Tag: Sean suggests

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Sean Suggests for November 2016

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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. “

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Sean Suggests for July 2016

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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!”

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Sean Suggests for March 2016

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Has spring sprung? Hard to tell in Los Angeles where the sun is always in the sky. Even when it is raining. But here are three fruit tinged beers with enough alcohol heft to make them good selections for cool and windy days.

~LIGHT
Almanac/ Apricot de Brettaville 6.50% ABV
For this special release, we set out with the goal of making a beer where every ingredient and process contributed to one ambition: creating layers of apricot flavor. The natural flavors of the brett yeast create tropical and stone fruit flavors in the barrel, which we matched with a small mountain of San Joaquin Valley apricots and finish with a delicate dry hop of aromatic hops. The result is every aspect of the beer, from the yeast, to the fruit to the hops add apricot flavor and aroma – resulting in a delicious wild ale.

~MEDIUM
King Harbor/ Coconut IPA 6.70% ABV
If a tropical beach vacation could be captured in a beer, this would be it. the pineapple, mango, and citrus hop character of our flagship IPA blended with lightly toasted coconut creates a tropical party on your palate. Go ahead, drink it out of a coconut with a mini umbrealla. We won’t judge you.

~DARK
Allagash/ Evora 9.00% ABV
“Evora is a golden hued beer, brewed with a 2-Row and Maris Otter malt blend. It was hopped with Northern Brewer, Mt Hood and Sorachi Ace hops. The primary fermentation used a classic Belgian yeast strain. The beer was then aged for 16 months in Portuguese Brandy barrels with Brettanomyces. The finished beer exhibits notes of honey and stone fruit in the aroma. Citrus and oak dominate the flavor giving way to hints of bread crust. Evora is medium bodied with a fruity, dry finish.”

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Sean Suggests for February 2015

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I came so close to an all encompassing theme for this month. Gluten beers and pale lagers are oft ignored in favor of IPAs and barrel-aged beers. So one from each category headlines this month’s shopping list but I also want to appease the other side as well so I will pander with a new series from Saint Archer under the Tusk & Grain nom de plume.

~LIGHT
10 Barrel/ Pub Beer 5.00% ABV
Just recently dropped into the L.A. market. A pale lager emblazoned without a logo and just saying Pub Beer on it. It’s a nod to the old generic beer cans of yore.

~MEDIUM
New Belgium/ Glütiny Pale Ale 6.00% ABV
“Glütiny Pale Ale is brewed using an enzyme to break down the proteins that trigger a reaction from gluten sensitive drinkers. Therefore, these beers are being referred to as “gluten removed” instead of gluten free. The beers fall within the FDA guidelines of less than 20 parts per million.

New Belgium Glütiny Pale Ale features Equinox hops, for flavors of guava and papaya. “

~DARK
Tusk & Grain/ 01 12.50% ABV
“For our inaugural barrel release, we present to you an expressive union between hand crafted beer and American Oak. We carefully designed three beers consisting of a Barley Wine, Imperial Porter, and Imperial Stout, to mature in some of Kentucky’s finest bourbon barrels, and the result is beautiful. Overwhelmingly rich. Staggeringly decadent. This beer challenges complexity by bringing toffee, chocolate, dark fruit, and oak to your palate, all while maintaining the essence of what defines a great barrel aged beer”

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Sean Suggests for January 2015

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El Nino has made his first mark on Los Angeles and we can finally drink some heavier beers while huddled under rainwear outside or better yet, blankets inside. Here are three beers to warm you up in January.

~LIGHT
Angel City/ Double IPA 8.60% ABV
“Angel City Double IPA is a veiled, light copper-toned, robustly hopped ale. Huge sweet papaya and floral hop aromas leap off a dense white head of foam, leading into a full malty body, with a cutting piney bitterness.”

~MEDIUM
Modern Times/ Devil’s Teeth 10.00% ABV
“Devil’s Teeth is a hybrid of an Old Ale and an Imperial Stout, two English beer styles designed to withstand long voyages and dark winters. It brings rich maltiness and robust roastiness in a thick, tongue-coating, aggressively flavorful package. To this chewy mix of old world beasts, we brought a massive dose of our house roasted mix of blueberry-forward Ethiopian and chocolate-forward Sumatran coffees.”

~DARK
Dogfish Head/ Higher Math 17.00% ABV
“A golden strong ale fermented with sour cherry juice and cocoa nibs. Higher Math has forward notes of cherries, pineapple and stewed fruit, with late notes of cocoa. It has a lingering sweetness and a notable warmth from the alcohol.”

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Sean Suggests for August 2015

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We leave the state of California behind in this month’s shopping list as we hit up three very different styles and ABVS.

~LIGHT
Boulevard Brewing/ Pop-Up Session IPA 4.30% ABV
“Boulevard Pop-Up Session I.P.A. joins its big brothers Single-Wide and Double-Wide in our trailer park of hop-centric beers. This “session” model is built for frequent excursions, with a very drinkable character and relatively low bitterness tucked behind a big, fruity hop aroma”

~MEDIUM
Left Hand Brewing/ Oktoberfest 6.60% ABV
“This is no festivus for the restuvus – on the contrary – we start brewing in the Spring and it takes a full two months to reach lagered perfection. Biscuity, malty goodness dominates upfront while the noble pedigree hops lend a properly spicy, dry finis”

~DARK
Sound Brewery/ Tripel Entendre 9.90% ABV
“Complexity and balance from a simple recipe of the finest ingredients obtainable. Clear and light in color, this strong Belgian ale drinks smooth and easy but has the complexity to complement the finest meals or to savor alone at the end of the evening.”

