Culver Beer Company

Posted on April 22, 2016April 20, 2016 by vwelken

I’m going to say the douchiest thing ever: We were here before it was cool. We were pondering what to do on a casual Friday night after happy hour with an ocean view. We didn’t want to get crazy but wanted to do something different, so I did what I always do when I can’t make an instant decision – I started browsing Yelp. I came across 10 (or so) glowing reviews for Culver Brewing on Yelp and the decision was made (there are just a few more now).

The pale ale was 55 IBU’s, citrusy, wheaty, and a little tart, but overall a decent pale ale. The Culver red was nutty and well-balanced. The Amaretto red was similar in flavor profile to the Culver red, but smooth (nitro). The Strange Ways Saison was quite drinkable, with noticeable and familiar citrus zest flavors, though I think it was a bit nuttier than traditional saisons. Finally, the vanilla stout was probably my favorite – full, smooth, nutty, and quite lovely.

I asked whether they had any IPA’s and the nice lady at the bar said “not yet” – which implies one is coming soon. Overall beers were quite good and all four of us really enjoyed our visit. I can see this place getting really popular very soon.

They played a bunch of fun music, most notable (and random) was Man of Constant Sorry by the Soggy Bottom Boys.

Uber Beer Tours Part II

Posted on December 23, 2015December 16, 2015 by vwelken

I wasn’t kidding when I said using Uber for beer tours was the best idea we’d had in a while. We had such a fun time last time, we did it again recently. Things took a somewhat unexpected turn and we ended up walking to a few places instead, but we still took Ubers there and back, beginning with Sublime Ale House:

The Alesmith Cream Ale was smooth, light, slightly nutty, and well-balanced. I tasted some vanilla in there. Pretty yum.

The Left Hand Milk Stout was a great follow-up to the cream ale. It was also smooth and nutty with some vanilla flavor, but was also smoky and reminiscent of coffee. It could have been a dessert (but not in a syrupy, heavy, gross way).

The DBA American Strong Ale was floral and nutty with a flavor in there that reminded me of berries, because it was a little tart. Citrus zest of some sort might have been in there too.

We tried a Chocolate Oatmeal Dry Stout (didn’t note the brewery, unfortunately) that was smoky, nutty, roasty, and malty. Chocolatey too, and bitter. I don’t think we intended to get a bunch of beers with similar flavor profiles, but it coincidentally worked out that way and I thought it was a good choice of a flight.

We then proceeded to try another flight (pictured above). The Alesmith Decadence was a lovely dubbel with licorice and fennel flavors. It was malty and rich. The Deschutes Jubelale 2015 is a nice winter ale with warm spices and tasted fruity and malty with hints of bourbon. The Ballast Point Big Eye IPA with ginger was a lovely surprise, because I don’t usually like the Big Eye IPA. While I’m a big fan of Sculpin (and especially the grapefruit one), Big Eye has always struck me as a bit of a bore. I did like this ginger version though, which was fresh, gingery, nutty, and a lot better than the original. Finally, we had a Caracole Saxo’s Belgian Golden Strong ale. This was a typical Belgian with citrus, coriander, floral, and orange peel flavors.

We then moved on to San Marcos Brewery. I had been here years ago and was not particularly impressed, but this time, I was very pleasantly surprised. I tried a few on their tap list and liked every single one. None of them were beers that punch you in the face with hops or flavor, but all were fairly smooth and well-balanced. I have resolved to return soon.

Next, we moved onto Dos Desperados, which I have described before. After that, even though everyone’s tastebuds were probably shot, we went to Rip Current. The beer tours ended there, but we returned back to our place for continued debauchery. Very appropriate for Thanksgiving weekend, because there are plenty of things to be thankful for, and beer is one of them.

Some Beers In The Bay Area

Posted on November 16, 2015November 10, 2015 by vwelken

We were up in northern California for a wedding recently. The wedding itself was in a sleepy and quaint Mill Valley, but we ended up spending some time in San Francisco as well as Walnut Creek, since we were there for a long weekend.

