Tag: September

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Best Beers of September 2023

It was grand to have some draft Trillium this month so I need to put Headroom Hazy DIPA on the best of list for the month. I also have to shout out a dopplebock from Ventura Coast Brewing, Earth Day for being such a pleasant style change from all the hops. Speaking of, I was shocked to see that my AmaWhole FoodsZon had bottles of Russian River’s Hop Growers IPA – CLS Farms edition in their cooler. It was light and delicious.

But my winner is from Oregon, Cascade Brewing’s Tartini. Sour but not puckeringly so. And by goodness, it had botanicals not only in the beer description but in the beer itself. Lovely light spice note. On the nose for gin fans.

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Best Beers of September 2022

Part of the month was spent in Kentucky but only one beer made the Best of the Month roster.

Let’s harshly rank this month…

  • 4th – West 6th Brewing Dankechain Oktoberfest
  • 3rd – Malibu Brewing First Point IPA
  • 2nd – Firestone Walker / Green Bench Dabbling in Decoction
  • 1st – Ambitious Ales Dream Tea Hazy IPA
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In the Tap Lines for September 2022

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This month I will be making my first ever trip to Kentucky, specifically, the Bourbon Trail from Louisville to Bardstown.  So get a snifter out, there is going to be some bourbon talk this month.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from cities that also distill spirits
~ special featured review of Kentucky
~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Bourbon Empire by Reid Mitenbuler
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Bourbon Pursuit
~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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In the Tap Lines for September 2021

header_attractionsHello September.  Where the first two weeks are filled with Fest and Pumpkin beers which then disappear before tge month is over.  Why? Cause ‘Merica needs to move on to the next holiday pronto.  But let’s drink in the here and the now this month.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries in college football towns
~ special featured reviews of beers bought from City Beer Store
~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Gene & Roger
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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In the Tap Lines for September 2020

header_attractionsSoCal just suffered through some heat but I hope that September begins the slow winding down of temperatures.  Still no good news on the ol’ Virus front but it seems that breweries are still being left out of the open up groups.  I will say it again, here is to hoping September will be better.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Oakland area in honor of Kamala Harris.
~ special featured reviews of beers from Fieldwork Brewing.  One hazy and one dark lager
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events (Far in the future events)
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Land of the Giants – Netflix
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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Virtual Hop Picking

Yup, every damn thing I see going to have the word “virtual” in front of it. But, this virtual harvest is making me look forward to September. Check out the SCHEDULE and you will see som technical stuff but they are going g to name a new hop and other fun stuff too. If you are a hop fan, this will make you bitter in a good way.

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The Firkin for September 2019

Best of Show. Considering that to truly find the best IPA brewed in the US would probably take you years and thousands of dollars and your liver, I am finding competitions less illuminating and below that are the internet Best in Style pieces that pop up from time to time.

Recently the California Craft Brewers Association held a Cup but only a 1/3 of breweries participated and none sent their full range for obvious logistic reasons. I have no doubt that the winner was a damn fine beer but “BEST”? Methinks the sample size is not full strength.

Same with a recent Vinepair Top 15 IPA list. There are so many variables at play. Availability, freshness, judging styles, palate fatigue but one each from Washington and Oregon with the Washington one being Elysian? That strains credulity. I can’t imagine trying to crown a best IPA in Los Angeles. There are too many. Some gone in a blink of an eye.

Maybe if I was made of money and had a Tardis to get me to that just tapped moment, I could do it. But until that day arrives, I just don’t hold much stock in these lists.

Currently, I prefer the personal, party of one list. The totally subjective form where one knowledgeable (hopefully) person submits what they like.

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Sean Suggests for September 2018

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Let’s stray from the IP-Yeah! for a second straight month and head to the lighter side. Why? Because it is still kinda global warm here in SoCal.

~LIGHT
Cervecería de Colima / Colimita 4.20% ABV
“Colimita is the motivation and raison d’être of Cervecería de Colima. It emerged to represent the beautiful simplicity of this tropical garden under the volcano, of this which is the favorite land of the sun.”

~MEDIUM
Enegren Brewing / Edel Pils 4.80% ABV
“Crisp, clean and refreshing traditional German-Style Pilsner. Brewed with German Pilsner malts and German noble hops, this is a easy drinking summer beer with a just enough hop bite.”

~BIG
Almanac / Vibes Pilsner 5.30% ABV
“Vibes Pilsner is our hoppy NorCal twist on the classic Pilsner style. Brewed with California-grown and malted Admiral Pilsner malt, and dry-hopped with Hüll Melon, Citra and Motueka for dank lemon-lime aromas, this ultra crisp lager is all good.”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for September 2018

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OktoFest beers are starting to show up as if to will us out of one of the continuously hit SoCal summers in memories. Raise a glass to fall coming and to the coming pumpkin debate and other social media debates. Let’s keep talking people. Don’t retreat to a corner!

~ e-visits to three cider houses in British Columbia. Left Field Cider, The Naramata Cider Co. and Dominion Cider
~ special featured reviews of canned beers from Figueroa Mountain
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Taco USA by Gustavo Arellano
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your September started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) September 5th – Stalking Horse 1st Anniversary
2) September 9th – Seeing Double at Angel City

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The Firkin for September 2017


PicoBrew, Brewie, Mini Brew, EZ Brew, WilliamsWarn, Hopii and Hopsy. Now taking a cue from Last Week Tonight, if I told you that one of those home brew system names was fake, would you be certain you knew which one? Or that one isn’t even a home brew appliance at all?

Reading through a recent NPR article about the rise of beer gadgets had my head spinning at the amount of choices for a really unproven niche.

And what spins my head a few more revolutions is the fact that there is so much beer out there on shelves, ready-to-go that you would probably have to forgo since these beer machines are not on the cheap side. Now, maybe that is for the better. You would expect a high price to create high quality. But the costs, to me, outweigh, the endeavor. The appeal of brewing at home is to create something that is yours, something you can’t get on store shelves. Or you are doing it to master the art and science of the process. These machines are basically producing a simulacrum of an available beer.

Especially when you are tied to ingredient packs to make your beer. Those packs are obviously where the margins lie for profit and for branding opportunities with breweries but when I look at these machines, I see those K-Cup coffee makers that have had more press about their recycling downside than how great the coffee is.

If I were selling these, I would hit up each and every brewery operating. That is where you can sell for that price as an R&D product for those brewers with little time left over in a day.

By the way, Hopsy is not a home brew system and EZ Brew is my own word invention.