Tag: September

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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.

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Sean Suggests for September 2017

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This month it is Fire and Fresh Hops. There are more IPA’s than you can shake multiple sticks at but the least I can do is add at least one non-hoppy option.

~LIGHT
Fremont/ Field to Ferment6% ABV
“Brewing is the craft of blending science with artistry then introducing the mystical. Field to Ferment exemplifies this adventure. We brew this fresh hop ale throughout the entire hop harvest in Yakima highlighting different hop varieties as they are harvested. Field to Ferment represents a colossal collaboration between the brewery and our hop farmers. We will make countless trips between the fields in Yakima and the brewery in Fremont, loaded with tens of thousands of pounds of fresh, juicy hops. Nothing is fresher, nothing is better for a brewer.”

~MEDIUM
Fort Point/ Animal IPA7% ABV
“This is a big, wild and aromatic IPA. Amarillo and Meridian hops give the beer a thick orange mid-palate that’s balanced with a classic IPA bitterness.”

~DARK
Aecht Schlenkerla/ Eiche Oak Smoke8% ABV
“While for the classic “Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier” traditionally beech has been – and still is – used, the malt for “Schlenkerla Oak Smoke” is kilned with Oak wood. The resulting Schlenkerla Oak Smoke Malt has a smoother and more multi layered smoky note than the intensely aromatic Beech Smoke Malt. The hence complex smokiness in the “Schlenkerla Oak Smoke” is paired with the multifaceted bitterness of finest Hallertau aroma hops. With 8% alcohol and amber color it matures for months in the deep brewery cellars underneath Bamberg into a special treat for smoke beer lovers.”

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 2017

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Los Angeles is entering the last two months of summer. This is the time for that last hurrah of kolsch, helles and the lighter side of the beer world before heading into our version of Autumn. This month I have “planned” the following….

~ e-visits to three breweries from Houston, Texas. Doubtful any of them will have beers named Harvey anytime soon.
~ special featured reviews of Cloudwater Brew Co.
~ 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 IT from Stephen King
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your August started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) September 9th – Buy a Dog a Beer Festival at Wolf Creek Brewing
2) September 16th-17th – Saaztoberfest Weekend at Angel City.

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Sean Suggests for September 2016

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We finally found some days with grey mornings and maybe fall has arrived here in Los Angeles. Which means you are free to speak the verboten word pumpkin. Not that I will yet.

~LIGHT
Bell’s/ Octoberfest 5.8% ABV
“A coppery amber lager that showcases a full bodied, malty flavor that is balanced by a refreshing bitterness derived from fine noble hops.”

~MEDIUM
Hopf Weissbrauerei / Spezial Weisse 6.0% ABV
“The Festive: After more than traditional recipes, with great care and high quality ingredients we brew this special wheat beer in its unique red-gold color. The typical fruitiness, with full white beer flavor and an exclusive malt flavor bring Hopf Special White to a palatable and sparkling drinking experience. “

~DARK
Almanac/ White Label 7.5% ABV
“This beer pairs two “blancs”: California-grown Muscat Blanc grapes and German Hallertau Blanc hops. Blended together in wine barrels and large oak foudres, White Label emerges from the casks as a unique hybrid of beer and wine. The combination of white grapes and tropical-aroma hops creates a luscious nose of ripe apricot, lychee and lemongrass. Finished with a touch of coriander, this complex sipper is a perfect pairing for dishes like mussels steamed in coconut curry, fresh pad thai, and macadamia crusted halibut. “

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In the Tap Lines for September 2016

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This month I make my first trek to Sacramento for the California Craft Beer Summit. I will be sitting in on seminars, learning about food and beer pairings and much more. Including some tiny amount of beer drinking. Look for that coverage and the following in the blog this month…

~ e-visits to Sacramento breweries
~ special featured reviews with one caveat, blind tasting, one vs. another.
~ 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 Between the World and Me
~ 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 10th – Sixpoint Ales tap takeover at Barrel & Ashes
2) September 15-18th Peachapalooza at Beachwood BBQ

…and here is the beer photo of the month…
IMG_7092

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Sean Suggests for September 2015

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Screw the pumpkin beer! It is my new motto in this monthly shopping post. But, you may argue, the medium choice is a Halloween beer. Am I contradicting myself? Nope, because AleSmith beers are best really fresh and their haunting offering is no different. Get it now rather than later.

~LIGHT
Bell’s/ Best Brown Ale 5.8% ABV
“A smooth, toasty brown ale, Best Brown Ale is a mainstay in our fall lineup. With hints of caramel and cocoa, the malt body has the depth to stand up to cool weather, but does not come across as heavy. This balancing act is aided by the generous use of American hops.”

~MEDIUM
AleSmith/ Evil Dead Red 6.66% ABV
“Each Halloween we release this special concoction to celebrate one of our favorite holidays. Deep blood-red in color, an intense aroma of pine and citrus from an abundance of American hops balances the sweetness and rich, bready flavors of this beer’s caramel malts. The result is a fiendishly smooth brew that will make your taste buds scream with delight.”

~DARK
Green Flash/ Green Bullet 10.1% ABV
“With the aim of finding new and unique ingredients, we honed in on New Zealand grown Pacific Gem and Green Bullet hops to create this adventurous Triple IPA. Green Bullet leaps onto your palate with bold, spicy pine and citrus flavors including tropical notes of mango and pineapple. The aggressive yet well-balanced finish will stun the senses of even the most skilled hop hunter.”

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In the Tap Lines for September 2015

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The drought continues as we in L.A. await the Godzilla El Nino.  But we are keeping cool with a bevy of events this month.

~ e-visits to three breweries just north of Beervana in Vancouver, Washington
~ special reviews of beers of Oktoberfest like Sierra Nevada and Left Hand.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ Beer-centric podcast review, Good Beer Hunting
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 103 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month The Hard Stuff

Here are two events to get your August started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) September 1st – Angel City premieres their Jameson barrel aged beer.
2) Late September – Der Wolfskopf will be hosting Oktoberfest at their German themed Pasadena location.

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Sean Suggests for September 2014

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I will highlight the BEER of September in a separate post but one cannot live by one beer alone, so here are three more to bridge the gap before the attack of pumpkin beers.  Wait, that attack has already started.

~LIGHT

Dogfish Head / Festina Peche 4.50% ABV

“Served as an apertif or summertime quencher, Festina is delicately hopped and has a pale straw color.”

~MEDIUM

Golden Road/ Might As Well IPL 7.20% ABV

“Our IPA-Style Lager is brewed like an IPA, hopped like an IPA, but fermented with lager yeast for a clean, light malt profile that highlights the bold passion fruit and pear contributed by Galaxy and Calypso hops”

~DARK

Monkish/ Hem & Haw 6.60% ABV

“Dark farmhouse with brettanomyces.”