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Sean Suggests for April 2015

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The theme this month is numerology. You have the 5th Game of Thrones beer with a menacing raven, the third addition to the Zymaster Series and the 2015 edition of some funkiness. A relatively heavy group of high ABV beers.

~LIGHT
Brewery Ommegang / Three-Eyed Raven7.2% ABV
” Three-Eyed Raven harbors a deep dark brown, almost jet-black color with a light tan head. Yeast forward aromas are packed with peppery phenolics and fruity esters. Despite what you might expect from a dark hued beer, the flavor brings to mind a traditional saison: a light, malty body with a hint of sweetness, and roast accentuated by herbal and spicy hops, yet underpinned by pleasant yeastiness. Finish is crisp, with lingering notes of herbal hops and Belgian yeast.”

~MEDIUM
Anchor Brewing / Flying Cloud 7.4% ABV
” Anchor brewmaster Mark Carpenter’s recipe for our export stout (7.4% ABV) is more Dublin-style than London-style, which helps distinguish this black-as-night brew from our Anchor Porter (5.6% ABV). Our grain bill for Flying Cloud San Francisco Stout includes Maris Otter pale, two black malts, and flaked barley. Goldings hops provides the perfect complement to the dry, dark-chocolately flavors from the malt. And now this export stout, inspired by the stouts shipped around Cape Horn to San Francisco in the 1850s, ships—with delightful irony—to London, allowing our Anchor Brewery to return the 164-year-old favor!”

~DARK

He’Brew / Funky Jewbelation 9.4 % ABV
” The 2015 incarnation of Funky Jewbelation will hit your glass as a deep, groovy brown, with a thin white head that dissipates quickly, leaving behind a funky tart aroma that comes after allowing a blend of certain beer to chill in a collection of far-out barrels for anywhere between a few months to over a year. The flavor of 2015 Funky Jewbelation is going to provide more hop character than most funky beers have seen, this dynamite quality comes from American hops we used to bitter and flavor one of our base beers, allowing a truly gnarly experience for all to geek out on!”

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Sean Suggests for December 2014

header_beer_shopping_listThis year, my suggestions are for beers to bring over and share on Christmas Day.  And that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be a barrel-aged imperial stout.  You don’t want to be blotto before you fish the last gift out of the stocking do you?

~LIGHT

Anchor Brewing/ Winter Wheat 7.00% ABV

“Anchor Winter Wheat is made with a unique blend of malted barley and five wheats from Belgium, Germany, the Midwest, and a family farm just 75 miles away, where we get our soft red winter wheat.”

~MEDIUM

Cascade/ Gose 7.50% ABV

“This NW style sour ale is a re-creation of a historic German beer style, spiced with coriander and sea salt to replicate the water in the town of Goslar where the beer originated.”

~DARK

Brasserie Dupont/ Avec les bons Vœux de la brasserie Dupont 9.50% ABV

“A coppery blond beer with aromas of hops for the Bon Voeux is a beer tasting combining mellow bitterness and fruity. Our selection of yeasts and a long maturation phase with hopping gives it flavor and a characteristic and complex taste. The true fermentation in the bottle , which can be extended very long in your cellar, resulting in a balanced and harmonious beer, surprising and complex aromas .”

 

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Sean Suggests for August 2014

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The August selections are all California brewed but that is where the similarities end. All three breweries have wildly different cultures and I assume yeast cultures as well.

~LIGHT

Firestone Walker / Oaktoberfest 5.00% ABV

“A proper German Märzen bier. Traditional imported malts offer subtle honey-like aromas with hints of Noble hop spice. The stars of this brew are the imported Pilsner and Vienna malts that offer malty sweetness that carry through to the end. German Hallertau hops add rich Noble hop character to balance this exceptional Marzen.”

~MEDIUM

Modern Times/ Phalanx 7.50% ABV

“At 7.5% ABV & 100 IBUs, Phalanx is somewhere between a single IPA & a double IPA. It prominently features Australian Summer hops, which bring a very distinctive peach/melon character to the beer. That awesome fruit character is balanced by some citrusy Chinook hops & a touch of dankness from Horizon.”

~DARK

Lagunitas/ Imperial Red  7.80% ABV

“This Special Ale is In Reality, the Exhumation of the Very First Ale We Ever Brewed Way, Way Back, in 1993. Brewed With a Big Head, a Muscular Malty Thorax, a Silky Texture & All Strung Together With a Hoppy Sweet Nerve Sack… Ick. A dank and roasty treat.”

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Sean Suggests for July 2015

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Last month was a little light on the ABV, for June, we are cranking it up a notch. Starting with a dry hopped beer that is not to be missed followed by a pair of collaborations on the darker side. Enjoy!

~LIGHT

Alaskan Brewing/ Freeride APA 5.30% ABV

“Alaskan Freeride APA features a lush, green, almost tropical hop aroma paired with the unique taste combination of these three, distinctive hop varieties, making it both full in flavor and crisply thirst-quenching.”

~MEDIUM

Ska Brewing/ Modus Hoperandi 6.80% ABV

“Strong citrus aromas followed by pine rise from the glass. As it moves across your tongue… bitterness… following close behind is a melding of citrus and pine with light caramel sweetness.”

~DARK

Almanac/ Farmers Reserve Citrus  7.00% ABV

“melding the intensely aromatic zest of Buddha’s Hand citrons with the bracing tartness of Bergamot oranges in a sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels. ”