Beer #1901-2086 / Day #247-266: All the Brew Ha Ha About Beer #2,000

OC BREW HA HA
After attending the excellent Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival back in May, I’ve spent the summer looking forward to the 5th Annual OC Brew Ha Ha, set up by the same organizers.  As I revisited this now familiar rural park area in Silverado, I fantasized about what I would stumble across, aside from my own two feet, during four solid hours of beering.  Thanks to some discount Press/Blogger VIP tickets (yeah, that’s right… Baller right here at 40% off! Woot!) I gained access to the fest an hour before the majority of the unwashed, ready-to-party masses.  I was here to enjoy myself, but not to party so to speak.  I was on a mission. Focused. Most importantly I needed to be in the right frame of mind to drive home at the end of the day.  Nothing more humiliating or dangerous than a beer blogger with a DUI. 

Earlier in the day, I toyed with the idea of trying the dry active yeast trick that I lifted from an article about Sam Adams.  For those not following along, this well publicized Esquire article about brewery founder Jim Koch included the revelation that in order to drink all night and not be drunk, Koch consumed dry active yeast before each beering session, as the yeast would allegedly break down a good majority of the alcohol before it hits the bloodstream.  I tried it at the Sabroso fest as well as the LA Vegan Beer Fest, still unsure if it worked or if it’s a placebo.  Today I decided to approach it old school.  I would stick with plain old food and water to stay sober.  One of the best features of the fests organized by this team is the abundance of water provided throughout the event.  Anytime a water dispenser was in sight, I would chug as much as I could without holding up the line. 

Being the nerd that I am, I researched this event in advance… I plotted out which brewers to visit first in order to avoid long lines later (read: BOTTLE LOGIC), and I brought along a hard copy of my Big Year 2014 list so I could quickly reference which beers I’ve already tasted this year in order to maximize my new brew experience. In retrospect, I wasted too much time at the prior Sabroso fest noting all of my beers on my iPhone.  The phone was new & I wasn’t savvy to using it, and the iPhone just plain sucks when it comes to typing any sort of message, especially with my sausage fingers.  To remedy that, I’ve taken up a different method of note-taking in recent months:  Good ol' paper and pen.  On my trips I carry a pocket-sized notebook.  Today in The OC, I just carried around a blank sheet of paper and filled every inch of both sides with my list of beers and associated notes.  
Most of the 80+ breweries represented were somewhat local, from Southern California, and in spite of there being an ungodly number of beers I had already claimed this year, there was an equal amount that I still had not tried.  A few of the breweries brought out the big guns, with rare variants and limited barrel-aged treats.  Starting before the crack of Noon, thanks to VALIANT generously tilting their taps a few minutes prior to the official kick off, I hit the ground sipping.  Events like these are where I rack up laughable numbers of tasters. The samples are unlimited, the pours are roughly 1-3 oz.  Simple math.  Walking from tent to tent at a leisurely pace, it’s not difficult in the least to average 10, 15, 20 Tasters Per Hour.  Maybe that’s how I’ll clock my beerfest tasting speed from now on… I’ll measure it by “TPH”.

One of my highest priorities was to be one of the first to try the BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER IMPERIAL SAISON, a unique powerhouse of a brew. To make matters better, they offered not only the standard release version of this beer, but also tapped a keg of a barrel aged version.  I’m typically a sucker for anything barrel aged, but this was one of the rare occasions when the everyday release was superior.  Do I sound like a dork already?

My fears of not finding enough “new” beers for my year were quickly allayed.  One incredible sampler after another:  There was the BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING LAGERITHM DARK LAGER, proceeded by the mighty wallop of the IRON FIST BREWING ROOTS OF WRATH BELGIAN QUAD, followed by the 1-2 punch of the CISMONTANE BREWING BLACK'S DAWN WITH VANILLA AND MOLASSES.  Goddamn!  Today’s going to be awesome!  Even breweries that I didn’t have high hopes for delivered some superior goods, the perfect example being the TUSTIN BREWING OLD TOWN IPA ON CASK.  

After the first hour of beering, and a generous amount of watering, I realized I wasn’t tipsy in the least.  And I wanted to keep it that way.  SLATER’S 50/50 had a tent where they were serving their monstrous half beef/half pork burgers. They were selling them cut into quarters or in half.  I had no plans to slow down on my sampling so I ordered a whole burger, and consumed the entire thing.  I was determined to have a full stomach that could absorb all of those tasters. It was half the size of my head and enough to feed a family of 12, but I devoured it all and moved along for more pours.

