Enough of the other stuff, start talking about the damn beer!
Here are my impressions on what I drank at the California Craft Beer Summit.
Damn if Rare Barrel doesn’t just swamp the competition. Arrows of Neon with lemon and lime peel was amazing and the second beer that I tried of the quartet they were serving, Gifted Branch with stone fruits was almost in that lofty zone too.
Bagby Beer Co.’s Corn Star, their take on the malt liquor was a step different from everything else I tasted that weekend in a good way.
Kinetic Brewing and their HiHopAnonymous IPA had a fantastic aroma and the flavor came through too. Very complex swirl of flavors even for a month old!
Sampled two beers from the buzzed about Alvarado Street and came away less than impressed. Especially with their Super Rad pineapple beer which tasted like fruit juice. The Peninsula Pilsner was better but not a big winner.
From Sacramento I tasted the Device Integral IPA, the Bike Dog Mosaic, New Glory Hazy Session amongst others but none really lit my world on fire. The Rope Swing Cream Ale from Oak Park would be my pick of this grouping.
Lastly, Moonraker Yojo 33 1/3 Session IPA was unexpectedly good. Most IPA’s fell into the “OK” category but this one had me thinking of ordering another 1/2 pint.