Tag: The Session

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Session # 100 – Resurrecting Lost Beer Styles

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What is lost is found is the monthly topic for The Session, this month hosted by Tale of Ale.

Lost, or almost lost, beer styles. There are many of them that have started to come back in to fashion since in the last 10 years due to the rise of craft beer around the world.

If you have a local beer style that died out and is starting to appear again then please let the world know. Not everyone will so just write about any that you have experienced. Some of the recent style resurrections I have come across in Ireland are Kentucky Common, Grodziskie, Gose and some others. Perhaps it’s a beer you have only come across in homebrew circles and is not even made commercially.

There are no restrictions other than the beer being an obscure style you don’t find in very many places. The format, I leave up to individuals. It could be a historical analysis or just a simple beer review.

When I think of lost beer styles, after a weird side trip to the Dharma Initiative beer from the TV show Lost, I think less of gone forever and more of the history of the here and now. The more that I read, the more that I see that beer styles have always been evolving. Just trying to chart the rise and fall and changes of a porter is difficult. Which means, to a certain extent, many more beer styles have died out then are really counted. An 1890 porter was not the same beast as a 1940 version. And you would be hard pressed to find a proper pint of either in 2015.

From there, my synapses started firing in a new direction. Not towards gratzers and gose’s and overall style categories but towards beers that have the same name but are very much different from their 1st, 2nd or 3rd incarnations. Case in point. Golden Road Brewery is known for their hoppy offerings such as Better Weather or Wolf Among Weeds or Point the Way IPA’s. But the brewmaster at the founding of the brewery is no longer there. So Point the Way 1.0 is long gone. Quite possibly never to return again. Though it is technically not lost because the recipe is probably on a hard drive somewhere.

I know what your saying. In digging deeper than individual styles am I not seeing the forest because of all the saplings in my way? Quite possibly. On the smaller brewery levels, each batch may have quirks to the point where they are noticeably separate from the batch before or batch after. On an agricultural level, the hops and malts and adjuncts may be variable as well and that is only the known unknowns. But that is not what I am heading towards.

Gose from Goslar and Gose from Leipzig and American Gose interpretations are on a linear timeline. With each major stylistic departure noted. But an honest American interpretation of Gose with no crazy fruit or flower additions, would it be recognized as Gose? A rough approximation of the style would be there but the natural evolutionary drift away from the first batch would probably be considerable.

Not to block someone from attempting a historical beer resurrection, but an authentic California Steam beer would be hard to re-create too and that is in the not so distant past. A Goslar Gose would be a big task primarily because no one from that era could verify it’s accuracy.

Nowadays with information a mouse click away, a future brewer could possibly both have the recipe and the tasting notes to accomplish a task like this. Making a 2015 version of Golden Road 2020 IPA in the year 2030.

With all that in mind, I say let the lost be lost. Let’s keep evolving.

 

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In the Tap Lines for June 2015

header_attractionsThis is L.A. Beer Week month. From the 20th to the 28th, the City of Angels becomes a beer destination for all comers starting with a blowout local brewery bash at Exposition Park near USC.  Plus…..

~ e-visits to three breweries who were at the recent Firestone Walker Invitational
~ special reviews of beers from new to L.A. 21st Amendment
~ 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, goes scientific with Beervana
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 100 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is Resurrecting Lost Beer Styles

Here are two events to get your June started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) June 1st – Burger Week at both of the Oinkster locations with Red Tick Ale from Highland Park Brewery
2) June (anytime) – Check out the new DTLA gastropub and homebrewer space of BarrelDown.

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The Session # 99 – Localizing Mild

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The topic for May’s edition of The Session is Localizing Mild and it comes from our host over at Fuggled. Here is the writing prompt….

“Each May CAMRA in the UK encourages drinkers to get out and drink Mild Ales. This May is the first, as far as I am aware, American Mild Month, which has 45 breweries, so far, committed to brewing mild ales. Of those 45 breweries some are brewing the traditional English dark and pale mild styles, while a couple have said they will brew an ‘American Mild’, which American Mild Month describes as:
a restrained, darkish ale, with gentle hopping and a clean finish so that the malt and what hops are present, shine through

An essential element of the American Mild is that it uses American malts, hops, and the clean yeast strain that is commonly used over here. Like the development of many a beers style around the world, American Mild is the localisation of a beer from elsewhere, giving a nod to the original, but going its own way.

