PTY Watch

Sorry it has been so long! The holiday season was very busy. I was actually fortunate enough to visit my boyfriend's family in Portland, which as many of you beer lovers know is known as Beervana. I visited Rogue, Deschutes Brewery and Full Sail. It was a very cold week, but the beers helped warm me up. I definitely want to revisit Portland in the summer and revisit these breweries and more!

But back here in always sunny Long Beach, I am on another search. This time I am joined by many beer connoisseurs with the search for Russian River's Pliny the Younger. This is a very limited release triple IPA that is definitely not for the malt lovers (like myself). I have been calling a LOT of bars and breweries in the area and I have a few potential opportunities, so I am hopeful that one of the releases will fit my schedule.

One of the known locations is Hollingshead Deli in Orange, CA. They have already scheduled the release of PTY, but unfortunately it is scheduled for Monday at 10am! There are so many reasons why I think this is a horrible choice for the release, but mostly because my boyfriend and I cannot go at that time. So if you are reading this and don't mind a cold, hoppy, 11% ABV beer in the morning, enjoy!

Another location that I am waiting on is Naja's Place in Redondo Beach, CA. They have said many times that they are definitely getting PTY, but an exact date has not been announced. I have been obsessively checking their facebook for updates.

An expected location for PTY is Beachwood BBQ. They have also confirmed that The Younger will be arriving at some time, but again, the date is unknown. Keep glancing at their Hop Cam to see when it shows up.

My boyfriend received a tip from a friend that PTY is coming to Hollywood, so I searched and sure enough the Surly Goat in West Hollywood will be tapping it on February 15th at 6:00pm. That is a much more reasonable time and place, so don't be surprised if you find me here for the grand tapping!

The final one that I am currently aware of is in Santa Monica. A little farther than the others for me, but for The Youger, it is not far. That location is the Library Alehouse, the date has not been confirmed, but it is supposed to be sometime in the next 2 weeks. Their website includes a scrolling taplist, so be on the lookout there as well.

That is all for now! Hopefully we all get to try some of the hoppyness known as Pliny the Younger. Happy searching and remember:

drink responsibly

- The Brewnette

The Beer Basics

Before you begin to really delve into your beer palate, you probably should know some of the beer basics. To look at it simplified, Beer is comprised of 4 basic ingredients: water, yeast, hops, and malts. Hops, a type of flowery plant, make beer taste bitter and malts, wheat that has gone through specific "malting" procedures, make beer taste sweeter. As I mentioned in my last posting, every beer is different with its own recipe, but these four ingredients tend to be present in all. The best way to drink/taste a beer is in a glass. So before you sip anything, find a nice pint glass to pour it into. Be sure to pour the beer against the inner side of the glass so that you create what is called the "head" (the foam on the top of the beer) that is about an inch thick. Similar to tasting wine, there are steps to take for tasting beer. As BeerAdvocate.com states, there are four steps to tasting a beer which are looking, agitating, smelling and tasting. While looking at a beer, focus on the color, consistency and the head of the beer. Agitating the beer consists of swirling the beer in the glass. This may cause more subtle aromas to escape as well as test the carbonation, consistency and head. Smelling the beer is a really important step in the tasting process, because smell largely influences the taste of something. Really take some time to focus on the aroma and the various notes that are present. Finally it is time to taste your beer. As you take a sip, do not swallow it right away. By letting it linger in your mouth it allows the beer to run over your palate and various taste buds. While tasting, think about the "mouthfeel" of the beer; meaning, focus on how smooth or dry the beer feels. Now, swallow your beer. As you do so, note any lingering tastes or new tastes that were released during this finish. After this, you have completed tasting a beer and have the reward of enjoying the rest of your glass! One last tip for tasting beer is that if a beer is too cold the taste can become muted. Well hopefully you feel confident now to get out to a local beer shop for some tasting.

Drink Responsibly!

- The Brewnette