This month, gonna keep this an all We Love L.A. edition of the beer shopping list.
Crowns & HopsHeritage Amber Lager – 5.6% – “our special release beer brewed for Black History Month to celebrate the history and current contributions of African Americans.”
Trademark BrewingOcean Thunder West Coast IPA – 7% – a Double Dry-Hopped IPA featuring Nelson, Citra and Strata hops.
Beachwood BrewingJukebox Jammer IPA – 7.1% – “this West Coast IPA is packed with a bold, dank four-hop blend (Mosaic Dynaboost, Columbus Cryo, Mosaic, Talus) that hits all the right notes!”
And here is a wee bonus option that you might want to track down….
Two out of three ain’t bad, right? The first two beers are collaborations between brewery and outside partner. They are also both in the 5% range. Then there is Sadie. An excellent outlier any day.
Bright SparkFika Swedish Coffee Milk Stout – 5.8% – coffee collaboration with Beacon coffee.
BeachwoodSadie Batch 11 – 12% – “This is our 11th batch of this expressive strong ale that spends a year in American bourbon & whiskey barrels—rich caramel and vanilla flavors are intertwined with delicate notes of oak and toasted oats. This adventurous beer is as spirited and delightful as the girl who inspired it.”
It has been a bitter November so let’s dive into some hops to console ourselves. And let’s keep it in the Los Angeles family and within low 7% abv too.
Los Angeles Ale WorksSteady Coastin’ West Coast IPA – 7% – “Crisp with notes of juicy melon, berry, sweet fruit, and fresh pineapple.”
Brown Soul BrewingJuguito Hazy IPA – 7.1% – “inspired by our very own Chef Hugo, who many have come to know affectionately, as “Juice”, this hazy IPA packs a punch”
Ambitious AlesFrodo Foggins Hazy IPA – 7.2% – “we took the base of our NZ style Pils and beefed it up into a mighty foggy one! Pillowy soft with lots of juicy character the Freestyle Hops Motueka and Kohia Motueka Hop Kief are bursting with notes of lime sherbert, starbursts and tropical fruit.”
As much as I enjoy a good themed beer shopping list, sometimes you just want to go around the style horn and end up with a wide variety of beers. Here are three to try…
Highland Park BreweryBird Bier – 5.2% – “Witbier brewed with locally grown Buddha’s Hand plus Purple Sage & Pink Peppercorn foraged from The Audubon Center at Debs Park!”
Topa Topa BrewingPava Rosa Sangria-style Kettle Sour – 6.5% – “Brewed in collaboration with Carhartt Family Wines.”
MadeWest8th Anniversary DIPA – 8% – “West Coast Double IPA with notes of pink grapefruit, blueberry and pine. Hopped with Nelson, Simcoe Cryo and Mosaic Incognito in the whirlpool followed by a generous dry hop of Vista, Mosaic, Ekuanot & Columbus Cryo.”
This month really runs the gamut. Of styles, ABV’s and ingredients. Give thanks for the wonderful diverse world of craft beer!
Stone BrewingLiberty Station Centennial Pilsner – 4.7% – “American pilsner dry hopped with Cryo Centennial hops to celebrate 100 years of the naval base at Liberty Station. Notes of white grape, pear and mild citrus.”
Cellador AlesSubtle Peaks: in Spring Bright Nectarine – 5.9% – “A Dry-Hopped Masumoto Nectarine beer will be the first release from fruit season”
Samuel AdamsUtopias 2023 – 28% – “Now released every two years, Utopias is a blend of multiple batches of the brewery’s earlier Extreme Beers which are further aged in multiple types of barrels. Utopias has always been aged in charred whiskey casks, and this year the Sam Adams brewers expanded the kinds of barrels for more complex flavors.”
“In addition to American bourbon barrels, we use imported Scotch and peated whisky barrels. The peated Scotch barrels add a wisp of smoke to the flavor, while Ruby Port and Carcavelos casks from Portugal and Cognac barrels from France bring dark fruit notes. New to Utopias 2023 are the barrels from Pineau des Charentes – a rare, fortified French aperitif wine from western France. While Utopias 2023 has European roots, it’s a distinctively American innovation.”
