Review – Gelson’s Summer Blonde Ale from El Segundo

Looks like there is a renaissance of branded beers much like in the olden days of craft beer. One of these is a new blonde ale on tap at Gelson’s fancy supermarkets that is brewed for them by El Segundo brewing.

Here is the brewery description, “made with 100% Tettnanger hops, contributing to its subtle floral and herbal spice notes. The malt profile, featuring Rahr 2-Row, Rahr Premium Pilsner, Flaked Corn, and Dextrin malt, creates a harmonious balance of doughy sweetness, white bread, cake batter, and honey.”

It is quite a light beer. I abhor the word crushable but this beer is one that will go down quick. It was served extra cold which both helps on a hot day but also dampens flavor. The malt is the lead act but even it is mild and the corn finish is what you will remember most.

Not Wrestling

Stone Brewing is getting into the science of Zumology with their new “monstrously refreshing” IPA with Zumo hops from Segal Ranch as the lead.  Their will be some Mosaic in there as well if you want an extra bitter boost.  Per Stone protocol, this will be a higher ABV beer hitting 7.5%.

IPA Niche Day – Raspberry

MadeWest has a new Raspberry IPA out on the market and I am of two minds about it.  I think IPAs with added fruit should be the actual juicy IPAs but that you really have to choose the fruit and hops carefully to avoid one flavor set overwhelming the other.  This beer should be a good one to review either way.

Wish I Could Try – Luck of the Dragon from Guinness Open Gate

The Maryland outpost of Guinness has had some drinks that made me want to be on the East Coast and one such brew is Luck of the Dragon, brewed for Lunar New Year.  It is a “5.0% ABV ale is infused with dragon fruit powder and orange purée, giving it this stunning fuchsia color.”

If that wasn’t reason enough, sales of the lucky beer goes “to support the extraordinary artists at Baltimore’s Asian Pasifika Arts Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using art to promote the representation of Asian Americans in everyday life and build connections across communities.”

Three of Roses

L.A. is lucky to get Wayfinder Beer shipments sent from the Rose City. That is my transition to this love letter of a beer to Portland, Three of Roses which is a “An unapologetic rustic lager with subtle botanical notes of juniper berries and
lime.”

In a divided country it is good to see a little civic pride smack dab on your beer label.

GoldX

Firestone Walker is adding a hoppy beer back into the mix that is neither a pilsner or hazy, rather an XPA.

Here are the specs, “Firestone XPA is built around New Zealand’s Nelson hop with its grapefruit and tropical Sauvignon Blanc qualities, all backed up with a dollop of classic Mosaic hops. The resulting beer offers a trifecta of drinkability: crisp, hoppy.”

Uncommon

Despite the name and rumors swirling about an Anchor Brewing comeback, the California Common is not that common on beer menus and I do nor think that Russian River Brewing would launch one during the Pliny Season but here we are.

And its an interesting malt too, read on…

“Excited to announce our collaboration with craft maltster Valley Malt from Western Massachusetts! Established in 2010 by Andrea and Christian Stanley, Valley Malt specializes in malting grains for breweries and distilleries while sourcing from farms primarily around the Northeast. For our collaboration we used Golden Valley Pale malt in a California Common beer recipe which really showcases this malted barley.”