You might be asking yourself, did he forget to type something or which festival? But in this instance my poor typing skills and spotty proofing are not to blame. The Festival is an annual beer event that for the last couple of years has graced New England and fulfilled craft beer fan’s bucket list beer dreams, but is moving out West for their third year. Continue reading
Sin Tax – Mother Earth Brew Co.
A sucker for peanut butter anything, my interest was piqued when I discovered Sin Tax from Mother Earth Brew Co. Whereas other peanut butter stouts use a sweet Milk Stout to support the peanut butter flavor, Mother Earth’s Sin Tax is able to balance the rich peanut butter in a full on imperial stout.
The pour and color are spot on for the style, boasting a fluffy cap of coffee colored foam that leaves subtle lace throughout the glass. The nose is of roasted malt, subtle chocolate, and a polite dose of peanut butter. Continue reading
Mohawk Bend Announces Blog, 2nd Annual LA IPA Fest
A fixture on the craft beer scene, Echo Park’s Mohawk Bend has launched a blog in support of their commitment to local craft beer. In the inaugural post written by owner Tony Yanow, they’ve also announced the return of the Los Angeles IPA Festival – December 6th.
Last year’s IPA fest at Mohawk Bend featured a stunning list of California IPA’s too long to mention, save for Noble Ale Works’ winner Tongue Tickles and my personal favorite, Day Game, a hoppy IPL courtesy of Kinetic Brewing (and at that time Alexandra Nowell).
Though we’ll all have to stay tuned to catch the 2014 tap list, it’s fair to say Mohawk Bend will deliver on another great event, and no doubt up the ante with even more handles dedicated to brews you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else in town.
Cheers!
DAVE
Coffee Milk Stout – Stone Brewing
Most people would agree that Stone is known for intense, in your face, hoppy beers, but even breweries need to try something a little different sometimes. So when news of Coffee Milk Stout started surfacing I was kind of interested that they would take such a deviation from their usual offerings.
To be fair, Stone does have quite a few offerings that don’t fall into the “hop bomb” category, like the Smoked Porter and their seasonal Saison. Of all the non-hoppy styles that come to mind, a milk stout was the last one I’d expect Stone to pursue, but in usual craft beer fashion this beer has an interesting origin story. Continue reading
LA Beer Week 2014 – Stone Brewing Company Events
For those of you planning your LA Beer Week 2014 – #LABW6 agenda, here are a slew of Stone Brewing company events to consider, kicking off a bit early with tomorrow night’s “Mother of all Tap Takeovers” at Story Tavern.
Thursday, September 18th:
“Mother of all Stone Tap Takeovers” – 6:30pm
150 S. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank
-Bastard in the Rye
-Old Guardian 2013
-Old Guardian 2014
-Cali Belgique
-Chipotle Porter
-Coffee Milk Stout
-Reason to be Damned
-Stone Delicious
-2013 Double Bastard
-Woot Stout
-IRS 2014
-Levitation
-Oak Smoked Old Guardian
-Stochasticity Quad
-Burnin Rosids Saison
-Sublimely Self Righteous
-Smoked Porter
-Sprocket Bier
-18th Anniversary
-Loca Veza
-Hibiscus IPA
-Ruination
-Stone Pale
-stone IPA
-Go to IPA
-Cask (ruined)
Saturday, September 20:
Mystery Tap Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
To kick off LA Beer Week, Stone is tapping two amazing mystery beers. Facebook fans will be the first to get a sneak preview of the beer list at 10 a.m. To find out the beers or “like” the page, visit Facebook.com/StoneStorePasadena.
Sunday, September 21:
Big Bottle Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
Stone is going big for LA Beer Week celebrations and breaking into the cellar to bring out vintage and barrel-aged bottles for fans to purchase. More details are available for the 3-liter bottles and Quingenti Millilitre 500-ml bottles available for sale.
Monday, September 22:
Beer U: Pasadena – Barrel Aging from 7 to 9 p.m.
Join Steve Gonzalez, Stone Research & Small Batch Brewer, for a casual and educational discussion about the deliciously enhancing magic of barrel aging beers, while guests enjoy a variety of Stone barrel-aged creations. Beer list includes: Stone w00tstout 2.0, Stone Arbalest (Belgian Pale Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels), Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale aged in Red Wine Barrels, Stone Passion Project and 2012 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine aged in White Wine Barrels.
Tickets are $20 and may be purchased in advance at Stone Company Store – Pasadena only.
Tuesday, September 23:
Stone Vertical Epic Ale Tuesday beginning at 11 a.m.
Stone is digging deep into the archives and bringing out Stone Vertical Epic Ales to share with LA-area fans. More details are available for the beers that will be on draft and the bottles available for sale.
