Beer in the new era

I live in the SF bay area. Most of the regular people I know who drink beer drink local (craft?) beer and don't go in for the flavored stuff except maybe at beer tastings or whatever. Fort Point "KSA" (Kölsch Style Ale) and Export seems to be in every cooler these last two years. Their design might be partially to credit for the popularity - I don't know. It's good beer. I feel like I spread it around amongst my friends because it's fairly cheap at Trader Joe's and CostCo. If you get a chance, give some a try.

Speaking of design, I picked up a 4-pack of some random Pilsners and a "cloudy" lager the other day that I'm excited to try. I like the designs, especially the two on the left.

https://i.imgur.com/cPYUOmx.jpg

I enjoyed a Rainier Tallboy a week ago

faction makes tasty beers.

I like the designs of the two on the left too. Designs are getting too cheeseball that I start subconsciously thinking the beer is careless (shitty) and overpriced. I like drinking odd craft beer if it's on draft but when I am in the store I really just want a can of old speckled hen, guinness or boddingtons.

night shift's nite lite is the first local craft beer that really took a shot at macro shelf space and price points. it's done well and i think it's pretty tasty. one of their best labels too:

https://nightshiftfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/nite-lite-o04spp70jx9evyz5qe3qow6eanasbz3lnsm96tbmd8.jpg

Any recommendations for LA breweries or beer centric bars?

Really like that Nite Lite label.

I go to sunset beer company every time I'm in the area. They have a handful of usu interesting things on tap and the entire world in refrigerated goodies that are very nicely priced and they don't charge to open bottles/cans or any such bullshit.
Xpost

Any recommendations for LA breweries or beer centric bars?

― calstars, Tuesday, August 20, 2019 4:11 PM (six minutes ago)

Highland Park Brewery (Chinatown) or The Hermosillo (Highland Park) are my favorites. Beachwood is good but it's pretty far unless you're way out on the west side.

Thanks bros

Trying Double Two hearted. Not as hot/boozy as Hopslam, more like a classic west coaster but still that traditional Midwest Centennial hop thing. Classic Bell's selling 11% abv beer in six pack bottles.

i'll have to find a single of that this weekend

I had two. It's strong shit for sure. Some sips tasted more boozy than others, but you can tell the two hearted is in there.

I'd gotten used to drinking all these DIPA monsters, but they're expensive so I've taken a break from buying big beers. But the great thing about going from big beers to little beers is that little beers go down eeeeeeeeeasy. Very refreshing.

I saw double two hearted in Chicago last weekend and was a little sad I hadn’t actually seen it anywhere in Michigan yet. But I haven’t looked at actual beer stores yet; Binnys selection beats every grocery store everywhere.

Also as an aside I think Chicago might be the best place for buying beer

wow the guy who runs Founders is a dickhead: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/22/craft-brewery-manager-cant-confirm-black-employees-race-discrimination-lawsuit/

That's nuts. So the guy is such an asshole that, as a defense, he refuses to even acknowledge his former employee is black, as if that excuses saying and doing racist things?

Given the blowback I'm seeing on Twitter over the past few days, looks like those bottles of KBS that are still sitting on shelves are going to be sitting around even longer.

Man, those things sat around so long last year I'm not sure they ever left. They just stayed on the shelves.

yeah my local is still selling them for $6 a bottle and they're quite dusty

Detroit Metro Times coverage of the story is also worth reading

I rarely buy national brands anymore, but Founders was one I still respected and purchased. Not anymore.

Backwoods Bastard is my favorite not-too-expensive barrel aged stout, looks like I'm going to have to find another.

Central Waters has several big beers to gladly fill that niche... (although I don't think Backwoods Bastard is a stout, more an old ale/wee heavy?)

Scotch ale?

Yeah, I just guessed at stout.

I'm not sure CW is around here (L.A.). I've liked Boulevard's barrel aged beers, hope they're not racist.

Their website says Scotch Ale.

oh if you're in LA try Alesmith's Wee Heavy. Not sure it comes in smaller formats (yet).