I’d like to say we came upon Resolute, a wine bar, after walking by its highly compelling sign (“HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAMN DAY!” pictured above), but the truth is we found it on Yelp. I believe this place is fairly new, as I had been in the neighborhood for work just a couple of months prior, and had not noticed it. We came by for happy hour. I had the “Hella Lite” pale ale, which was as juicy and citrusy as its description promised it to be. It was hoppy despite the fact it was “hella lite.” This would have been a great summer beer. Too bad the weather was already starting to cool down. The low ABV of 3.8% was probably also appropriate considering all the wedding festivity drinking from the night before. The rye saison by Henhouse Brewing wasn’t bad either. After that, we shared a glass of tempranillo, which was also lovely. Also had a cheese plate (manchego) to go with it all. Very nice.

While up in the area, we also popped by to visit some dear friends, who had just returned from their honeymoon in Belgrade, London, and the Amalfi Coast (so jealous – if I ever make it back to Italy, it’s the Amalfi Coast for sure). We hit up a sort of Indian fusion joint called Kanishka’s Neo-Indian Gastropub in Walnut Creek. I can be slightly wary of fusion places, but when I looked up “beer” this is one of the first places that came up, and the thought of Indian food and beer was simply too enthralling to pass up.

This place did not disappoint. Lots of lovely beers of all types on tap. Good Belgians, good IPA’s, not much more a girl can ask for. The lamb sliders were probably more akin to wraps, but it doesn’t matter; they were heavenly. The tikka masala fries were also to die for and paired so nicely with IPA’s. All I want for Christmas is for someone to replicate this place and drop it off in San Diego.

Alesmith’s New Location

Posted on November 13, 2015November 10, 2015 by vwelken

Alesmith Brewing Company, which makes some delicious beers, opened up a new location recently. They didn’t move very far; the new place is just down the street, and it’s beautiful. There’s plenty of lounge space and seating, and a fire table outside.

By a stroke of luck, our real estate agent who sold us our condo just a few months ago had the ins with the owners of Alesmith, and invited us to a special pre-opening event at the new beer garden. I was super excited and fought through cross-county traffic (woe is me) to get there after work.

I ordered a flight of 4 tasters, including the IPA, the Double Red IPA, the scotch ale, and the Velvet Speedway Stout.

They were all fantastic beers, and don’t require a whole lot of explanation. The IPA was hoppy, citrusy, fresh, and well-balanced. The scotch ale was excellent. It was darker, more full-bodied, and more substantial than most scotch ales I’ve had. The double IPA was intense, but great. Velvet Speedway Stout was really nice, although I think I actually prefer the original. I also had a chance to taste a couple of the Belgian-style beers, including the Horny Devil and a quad, which were also very good. This is probably one of the few breweries that does several styles of beer very well.

After we finished a round, we were taken on a tour of the brewery by one of the co-owners of Alesmith, who served as our lovely tour guide, providing interesting information about the machinery, origin of the barrels, and other aspects of the brewing process.

Seeing the bottling machine, the aging barrels, and the kegs in the massive fridge sort of made me feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Really cool brewery. I can’t wait to come back soon.

Biking To San Diego Beer Works

Posted on September 5, 2015August 27, 2015 by vwelken

A couple of weekends ago, we took a nice bike down Pacific Coast Highway and stopped at San Diego Beer Works. I’d been wanting to check this place out for some time now. On our way, we stopped at the beach in Cardiff and took a dip. The weather was beautiful and perfect. The flat, coastal terrain was also perfect because my bike is a piece of crap from Wal-Mart.

My flight of tasters at San Diego Beer Works –

Batch #1 IPA: Brewed by 21st Amendment. 7.2% ABV. The tart hits you first. Then some citrus. Full-bodied, and a malty finish.

Hop Shovel IPA: Brewed by Bear Republic. 7.5% ABV. Hoppy, very floral, and crisp. The color is light for an IPA. There’s something about it that stings a bit, is almost spicy.

Summer IIPA: Didn’t catch the name of this IIPA. It’s by Bottle Logic. 9.0% ABV. It was an orangey golden color. The flavor was almost syrupy, and there was something in there that was slightly reminiscent of rubber bands.

Nitro Milk Stout: By Artifex Brewing. OMG, so amazing. Smooth like water. Smooth like cream. A beautiful, light, puffy, head. I was really in love with this one despite my usual preference for IPA’s.

As beautiful as that beach is, it’s not actually the beach we biked by. This is actually some 10 miles up the 101. Close enough though.