That then is the crux of the theme for The Session in May, how would you localise mild? What would an Irish, Belgian, Czech, or Australian Mild look like? Is anyone in your country making such a beer? For homebrewers, have you dabbled in cross-cultural beer making when it comes to mild?”
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If May is the month of Mild in America, here in L.A. it would be the shortest month of the year. So close to the epicenter of IPA, there is not much room on tap for the humble mild. Sure you can find Solidarity Mild from Eagle Rock Brewery. Maybe Vanilla Solidarity if lucky. MacLeod Ales might have a mild or two on tap in their Van Nuys tap room but beyond that it is Citraholic, Hammerland and their hoppy brethren. Which come in handy on IPA Day (aka the longest day if you were to sample all the available IPAs).

So, how do you reconcile the bitterness endemic to the West Coast with a style that is, well, mild?

You could spin facts hard enough that you could say that Black IPA’s or Cascadian Darks have some aspects in common with the mild but that style certainly didn’t spring from mild parentage. Besides a hoppy mild would be a large oxymoron to swallow. So back to square one we go. What would a West Coast Mild look like?

More specifically a City of Angels accented Mild. If I was to spitball ideas, maybe a smoke malt tinged mild to simulate the smog that used to hover over the freeways. Maybe a hint of Sriacha to make a pepper mild. Both ideas would probably give CAMRA a heart attack. Both are also a bit on the obvious side as well.

Two strikes against me at this point. What might better serve as a SoCal Local mild would be something that a Brit living in L.A. would want to drink that would be comfort drink with a touch of reminder of home and also reflect where you are now. Past and present as it were.

With that thought percolating in the brain, I finally came up with what might be a solution. A tequila barrel-aged mild. Mind you, not something that is aged for a year or more but something that picks up a hint of the spirit. You don’t want to get too imperial or too boozy. You want the essential toasty malt notes to be the star of the show.

Whether it would work is up to an adventurous brewer.

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In the Tap Lines for May 2015

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We are now moving toward the summer, silly season of festivals here in Los Angeles.  Events will be held every weekend from here on out.  Angel City first weekend, then Smog City the next (see below) and then Eagle Rock (again, see below) and that is only the tip of the iceberg.  Plus a special Up from the Cellar re-visit.

~ e-visits to three breweries from new-ish brewers on the East Coast from Maine to Mass.
~ special reviews of beers from Base Camp of Portland Oregon and Anchor of SF
~ 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, goes scientific with Gastropod
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 99 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is Localising Mild

Here are two events to get your May started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) May 9th – Smog City Anniversary
2) May 17th – Session Fest at Eagle Rock Brewery

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In the Tap Lines for April 2015

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There will be some Firestone Walker coverage this month. For that, I do NOT apologize. This year marks the third trip to beautiful Paso Robles to catch up on all things Parabola, Easy Jack and Feral. Don’t worry, there will be plenty other beer news too.

~ e-visits to three breweries from new-ish brewers in the GunBarrel District of Colorado Asher Brewing, Vindication Brewing, Finkel & Garf
~ special reviews of beers from Bell’s (that I didn’t do last month)
~ 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, Tales from the Cask
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 98 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is Cans or Bottles

Here are two events to get your April started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) April 7th – National Beer Day at Project Taco
2) April 15th – Beers and Cheers with El Segundo Brewing at the Doughroom.

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Session # 97 – Up & Coming

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What are the up-and-coming beer locations that you see as the next major players in the beer scene? That is the topic from Our Tasty Travels.

“For this month’s session, I’m asking you all to share which locations you see as the beer destinations that everyone will be talking about in the next few years. Where are the beer scenes just emerging, or coming into their own? Some may be brand new locations. While others may be old-world destinations seeing a renaissance into the world of new craft beer styles. Some may even be locations where familiar names from around the world are planning on setting up shop to bring new styles to old palates.”

Born in Portland, so it would be easy to just be a homer and say Beervana – Munich on the Willamette. So many breweries, so many styles, beer and food pairings everywhere you turn. You could argue with me that they are a major player now or more in the past but I think they will be in the future too.