I just did an impromptu one man show of the excerpt from that deposition. It's amazing.

xp: http://alesmith.com/beers/barrel-aged-wee-heavy/

xp: lol

There's a glut of barrel aged stouts etc right now, just one of a few reasons (plus price, plus increased production) that KBS sits around.

Their lawyers response to the press doesn't seem to help much either

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHarOaYXYAANxSj.png

the Michigan beer scene is so bad about this, remember this whole shitshow? https://www.metrotimes.com/table-and-bar/archives/2019/02/13/great-lakes-brewing-news-sexist-parody-starts-brouhaha

probably all beer scenes tbh smh

Lolled hard here

I can't wait for the upcoming release of Founders' I Don't Know If It's Black Ale

— cmitown ... but spooky 👻 (@cmitown) October 22, 2019

Was in the store and came across Revolution's latest annual fruity barrel aged stout, Deth by Plums. I'm sure it's good, but I think it was $36 for a 4-pack of 12oz cans, and I just couldn't do it.

Yo, Twin Citians: Pryes' Miraculum IPA w/ Blood Orange is my new favorite beer of the season, just right for Christmastime.

Anyone else see that Ballast Point, which literally sold for a billion dollars a few years back, just got bought by a tiny Chicago hobby brewery for what I assume was a pittance?

excited to try some 3 Floyds Alpha Klaus my buddy is bring me this weekend

Alpha Klaus is one of my favorite porters ever.

I haven't had any Pyres besides their dry stout, which is nice. Will keep an eye out for the blood orange. If it's on draft at my local, even better.

Lately I've been hooked on Central Waters' brut pilsner, and not only because it's on mega sale at my favorite store for what seems like forever.

Anyone else see that Ballast Point, which literally sold for a billion dollars a few years back, just got bought by a tiny Chicago hobby brewery for what I assume was a pittance?

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, December 11, 2019 5:08 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

supposedly $50-$80M. there's wine money behind it.

Yeah, I read that, and there is bigger money behind it. When I read that Kings and Convicts brewery had an annual output in the hundreds of barrels (iirc), before knowing anything else, I was totally o_O.

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/ballast-point-sold-kings-convicts-wine-group

I bought a bottle of Pliny the Elder; I remember walking miles across San Francisco years ago to the one place that had it on tap, and buying a bottle once in Portland because you were limited to only one at a time. But there was a ton of it at a shitty strip mall liquor store in San Diego today. Also there seem to be a ton of 22s here which for some reason isn’t a thing I ever see in Michigan and I have no idea why.

What’s good in San Diego? I know Stone and whatever Ballast Point is now are here but there seem to be a lot of other brewers around as well.

Modern Times is a good place that does many styles of beer very well.

A guy at my local liquor shop told me Russian River Brewing expanded their distribution this year. I saw a bunch of their beers including Pliny at a popular local (east bay area) grocery store the other day. It's nice to see it around. It's surprisingly inexpensive for the reputation it has and it is a pretty delicious beer imho.

If you ever get up to Windsor (Sonoma County), you can see why/how they've been able to increase their distribution. Good food and great location as well.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-12-12/ballast-point-rise-fall-constellation-kings-convicts

90%+ loss of valuation in 4 years pretty much tells you all you need to know. Insane.

re: San Diego, have been wanting to pilgrimage for Stone and Black Plague, so might check the latter. Always curious re: the most known versus the lesser hidden gems in each region. Like for Seattle, would recommend Holy Mountain, Reubens, Dirty Couch, Urban Family, Cloudburst in addition to the more obvious ones.

i'm very interested in what happens to ballast point from here. the guys who bought it do not seem like idiots but this industry makes smart people dumb and every common-sense bone in my body says this is not the time to try to figure out a national craft beer brand with a fading reputation.

Thread of gold

Stay tuned for this up and coming brewery pic.twitter.com/Pt3x6XKGzG

— Worst Beer Blog (@WorstBeerBlog) December 15, 2019