Biking To Local Breweries

Posted on June 12, 2015June 9, 2015 by vwelken

After a hard week, a decision was made to bike to a couple of close by breweries to blow off some steam. The thing with biking to breweries is you can drink beer but feel like you deserve it because you are engaging in some kind of exercise. This was especially the case with some of the hills we encountered on our way.

First, we went to Latitude 33:

I’d tried a few of their beers at various bars at some point or another. Their beers were not bad at all; however, they also weren’t really outstanding either. Each beer was a solid, well-balanced beer, but nothing that would blow you away.

American Wheat: It looks more filtered and clear than the usual wheat beer. It’s golden in color, and a little bitter at the end. It’s vaguely fruity. It’s almost got some lager tones, but enough to put me off (I don’t like lagers). It’s well-balanced, though not pungent or strong enough for my tastes. 5.0 ABV.

Belgian Witbier: Looks less filtered (more opaque), light yellow in color (think Hoegaarden color). It’s a little bitter on the end also. Some citrus and tartness in there. 4.9 ABV.

San Diego IPA: The pine smell is immediately apparent (a good thing). Citrusy, bright, with a very bitter finish. Fresn. 7.8 ABV.

Honey Hips Strong Blond: I have a friend who loves this. She specifically has said that it’s strong as hell, but doesn’t taste like it. However, I beg to differ. I can smell the alcohol before I even put it to my lips. It’s a deep golden color, with a slightly toasty/roasty flavor.

Vanilla Porter: Shit starts to get good around here. This one was far better than its predecessors. Creamy, but a bit tart on the end,

Breakfast Stout: I got preoccupied playing pool, because they have a pool table you can play for free. All I can say was I liked this a lot. Tasters were not cheap considering this is not a well-known brewery – $2 for the standard 4-ounce tasters. However, the pool made it worth it.

Next, we made our way to Toolbox Brewing:

This was probably a mistake, as we were unaware this place specializes in sour beers. Neither of us are sour beer fans. I hear it’s an acquired taste, but I’m not quite there yet. I tend to either like something immediately or dislike it. For instance, I immediately liked coffee and IPA’s, though for most people, these beverages are a matter of gradual liking. Anyway, I wasn’t in the mood for experimentation, and we ended up ordering Last Call IPA and the Mini Mudder Milk Stout. Last Call was a fresh and hoppy IPA (6.5 ABV), but quite standard. The milk stout on the other hand was quite exceptional. It was creamy, full, and had the familiar coffee taste. Beautiful milk stout.

Green Flash

Posted on April 17, 2015April 14, 2015 by vwelken

I had the pleasure of hitting up Green Flash and tried a couple of new beers, as well as a couple of my old favorites.

I started with the Jibe Session IPA (4.0% ABV), which I kind of feel is a West Coast IPA light. It’s hoppy, light, fresh, smooth, floral, with just an edge of bitterness. It’s really easy to drink, and is a pale golden color (but not as light as a lager). It would be easy to knock back three of these while sitting on a beach, if it weren’t illegal pretty much everywhere in Southern California. Green Flash’s tasting notes on this one: woodsy, oroblanco, pine, eucalyptus. I had to ask what oroblanco was – apparently, a seedless sweet citrus hybrid fruit similar to grapefruit.

Next, I had the Soul Style IPA (6.5 %ABV), which sounded familiar for a reason. I had it for the first time in New Hampshire several months ago. I described it already in the previous post, but I’ll just add that in comparison, it was a bit less well-rounded than the Jibe Session, and not as notable as their West Coast IPA. The session is pictured left, below, while the Soul Style is on the right:

The Trippel was warm, fruity, and 9.7% ABV, though you would never know by the taste. This is probably a dangerous beer. Its smoothness and unassuming flavor belies its strength. I thought I tasted some plum, but the tasting notes report ripe banana, cane sugar, and pepper.

Hop Head Red (8.1% ABV) is one I particularly like. Tasting notes advertise luscious caramel malt and resinous hop. The caramel is obvious, and goes well with the hoppiness (though the pairing is somewhat unexpected). This is sort of an IPA/red ale combo. This beer is on the bitter and heavy side. Beer Advocate considers it “very good,” and classifies it as an amber/red ale, though it probably has a lot more flavor and punch than 90% of the ambers/reds out there. Interestingly, Beer Advocate notes, “In 2011 the recipe was altered to bump the IBU’s from 55 to 70; ABV also increased from 6.4% to 7.0%. In 2014 the ABV increased to 8.1%.” I used to order several of these when out at bars, but it’s getting to be a heavier beer (see below, beer on the right).

