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I have posted about how much I enjoy Drifter but now there are two new offerings from one of the big Portland breweries. As part of their rotating W line is a Belgian beer but more interesting to me is the 25th anniversary double Alt beer. For those who only know the Hefeweizen. Widmer’s Alt was their first success and know they are returning and I for one can’t wait to try it.
A beautiful Southern California day to have beer…
…Culver City to be exact on the Sony Studios lot.
The Los Angeles Beer Fest!!
A very smoothly run event I must say. Free parking which is a plus on the west side. Check-in was smooth and kept separate from the entry line. A very nice selection of quality brews on hand.
On the down side, a sizable portion of the crowd was ex-frat party boys. Lagunitas only brought bottles no kegs and Bud and Michelob were on hand. But to be fair, no one seemed shy about trying something new and even Anheuser had Hoegarden Wit on tap so effort was being made.
On to what I had before I had to call it quits.
The Bruery – Saison de Lente
Excellent beer that seemed a little toned down from a bottled version that I had before. Light and refreshing though.
Left Coast Brewing – Hop Juice
Not the hop bomb I was hoping for so I would have to rank this as a middle of the road IPA
Alaskan Brewing – Summer Ale
Only so, so to me. I don’t know why but I much prefer their darker beers.
Pyramid – Rollick Amber
Very nice malty taste. One of the better Ambers that I have had and one of the best that I tasted.
Angel City Brewing – Che
Also very nice. Balanced. Not too malty and not to hoppy but with a bit of spice to it.
Dale Brothers – Black Beer
Sort of bland to me. Not bad but did not compete with the others.
Skyscraper Brewing – Sancha Lager
Excellent. In the top three. Light and refreshing lager. Would make a good session beer.
Dean Brothers – IPA
Unfortunately, did not taste right. Acidic and not hoppy.
Widmer – Drifter Pale Ale
I really like this beer. Spicy and fruity and great on a summer day.
Bootleggers Brewery – Hefeweizen
Plain. No banana or cloves. Below average to me.
The Bruery – Orchard White
You can’t go wrong with their beers. Complex but not overpowering. I wish they had brought more than two beers.
Coronado Brewing – Orange
Fair. Drifter from Widmer blows it away though.
If I had more tolerance I would have had more from the large selection that Angel City had brought and I would have tried Shipyard and Deschutes and Kona but my limit was reached.
Overall, I give the event an A.
1. Widmer Drifter – I generally like Widmer’s special releases better than the Drop Top and Hefe. But this Drifter is smooth with taste. To get the grapefruity taste that this has you usually have a lot of hops like Pliny the Elder but somehow Drifter gets both. Excellent summer beer.
2. Urthel Hop It – I had this on tap at the fabulous Lucky Baldwin’s and it has such a floral smell and taste. The bottled version doesn’t capture that magic as well but this is the best Belgian/Hop mash up around.
3. Brew Dog Punk IPA – I love the logo and the design but I must say this was dissapointing. Not very hoppy. It tastes like a generic British bitter and to me that is the most boring of styles. Give me a Belgian or American micro any day.