There were some forgettable ones, and some that were just plain not worth it, but overall the quality of braus ranked good to excellent.  Some additional standouts included the BEACH CITY BREWERY RUSKI NOIR RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT WITH MADAGASCAR VANILLA BEANS, as well as the BRAVERY BREWING BOURBON BARREL AGED SMOKING GUN.  Best New Brewery discoveries for me were ARTIFEX and FOUR SONS. The most unique beers of the day were from NOBLE ALE WORKS with their CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH which tasted like, well, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and their SWEETISH FISH which tasted uncannily like Swedish Fish.  Are they trying to brew beers for kids?  I think they’re onto a new angle.

OK, who's going to be the first one to yell, "Freebird"?

The mid-day heat bore down mercilessly, and the crowd swelled, and yet the lines never got too painfully long. There were enough options to keep things moving for all of those in attendance.  Thankfully I only ran across one stupefyingly drunk buffoon, a 20-something douchebag who couldn’t have been more of a stereotypical college boy if he tried, stumbling up to the IRONFIRE booth next to me, demanding “Whichever one has the most alcohol!” and “Fill ‘er all the way up!” before stumbling back to his friends screaming “Woooo! Brew Ha Ha!”  I’m glad I wasn’t around to witness the inevitable projectile vomiting.

4pm came much quicker than expected, and after four solid hours of serious sipping, I had clocked in at an average tasting speed of 18 TPH.  73 new beers total, excluding a few accidental duplicate tasters. Best of all, I wasn’t tipsy thanks to a solid regimen of non-stop water and that massive burger.

I left the fest ready for more oddly enough, but I missed the family more than I needed even more beer.  I didn’t have anything else to prove today, so after a quick coffee stop I inched my way back up the 5 North after yet another successful trip behind The Orange Curtain.

THE PUSH FOR BEER #2,000

Two days after the OC Brew Ha Ha, I was brewing another beer with EAGLE ROCK BREWERY’s Brothers Bakofsky, respectively Lee and Andrew.  We were in Lee’s garage, where early in the summer we brewed the NONE MORE BLACK IMPERIAL OATMEAL STOUT.  This time we were brewing some type of dark malt liquor or schwarzbier… the process wasn’t going as planned, so we were prepared to alter what we were making on the spot in order to salvage this brew. In the process of chit-chatting about what’s new, I mentioned I was within seven beers of hitting Beer #2,000 for the year.  Like true bros, their immediate response was “Shit! We’ve gotta get you there tonight. What do we have?”  I was stunned by their excitement and determination to push me to the next milestone NOW!  I brought a few offerings, but most of it was supplied out of Lee’s secret stash. The best part is we ran the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous to attain this goal, from sharing a ghettoey 40 ouncer of CARTA BLANCA, which was unbelievably drinkable, to Lee’s own transcendent SESSION IPA THING HOMEBREW, to a BATCH 003 bottling of RUSSIAN RIVER’S delectable SUPPLICATION which was flat as a pancake (the cork slid out, with no resistance, and zero pop) but rewardingly tart and enjoyable. 

The topper was a 2008 GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY BRAND STOUT.  I even asked Lee, “Are you sure you want to open this now?”  He shrugged and muttered something about if we don’t drink it, it’s just going to sit around.  What a guy.  Another flat one, but so rich, oily, and viscous like Castrol motor oil. I relished it.  Couldn’t have asked for a better Beer #2,000.  To the Brothers Bakofsky, I owe a debt of gratitude for your support and perseverance.  Cheers!

PUMPKIN BEERS

It's not even October and I’m already over them.

THE BEER DIET

Yes, I’ve been drinking more beer than ever this year, and simultaneously losing weight.  The secret?  Well, I sure wish I could franchise some sort of crazy “Beer Diet” fad.  Maybe I will anyway.  But truthfully it’s just plain old diet and exercise.  No gimmicks.  In order to keep drinking ridiculous amounts of beer over a 365 day period without bloating like a puffer fish, I drastically improved my diet to include predominantly fruits, veggies, nuts, and fish, with some meat, and low carbs, cutting down on wheat & pasta.  Treats in moderation. No sodas.  I walk 2 miles every morning up and down fairly steep hills, do 50-60 push ups daily, and swim every other evening.  And 2,000+ beers into the year I’m averaging 10 lbs. lighter than last year.  Best of both worlds.  Proof positive, you can have your beer and drink it, too.

Time for a cold one.

