Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
It is a fair question, which would you choose…
I would take option three, a West Coast IPA please, the latest release from Paperback Brewing.
Side note, there is a resident pop-up Bun & Blanket now for your smash burger cravings.
Well, you knew it was coming and you know what will follow in short order. Glendale local brewery Paperback Brewing has teamed with Tarantula Hill for a cold IPA, a DOUBLE Cold IPA.
Triple, Quad and Imperial must be in the works.
Paperback Brewing has come out with a World Cup beer which is good even though I will not be watching this years edition because of Qatar’s horrible human rights record and anti-alcohol stance (that shifted when SABInBev put their foot down)
This is one of the better labels from the brewery which usually traffics in pulp and puns. It is still too busy by half like most of Paperback’s labels but the throwback artwork works in this context.
Next time the Timbers, Thorns or (poor form) Chelsea play, I will give this beer a whirl.
Hopefully, by now, you have partaken of a few Oktoberfest styled beers. For those here in Los Angeles, I have two more suggestions for your boot steins plus a further afield beer that has BBQ involvement.
Societe Brewing – Oktoberfest Lager – 4.6% – “Inspired by the famed light brews of Munich, this festive lager is crisp and clean with floral and mineral notes, plus a touch of lemony citrus zest.”
Far Field – Oh! So Smoky Smoked Porter – 5.3% – “Smoked Malt + Chocolate + Coffee and malts smoked by Osos BBQ.
Paperback Brewing – Doctor Octobock – German Fest Bock Lager – 6% – “pale, malty lager beer designed to distinguish between blandness and too much color. The hop character is balanced with toasty malts and spicy notes from the hops.”
Label design is tough and I can be a harsh judge. Paperback Brewing has a bold dime store novel cover with super bright colors look that I don’t vibe with but they have a winner with their Surrealist beer…
…and it doesn’t hurt that the style of beer is one that I, personally, would like to see more of, the Belgian Blonde ale.
Hopyard Wildings is a new Hazy IPA collaboration between Hawthorne and Glendale. AKA, Common Space and Paperback. With notes of pepper, peaches and kumquat.
A little extra info on the beer, “Hopyard Wildlings brings together Hazy and Belgians for a big expressive flavor, of a type not currently found in Hazy IPAs.”
Lookee here, a beer event, on this blog. These have been few and far between haven’t they?
Anyway, Paperback Brewing in Glendale will use three days to celebrate what has been a year for sure. So pick your day and check out their beers and their space if you are like me and haven’t actually been inside.
To close out the tasting of Paperback beer in July we head to a party…
Not one of the haziest beers that I have seen. Not in grapefruit juice visual territory. Earthy hop aroma to this one. Initial taste is very much Old-fashioned tongue scrape-y IPA. A little undercurrent of orange peel tucked inside. The haze bros would probably call a misnamed foul on this one. I like the flavor but this is not a hazy to me.
I am quickly falling behind in tasting Paperback beer. I am really missing the old taster tray. Next up is a DIPA with a buzz to it. Cosmic Buzz.
This is an old school DIPA. Big and malty. You feel the alcohol and the bitterness quickly. Flavor wise, you are not going to get complex notes. It is basic and earthy. A powerful beer that does its job. If that doesn’t sound like a rave review, there are a lot of beers that do not hit their marks. This one does it.
This review marks my 3rd Paperback beer which means I should probably go get some more.
Not bad at all but not particularly a blonde ale. More of an Amber or German Alt. Big amount of malt flavor in the dark yellow beer. Loads of mineral water taste at the back and very full tasting. Great beer with pizza if your pizza is spicy and carries the bold flavors.