Reside in Los Angeles, so it would also be easy to nominate The City of Angels. We are growing fast but we are still catching up and though not openly hostile to breweries L.A., nonetheless, is a gauntlet of paperwork and meetings and hearings and more hearings and more paperwork with a couple more hearings tossed into the mix. It ain’t fun and it does discourage the rational from trying to open a brewery within city limits. But what that has encouraged are the cities surrounding city. That is why Torrance is home to five breweries. That is why there are another trio in Long Beach. Agoura Hills has a pair as well.

If I was a soothsayer, I could gamble and guess that if Los Angeles gets a NFL team (or two) that the cities of Carson or Inglewood might become tailgate destinations and boost the beer scene to major player status but the safe bet is that people will be heading south, but not to San Diego, my choice (after my long winded wind-up), is Orange County.

The breweries are opening fast, there is a solid tradition already there, there are gastropubs, bars and restaurants serving and you can get your whales to if your favorite day of the week is Tuesday.

You want a listicle?
Well, here you go, Orange County has:
The two-time L.A. IPA Festival winner in Noble Ale Works.
Golden Road is building a whole new brewery near the Honda Center under the esteemed Victor Novak.
The Bruery will soon split into two when Terreux opens and probably be twice as full in both tasting rooms.
Bottle Logic has barely been open and already has struck gold at the Great American Beer Festival.
One of the few cask festivals in SoCal, FirkFest calls Anaheim home. (Coming March 21st, be there)

Two other additional benefits position Orange County at a beer destination tipping point. There is a certain theme park in the area that means tourists are already heading this way and there will be hotels to stay at when you arrive. Secondly, you can get a representative sampling of both San Diego and Los Angeles beers while you are there, killing three beer birds with one proverbial stone.
Oh and you have the ace in the hole. The blue skies and warm weather of Southern California. That is quite a draw for people who have to endure snow and ice or grey and gloom.

If I may torture an analogy, San Diego may be the big beer brother and L.A. the youngest but Orange County is that quirky middle child. And I believe that more people will be drawn to the beer scenes that are dotting Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Fullerton.

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In the Tap Lines for March

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Here’s to hoping that the little bursts of rain that California has been getting continue into March so that we don’t have to import water from Alaska via the H20 version of Keystone. Another reason to pray for rain is that I have quite a few stouts in the ‘fridge that drink better with cold/wet weather. Anyway, here is what is coming up this month on the BSP blog….

~ e-visits to three breweries from new-ish brewers in San Diego (yet again!)
~ special reviews of beers from Beach City of Huntington Beach, CA
~ 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
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 97 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is who and where is Up & Coming

Here are two events to get your March started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) March 9th BEER TALK – Cold Beer, Hot Pizza, Industry Pro
2) March 11th Crazy Harry’s taps the Maltose Falcons / Firestone Walker collaboration 

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The Session # 96 – Beer Festivals

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Here is the writing prompt for beer bloggers for February, courtesy of Birraire.

So, here we are. It was 4 months ago that I wrote Jay and Stan suggesting a topic for a future call. I was reflecting on the role played by Beer Festivals (or “Beer Fairs”, as we locally call the ones with the brewers serving their own beer) here in Barcelona and thought it would be interesting to know other people’s point of view on the matter. Time’s flown since then, and now I find myself happily hosting my first Session. But let’s get to it.

The discussion at hand is “Festivals: Geek Gathering or Beer Dissemination?”. I guess it is pretty much clear, but apart from exposing whether the answer is A, B or C (the latter being “it depends”) I expect participants to give us some insight into their local beer panorama to better understand the importance or irrelevance of Festivals in each area. My guess is that it can be quite different depending on the popularity of beer in different countries and cultures.

Southern California is either blessed or too blessed with sunny days that are ideal for gathering outside and drinking beer. But most events are pretty cookie-cutter. Twenty to thirty breweries pouring and passing out swag from beneath logo’d pop tents.

What elevates a beer festival from the mere cup to tap and back exchange into an actual communal experience starts with the curation by the festival organizers. When thought is put into it from the start, you will draw more curious and passionate fans.

Not to denigrate the other festivals because I firmly believe that they occupy a space on the craft beer food chain that is critical to gaining new fans and creating actual converts but when I think of festivals, the following three are the ones that leap to mind and bring a smile to my face.