MINOR TWEAKS TO MY BIG YEAR LIST

OK, time for mega geek talk (I won't be insulted if you tune out).  I use the Untappd app to keep track of my unique beers for the year.  When I look up an entry that I’ve already tasted, there’s a star next to the beer so I know I’ve already claimed it this year.  Untappd tracks keeps track of my beer totals in two categories:  “Check-ins” and “Distinct Beers”.  If I’m doing my job right, claiming only new beers for my overall list, no repeats, those two columns should be the exact same number.  Just recently the columns shifted.  My Distinct Beers total was three fewer than my Check-ins total, which means the dreaded D-word:  Duplicates!  It seems that entries for specific beers occasionally are either deleted because someone decided that beer doesn’t exist, or they’re merged with other listings when someone decides two beer listings are actually the same beer.  I was the victim of three Distinct Beer adjustments:

1.       BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER BARREL AGED IMPERIAL SAISON – This is the barrel aged version of the standard Imperial Saison, and the same vendor at the same table served both variants to me back-to-back at the OC Brew Ha Ha.  They were distinctly different in taste, not just in name  For some reason the “Barrel Aged” listing was removed, and merged with the Standard listing on Untappd.  WTF.  Untappd and I will just have to agree to disagree on this one.  Most illogical!

2.       HEINEKEN RIO DE JANEIRO CITY EDITION – I had this at the LAX Airport on my way to Dallas in July.  It used to have its own entry, but now has been deleted. Apparently this is the same as the standard HEINEKEN, just packaged differently.  After a little research, I will concede on that one.  So as not to throw off my accurate tally of everything I’ve tasted after that, I’ll drink some other cheap, forgettable, but unique beer before the end of the year and replace this one on my list.  Blame It On Rio!

3.       PIZZA PORT (CARLSBAD) SHARKBITE RED ALE vs. PIZZA PORT (OCEAN BEACH) SHARK BITE HOPPY RED – Each Pizza Port is known for brewing beers unique to their location.  I sampled these on 2/9 and 7/28 respectively.  When I searched for them on Untappd each had a different entry, and I didn’t think they were duplicates. Now they have been merged into the same Untappd entry.  My intent was not to be sneaky; I thought they were genuinely unique. Hell, I tasted them five months apart in two different locations. As with the Heineken, I’ll drink something else and replace one of these two entries in my list just to keep it legit.  Too Legit To Quit!

Heartwarming dog photo.  We're at Pacific Plate Brewing, so it's beer related.

The beering continues….

Thursday 9/4 – New release tasting at Vendome, and a few at home

1901 - SAINT ARCHER / GIRL SKATEBOARDS COLLABORATION PILSNER – Eh. I was standing next to a fella who was super excited about this. Some people are easy to please.

1902 - CISMONTANE BREWING TEMPORADA CHARDONNAY BARREL AGED SAISON – Whoa! I wasn’t expecting this. Strong barrel character, slightly sweet, woody caramel, doesn’t taste like a saison.

Heart warming barrel aged saison photo

1903 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN DEVIL'S KRIEK – Not bad, tart cherry brew.

1904 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN TAHOMA KRIEK – Blonde sour ale, tastes like a sparkling wine, OK but not really my thing.

1905 - SHIPYARD BREWING SMASHED PUMPKIN – I tend to disregard Shipyard overall, this is an impressive brew though. Nice heavy true pumpkin flavor, minus the nutmeg and spice overload of most pumpkin beers.

1906 - EPIC BREWING / DC BRAU COLLABORATION FERMENTATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION PUMPKIN PORTER – More complex than I was expecting, chocolate & pumpkin. Dessert is served.

1907 - MIDNIGHT SUN BREWING SOCKEYE RED IPA – Very disappointing.

1908 - MAD RIVER BREWING DOUBLE DREAD IMPERIAL IPA - Nice one, Mon.

1909 - SAM ADAMS NOBLE PILS - Why did I bother?

Friday 9/5 – Home

1910 - PITTSBURGH BREWING I.C. LIGHT – Didn’t have one in Pittsburgh so I had to find it at home.  After tasting it, I realized I didn’t necessarily “have to.”

1911 - BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE PIRAAT TRIPLE HOP – Good.

1912 - SKA BREWING BUSTER NUT BROWN ALE – Decent.

Saturday 9/6 – Absolutely crushing the OC Brew Ha Ha, and still having two more when I got home

1913 - VALIANT BREWING CRITERION BELGIAN AMBER WITH HONEY – Nice!

1914 - VALIANT BREWING FIELDS ABLAZE SAISON WITH LEMONGRASS & PEAR – Tart, lemony & refreshing.

1915 - VALIANT BREWING ALPHA OVERDRIVE QUADRUPLE IPA – 100+ IBU, well rounded, awesome.

1916 - BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER BARREL AGED IMPERIAL SAISON – Have I ever had anything like this?

1917 - BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER IMPERIAL SAISON – Wow, one of the few times when the non-barrel aged version is better. Sweet. Five Stars.

1918 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING CLOCKWEISSE WITH PEACH – Quite peachy but smooth and satisfying. Great brew.

1919 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING LAGERITHM DARK LAGER – Clean, really dig it.

1920 - IRON FIST BREWING ROOTS OF WRATH BELGIAN QUAD – Aged for a year before releasing. Deep molasses. So goddamn good. I need a bottle to impress friends with.

