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After the trials and tribulations of the last 4+ years, MacLeod Ales has hung on and has reached the double digit milestone of 10 years. That achievement alone should push you to a trip to Van Nuys to have a pint, maybe even a cask ale.
I have had one beer made with hops from Sow A Heart Farm (read about the farm in this months Beer Paper). It was a California Common from Boomtown Brewery.
Now time to check a couple more….
Lupulin Harvest from Frogtown Brewing – Pours shimmery orange in color. Sharp bitterness to it. Earthy. Has some navel orange notes to it. A bit one note to me.
Itchy Fingers from MacLeod Ales – Now this is more like it. Yes, I did pick some of the hops in this beer, so there is a bias but this has a punchy hop of grapefruit and earth to it.
Earlier this month, I made the drive to Fillmore, CA and the Sow A Heart Regenerative Farm to help harvest hops. Cascade hops to be precise and it was great fun to not only feel the cones in your hand fresh off the bine but to see harvesting done pretty much by hand because even the one machine used was nothing compared to the big growers of the NW.
More will be revealed in the September Beer Paper issue coming out soon but until then a few photos to whet the appetite…
Yes, I agree. An 80 Shilling ale should come from a hand pump at your local. But I would rejoinder that I think it is better to have this particular style of ale out and accessible more.
Which is why I am glad that MacLeod’s has canned their Kings Taxes for the first time.
MacLeod Ales, despite being declared nearly dead last year, has risen up and now has reached the 9 year mark. That is probably an even better reason than just reaching year 9 so pick a location ( OG Van Nuys or Highland Park) and get a proper English pint and raise it in the air.
There were some troubling signs from MacLeod Ale Brewing Company in recent days but today the hammer came down as they announced the closure of both the original Van Nuys brewing operation and the just recently opened satellite pizza and bar in Highland Park.
The reasons cited for the closures:
1] We’re over budget in several categories
2] We have too much debt due to expansion
3] Sudden crash of sales [down 15% in Oct, 21% in November! Bad timing!]
4] Our 2nd location opened too late and is underperforming.
You have to be a risk taker to brew beer commercially and you also need angel investors to backstop when good bets go wrong. Hopefully a new chapter can emerge from the brewery and it employees.
MacLeod Ales has finally gotten the green light to open their second location! They started on Monday at MacLeod on York inbetween the two trendy parts of Highland Park.
Expect a 1st visit report in the coming months.
Wanna stay updated on the second MacLeod location in Highland Park?
Well this screenshot should assist…
Van Nuys Beer Co. sister brewery of MacLeod Ales has a new Hazy out in conjunction with the BSG group called Sitiva Stag…
Time to crack open the impressively packaged Imperial Double Mash Stout from MacLeod Ales…
This is a gentle giant of a beer. Pours dark brown in color with just a few, fast dissipating bubbles on top. I get cherry, chocolate and a slight nutty taste at first. This is a smooth beer. The ABV is not showing. As it warms, I get Dutch chocolate pudding with a bit of coffee bean bitterness.
