledge privately and publicly needs to become second nature. If your favorite bar is considered unsafe by good friends, you would believe them, right? It shouldn’t matter if these good friends are all big burly dudes or petite women.

Once we men acknowledge the problem, we can ALL then tackle the problem. We can’t spend all our time stuck at the beginning of the process, we need to move forward.