Love & Whiskey

Some people must not sleep.  In addition to running Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and also starting a cognac line (in France), Fawn Weaver has also written a history of Nearest Green which you can pre-order, called Love & Whiskey.

You may know of Nearest Green because he was the distiller for a, checking notes, Jack Daniels.  How Green was lost to Tennessee whiskey and then re-found is the story of this book and one that I cannot wait to read.

A Podcast & A Beer – Heritage Mezcal

This month we listen to stories of Mezcal at Heritage Mezcal with host Chava Peribán.

It is a unique spirits podcast in that the coverage is wide ranging and not just mezcal. Rum and coffee are talked about but so is overall happiness and logistics and just the general vibe around mezcal.

Peribán has a good solid agave knowledge and is very enthusiastic to the point of partially getting in the way of some interviews but in a charming way. He even sometimes asks questions and says you don’t have to answer.

To pair with this podcast, I would be as eclectic and bubbly in the beer selections. Have a sparkly pilsner and then a rum barrel-aged beer or pick up a Mexican craft beer or a cocktail beer. Anything goes.

San Diego Spider

Tarantula Hill Brewing is making a big leap to the San Diego area, San Marcos specifically as the Thousand Oaks based brewery will utilize the space once used by the Draft Republic restaurant.  This news was first broken by Brandon Hernandez at SD Beer News.

Will an outer rim of L.A. brewery fly in San Diego County?

Review – Bigger on the Inside from Urban Roots

Someone at Urban Roots Brewery is a Whovian, in addition to a Bow Ties are Cool beer, there is also today’s reviewed West Coast DIPA in a familiar blue color…

Bigger on the Inside, a common exclamation for new companions upon entering the Tardis for the first time starts with a really light and see through yellow color. Getting a big grape aroma (no celery here). Lots of tropical fruit notes. Guava and citrus for me. And the 8.5% ABV is most certainly there. As strong as a Sontaran warrior. I do like the balance of strength and fruit flavors.

NWSL City Brewery Tour # 1 – Bay FC and Brix Factory Brewing

We start our National Women’s Soccer League journey in the Bay Area with debutante Bay FC. Also debuting in Oakland is Brix Factory Brewing.

Let’s check out some beers to enjoy in the 2024 NWSL season….

Lemon Theory – “A lower abv Blonde ale featuring bright hop flavors reminiscent of an orange/lemon creamsicle, held together with pleasantly toasty malt flavors driven by malted wheat from Admiral malts. Citric finish.”

The Eye of Tasman – “Crisp Pilsner hopped at all stages with resinous Superdelic hops bursting with dank Sativa, bright tropical fruits and aromatic calamansi zest.”

Plunging Waves – “Our West Coast IPA features a stern dose of hops in bitterness, flavor and aroma. Classic, almost throwback West Coast aroma profile dominated by the interplay between the Comet and Simcoe hops. The malt flavor is notably light, with a bit of cracker-like snappiness from the pilsner malt.”

Coffee Siklon Stout – “Our tropical stout, infused with a Timorese coffee, kindly provided by our friends at Royal Coffee in Oakland. The whole bean addition of robusta/arabica hybrid adds an intense complexity to the sweet stout basis.”

Tiki L.A.

I had my three first Tiki Bar experiences last year and I am glad that Los Angeles has a resurgent number of them to visit because they are super fun and kitschy. Plus rum of course.

Watching Lost L.A. as they hit three different bars and talk the origin story was a good education.

You can check the half hour episode out HERE