1921 - CISMONTANE BREWING BLACK'S DAWN WITH VANILLA AND MOLASSES – Smooth, sweet, desserty, wow!  Hardly any carbonation. Doesn’t need it to rule like it does.

1922 - CISMONTANE BREWING TINY RIPPER PALE ALE CON LIMON – So good. I need this as my everyday beer.

1923 - TUSTIN BREWING OLD TOWN IPA ON CASK – Killer, best Tustin beer I’ve had yet.

1924 - BEACHWOOD BREWING FOAM TOP CREAM ALE – OK.

1925 - PIZZA PORT THE NEW GUY WEST COAST PALE ALE – Awesome! Sessionable & hoppy.

1926 - GREEN FLASH BREWING GREEN BULLET TRIPLE IPA – Welcome to Skunktown.  Population: This.

1927 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY OKTOBERFEST – Marzen style lager, malty, roasty, very good.

1928 - GREEN FLASH BREWING EAST VILLAGE PILSNER – Decent basic pils.

1929 - FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING OKTOBERFEST – Eh.

1930 - FOUR SONS BREWING THE GREAT ONE DOUBLE IPA – Tasting their brews a day before their official grand opening in Huntington Beach.  Heavy citrus hoppiness, damn good.

1931 - 21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY BITTER AMERICAN – Any can with a chimp astronaut is automatically a favorite in my book.

1932 - GOOSE ISLAND RAMBLER IPA – Debuted a week ago, malty, crisp and crunchy.

1933 - HANGAR 24 OKTOBERFEST – Pretty darn good.

1934 - ARTIFEX BREWING NO NAME IPA – Wow, I’m liking this. Three hop varieties.  Straight outta San Clemente.

1935 - WICK'S BREWING BARD'S SONG BROWN ALE – Straight forward, nutty and malty, I like it a lot.

1936 - WICK'S BREWING BATTLE CRY IPA – Piney, hoppy, sending out a “Hell yeah” for Riverside.

1937 - CLOWN SHOES CHOCOLATE SOMBRERO – Chile chocolate, I’m in love.

1938 - LAGUNITAS BREWING FUSION 21 – Tastes like a malty pale, nice.

1939 - CORONADO BREWING ORANGE AVENUE WIT – Decent.

1940 - GREAT DIVIDE BREWING BERLINER WEISSE – Tart & tangy & tasty.

1941 - RITUAL BREWING FAT HOG BOULEVARDIER COCKTAIL BARREL AGED BARLEY WINE – Tastes like a Manhattan, even moreso and much better than that Rough Draft Manhattan Ale.

1942 - RITUAL BREWING FUNNER SESSION IPA – Lite, mildly hoppy as expected.

1943 - HEROES SIDEWINDER OATMEAL STOUT – Decent but not all that awesome overall. Slightly fruity aftertaste? Odd.

1944 - MISSION BREWERY CORTEZ GOLD BELGIAN STYLE BLONDE – Tastes like a nice hef.

1945 - DALE BROS BREWERY PACIFIC DAYLIGHT SUMMER BEER – Crisp light lager, decent.

1946 - INLAND EMPIRE BREWING COMPANY BROWN ALE – Eh.  I loved their Porter, but I can do without this one.

1947 - MONKISH BREWING HEM & HAW DARK SAISON WITH BRETT – Killer! No roasty flavor conflict with this farmhouse ale. Great!

1948 - DALE BROS BREWERY RED BETWEEN THE LINES – OK, slight hops, slight malt.

1949 - NINKASI BREWING TOTAL DOMINATION IPA – Good, standard IPA.

1950 - AUBURN ALEHOUSE HOP DONKEY – Hoppy copper ale, malt and brown sugar heavy, great one.

1951 - REFUGE BREWERY CITRA SAISON – hoppy , lemony saison, wheaty, good shiite outta Temecula.

1952 - REFUGE BREWERY BLOOD ORANGE WIT – You like orange juice?  You’ll like this.

1953 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY ACME CALIFORNIA IPA – Decent.

1954 - IRONFIRE BREWING PELE-KANE SESSION IPA – Crisp & piney, a solid 4 outta 5.

1955 - IRONFIRE BREWING DEAD ON ARRIVAL DOUBLE IPA – Great.

1956 - BLACK MARKET BREWING DECEPTION – Limey, tropical.

1957 - BRAVERY BREWING BOURBON BARREL AGED SMOKING GUN – Incredible woody and roasty rich porter.

1958 - CASCADE BREWING BLUEBERRY – Tart with a T!

1959 - CLOWN SHOES BLAECORN UNIDRAGON – Oh baby, everything I hoped for in a Clown Shoes stout.  Thank you!