Wednesday, September 24:
Wednesday with Wil Wheaton from 7 to 9 p.m.
Stone collaborator Wil Wheaton is back to celebrate LA Beer Week with an epic tap takeover event showcasing some of his brews, as well as other amazing Stone collaboration beers. During the event, Wheaton will be onsite to mingle with fans and exchange geeky homebrew lingo. Stone is donating a portion of the event’s proceeds to the Pasadena Humane Society, a non-profit organization close to Wheaton’s heart. Details on the beer list are available.
Thursday, September 25:
Thursday Liberty Station Brews from 7 to 9 p.m.
Join Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station Brewing Manager Kris Ketcham and fellow collaborators NASA’s Bobok Ferdowsi, and actress and Team Unicorn star Rileah Vanderbilt, while they show off the fruits of their labor. The evening’s draft list includes Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station Unicorn Summoning Ale (collaboration with Rileah Vanderbilt), Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station Galileo’s Four Moon Brew (collaboration with Bobak Ferdowsi) and a new Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station beer yet to be announced.
Saturday, September 27:
Small Batch Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
Fans will have a chance to taste some of the special barrel-aged creations from the Stone Small Batch Team featured during Monday’s Beer U with Stone Research & Small Batch Brewer Steve Gonzalez. Draft list: Stone Passion Project, Stone “The Tiger Cub” Saison aged in White Wine Barrels, Stone Arbalest (Belgian Pale Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels) and more to be announced on the Stone Company Store – Pasadena Facebook page at 10 a.m. For more information or to “like” the page, visit Facebook.com/StoneStorePasadena.
Stay tuned for more info on remaining #LABW6 events!
Cheers,
DAVE
Might As Well IPL – Golden Road Brewing
Despite the waves of pumpkin ales and lagers appearing on shelves and tap lists around town, I’m afraid I’m just not ready. In this Indian Summer heat I just can’t yet embrace the flavors of fall, and therefore welcomed the chance to try a new hoppy lager from Golden Road Brewing; Might As Well IPL. Continue reading
Hop Odyssey: Citra Session IPA – Green Flash Brewing
Even in sunny Southern California, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer and in craft beer terms, signals a reduction in the availability of the fantastic summer beers that have hit the market this year. So before we dive into fall and the impending wave of pumpkin madness, I wanted to sample one more Session IPA, capping off a season rich with brews like Easy Jack, Go To IPA, and a parade of incredible Pils’ and Lagers. In my search I was happy to find Citra Session IPA, a session-able single hop offering from Green Flash Brewing. Continue reading
LA Beer Week 2014 Kick Off Festival
***TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT HAVE SOLD OUT AS OF 9/15/14***
It’s that time again, LA Beer Week is almost upon us. This year things are being done a little differently, but you can still expect some great beers and fun events all around town. So read on for all the details about LA Beer Week 2014 Kick Off Festival on September 20th 2014.
The first big change is that LA Beer Week is now being helmed by the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, an organization comprised of all the breweries in Los Angeles County, which hopes to see LA Beer Week become a celebration of craft beer in Los Angeles, paying particular attention to beers being brewed here in LA. Continue reading
Tongue Tickles – Noble Ale Works
Of all of the SoCal breweries on the rise in the past few years, it is hard to name one that has had a greater impact in such a short time period than Noble Ale Works. With experienced brewer Evan Price (formerly BJ’s Brewhouse/Hangar 24) at the helm, Noble has seen its share of hits, including a showstopping Milk Stout called Naughty Sauce. While many breweries seem to feel more at home in one area of the craft beer spectrum, Noble has had no trouble volleying between great stouts, pils, pales, and a series of single hop IPAs that have cemented them as a leading brewery in Southern California. Continue reading
MoHop – Golden Road Brewing
As you might have seen, this month is Mohawk Bend‘s 3rd anniversary and they are celebrating all month long with special beer to commemorate the occasion. Last year for their 2nd anniversary they created One Hundred & Two, a Belgian style blonde ale with a big citrus presence and a whopping 8.8% ABV. This year they went a very different direction, crafting an India pale lager named MoHop that has a big dose of Southern Hemisphere hops and a more moderate 6.5% ABV.
Though not a traditionally accepted style, the IPL has been around for almost a decade. The gist of the style is to take a lager and hop it up using hops that would traditionally be used for IPAs. This yeast switch is meant to help create a lighter, cleaner body that highlights the subtleties of the hops that are sometimes lost in their ale counterparts. This style has also been called a hoppy lager or American pale lager. In this case, the gang from Mohawk Bend teamed up with Golden Road Brewing and decided to go with a blend of some of the Southern Hemisphere’s hottest hops at the moment, Mosaic, Motueka, and Equinox, to give their lager a big punch of fruity hop flavors. Continue reading