Thanks Climate change! Time to go a little lighter this month to compensate what we humans have done to this planet. Let’s drink some lighter beers and also help, just a little while we are drinking.
Arts District BrewingSummer Crush – 4.3% – “Crafted on a bright and tart sour wheat base, our brewers go all out pulverizing Meyer Lemons into our own purée to double down on that acidity, and then toss in heaps of raspberry and blackberry for a mega jammy and sweet tart experience.”
UnsungWormhole Pale Ale – 5.5% – “Hoppy west coast pale ale with strata & simcoe hops.”
VNBCHair We Go Hazy IPA – 6% – A mixture of Cascade, Saaz, Calypso and Citra Cryo. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Wigs for Kids.
Since the focus has been squarely on holiday ales, for this final 2021 shopping list, I have decided to spin the style wheel a bit. Enjoy!
LIGHT
Wren House – Lone Mountain Scotch Ale – “A taste of tradition awaits you in the next pour of our latest, Euro-style ale. You’ll be greeted with a beautiful hue of dark, ruby red. The aroma coming off of this Scotch ale is lovely too, mild toffee with subtle notes of cocoa. The mouthfeel is delightfully malty and roasty with a semi-dry finish.”
MEDIUM
Arrow Lodge – Wild in the Streets – “Cold IPA with Citra, CTZ and Centennial.
BIGGEST
Mumford Brewing – Super Merry – “Holiday Triple IPA with Nelson, Mosaic and Citra hops.”
For my November suggestions, let’s make some pointed jabs at the Tangerine Terror and his deplorables with names of beers on shelves now.
~LIGHT Beachwood/ Independent IPA 7.10% ABV “Without independence, there can be no invention. Cheers to unrestrained creative forces that move us upward and onward! Dry Hopped with El Dorado, Comet, and HBC 344. “
~MEDIUM Black Market/ Charlatan IPA 9.5% ABV “When you think of a lager, do light, malty, non-adventurous beer thoughts come to mind? That’s where the subterfuge begins and perception ends, with Charlatan. Charlatan is not your standard malty, or light, lager. It packs a wallop of serious hop punch and a treacherous 9.5% ABV to boot. This Double India Pale Lager combines the clean, refreshing base of pilsner malt and lager yeast, with some seriously piney, spicy, and resinous hops. Massive quantities of Eureka, and experimental hops give Charlatan everything you would want in an IPA, but in a lager.”
~DARK Sierra Nevada/ Ginger Bigfoot 12.6% ABV “This is a special version of our barrel-aged Bigfoot Barleywine Ale with fresh ginger added into the barrels. The resulting kick of ginger mellows Bigfoot’s ferocious hop bite and adds a new level of brightness of complexity. this beer gestures notes burnt sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and candied ginger. “
Running the gamut of styles this month as we head into the back half of 2016. Going from cherries to Wussies and then Imperialists for those with a political bent.
~LIGHT Bell’s/ Poolside 5.0% ABV “A refreshing Belgian-inspired Wheat Ale, Poolside is fermented with Montmorency cherry juice made from cherries grown near Traverse City in northern Michigan. It adds a subtle tartness and bright counterpoint to clove and other fruit aromas that result from the Belgian specialty yeast strain used to ferment this beer”
~MEDIUM Stone/ Who You Callin’ Wussie Pilsner 5.8% ABV “For far too long the tyrannical industrialized beer overlords have disgraced and cheapened the noble heritage of the pilsner with their relentless multi-generational downward drive to commercialized homogenization. Over decades, this once vaulted style has been slowly and methodically gutted, bringing forth a soulless and anemic result, all the while spending billions in advertising to convince the unwitting public that their fizzy yellow end result was beer. Well, I will not have it. We are striking back for true craft by stealing the pilsner back from their evil clutches, and restoring it to its almighty glory. They do it cheaply. We do it right. Choose vapidity, or choose righteousness…but whatever you do, choose wisely.”
~DARK Eagle Rock/ Imperialist 10.0% ABV “For many years American Light Lager dominated the global beer market, and the industrial brewers who made it worked hard to ensure a long reign of their beer king. Well, times have changed and the old king is dead. No more imperious agendas limiting your choices. You, my friend are the absolute ruler of this new, diverse landscape. Long live the new King!”