1960 - I & I BREWING DRY STOUT – Roasty, toasty English style, more like a dark brown ale, but quite good.

1961 - I & I BREWING HONEY CREAM ALE – Bleh.

1962 - CISMONTANE BREWING MAREA ROJA FLEMMISH STYLE RED – Slightly tart, more yeasty than expected, but very good.

1963 - BOOTLEGGER’S BREWERY ROCCO RED – A bit hoppy, doughy, and overall good red ale.

1964 - TUSTIN BREWING AMERICAN PALE ALE – Crispy hops, tastes like an IPA.

1965 - NEWPORT BEACH BREWING PELICAN PALE ALE WITH CINAMMON AND ALLSPICE ON CASK – Good, tastes like a winter beer.

1966 - NEWPORT BEACH BREWING OSCILLATION – Sour like a Yoplait yogurt.

1967 - NOBLE ALE WORKS CINAMMON TOAST CRUNCH – Basically Naughty Sauce with cinnamon added, tastes like the name implies. My kid would love it.  A taster is fun, but I can’t imagine finishing a full glass.

1968 - NOBLE ALE WORKS SWEETISH FISH – Crazy fruity but not syrupy or overly sweet. And it does indeed taste like Swedish Fish, which was my favorite candy as a kid. It brings back a comforting sense memory.  Weird.  And tasty.

1969 - HOPARAZZI BREWING LE PRINCE DE PROVENCE – Bleh. Tastes like fancy tap water.

1970 - BACKSTREET BREWERY RYDIN' RUBY GRAPEFRUIT RYE IPA – Very good, and I’m not a grapefruit fan, so it’s thankfully not prominent overall.

1971 - BACKSTREET BREWERY BREW HA HA HEFEWEIZEN WITH FRESH MANGO AND HABANERO – I’m a sucker for a good chile beer, and this is a good chile beer.

1972 - TAP IT BREWING RIMFIRE RED – Crispy and distinct hops, Great!

1973 - OLD ORANGE BREWING SMUDGE POT RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT – Decent, but close to last place compared to the other stouts I’m tasting today.

1974 - FOUR SONS BREWING GOING (COCO) NUTS AMBER – Good.

1975 - BEACH CITY BREWERY RUSKI NOIR RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT WITH MADAGASCAR VANILLA BEANS – Delicious, killer, what a treat.

You know how SoCal loves their Smiths.

1976 - OGGI'S PIZZA AND BREWING BARREL AGED BLACK MAGIC STOUT – Creamy and roasty, very good.

1977 - LOST COAST BREWING DOUBLE IPA – Wow, now they actually make two beers I really like. It’s the dawning of a new brew era for Lost Coast.

1978 - MONKEY PAW BREWING SWEET GEORGIA BROWN – Smooth, nutty, roasty, tasty.

1979 - STADIUM BREWING CITRA TAKEOVER DIPA – A solid, rich and full-bodied imperial. Who is this brewery?

1980 - PHANTOM ALES FARMHAUS SAISON – Light and typical of what you’d want in a rural ale, well done.

1981 - EINSTOK OLGERD TOASTED PORTER – OK.

1982 - KARL STRAUSS BIG BARREL DOUBLE IPA – Better than other recent Karl Strauss tastings.  It’s a good one.

1983 - ARTIFEX BREWING BEACH HOUSE PALE WHEAT – Delicious simcoe & centennial hops.

1984 - BIG SKY BREWING SCAPE GOAT PALE ALE – Decent.

1985 - BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL ROUTE DES EPICES RYE BEER BREWED WITH PEPPERCORNS – heavy pepper, very spicy, like a winter beer. Almost tobaccoey. Super tasty.

Maggie Gearhart is rolling for joy over this one.

Sunday 9/7 – Tasters at Pacific Plate, a few at Melissa Gearhart’s, a few at home

1986 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING ENGLISH MILD – Really good, mellow and roasty.

1987 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING HORCHATA STOUT – Awesome, silky smooth and sweet, but full bodied. Has that milky vanilla rice horchata flavor but evenly balanced.

1988 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING WIDOWMAKER IPA – Excellent, piney and delicious, is this a single or a double?

1989 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING 1ST ANNIVERSARY ALE – Sweet, like a cross between a Belgian style tripel and barley wine.

1990 - SHMALTZ BREWING HE'BREW MESSIAH NUT BROWN ALE – Tasty and nutty and dang good.

1991 - CENTRAL CITY BREWERS RED RACER IPA – Like Pine Sol.

1992 - WIDMER BROTHERS BARREL AGED BRRRBON '12 – Caramelly, highly alcoholic finish, sweet, perfect for sitting in a leather chair watching football.  Thanks for popping this open, Melissa Gearhart!

This are a few of my favorite Thing.

