Tag: November

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In the Tap Lines for November 2016

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We now begin the holiday season. Of course, we still have to get past the election but then we can be merry with holiday ales and big beers by the fireside. So be thankful for our bounty of beer.

~ e-visits to three breweries from the Southern Oregon coast – Defeat River in Reedsport then to Devils Brewing in Coos Bay and finally Chetco Brewing in Brookings.
~ special featured reviews of beers that can pair well with Thanksgiving meals.
~ 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 Inside the Apple
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 16th – Bruery Share This Dinner at Sausal in El Segundo
2) November 20th – Lutefisk & Lefse Dinner at Brouwerij West

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Sean Suggests for November 2015

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Let’s play the numbers! We have .394, 22 and 6. Two beers from San Diego and an anniversary beer from Boulder, Colorado for your November beer shopping list.

~LIGHT
AleSmith/ .394 Pale Ale 6.00% ABV
“In early 2014, Tony Gwynn’s team approached AleSmith to create a distinctive beer for the baseball legend. A meeting was called at the Gwynn household, which included a sampling of AleSmith beers to identify Tony’s preferences. He wanted the beer to be “light with a kick” which he elaborated further to mean full of hop character and light in body and color. The result of the Gwynn family’s feedback on test batches rendered a golden pale ale full of American hop flavor and aroma, with a subdued bitterness and a malty sweet finish. AleSmith San Diego Pale Ale .394 pays tribute to the city that Tony loved and the career high batting average that he achieved in ’94. Discover what happens when a Hall of Fame perfectionist crafts a beer with a world-class brewery. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation (TAG).

~MEDIUM
Avery/ Twenty-Two 6.80% ABV
100% Brettanomyces dry Fermented Dry-Hopped Wild Ale. While touring Belgium with the greatest of friends in 2006, the Avery family came across a stunning creation in a quaint countryside pub that we all agreed was the best brew of the trip. Secreting home a couple of bottles, they intended to cultivate the wild yeast that spontaneously worked its magic in Beersel and propagate our own projects here in Boulder.

~DARK
Ballast Point/ Homework # 6 7.00% ABV
“A Hybrid-Style Ale with a rich, Oktoberfest inspired malt base and a slamming hop profile, very similar to an India Pale Ale. CTZ (Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus) hops are added to the boil for bitterness, and copious amounts of Centennial hops are added during the late kettle hop addition and dry hopping post fermentation. In the Great American Beer Festival Style Guidelines there is a gap between the American-Style Amber/Red Ale and Imperial Red Ale. This beer fills this gap, whether you call it a Hoppy Red Ale or an India Red Ale, one thing is for sure…you will call it good.

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A Toast to NaNoWriMo

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It is that time of year again, when I take fingers to keyboard and attempt to write a coherent novella under the umbrella of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month.

I did it, that first year, because my sister and a nephew or two were doing it. But now I find it a taxing but rewarding way to force myself to write. Maybe not any better or any clearer but to set the mind to thinking about stringing words together in new patterns. Not that I would force anyone to read the drivel. Probably wouldn’t make for the basis of a bad screenplay.

It can be hard to blog consistently. Just look at the beer blogs that don’t have any new posts. Not even cut and pasted press releases! Inspiration needs to be found at times and also re-charging needs to be done. Otherwise it can become a chore.

Raise a glass then to all those who are giving it a run and maybe spread a little hashtag #NaNoWriMo love to those who have added another deadline to their lives.

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In the Tap Lines for November 2011

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We are nearing the end of the year and the holidays come at us fast and furious. Each time this year, starting AFTER Thanksgiving, I start posting up the labels of different holiday winter warmers but before then, the same great mix of news, events, reviews and opinion.

~ e-visits to three breweries from Canada.
~ special reviews of beers from my recent trip to Solana Beach.
~ 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, …..
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 105 asks us to compare and contrast in Double Feature.

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 15th – Local Craft Fest at Rock & Brews El Segundo
2) November 21st – Stout BeerFest for Beer Geeks.

P.S. – You may have noticed that the Golden Road logo is no longer part of the “My Locals” graphic. I made that decision due to the fact that Tony Yanow is not involved anymore. That departure saddens me because, for me, he was the beer lover/IPA fan in the ownership group. That is gone and been replaced by ABInBev. That crater sized hole, I am afraid, will not be filled by people with that same Tony attitude.

I did not make this decision lightly and I know that it won’t matter a whit in their popularity but I have to draw line for myself and Golden Road crossed it, and crossed it without apology in their awkward video and other interviews that instead of promoting craft beer became salvos against home brewing and playing for the winning team. It’s as if they were sneering at where they came from instead of celebrating it.

