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I should probably check what percentage of beer posts are about collaborations. I guess as an introvert, I am intrigued by the camaraderie shown inside the brewhouse.
One of the more prolific collaborators has been Beachwood. They are at it again with Radiant Beer and a lagered IPA using The Californiana lingo for the name.
Time to unveil MY best beers of the month…
Honorable Mention goes to all of the New Zealand hopped beers that I tried from Firestone Walker’s Propagator. All were quite unique and showcased each different hop well.
Runner Up was High Water Brewing and their Break Apart Cream Ale which was just so different than most of the other beers tasted. That creamsicle orange flavor was great.
The Grand Winner came from Radiant Brewing in Anaheim. Mind Gardens Pilsner was made with Riwaja hops and it was both hoppy without taking anything away from the pilsner aspects of the beer.
The IPA standings remain unchanged for the second straight month.
Third – Crooked Stave Idaho 7 IPA
Second – Indie Brewing Quintette IPA
First – Offshoot Beer Co. DDH Visions
Subtle is sometimes avoided on beer labels but Radiant Beer Co. has SNL’d their new lager quite cleverly. From the slightly altered name to the “motivational” sub-title and then the blue check. More breweries should take this tack.
I made a trek down to Radiant Beer Co. on a sunny day in early May to get a feel as to their range of beers. I have has a few Radiant cans up to this point but I wanted to sample a hazy IPA made with Phantasm! powder which is a grape product akin to hop powder.
Before that, I started with the Light and the Crispy. Blank Slate witbier and Sun Spangles amber. The wit has chamomile but it was a little too faint for me. The amber was solid which is a good indicator that attention was paid.
Then it was on to the hoppy portion of the taster tray. Hazy pale, Secondary Motion was a strong contender for best beer. Spoiler, it kept the #1 spot Super soft with a citrus smoothie taste to it. Then it was on to the Sounds Phantastic! which was another well done hazy. Both the pale and the IPA have the haze but didn’t have that ugly brown unfiltered cider look. They were colorful yellow in keeping with the brewery name . Lastly was the On Chill IPA (yes, i stayed away from the pastry stouts on purpose), it was my least favorite of the group. The combo of hops used ended up being a muddle to me
The location is right up next to a railroad track on busy Lincoln Ave. so when safe, I would recommend staying indoors which is a lovely space. I like the bright colors too. Visually makes one happy. And the staff was super friendly and helpful which I appreciated.
Certainly add this to any Anaheim brewery adventure.
I finally snared a can from the new Anaheim brewery, Radiant Beer Co. The vinyl referencing That Track is a Groove West Coast IPA.
This IPA pours a big, bright yellow color. Snappy and effervescent on the tongue at first. Initially pine but a lighter burst of a creamy citrus jumps in to take over. Dare I say, more juicy than West Coast. Dare I say further that it strays into milkshake territory. There is a little bit of palate hop attack but it then turns soft. Not I need a bad way but there seems to me a bit of style drift from West Coast.