1993 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING SOUTHERN TRIANGLE IPA – Decent hop worship, at least it’s a hell of a lot better than that Weekday IPA of theirs.

Monday 9/8 – Brewing with the Brothers Bakofsky who insist on pushing me to #2,000

1994 - LEE BAKOFSKY HOMEBREW SESSION IPA THING (Highland Park, CA) – Fug yeah, I’d drink this everyday if I could.

1995 - ANCHOR BREWING COMPANY BIG LEAF MAPLE AUTUMN RED – Damn good, tastes like the name suggests, not to sweet, just right. Best Anchor brew in my opinion.

1996 - ODELL BREWING ST. LUPULIN – Citrusy and clean, probably even better when the bottle is fresh.

1997 - CERVECERIA CUAUHTEMOC MOCTEZUMA S.A. DE C.V. CARTA BLANCA – For what it is, not bad.

1998 - MARIN BREWING ALBION AMBER ALE – Bready and roasty, good one.

1999 - RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING SUPPLICATION (BATCH 003) – Tonite we’re gonna party like it’s Beer 1999. Lee Bakofsky offered this one. An early batch. The cork slid out, without a pop. No carbonation left.  Didn’t matter. It’s tart and delicious and as far as I can tell the flavors are still there.

2000 - GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY BRAND STOUT (2008) – The world’s most illustrious motor oil. Zero carbonation, but not necessary. It’s a wonderful oil slick if you can ever find it.  Thank you Lee Bakofsky for offering this to the cause.

Like Oscar and Felix.

Tuesday 9/9 – Home

2001 – RUBICON BREWING MONKEY KNIFE FIGHT PALE ALE – So-so.

2002 – AYINGER OKTOBER FEST-MARZEN – Das ist not goot, yah? Tastes like bland melted popsicles. Pretty crappy.

2003 – REDHOOK OUT OF YOUR GOURD PUMPKIN PORTER – Not a fan of Red Hook in general, but this is a rare one, evenly balanced, not over the top with the spices which is important for a pumpkin beer.

Wednesday 9/10 – Home

2004 – ZYWIEC PORTER – So much better than I was anticipating. Thick mouthfeel, roasty, bready chocolatey Polish porter.

Thursday 9/11 – New release tasting at Vendome, tasting at Angel City and Americano

2005 - TIMMERMAN'S PUMPKIN LAMBICUS

2006 - DOGFISH HEAD PUNKIN' ALE

2007 - ALASKAN BREWING PUMPKIN PORTER

2008 - SAM ADAMS FAT JACK DOUBLE PUMPKIN

2009 - CHRIS BANKER/STONE/INSURGENTE COLLABORATION XOCOVEZA MOCHA STOUT

2010 - THE LOST ABBEY ANGEL'S SHARE ALE

2011 - NEW BELGIUM BREWING TOUR DE FALL – On target with what I want in a straight forward pale ale.

2012 - UINTA BREWING PUNK'N – Good, although I’m already getting sick of pumpkin beers, and it’s not even Fall.

2013 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY ARTIE PALE ALE – OK.

2014 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY PILLOW TALK SCHWARZBIER – Unfiltered, cask conditioned with cocoa nibs and mint, like a liquefied Andes mint.

2015 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY BRANDY DARK RYE LAGER – Oh hell yeah, like a port wine or a sweet cocktail, delicious.

2016 - WIENS BREWING MILLENIUM FALCONER'S IPL – Solid.

 

Friday 9/12 – Hanging at home with Jack & Jackie

2017 - MIDNIGHT SUN BREWING PLEASURE TOWN IPA – Pretty good. Ron Burgundy would be proud.

2018 - MAUI BREWING LAHAINA TOWN BROWN – Mahalo for this one.

2019 - BAYHAWK ALES IMPERIAL BROWN ALE - Not what I was expecting, more like a sour.

2020 - LAGUNITAS BREWING LAGUNITAS SUCKS - Looks like a King Cobra bottle, but this is a superior brew.

2021 - VICTORY BREWING OLD HORIZONAL BARLEY WINE ALE - Made me sideways like Miles Raymond.

Where Robbie Hart got punched in the face for sticking his nose in other people's business.

Saturday 9/13 – More hangs with Jack & Jackie before Oddball Fest

2022 - GOOSE ISLAND SOFIE – Nice.  On tap at Basin 141, Montrose.

2023 - BALLAST POINT VICTORY AT SEA PORTER WITH COFFEE AND VANILLA - Heavy coffee, heavy vanilla, heavily enjoying this one.

Sunday 9/14 – Tony’s Darts Away and Vendome tastings followed by football at home

2024 – TAPS VIENNA COUNTRY LAGER - Smoother than your typical cheapie lager, clean with hints of wheat and slight vanilla.

