Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Stone Brewing is getting into the science of Zumology with their new “monstrously refreshing” IPA with Zumo hops from Segal Ranch as the lead. Their will be some Mosaic in there as well if you want an extra bitter boost. Per Stone protocol, this will be a higher ABV beer hitting 7.5%.
MadeWest has a new Raspberry IPA out on the market and I am of two minds about it. I think IPAs with added fruit should be the actual juicy IPAs but that you really have to choose the fruit and hops carefully to avoid one flavor set overwhelming the other. This beer should be a good one to review either way.
The Maryland outpost of Guinness has had some drinks that made me want to be on the East Coast and one such brew is Luck of the Dragon, brewed for Lunar New Year. It is a “5.0% ABV ale is infused with dragon fruit powder and orange purée, giving it this stunning fuchsia color.”
If that wasn’t reason enough, sales of the lucky beer goes “to support the extraordinary artists at Baltimore’s Asian Pasifika Arts Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using art to promote the representation of Asian Americans in everyday life and build connections across communities.”
L.A. is lucky to get Wayfinder Beer shipments sent from the Rose City. That is my transition to this love letter of a beer to Portland, Three of Roses which is a “An unapologetic rustic lager with subtle botanical notes of juniper berries and
lime.”
In a divided country it is good to see a little civic pride smack dab on your beer label.
Firestone Walker is adding a hoppy beer back into the mix that is neither a pilsner or hazy, rather an XPA.
Here are the specs, “Firestone XPA is built around New Zealand’s Nelson hop with its grapefruit and tropical Sauvignon Blanc qualities, all backed up with a dollop of classic Mosaic hops. The resulting beer offers a trifecta of drinkability: crisp, hoppy.”
Despite the name and rumors swirling about an Anchor Brewing comeback, the California Common is not that common on beer menus and I do nor think that Russian River Brewing would launch one during the Pliny Season but here we are.
And its an interesting malt too, read on…
“Excited to announce our collaboration with craft maltster Valley Malt from Western Massachusetts! Established in 2010 by Andrea and Christian Stanley, Valley Malt specializes in malting grains for breweries and distilleries while sourcing from farms primarily around the Northeast. For our collaboration we used Golden Valley Pale malt in a California Common beer recipe which really showcases this malted barley.”
Another Braupakt collaboration is on the way between St. Bernardus in Belgium. and Weihenstephan in Germany. This EU beer will be a blonde ale that gets a bit high for a blonde at 6.5% abv.
Party Beer Co. made a tea IPA that I quite enjoyed and they have now teamed with LAMILL Coffee for a Coffee Stout that is made with a hint of sweet Tahitian vanilla bean, Catpuccino. Saw this a bit late but look for it in your local beer shoppes. A bit of a L.A. beer latte.
The Bruery has a trifecta of bigggg beers coming out. Let’s go low (but still high) to really high.
14.7% – Fireproof will be an imperial stout (Bayonet) aged in Port barrels that previously held Balcones Distilling Hechicheros single malt Whiskey barrels.
17.7% – Demon Water will be an imperial stout aged in Newport Craft Distilling Thomas Tew Rum barrels.
19.7% – The Malt Mill will be an imperial stout (Black Tuesday) aged in Westward Whiskey barrels.
Firestone Walker and the fine folks at the Full pint want to do a Credit Czech in the form of a “Polotmavý Garnet Lager”. We are in a great time for those who love the gamut of Czech lagers.
