Featured Review – Two from Pure Order Brewing

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I started my duo of Reinheitsgebot influenced beers from Santa Barbara’s Pure Order Brewing with what they call a red wheat with the moniker Red Eye. They reference dunkel on the label but this beer felt lighter with hints of strawberry to it. Did I hold onto it for too long?  Was my first thought upon sipping for the first time. Before long though a light grain taste started peeking through the hazy, dull and nearly black beer. The promised raisin notes surfaced as well.

Crooked Neck Hefe has a better name and a cool tall tie-in to the Santa Barbara Zoo but I fear it also fell into a too old trap.  Hints of clove and banana are underneath. But there is a starting to turn edge to it that even some warming up can’t alleviate. I can’t in good conscience review it here.  What I do know is that these beers either didn’t have good transport to L.A. or they were more delicate than others in the style.

I will try again and amend this post with further results.

In the Tap Lines for August 2015

header_attractionsWe got a bit of rain here in L.A.  Enough to tamp down one fire but boy we could use a respite from the humidity and heat so that the wider spectrum of beer can be enjoyed instead of just lawnmower beers.  But enough gloomy weather talk, a new brewery opened in San Fernando at the tail end of July and it will be reviewed this month along with….

~ e-visits to three breweries in Idaho.  No potato beers here. Just Payette, Sawtooth and Portneuf beer.
~ special reviews of beers from just outside L.A. from places like Santa Barbara, Claremont and Temecula
~ 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, Strange Brews from WBEZ in Chicago, (also home to This American Life)
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 102 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is the future landscape of beer

Here are two events to get your August started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) August 7th – Brew at the Zoo
2) August 19th – Phantom Carriage One Night Stand at Beer Belly

Sean Suggests for July 2015

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Trying to keep things a little light without being too one-sided in beer styles. The other, more noticeable theme is, breweries a good day trip distant from L.A.

~LIGHT
Claremont Craft Ales/ Indian Hill 4.0% ABV
Indian Hill is our version of a Session IPA: bursting with hop flavor, but restrained in alcohol. We aggressively hop this one with huge amounts of citra, while the addition of wheat keeps this beer crisp and easy-drinking – perfect for your adventures to the beach or the mountains

~MEDIUM
Pure Order Brewing/ Red Eye Wheat 4.85% ABV
“The inspiration for this beer is derived from the old Dunkelweizen style of South Germany. It is a red wheat beer with slight caramel and raisin tones. While a traditionally bitter beer, the Pure Order brewing team’s western influence has made it a perfect brew for the warm Santa Barbara sun. Contrary to what you may think, the name Red Eye Wheat is a reference to the flight you might take to the German home of this beer’s style rather than the state of your eyes after a couple Pure Order cold ones. The label itself is a tribute to the famously convenient and uniquely styled Santa Barbara Airport.”

~DARK
Bravery Brewing/ Old Rat 9.0% ABV
“An old rat is a brave rat. This is an English style old ale, with flavors of chocolate maltiness,toffee, and subtle dark fruit. ”