The ne plus ultra of festivals out west is the Firestone Walker Invitational. Even when the weather tops triple digits, it is still a dazzling place to be. Yes, there are beer snob lines. But those lines are for once a year in California beers. The concept of the festival is simple Firestone Walker invites the breweries they want there, and then they ask them to bring at least one flagship type beer and one specialty (of course, more than two beers usually show up).

There are multiple other reasons why this is a must go (at least once) event. Food. There is lots of it and it ain’t from Food Trucks and it is really good. I stood next to Moonlight Brewing gobbling beer accented cupcakes and drinking Death and Taxes. Could have done that all day.

The grounds are spacious and they don’t oversell it. Imagine that! They could probably sell more, but they don’t.

Closer to my home. The Los Angeles Beer Week Festival is another that is more a gathering or experience. L.A. Brewers Guild members are the focus with a few others on the side. It is a chance to see everyone together. That makes it the ultimate gas and traffic saver!

And it is not only the brewers that are communal. Bloggers, home brewers and social media types abound and if you are a L.A. beer fan, you will probably run into folks you have seen around town.

Eagle Rock Brewery and their Session Fest is the last festival that is part my of beer trinity. Surprise, it is another limited affair. Usually 10+ taps of wide ranging beers with low alcohol content. IPA’s, Gose, smoke beers and the like presented with drinkability in mind. It is one of the few festivals where you can try all the beers if you wanted and not feel like a drunken fool.

There are other great ones out there. Firkfest in Anaheim has one year under the belt and was really strong with a great location and imaginative beers. Sierra Nevada and their hop festival is on my list to try, one day as are events held during San Diego and San Francisco Beer Weeks.

In the end, whether it is a gathering or simply dissemination, as long as craft beer is the focus, you can’t go too wrong.

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Session # 94 – Your Role in the Beer Scene

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Here is the assignment from Ding’s Beer Blog, “So, where do you see yourself? Are you simply a cog in the commercial machine if you work for a brewery, store or distributor? Are you nothing more than an interested consumer? Are you JUST a consumer? Are you a beer evangelist? Are you a wannabe, beer ‘professional’? Are you a beer writer? All of the above? Some of the above? None of the above? Where do you fit, and how do you see your own role in the beer landscape?”

If the game is to put a person into a box (a very American thing to do, and one I loathe) then technically, I am a craft beer blogger/writer.

That being said, I think that description is a bit of a moving target. When I first entered the Los Angeles beer scene, I knew no one and knew beer even less. I would not want to re-examine those first posts. Scary stuff finding your voice.

Now, I (certainly) hope that my writing is snappier and that I play to my strengths more because I now know more beer people and know more about beer. Though don’t ask me to blind taste test, I fail those miserably.

What I am trying to get to in a roundabout way is that you can be a beer blogger but that isn’t enough information. The stereotype box is too big. Yes, I am a white male of a certain age but I also promote more now than I did before. You can call it cheerleading if you want and I won’t deny it or run away from the name. I also write about Los Angeles beer more now.

So, to be more specific, I blog about craft beer from a male perspective with a focus on Los Angeles. But I am also a native Oregonian so you will see plenty of PDX talk on my blog. So even an expanded definition will ultimately miss something.

Plus it doesn’t take into account that I can be opinionated. So am I more op-ed than promoter? Some days, yes.

So I may be on the guest list marked as media but I am also a consumer, a salesman and when I am feeling grandiose, an influencer. And that is the key to craft beer people. They aren’t just one ticked off box. They are brewer/educators. Delivery/home brewers. Breweries/pubs.

Don’t try to pin us down.

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In the Tap Lines for December 2014

header_attractionsWhat was started after Thanksgiving continues as the Holiday Ale Daily Advent Calendar (HADAC) highlights Winter Warmers from all over the globe.  Including the infamous Anchor Holiday Ale which I will review many years of.  There will also be many Portland beers to review from my recent trip but don’t fret, there will be plenty of LA Beer news to convey.

~ E-visits to three breweries from the Dallas Design District such as Texas Ale Project, Noble Rey and Peticolas
~ Reviews of various years of the Anchor Holiday Ale including the new 2014 version
~ Heads-Up on festive Los Angeles Beer Events throughout the month
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 94 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month it is Your Role in the Beer Scene

Here are two events to get your December started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) December 5th New Belgium Sour Seminar at Library Alehouse
2) December 18th Beachwood 8 Double IPA Release