The West Coast IPA (8.1 ABV) is one of my all-time favorites. Green Flash declares it is extravagantly hopped (no doubt about that). It is also described as “pine, citrus, floral.” The beer really hits you in the face, in a good way. It’s vaguely nutty. It’s a beautiful beer that pairs well with happy times. Similarly, Beer Advocate indicates this beer was 7.2% ABV before 2014, but has an 8.1%ABV beer after 2014 (beer on the right, below).

New Sculpins To Swig

Posted on April 6, 2015April 4, 2015 by vwelken

Sculpin IPA is already delicious, crisp, powerful, and one of the greatest beers ever…but wait! There’s more! I finally tried Sculpin Grapefruit IPA. Drank it by the pool at a bachelorette party and it did not disappoint. In fact, I think I like it even better than the regular Sculpin IPA. It has the fresh, crisp, hoppiness of Sculpin but also comes with a lovely and well-balanced grapefruit flavor (pictured above), making it even fresher and more palatable on a hot day. I sat by the pool in the backyard of a mansion in Temecula’s wine country drinking this beer of the gods and texted a picture to my friend. She asked me if I’d died and gone to heaven. Seriously, very plausible at that moment.

I also recently tried the Habanero Sculpin IPA. I’ve tried several spicy beers by now and I usually treat them like novelties; they are good as a one-time experience. After that, you get kind of tired of the way your throat burns and itches (even if you are a huge fan of spicy food like I am). As amazing as Ballast Point is, Habanero Sculpin fell into this category. Habanero Sculpin IPA definitely tasted like Sculpin IPA, but the masterful creation that is Sculpin IPA was somewhat muddled by the smoky, itchy habanero that grew more potent as the beer warmed in my hands (I wasn’t drinking slowly by any means, but by the time I got toward the bottom, quite spicy/itchy/weird). Sometimes you just gotta leave a good thing alone.

There is a Chinese idiom about not adding legs to the painting of a snake – meaning, if you’ve a got a good thing going, don’t add elements that don’t make sense or ruin what you have. Maybe not applicable to the Grapefruit, but probably a relevant idiom when it comes to the Habanero.

Idiot IPA

Posted on December 7, 2014December 4, 2014 by vwelken

The first time I had this double IPA was years ago, when we were visiting the Hotel Del Coronado, and happened upon Coronado Brewing. It is a nutty and bitter IPA, with less floral and citrus tones than some of my favorite IPA’s. It doesn’t smell particularly distinct. It’s 8.5%, but one might not immediately guess it’s a double IPA. It’s rated as “very good” by Beer Advocate. My friend brought a 6-pack over and I refamiliarized myself with this nice beer. Not bad.

Libertopia 2014

Posted on November 22, 2014November 21, 2014 by vwelken

Libertopia was last weekend, and as usual, it was a good time. Jeffrey Tucker was Master of Ceremonies. Good times and good beers were had all weekend. There was even some home brew in the Hospitality Lounge, but it was all gone before I got to it. While I tabled and listened to speakers, I had a couple of these:

I like stouts, but tend not to drink too many of them, as they feel a bit heavy for me. Stone’s coffee milk stout is on the lighter side, but is not watery at all, as some poorly-done stouts can be. It’s got a lovely, smooth flavor, and is only 4.5% (which was a bit surprising to me).

Also had a couple of these:

Sierra Nevada got a bad rap in my mind, since the most common pale ale you see everywhere isn’t that great. However, they do have a couple of really decent beers, like the seasonal Celebration, and this Torpedo extra IPA. Beer Advocate considers it world-class with a rating of 93, and I tend to agree! Fresh citrus and pine flavors, and of course, bitterness. It’s on the darker side of IPA’s and is 7.2%. Some people are also really fond of the Bigfoot barleywine they make, but that’s really not my thing. A bit too heavy and powerful, even for me.

v. welken

Tag Archives: Citrus