Binder full of beer
/Yes I'm that guy, the one who sits at the bar, notebook in hand, waxing somewhat poetically about the beer he's drinking. In fact, this blog was inspired by my little black book. Overall last year was a fantastic year for craft beer and I had the pleasure of tasting at several breweries and festivals including the Firestone Walker Invitational and the Orange County Brew Ha Ha. Below is a list of beers from my notebook that I tasted, drank and enjoyed in 2012. The list is a long one and this year is shaping up to be much the same. Stay tuned for more beer adventures.
Domestic Craft Breweries visited or tasted at festivals
Alcatraz Brewing (U.S. Chain restaurant with Brewery)
- Steam Beer
AleSmith (San Diego, CA)
- IPA
- Bourbon Aged "Speedway Stout"
- Nut Brown Ale
- Nut Brown Ale on cask
Anderson Valley Brewing (Boonville, CA)
- Wee Geech
- Barkley's Sour Horn
Avery Brewing (Boulder, CO)
- White Rascal
- India Pale Ale
Backstreet Brewing (Southern, CA)
- E.R. IPA
Ballast Point (San Diego, CA)
- Even Keel
- Victory at Sea
Bayhawk Ales (Orange County, CA)
- Octoberfest
- Brown
Beachwood BBQ (Long Beach, CA) My local brewery!
- Rubia (Belgian style blonde)
- Melrose IPA
- Equalizer IPA
- Tart Simpson
- Knucklehead Red
- Thrillseeker IPA
- Hop Ninja IPA
- Foam Top Cream Ale
Bear Republic (Healdsburg, CA)
- Altered Beast Imp. IPA
- Double Aught
- Hop Rod Rye
- Racer 5
- Big Bear Black Stout
Bells Brewery (Galesburg, MI)
- Oarsman
- Wild One
The Big Cheese Pizza Co. (Southern, CA)
- Imperial Java Porter
- Scottish Heavy
Boneyard Beer (Bend, OR)
- Pale Ale
- Rasberry Brown
Bridgeport (Portland, OR)
- King Pin Double Red
The Bruery (One of my favorits Southern CA breweries. I've been a big fan since their opening)
- Saison de Lent
- Trade Winds Triple
- Nottenroth
- Sterling Humulus
- Nottenroth German
- Hottenroth
- Old Richland
- Saison Rue
- Oude Tart
- Mischief
- Steins Throw
- Autumn Maple
Chimay (Belgium)
- Chimay Blanche
Craft Brewing Company (Lake Elsinore, CA)
- Fallen Angel Blonde
- Friar Bob's Raspberry Wheat
- Warlock IPA
- Raven Stout
Craftsman Brewing (Pasadena, CA)
- Edgar's Ale
Creekside Brewing (San Luis Obispo, CA)
- Creekside ESB
- Creekside Brown
- IRA India Red Ale
Dale Brothers Brewery (Southern CA)
- Pomona Queen
- Barrel IPA
Dogfish Head Brewery
- Two Blind Myces
- Peche
- 90 Minute IPA
- Pumpkin Pie
Drake's Brewing (San Leandro, CA)
- DIPA
Eaglerock Brewing (Los Angeles, CA)
- Manifesto
Fifty-Fifty Brewing (Truckee, CA)
- Charlie Brown
- Eclipse
Figueroa Mountain Brewing (Central, CA)
- First Anniversary Ale Dark IPA
Firestone Walker (I'm a big fan of their beer. Well balanced and well crafted beer)
- Double Jack
- Velvet Merkin
- 805
- XVI Anniversary Ale
- Wookey Jack (My favorite beer of the year)
- UDBA (Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale on tap at the Brewery)
- 2012 Reginald Brett (Wild Ale)
- 2012 Velvet Merkin on cask
- Velvet Merlin
- 2012 Parabola
- Pale 31
- Pivo Pils
- Walker Reserve Porter
Golden Road Brewing (A new favorite in L.A.)