2025 - SAINT ARCHER SCOTTISH EXPORT - Roasted maple, very nice, much better than most of their roster.

2026 – TAPS BIERE DE GARDE – Decent.

2027 - EEL RIVER BREWING  EMERALD TRIANGLE IPA - Pineappley tropical esters.

2028 - STONE BREWING ARBALEST - Billed as a Belgian IPA at Tony's, it tastes more like a sour. Amber/copper brew with a tart berry body... just like my woman. Yum.

2029 – PRIMATOR PREMIUM - Good but a little off, tastes like corn

2030 - VICTORY BREWING PRIMA PILS - Very wheat, delicious, like a wheat field in a glass, excellent.

2031 - WEIHENSTEPHANER FESTBIER - Lite popsicle water, not rad.

2032 – ERDINGER PIKANTUS - A dark & sweet malt bomb. Great!

2033 - AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER URBOCK - A solid block of burnt, charred wood.

2034 - SCHLOSS EGGENBERG SAMICHLAUS BIER - Once the strongest beer in the world at 14%, high alcohol lager that tastes like a barleywine, rich, sweet, ready for the cellar. Austrian.

2035 - SAMUEL SMITH ORGANIC PALE ALE - Basic English pale.

2036 - ALESMITH BREWING ANVIL ESB - Unexpected heavy fruit flavors.

2037 - EPIC BREWING SMOKED PORTER - Roasted dark fruit, very smoky on the nose

2038 - STONE BREWING IMPERIAL RUSSIAN STOUT (2007) - Holding up nicely, a little oxidized but still rich & chocolatey. Thanks to Todd at Vendome for sharing!

2039 - KULMBACHER EISBOCK - Finally my first eis beer. Roasty and rich.

2040 - LAGUNITAS BREWING IMPERIAL RED ALE - Excellent hoppy red.

2041 - VICTORY BREWING FESTBIER - Pretty darn good malty marzen.

Monday 9/15 – Football and fam

2042 - CALDERA BREWING LAWNMOWER LAGER – Basic.

2043 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING ERASER IPA - Decent.

2044 - MT. SHASTA BREWING SHASTAFARIAN PORTER - Didn't know anything about this brewery, wasn't expecting much, but I was wrong. This is great - chocolately sweet smooth mildly hoppy.

Tuesday 9/16 - Home

2045 – SVYTURYS BALTIJOS DARK RED - Lithuania? I'm impressed. Caramelly malty red. So good.

2046 - SMUTTYNOSE BOUNCY HOUSE IPA - Slightly malty with a mild hop tang. Grapefruity. Good sessionable IPA.

Also appropriate for Tofu Lovers

Wednesday 9/17 - Home

2047 – RINKUSKIAI LOBSTER LOVER'S BEER - Lithuania? Really? Malty and sweet, heavy caramel. Very good.

2048 - LOST COAST BREWING DOWNTOWN BROWN - Decent.

2049 - SHIPYARD BREWING PUMPKINHEAD ALE - Tastes like a spiced cider. Eh.

2050 - SAMUEL SMITH ORGANIC CHOCOLATE STOUT - Like Chocolate Quik, super dry, powdery cocoa finish.

Thursday 9/18 – New release tasting at Vendome and a few at home

2051 - BALLAST POINT HOMEWORK SERIES BATCH NO.3 ENGLISH STYLE IPA - Damn tasty, definitely an English style IPA, doesn’t taste like Cali style.

2052 - ALESMITH BREWING EVIL DEAD RED - This year's brutal installment of this killer imperial red. Rich, malty and sweet.

2053 - PRAIRIE ARTISAN ALES CHERRY FUNK - Its strength is in its subtlety. Light ale like a saison with mild tart cherry.

2054 - STONE BREWING HIBISCUSICITY - Orange peel and hibiscus, the nose is like a mildly musty wine cork, really different, finish is dry as hell, heavy citrus.

2055 - ANCHORAGE BREWING LOVE BUZZ - Saison aged in Pinot Noir barrels, the red wine barrel gives it a definitive funk, acidic on the palate, bite like a sour. Yum.

2056 - THE BRUERY / SMOG CITY COLLABORATION ATOMIC KANGARUE -  Belgian style golden ale brewed with white wine grapes, very winey, very much like a sparkling white wine.

2057 - DESCHUTES BREWERY BLACK BUTTE XXVI - Vanilla, cherry, cranberry, cocoa, molasses, heavy porter. Rich, decadent, can't believe it's only 12 bucks. A keeper.

2058 - EPIC BREWING SANTA CRUZ BROWN ALE - Heavy roast, heavy hops, I love this!

2059 - MARIN BREWING ST. BRENDAN'S IRISH STYLE RED ALE - Interesting, hoppy & malty upfront, kinda funky like green onions on the finish.  I like all of their other beers, but this one is a swing and a miss.

