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The beauty of barley. Pic: Valley Malt. It’s often said that hops are the varietals of the beer world, an idea that many brewers have seized on with numerous single hop brews constructed to show off the individual characteristics of a specific variety, so dedicated connoisseurs can get to know their Citra from […] Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale Best Damn Beer Shop ABV: 7.2% Origin: Escondido, California, USA Website: www.stonebrew.com Stone is the original bad boy brewer, with brand values that deliberately risk alienating certain groups of potential customers in order to boost the affinity of others. Offset by an obvious sense of humour and backed up […] Green Flash Trippel Ale Best Damn Beer Shop ABV: 9.7% Origin: Vista, California, USA Website: www.greenflashbrew.com Created to mark the brewery’s third anniversary in 2005, the curiously spelt Trippel has the traditional looking ingredients list of a Belgian abbey beer, with added sugar, Styrian Goldings and Czech Žatec hops and Trappist yeast, but […] Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter Best Damn Beer Shop ABV: 6% Origin: San Diego, California, USA Website: www.ballastpoint.com Underlining the vital link between commercial craft brewing and homebrewing around which the vibrant beer culture of San Diego flourishes, the Ballast Point brewery actually began in a homebrewing supplies shop. Opened in 1992, Jack […] Alpine Pure Hoppiness. Best Damn Beer Shop ABV: 8% Origin: Alpine, California, USA Website: alpinebrewing.com When you think about it, “Pure Hoppiness” is such an obvious punning name for a hop-focused beer, it’s surprising someone didn’t grab it years ago. Instead, it’s fallen to a very small but high achieving craft brewery in […] AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale Best Damn Beer Shop ABV: 10% Origin: San Diego, California, USA Website: www.alesmith.com I first heard about the buzz around beer in San Diego from some itinerant locals who struck up a conversation with me at Belgium’s Zythos Bierfestival in 2008. They also very kindly gave me […] Beers and brewhouse at Societe Brewing, San Diego CA. Top Tastings 2012 (The Pupil) ABV: 9.8%, 6% and 7.7% Origin: San Diego, California, USA Website: www.societebrewing.com San Diego, a naval and university city in California’s far southwestern corner, is also a top craft beer producer, boasting heavy hitters like AleSmith, Port and Stone […] Ska Steel Toe Working Class Milk Stout Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 5.4% Origin: Durango, Colorado, USA Website: www.skabrewing.com With my soft spot for the smarter and sharper side of mid-1960s music and fashion and its later revivalist derivatives, I was intrigued to find a Colorado craft brewery calling itself Ska and borrowing its […] Russian River Pliny the Elder Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 8% Origin: Santa Rosa, California, USA Website: www.russianriverbrewing.com Russian River brewer Vinnie Cilurzo is generally credited with creating the Double IPA as a commercial beer style. Inaugural IPA, the first beer Vinnie brewed professionally, was so named as it launched his first brewing venture, […] Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale Top Tastings 2012 ABV: 8% Origin: Longmont, Colorado, USA Website: www.oskarblues.com 2012’s annual British Guild of Beer Writers reception on the eve of the Great British Beer Festival could almost have been tailor made to antagonise some of the more purist supporters of the festival itself – […] |
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