Their beer may not suffer in quality and yes, it will be available in more and more places but it has lost the “craft” and become just “beer”.

Now, where can I find a “Craft Beer is the Winning Team” t-shirt?

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Sean Suggests for November 2014

header_beer_shopping_listHere in Los Angeles, the weather is finally making tentative steps to fall.  Which means we can begin to drink some lighter stouts and barley wines and wait for any type of moisture to fall from the sky.  These are my 3 picks to drink this month and because the Dark is so dark, the other two selections are quite light.

~LIGHT

Bottle Logic/ She Shot First 4.7% ABV

“Our twist on an American Pale Ale, She Shot First, is brewed with generous amounts of malted wheat, and Pacific North West hops. This particular combination produces enormous flavors and aromas of citrus. “

~MEDIUM

Commons Brewery/ Myrtle 5.1% ABV

“Myrtle has a pleasant acidity from a Lactobacillus fermentation. Lemony Meridian hops grown in Silverton, OR enhance the citrus character of our house Lactobacillus strains and the fruity ester profile of our house farmhouse yeast. “

~DARK

Goose Island/ Bourbon County Stout 14.2% ABV

“The Original, a liquid as dark and dense as a black hole. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than an average case of beer.”

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In the Tap Lines for November 2014

header_attractionsLast November this blog went dark as I focused on my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. AKA, National Novel Writing Month.  I will be running that word gauntlet again this year so there will be less posting than usual but enough to keep you informed about great new beers and events in the Los Angeles area.  Plus I will again start my annual Christmas Beer Blog Advent Post Calendar.  AKA, an assortment of Holiday ales from around the country and the world.  But only AFTER Thanksgiving (which is later this year).

~ e-visits to three breweries from cities that may challenge for the NBA crown this year
~ video reviews of two gluten-free beers from the Canadian brewer, Glutenberg
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 93 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is beer travel

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 8th Alosta Brewing 1 Year Anniversary
2) November 11th Friends of Local Beer photography exhibit at Mohawk Bend

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The Firkin for November 2013

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H2O.

Water. Part of the brewing process but sometimes left out of the drinking process.

I was reminded of this when I ordered a beer and was automatically given a glass of water too.

How refreshing in two senses. One the literal and the other the foresight to know that a good palate cleanser would make beer appreciation easier.

And with the holiday season in full swing, water is truly needed to cleanse the palate as you go from a winter warmer that could be an IPA, a stout or spice filled.

Now if only water would always come with your beer order along with in vogue (health-wise) nuts.

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Sean suggests for November 2013

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Oh to have seasons in Los Angeles.  Alas, we do not.  It is tough to have to recommend lighter beers all the way through December practically but the thrill of a barrel aged beer is lost a bit when it is 80 degrees out. But here are a few maltier options that still fit the hotter weather.

~LIGHT

Latitude 33 / The Pasha’s Rye Brown 6.0% ABV

“Roasted malts and rich, spicy rye offset with a unique hop character.”

~MEDIUM

Golden Road / Burning Bush IPA 8.0% ABV

“Burning Bush uses the smoked malt characterized by a traditional German style Rauchbier with the hops of an west coast IPA. This deep copper colored ale has a light smoky aroma that sits atop a generous floral and piney hopping.”

~DARK

Ninkasi / Imperiale  9.1% ABV

This High Gravity Stout from Eugene, Oregon.  (Sorry about Stanford) is flat out pretty in the glass.  Tan head that a barista could work a design into.  And the flavor is smooth.  Milk chocolate with a slight roast but cream is the flavor that I get most.

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In the Tap Lines for November 2012

November is usually filled with the early releases of holiday ales that I generally love but can be hard to swallow when the weather is SoCal hot. But that is a small quibble for a month filled with an exciting array of beer choices.

~ e-visits to three breweries from Fort Collins, Colorado
~ video reviews tackles two really huge, GIGANTIC beers
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 69 will converge bloggers onto a single topic
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 10th – Oktoberfest @ The Verdugo
2) November 15th – A Night with the Zymatore Project @ Beachwood BBQ & Brewing

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In the Tap Lines for November 2011


This November will feature CanFest! Smack dab in the middle of the month, I will be in Reno and you will be able to follow along right here.

Also, again thanks to Charissa Santos, for the above logo. If you like the look of it, check out her site HERE. She does branding, print and web design and she is easy to work with and she really made me take a hard look at where I am going and what my design does to help me get there.

~ e-visits to three breweries that can their beer
~ video reviews of three beers from Escondido’s own, Stone Brewing
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 57 will converge bloggers onto a single topic
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 5th Homebrew Demonstration at Eagle Rock Brewery
2) November 11th – Four Points LAX Beer Appreciation Night