- Berliner Wiess
- Imperial Porter
- Brown
Goose Island (Chicago, IL) still good despite AB's ownership
- Sofie Saison
- Pere Jacques Double
Grand Teton Brewing (Victor, ID)
- Bitch Creek ESB
- Sweetgrass APA
Green Flash (San Diego, CA)
- Saison Diego
Hanger 24 (Redlands, CA)
- DIPA
- Helles
- Octoberfest
- Orange Wheat
- Alt Bier
- Chocolate Porter
Hollister Brewing (Goleta, CA)
- Hippie Kicker
- Tiny Bubbles
Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland, Or)
- Abominable Winter Ale
- Velvet ESB
I & I Brewing (Chino, CA)
- Session IPA
- Imperial Stout
Inland Empire Brewing (Riverside, CA)
- Habsburg Hefeweizen
- Victoria (American Strong Ale)
Iron Fire Brewing (Temecula, CA)
- Gunslinger Gold
- Six Killer Stout
- 51/50 IPA
Lagunitas (Petaluma, CA)
- IPA
- Waldo's Special Ale
- Little Sumpin'
- Censored
- Hop Stoopid
- Pils
- Little Sumpin' Wild
- WTF
- Sucks
Laurelwood Brewing (Portland, OR)
- Gearhead IPA
Left Coast (San Clemente, CA)
- Hop Juice DIPA
- Pilsner
Lost Abbey (San Diego, CA)
- More Betta
- Lost and Found
Lucky Lab (Portland, Or) Hawthorne location is my personal favorite
- Amarillo IPA
- Moonlight Ale
- Black Lab Stout
Marin Brewing (Bay Area, CA)
- Point Reyes Porter
Mikkeller (Denmark)
- It's Alive
- Big Worse Barley Wine
Monkish Brewing (South Bay, CA) *Another favorite new brewery
- Crux
- Red Table
- False Prophet
- Sueño de Los Angeles
- Anomaly
- Feminist
Moonlight Brewing (Santa Rosa, CA)
- Death and Taxes
- Moonlight Special
Moylans Brewing (Novato, CA)
- Dry Irish Stout
New Belgium Brewing
- Lips of Faith
- Sommersalt
- Biere de Mars
Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene, OR)
- Sleighr Dark Double Alt
- Believer Double Red Ale
- Imperiale Stout
- Total Domination IPA
North Coast (Fort Bragg, CA)
- Pranqster
- Old Brother Thelonious
Oakshire Brewing (Eugene, OR)
- Overcast Stout
Odell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)
- IPA
- Sour (I don't know which one I only wrote "sour" in my notes)
Old Orange Brewing (Orange, CA)
- Imperial IPA (10% monster)
- Thumb Master IPA
- Statesman Porter
- Red Ale
- Old Dummy American Strong Ale
- Cannonball DIPA
- Smudge Pot Stout
- Backseat Blonde
- Street Fair (Summer Ale)
Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)
- Witte
- BPA
- Hennepin
Packing House Brewery (Riverside, CA)
- Summer Seasonal (no name in my notes)
pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River, Or)
- IPA
Pizzaport Brewing (San Diego, CA)
- Middleman IPA
- Scotch Wee Heavy
- Chronic
- Happy Trails Pale Ale
- Oatmeal Stout
Ritual Brewing (Redlands, CA)
- Wit's End
- Extra Red Ale (red ale malt bill with IPA hopping schedule)
Rouge (Portland, OR)
- Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale
Russian River (Central Coast, CA)
- Saison Blonde
- Supplication
- Pliny the Elder
- Damnation
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (Santa Cruz, CA)
- Dread Brown Ale
- IPA
- Devout Stout
Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)
- Tumbler Autumn Brown
- Ruthless Rye
- Torpedo Extra IPA
Smog City (Tustin/Torrance, CA) *My favorite new local brewery of last year
- Quercus Circus (one of my favorites at the OC Brew Ha Ha)
- LA Saison
- Coffee Porter
Southern Tier
- Pale Ale
Speakeasy Brewing (San Francisco, CA)
- Big Daddy IPA
Stadium Brewery (Orange County, CA)
- Blueberry Ale
Stone Brewing
- Le Variation
- Runiation 10th Anniv.
- Smoked Porter
- Arrogant Bastard
- Ruination
- Cali-Belgique
Tap's (Orange County, CA)
- Balinese Imp. Stout
- White Ale
- Kölsch
Ten Barrel Brewing (Bend, Or)
- Pray For Snow Winter Ale
Triple Rock Brewing (Berkeley, CA)
- SHE Meridian Pale Ale
- Barrel Aged Kayser Soze
Tustin Brewing (Tustin, CA)
- Tustin IPA
Trumer Pils (Berkeley, CA)
- Trumer Pils
Upright Brewing (Portland, Or) New favorite in Portland super creative beers.
- Pear Wood Smoked Lager
YOHO Brewing (Tokyo)
- IPA
- Tokyo Black
Beers drank on trip to Belgium and France
Brouwerij Huyghe (Belgium)
- Floris Pomme
- Floris Cactus
- Delirium Tremens
Brasserie d'Achouffe (Belgium)
- Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA
Orval Abbey (Belgium)
- Brune
Brouwerij Mort Subite (Belgium)
- Mort Subite Blanche
- Mort Subite Gueze
Brasserie Belle-Vue (Belgium)
- Belle Vue Kriek
- Affligem Dubbel
Cantillon (Brussels Belgium)
- Gueuze
- Lambic Rosé de Gambrinus
- Kriek 100% Lambic
- Monk Stout
Brouwerij Kerkom (Belgium)
- Adelardus Brune
La Brasserie de la Grand Place (Belgium) Nothing fancy all good and brewed on premise.
- Blonde
- Amber
- Dark
- Triple
ToØl (Denmark)
- Black Ball Porter
- Kriek
Brasserie Galibier (Valloire, France)
- Matchut Ambrée
- Avalanche Biere Blanche Artisanale
Pleine Lune (Chabeuil, France)
- Aubeloun IPA
Biére Brassée á Blainville (France)
- La P'tite Sylvie Blonde
- Rince Cochon Blonde