Tag: San Pedro

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Review – Two Hazies from Brouwerij West

Doing a hazy double dip with Brouwerij West….

Frizzonaire with Citra, Enigma and Cashmere – hazy if not murky appearance. little sawdust and Concord grape on the nose. very soft mouthfeel with that grape taste there in the leas with some prickly hop bitterness popping here and there. as it warms a bit, I get a subtle hit of peach and creamsicle.

Next up is Scissor Run with Amarillo, Huell Melon and Ekuanot – this is very berry bright upon opening the swirling labeled can. a lighter yellow shade of haze in the glass. getting a berry, peach combo here. a little brisker upon the palate, but still soft mouthfeel. a little more piney bitterness as well.

Hard to pick a winner here but based on my haze guideposts, Frizzonaire hews closer to the line for me.

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Feral Earth

I don’t normally post about beers that are pert near impossible to land so think of this as an early recognition for what may be a new L.A. brewery.

The San Pedro nano is Feral Earth, helmed by Javier Rodriguez who also brews over at Brewjeria. Keep an eye out and snag a bottle if you can.

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Review – Earth That Was from Brouwerij West

Making the most of a simple circular label on a silver can, Brouwerij West has been canning a few of their beers. This “skeletal” IPA is the first that I have tasted from the San Pedro brewery.

This canned Belgian IPA or NE IPA pours a slightly hazed straw yellow color. Woodsy and earthy spring to mind when drinking this beer. Has that NE habit of green hop taste that gritty sticks to the roof of the mouth. The bitterness does linger. Some lemon notes at the back. Super cool label. Love the name too. This beer warms my cheeks quick for some reason despite only rolling in at 6% abv.

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Mix that Fermentation


Brouwerij West is calling it a year with a breakfrunch.  Plus you get High Fives.

Here is the initial beer list:
•Our 1st Anniversary Beer: Barrel-Aged Tripel (NEW!)
A Belgian Golden Strong Ale aged for 3 months in red wine puncheons
•Animal Farm – mixed-fermentation beer aged on peaches (NEW!)
•Chinatown – barrel-aged mixed-fermentation beer (NEW!)
•Spelt Saison (Out-of-the-Cellar First-Year Favorite!)
•Buckwheat Sour (Out-of-the-Cellar First-Year Favorite!)
•Get Back (Out-of-the-Cellar First-Year Favorite!)
•+ surprise variations on some of our classics & more

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B. West Cans


Brouwerij West of San Pedro will be releasing their first canned beers next week. 16oz Can-conditioned versions of 2 of our favorites: Dog Ate My Homework – blackberry saison and Mor Mor Belgian-style Quadrupel will be sold in limited run can-conditioned 16oz cans.

They go on sale Saturday January 7th when the coastal taproom opens at Noon and will be available as singles & in 4-packs.

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Return to Brouwerij West

A few photos and notes from my recent return trip to Brouwerij West to catch up with Brian Mercer and to see how the beers are evolving in San Pedro.
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The Popfuji pilsner in just a few short weeks has become a number one seller in the tap room with the occasional IPA (2 distinct versions) being number 2 which is not at all surprising but I had hoped that the sours and Saisons would be selling more.
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Production is ramping up but the logistics of which beers to brew and the waiting involved has slowed distribution but look for Popfuji in 4-packs and special releases to show up on shelves in the coming months.
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Also look for more experimentation as a small tank has been added to increase taproom only specials. Think plums.

Big thanks to Brian and Dave for the tasting flight and informative beer talk.

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New from Brouwerij West

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If you haven’t made your way to the Navy Warehouse that is the cool new home of Brouwerij West, well, here are three more reasons that this weekend (or the next) might be opportune times…

…they have added three new beers including an IPA for those insatiable hop monsters.

Spoonful: “A Belgian farmer’s table beer (or, if you prefer, a Belgian single or Patersbier or Enkel – it goes by many names in Belgium), this beer is earthy, fruity, rustic and has been aged 4 months in stainless.

Grapefruit Radler: We first made this beer two weeks ago and it sold out quickly… but we just got another 600 pounds of grapefruits so it will be back again this Friday. We took a blonde base beer and added a whole lot of fresh-squeezed grapefruits from a farmer friend of ours.

Pinkerton: Yes, it’s an IPA! We were being asked almost everyday in the tasting room to please make an IPA. We had never intended to make one but we thought it would be a fun project. So our goal with this IPA was to incorporate the malts and yeasts we use currently into a Brouwerij West IPA. It sure was fun to make. Pinkerton is brewed with a blend of Dingemans Pale Malt, Bohemian Floor-Malted Barley and oats. Entirely late-hopped in the kettle and then dry-hopped with over 3 lbs per barrel of Wakatu, Dr. Rudi, Cascade and Denali hops. We combined an English ale yeast with our house Brett for primary fermentation. Super fruity and hoppy aroma with soft bitterness and a dry pallet. Hazy gold in color with a soft creamy mouthfeel.

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First Look – Brouwerij West

Grand Opening day finally arrived for Brouwerij West and I ambled down to the former Navy warehouses in San Pedro to taste the beer and see the sea.

First on to beer # 1 which was Sour Orange A witbier that was redolent of wheat with a slight orange kiss to it. I wouldn’t call it sour by any stretch of the imagination. Though the sour is present in the aroma more than the taste. The Seville orange flavor (marmalade-ish) grows as it warms. Nice but mis-named.
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I checked my notes and I was here basically a year ago. It is still just a cavernous space. Even with brewing equipment, tables and a crowd, it is still has plenty of elbow room. With the cargo doors opened you get rectangles of light but the interior is cold but it becomes less dark due to the strings of light in the rafters which are more than just Instagram decoration. Sorta wish there was a bit of history of the building somewhere. Some naval nod. There was a pretty big crowd outside in the sun. The grand opening was strong on organization. IDs checked at one station. Tickets at the next. Beer inside with ticket takers on one side of the table and pour volunteers on the other. Makes for fast delivery.
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Next I had to go with the Super Orange – now this is tart. Sour right at the front followed by the orange. Seems a bit lighter than the regular orange. More of the peel than the regular orange.
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It is a lovely space and perfect for drinking beer. I will be back to get a taster during normal hours. Have to see what the rest of the new and expanded tap list is like plus taste the old favorites that have been missing from shelves.