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It has been some time since I had a beer from Fullerton’s Bootleggers Brewery. But I found a nice, big beer to break that bad streak on…
This beer comes across first and foremost as strong. Big pine and earthy bitterness dominate. When first opened, I did get an initial grapefruit nose but that faded off quickly. Getting a tiny touch of menthol here too. Quite a different DIPA than the current fruit forward styles but not really to my liking to be honest.
Getting near the end here, let’s add in a new beer from Bottle Logic Brewing and one of their pastry-esque beers with a memory, a Mulled Memory.
“Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Mulled Golden Ale with elegant aromas of wintery apple cider curl from the glass of this Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Golden Ale. A subtle wisp of lactose twists through the base, tethering the delicate apple character to a warming blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and citrus peel.”
Ten Mile Brewing in Signal Hill is opening a new location in Ladera Ranch in Orange County.
The third location for Ten Mile “is slated for Spring of 2023, so stay turned for more details.”
I have to admit that Monkish Brewing has not been on my radar for quite some time. Not due to quality or anything, they just blew up and getting in was simply harder to either avoid a can drop or big tap room crowds.
But the Anaheim location has been on my radar, and I finally checked out M2 recently and here is what I found….
The old Anaheim Brewing space seems way more garden like. Trees and shade on a hot day worked wonders. It is blocked off a bit but not so much that it is darkened. Way less space inside. Gotta say, better than the cramped Torrance brewery. Even though the seating is not what one would call comfortable.
If soft hops is your jam and you want to hit two breweries, Monkish and Unsung Brewing nearby would be a great 1-2 punch.
Mergers and acquisitions news from South and South of us in Los Angeles. The 3 Local Brothers restaurant group, which includes beer properties Urge American Gastropub, Mason Ale Works, Beer Zombies Brewing and Ferrous Falcon is teaming will combine with TAPS Fish House & Brewery AND Newtopia Cyder. The usual greater buying power and other merger talking points were alluded to but the bigger news is they plan to have a new brewery in the Midwest.
One could argue that now is a great time to open a brewery. California is re-opening so a new taproom won’t have to rely on 4-packs to go. Maybe that is why an uptick is happening south of us in Orange County with Dueling Ducks Brewing Co. …
..who opened last month and Juniper & Morgan who premiered this month…
..which means quite the epic Orange County trip will need to become planned.
Chapman Crafted is now more than just beer. On January 23rd at the more beer than coffee hour of 6:00pm, they will launch their cold brew, drip, and espresso that are made with their house blend roast, which they have named, Composition. Also on tap will be their First Roast Coffee Porter as well as other limited-release coffee beers.
I love the comic book back story of Citrique on the can label. This IPA from Unsung Brewing starts dry. Close to a mouth puckery beer. Closer to hazy in taste but not look. It hits on the promise of lemon for sure and thankfully not a fake candy lemon. This beer is almost tart tasting. Even the faint aroma is straight up lemon.
This brewery has been on my list for a while and I feel bad that it has taken me this long to make it down to visit. But finally, I took advantage of a free Sunday and headed south on the 5 to TAPS.
Nice big space when you factor in the large outdoor patio. Medium amount of TV’s and a side games area with a couple games. The digital menu boards are nice and easy to see and you also get the paper option with the food menu on the flip side. You order food from the on-site TAPS truck at digital kiosks. Being the goof that I am, I kept trying to “dip the chip” only to be helped by a staff member who pointed out that the card reader was on the side. The burger that I ordered was OK but had a chile spice that gave off a weird heat.
There were plenty of beers on the list to sample so I picked out a taster tray plus a ½ pour to gauge the quality. Below are my quick (at the bar) tasting notes:
The American Cream – solid. Maybe a touch too sweet. Velvet mouthfeel.
Coffee and Cream – bright yellow in color. Smooth. Again kinda sweet.
Boise Named Sue – light with a bright hoppy hit. Fades into close to DIPA territory
Rind Games – worst of the group. Weird sweet tart taste to it. Not very hoppy at all.
Bjorn in the USA – not bad. cereal-centric. doesn’t look unfiltered.
Except for the Boise, the beers didn’t light a fire. The space is nice. I am sure the patio is a big hit and the fact that this is where you can crowler up is cool.
If memory serves, this IPA from Noble Ale Works won at the L.A. IPA Festival in the past. So I thought that I would re-visit since I am doing Orange County beers to review this month. I Love It starts pine forward with a grapefruit aroma. High, sticky amount of bitterness. Lovely light orange color in the glass. Overall dank and woodsy with a bit of a burn at the back end too.