Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Instead of pulling from the bottles and cans list from the Sunset Beer Co. weekly e-mail, this time I am pulling from the draft list and focusing local.
~LIGHT
Lucky Luke / Guest Wi-Fi Kolsch ??% ABV
“from Palmdale”
~MEDIUM
Smog City / Sunny Dipping Hefeweizen 4.50% ABV
“from Torrance”
~BIG
Institution / Batch 500 IPA 6.40% ABV
“from Camarillo”
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
For January, let’s look to the darker side and to devils and doubts.
~LIGHT
Bear Republic/ Sonoma Tart 5.20% ABV
“A pleasantly sour golden ale kissed with guava and passion fruit. Delicious fruit flavors with a sweet and tart finish.”
~MEDIUM
Little Beast / Ferme Rouge 7.50% ABV
“Oak-Aged Tart Red Ale. Our mixed-culture farmhouse red ale has bright flavors resulting from a balance of developed malt character, toasted oak and soft acidity. Unfiltered and bottle conditioned.”
~BIG
Indie Brewing / Nobody Walks in LA IPA 8.00% ABV
“A double dry hopped double IPA featuring Sabro, Styrian Wolf and Moutere hops.”
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
I could not settle on 1 solitary theme for this month’s beer picks, so two are big and boozy and the light one is still at least a brown ale for the random hot days we encounter in SoCal October.
~LIGHT
Indie Brewing / Embers 5.50% ABV
“A sessionable brown lager that’s perfect for the fall!”
~MEDIUM
Fremont / Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dark Star 13.60% ABV
“This year’s release is a blend of 24, 18, 12, and 8-month Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dark Star in 7-12-year old Kentucky bourbon barrels. The roasted and chocolate malts complement the smooth oats to bring you a stout delight wrapped in the gentle embrace of bourbon barrel-aged warmth. A touch of sweetness dances in balance with the hops to finish with a wave, and then she’s gone.”
~BIG
Dogfish Head / Fruitfull Fort 15.00% ABV
“A twist on our beloved Fort, Fruit-Full Fort is brewed with four types of berries – Raspberry, Blackberry, Boysenberry and Elderberry! This juicy blend of dark berries creates depth and complexity reminiscent of a jammy red wine. “
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
Let’s stray from the IP-Yeah! and head to Belgium for this month’s three picks. Let’s get some tartness and blending going.
~LIGHT
Drie Fonteinen / Cuvee Armand & Gaston5.50% ABV
Assembly of young, half-old and old lambics, brewed by 3 fountains. One hundred one hundred natural and authentic, spontaneous and somewhat stubborn, but always elegant and full of character. Pure passion as Armand and Gaston have always done.
~MEDIUM
Crooked Stave / Surette6.20% ABV
Provisional saison, Artisan ale aged in oak barrels In a particular region of southern Belgium, the reserve or provision saison was called surette, meaning tart. Using time-honored techniques, our saisons employ old-world methods to restore complexity and the classical rustic character lost in modern day saison. Brewed with local Colorado floor malted barley, traditional harvest grains, and noble hops, Surette embodies old-world saison brewing traditions. Each batch of Surette is an expression of the large oak foeders it matures in while taking on an aged vinous quality and a complex tartness. Showcasing citrusy ripe fruits, a light zesty spice, and earthy undertones, Surette’s character exemplifies our mixed culture of Brettanomyces and souring bacteria.
~BIG
De Proef / Surly / Zwart Star8.00% ABV
Old Ale w/ Star Anise aged on wood w/ Brettanomyces.
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
Welcome to 2018! For L.A. Beer fans, it will be a busy first month to the year with many anniversaries and events already on the calendar, anchored by the L.A. Beer and Food Festival. But we will duck outside for this month’s A Book & A Beer and to Durham, North Carolina to visit some breweries from our computers.
~ e-visits to three breweries from Durham, North Carolina perhaps Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending, Clouds Brewing, Fullsteam Brewery or Ponysaurus Brewing Co.
~ special featured reviews of beers bought during one visit to Sunset Beer.
~ 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 The River Why
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.
Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 4th – Boomtown Brewery Tap Take Over at Harajuku Taproom
2) January 13th – Transplants Brewing 2nd Anniversary
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)
Starting tonight, those of us in the valley can get a taste of Beachwood Blendery without making the drive or long Blue Line ride to Long Beach.
Check the graphic above and plan your sour schedule accordingly.
Time really does fly. It seems like yesterday, it was my birthday month and now I gots to be buying gifts for others. Selfish. I know. But maybe I will get the next round of b-day people some beer. Like these…
~LIGHT
Kern River/ Gravity Check SIPA 4.0% ABV
“Session IPA with Mosaic. Do you like doing stuff? Yeah, we do too. We designed this beer for people like us who don’t want their beer to get in the way of a good time; people who drink beer for the taste. This Session IPA blends the lightness of Pilsner malts with enough Mosaic hops to satisfy even the biggest hop head.”
~MEDIUM
Fremont Brewing/ Lush IPA 7.0% ABV
“We bring this tropical treat to you as a reminder of Spring’s coming, its rebirth and promise of sunny days forever. Lush is made with a hand-selected blend of malts and lush, tropical hops to help you bridge the last days of Winter and the coming of the Spring fever. “
~DARK
Scaldis/ Prestigue de Nuits Oak Aged 13.0% ABV
“Like the Brasserie Dubuisson’s renowned Scaldis Prestige, Scaldis Prestige de Nuits is aged in oak barrels for six months. But Prestige de Nuits is made of Scaldis Noel aged in Bourgogne barrels from the world famous “Nuits St. Georges” vineyard. The result is an ale of extraordinary complexity and depth. “
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
For February, let’s go with the color red. I know it is a day after Valentine’s Day but beer (like cards and chocolates) shouldn’t be just one day a year.
~LIGHT
Dieu du Ciel/ Rosee D’Hibiscus 5.9% ABV
“The Rosée d’Hibiscus is a soft spoken wheat beer. The rose colour comes from the hibiscus flowers added during the brewing process. The aromas and flavour of this tropical flower are very prominent in the beer, giving it a slight acidity and a very agreeable fragrance. It is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.”
~MEDIUM
Crux Fermentation/ Banished-Better Off Red 7.00% ABV
“Flanders Reds may be called the Burgundies of Belgium, but we age our take on this complex, slightly tart style in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels for nearly a year. A fresh batch will present spicier notes while older versions pick up more oak and yield cherry flavors. So we blended them figuring we’re better off presenting this exotic mélange simultaneously. “
~DARK
Logsdon/ Ceraus 8.5% ABV
“From Hood River, Oregon near the orchards of the Fruit Loop, a Flanders Style Red Ale with organic cherries.”
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
You are now free to roam about the cabin and talk about pumpkin beers. The embargo can be lifted because we are in the actual month of Halloween, also the NBA season kicks-off! So let’s look at what else to come….
~ e-visits to three breweries that you may not have heard of that won Gold at GABF
~ special reviews of beers new to bottles from Ladyface Ale Companie including their new Flanders Red, Flamberge
~ 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, Brew Bloods
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 104 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month on hiatus.
Here are two events to get your October started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) October 1st – Elysian Pumpkin Beers @ the Federal Bar
2) October 3rd – Sunset Beer 4th Anniversary Party
P.S. – You may have noticed that the Golden Road logo is no longer part of the “My Locals” graphic. I made that decision due to the fact that Tony Yanow is not involved anymore. That departure saddens me because, for me, he was the beer lover/IPA fan in the ownership group. That is gone and been replaced by ABInBev. That crater sized hole, I am afraid, will not be filled by people with that same Tony attitude.
I did not make this decision lightly and I know that it won’t matter a whit in their popularity but I have to draw line for myself and Golden Road crossed it, and crossed it without apology in their awkward video and other interviews that instead of promoting craft beer became salvos against home brewing and playing for the winning team. It’s as if they were sneering at where they came from instead of celebrating it.
Their beer may not suffer in quality and yes, it will be available in more and more places but it has lost the “craft” and become just “beer”.
Now, where can I find a “Craft Beer is the Winning Team” t-shirt?