Friday 9/19 – Crab legs and movies with the family at home… I should have saved that Lobster Lover’s Beer from the other night

2060 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY SAISON HOUBLON - Nice and citrusy.

2061 - TENAYA CREEK BREWERY CALICO BROWN ALE - Malty and hoppy in just the right ways. I dig this brewery.

2062 - BREWERY OMMEGANG ADORATION - Heavy spiced beer, with all that cumin I could marinate some meat for tacos.

Saturday 9/20 – A few at home and a Bud Light at Aunt Mickey’s house

2063 - BREWERY OMMEGANG COOPERSTOWN ALE – Damn, I don’t remember the last time I had a blonde ale this good.

2064 - ANHEUSER-BUSCH BUD LIGHT – Um. Yeah….

2065 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING BROTHER DAVID'S DOUBLE ABBEY-STYLE ALE - Beauty!

2066 - FISH BREWING THE HOBBIT SMAUG STOUT - Surprisingly solid stout with subtle chile heat heavy dark malt roast, so glad it’s not just a crummy novelty “cash in” beer.

Sunday 9/21 – Football at Tony’s Darts Away as well as at home, accompanied by the obligatory mid-day nap

2067 - LADYFACE ALEHOUSE HOP PROJECT LUPULUS RABBIT - Clean and crisp, slight hop skunkiness, dig it.

Payday for the boy.

2068 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY BREWING ELECTRIC TOWER IPA - Malty and good.

2069 - KINETIC BREWING AFTERBURNER DOUBLE IPA - Heavily piney DIPA, great.

2070 - OHANA BREWING RHINO'S REDEMPTION - Roasty and hoppy, not bad.

2071 - RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING ROW 2, HILL 56 - Solid piney and malty pale.

2072 - STONE BREWING OLD GUARDIAN BARLEY WINE 2013 - Fantastic! Complex and rich.

2073 - FISH BREWING THE HOBBIT GOLLUM PRECIOUS PILS - Expected an average novelty beer, got a very tasty pils with strong sweet malts and evenly balanced hops. Really good.

2074 - FISH BREWING THE HOBBIT BOLG BELGIAN STYLE TRIPEL - Delicious, floral, yeasty, hoppy, so much nicer than the freak on the label.

Monday 9/22 – Kicking off LA Beer Week with Eagle Rock Brewing’s awesome Battle Of The Bands

Eagle Rock Brewery's SHITFITS tearing you a new shitter.

2075 - STONE BREWING COFFEE MILK STOUT - Great way to cheer on these brewers’ bands.

Tuesday 9/23 – Starting at home, then deciding to indulge in LA Beer Week at El Prado and Sunset Beer Co.

2076 - RUSSIAN RIVER / SIERRA NEVADA COLLABORATION BRUX DOMESTICATED WILD ALE - A sad lesson is storing beer wrong, beware of Manager's Special, flat on flavor and carbonation, but I blame the store not the brewers.

2077 - BUFFALO BILL'S BREWERY AMERICA'S ORIGINAL PUMPKIN ALE - Decent, not overly spiced like most of these pumpkin beers, wouldn't go out of my way for it, but wouldn't avoid it either.

2078 - MAD RIVER BREWING BARLEYWINE ALE - Delicious fig jam and tobacco. Barley wines are the new sours, mark my words.

2079 - THE BRUERY SO HAPPENS IT'S TUESDAY WITH CHERRY AND VANILLA - @ El Prado, Echo Park. One of three variants released simultaneously this evening for LA Beer Week. Killer stout with a lighter mouthfeel, but rich flavor.

2080 - IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY CASEY JONES IMPERIAL IPA - @ El Prado. Super piney, kinda sweet, love it.

2081 - DESCHUTES BREWERY DOPPEL DINKEL BOCK – at Sunset Beer Co, we missed out on the So Happens It’s Tuesday with Coconut so this was the runner up. And one hell of a runner up. Super sweet, almost like barley wine, excellent.

2082 - ADELBERT'S BREWERY PHILOSOPHIZER – at Sunset Beer Co, damn good, floral, full bodied.

Wednesday 9/24 - Home

2083 - UINTA BREWING TRADER SESSION IPA - Grapefruity light hops, creamy malts, tight.

2084 - MAGIC HAT BREWING HEART OF DARKNESS STOUT - Silky and chocolatey, darn tasty.

2085 - NEBRASKA BREWING CARDINAL PALE ALE - Very well done coppery slightly hoppy pale, really like it.

2086 - BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY 471 SMALL BATCH IPA - Delicious caramelly hops, rich, sweet, a fab sipper.

Some people have too much fun during LA Beer Week.  How embarrassing.  I'd hate to be this guy.