Tag: new year

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Best Beers of January 2024

Time to see what beers made an impression on me in the first month of 2024. My penchant for collaboration beers is certainly showing.

Here are my runners up:

Bagby Beer Co. wEYESsbier with Bierstadt Lagerhaus

Creature Comforts Winter Trees Cold Red IPA

Everywhere / North Park Retro Steps Forward DDH Hazy IPA

This month the most memorable was:

Brouwerij West / Harland Cosmic Gulp Tarted Fruit Ale – I guess I am a sucker for passion fruit which was strongly forward but what other than that, this sour was not puckery. I think I found a tart beer that doesn’t leave my stomach in backflips

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The Best Beers of January 2023

January proved to be weird beer month. My two co-winners this month were made to resemble tea and ice cream.

But before I jump too far ahead, honorable mentions for the month are the Simcoe IPA from El Segundo Brewing that stole thunder from their Meltdown behemoths. I also quite liked my first beer from Une Annee, their Tripel, with a sparsely decorated label was right on the mark.

Back to the weird. Cuppa a British Dark Mild with lovely notes of Earl Grey tea was way down the ABV scale, in the 3% range, but it was filled with malt and tea flavors. Near the end of the month, I was pleasantly surprised by a cream ale from La Bodega Brewing in Whittier, with added lactose so they could call it Whittier Ice Cream Ale. Again, not a big beer but well done.

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In the Tap Lines for January 2021

header_attractions2021 is here, finally, to save us from 2020.  These early months are going to be tough though.  Congress helped out (for once) and gave breweries permanent tax breaks and maybe the finally released second stimulus will break the negative economic cycle.  

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that I hope to visit this year
~ special featured reviews of holiday seasonals
~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events (Far in the future events)
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to the sci-fi fiction of From Now
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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Sean Suggests for January 2020

Today we focus on new beers coming from NorCal to Socal from Seismic Brewing.

~LIGHT
Seismic Brewing / Alluvium Pilsner 5.0% ABV
“Inspired by the traditional pilsners of Northern Germany, Alluvium is brewed with 100% California grown and malted barley to get the crisp, clean finish that is a hallmark of German Pilsner. Generously hopped, Alluvium is aromatically imbued with spicy noble hops and a pleasantly bitter finish.”

~MEDIUM
Seismic Brewing / Magnetic Midnight Black Lager 5.0% ABV
“Magnetic Midnight is constructed of a clean all-California grown and malted base with the added color of an especially dark malt. German Noble hops added late in the brewing process provide a subtle fruitiness and spiciness to complement the malty, cocoa finish.”

~BIG
Seismic Brewing / Shatter Cone IPA 7.0% ABV
“Intensely aromatic, Shatter Cone features a bouquet of strawberry, stonefruit, melon, and citrus. The palate is bright, crisp, and acidic with a punch of clean bitterness which gives way to a lemon/orange and concord grape profile overlaid on a neutral malt canvas.”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for January 2020

header_attractionsA new year lies before us.  What beers will amaze us?  What new brewery will blow us away and what beers will we push away after one sip.  Good and bad are coming and this month, I am covering it all including…

~ e-visits to (3)  Welsh breweries to honor the newest season of Doctor Who. Gwaun Valley Brewery, Conwy Brewery and Nant Brewery.
~ special featured reviews of beers from American Trappist, Spencer Brewing
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The Fire is Upon Us by Nicholas Buccola
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Binge Mode: Star Wars
~ Great Beer names debuts this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 18th – Transplants Brewing 4th Anniversary
2) January 25th – Infinite Wishes Day at Smog City

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New Year

There are still days left in the year (nigh decade) but 2020 looms and Ogopogo has an ominous beer for us, ‘Nián Shòu.

Gotta add that Ogopogo is killing the label art game right now. This is one of the coolest designs with all the beer info and backstory easily accessible.

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Sean Suggests for January 2019


For January, let’s look to the darker side and to devils and doubts.

~LIGHT
Fall Brewing / Devil’s Right Hand 5.40% ABV
“Crisp, Clean, Toasty, Amber Lager.”

~MEDIUM
Smog City / Devil Up a Tree 6.60% ABV
“Foudre Saison blended with wine barrel-aged brown and blonde ales. Dry hopped with Citra and Topaz hops. “

~BIG
Russian River / Shadow of a Doubt Porter 9.86% ABV
“Named after the great Hitchcock movie filmed in Santa Rosa in 1943. This Imperial Porter packs a rich chocolate and light smoked malt character with a very soft, dry finish.”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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In the Tap Lines for January 2019

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Now we can focus on the best holiday of the calendar year and all of the fun winter seasonals that will start to burrow onto shelves and into coolers of your favorite beer shops. I wish you a fabulous Christmas season! Now onto what is happening this month in addition to the holiday beer a day…

~ e-visits to three breweries from Eugene, Oregon such as ColdFire Brewing, Claim 52 Brewing and Viking Braggot.
~ special featured reviews of Beer that I got for Christmas
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Adjustment Day from Chuck Palahniuk
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 12th – Trustworthy Brewing 2nd Anniversary
2) January 26th – Eagle Rock Brewery 9th Anniversary

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In the Tap Lines for January 2018

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Welcome to 2018! For L.A. Beer fans, it will be a busy first month to the year with many anniversaries and events already on the calendar, anchored by the L.A. Beer and Food Festival. But we will duck outside for this month’s A Book & A Beer and to Durham, North Carolina to visit some breweries from our computers.

~ e-visits to three breweries from Durham, North Carolina perhaps Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending, Clouds Brewing, Fullsteam Brewery or Ponysaurus Brewing Co.
~ special featured reviews of beers bought during one visit to Sunset Beer.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The River Why
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 4th – Boomtown Brewery Tap Take Over at Harajuku Taproom
2) January 13th – Transplants Brewing 2nd Anniversary

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In the Tap Lines for January 2017

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Good riddance to 2016! Let’s get 2017 off on the right foot with some rays of light and hope and great craft beer in the L.A. area.

~ e-visits to three breweries found in the pages of the Complete IPA book by Joshua Bernstein
~ special featured reviews of beers that I bought with my Craft Beer Cellar – Eagle Rock gift cards from Christmas.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads All That Man Is (and I did not care for it)
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 8th – Cheese and Beer Tour with LA Beer Hop and Vagabond Cheese
2) January 28th – L.A. Beer & Food Festival