Beer There, Drunk That

Steve & Joey head to Orange, CA’s parrot-bearing purveyor of pints, Green Cheek Beer Co. this week. Young in name only, this burgeoning brewery has the lineage of Noble Ale Works’ in its DNA, with the brewmaster jumping ship and buying the old Valiant Brewery building in Spring 2017. The industry experience definitely shows, with sophisticated and experimental offerings that focus mostly on the Hazy side of things, while still churning out high quality executions of other well-known varieties. The boys arrived just in time for the release of their newest New England Double IPA: the double dry hopped and pineapple/tangerine forward “More Spacier,” as well as a bevy of other brews for review: Guava Berlin Berliner Weisse, Gram Worthy Hazy Cream IPA, Chocolate Spumoni Chocolate Milkshake IPA, Nondescript Kolsch, Cherry Spumoni Cherry Milkshake IPA, Radiant Beauty West Coast IPA, Walter Hazy IPA w/ White Tea, and German for Dark dunkel bier. So does Green Cheek live up to the hype? Or does it need to step out of the spotlight with its green cheeks turning red with embarrassment? Let’s guzzle it over and find out!

Family begun, and family run 4 Sons Brewing of Huntington Beach, CA, is, coincidentally enough, only four years old as of 2018, but it’s become a sleeper hit throughout the OC since its inception: appearing in restaurants and bars, winning multiple festival awards, and even opening up its distribution into Tennessee. Steve & Joey sample a bevy of brews from the house that Duke, Daune, Deven, Derek, Drew, and Dustin built: Coco Nutorious Amber Ale, Land of Hoppertunity Blood Orange IPA, Nightmare on Gothard Street Chocolate Coffee Stout, The Great One Imperial IPA, Surf City Pale Ale, and even their special release gose and sour stouts. Do these proprietors of “Real Family. Real Ingredients” deserve the top spot as Surf City, USA’s most supreme beer boarders? Or do they completely wipeout, drowning in the competition? Let’s guzzle it over, fuckers

The oft-mentioned “Thrillon” (Dillon) joins Steve and Joey as their special guest this week, and he comes bearing some mighty fine gifts: ten pale-variety beers from Massachusetts-based Tree House Brewery for us to share and sample on the air! After this extended suds-bud session, the boys talk about their experience at the recent 7th birthday party for Noble Ale Works, which underpromised and overdelivered in a MAJOR (nelson) way! Their 2nd Canniversary Triple Hazy IPA was a big hit, as were its variants, and the biggest (and most pleasant!) surprise was their wide variety of Lactose infused Cereal Beers, flavored with Apple Jacks, Golden Grahams, Froot Loops, Reese’s Puffs, Crunchberries, and Cocoa Pebbles. We also try out our new portable recorder for the first time, so you can witness us getting more and more drunk and idiotic as the day went on.

Santa Ana based brew house, Cismontane (French for: “Side of the Mountains”), is on display this week, with the company’s own website claiming: “Since 2009 we have been focusing on brewing great beers with real intention. There is no particular style or creedo in our line but just quality no matter what we are making.” A bold, yet non-committal mission statement, uncommon in the generally bombastic and audacious world of craft beer, and one in which Steve and Joey explore the validity of by sipping the likes of Coulter IPA, Hop Dumpster Double IPA, Black’s Dawn Stout, Blacks Dawn on Nitro, Side of Toast (second run of Black’s Dawn), Down by Law Double IPA, Strawberry Letter 23, Reverend Roscoe Sour Blonde, as well as their Almond Joy-esque cask night offering. Did the boys dig the throwback, Pine-forward flavor profile of this almost decade long Orange County staple...or is it time to burn that evergreen forest to the ground?

In what seems to be a rising trend of Gastropub/Brewery hybridization, San Diego’s Karl Strauss Brewing Company claims to be the first on the southland’s scene in 1989, making lofty statements such as “...{we} became home to more breweries, many of whom got their start {here}”. Steve, Joey, and our guest Craig (@wottoartist) head to a the recently remodeled Costa Mesa location to sample new school experiments like Boat Shoes New England IPA, Fergs Red IPA, Padre Porter, and 29th Anniversary Ale; as well as some classics like Wreck Alley Imperial Stout, Red Trolley (and it’s Red Wine Barrel Aged variant), and Pintail Pale Ale. They savored some apps and entrees as well, and pondered whether Karl Strauss’ claims of shepherding in the highly influential world of San Diego microbrews hold water, or if they leave us thirsty for something a bit more satisfying.

The boys’ original review of Bottle Logic Brewing was such a hyper-specific themed affair, that they decided to head back to those mad scientists of the Anaheim beer scene, and give them a more thorough taste. Paring their selection down to basically IPA’s and Stouts, the style selection is limited, but, as you’ll hear, very varied in flavor. Steve & Joey guzzle down Cobra Attack WCIPA, Hammond’s Amber Ale, Jungle Hunt WCIPA, Upon Further Review Coffee WCIPA, Hyborian Age Hazy IPA, Pallet Treasure Imperial Chocolate Salted Nut Roll Stout, Sonic Rings Hazy IPA, Robots in Disguise Hazy DIPA, and Red Rover Imperial Red Ale. Now doubling down more on nerd culture over pulp science, does Bottle Logic earn the street cred with these two beer geeks...or end up just another poser trying to be an O.G.?

Steve & Joey welcome their first guest, Welder and Graphic Designer, Cody, of A3 Workshop to sip on some suds from the pared down Huntington Beach, CA location of Beachwood Brewing and BBQ. Much lauded in the SoCal beer scene in recent years, the boys come to some surprising conclusions about the restaurant-turned-brewhouse after sampling styles like Citraholic IPA, Amalgamator IPA, Hop Ninja IPA, Tovarish Imperial Stout, Mounds of Joy Imperial Milk Stout, and El Verano Belgian style Saison. Is Beachwood worth their weight in the thousands of pounds of meat served up each year...or do they succumb being a jack of all trades, and master of none?

Steve & Joey head to Anaheim, California’s Unsung Brewing Company this week, lured in by sampling a few of its festival beers in months passed and being intrigued by their high level of experimental beer recipes. Nestled in a burgeoning hip hangout spot near the Packing House and Disneyland, they took to the gravel-strewn beer garden with butt-sweat seats to sip on Nebuloid: Cat’s Eye Hazy IPA, Mt. Magma Imperial Red Ale, Buzzed Man Mutant American Ale w/ Hidden House Coffee, Anthia IPA, Metaplex IPA, Naturia Double IPA, Propeller Head Amber Ale w/ Hidden House Coffee, Brose Oatmeal Stout, Green Bullet Pale Ale, La Windsor Belgian Dubbel, and a tiny taster of their Plum Sour. Did these unsung heroes burst through our burning pallets and save us from the dastardly doldrums of boring beer? Or did these adventurous concoctions turn into villains, most foul?

Only a few years into its existence and already expanding to multiple locations along the west coast, San Diego’s Modern Times Beer has embraced the craft beer world, and the craft beer world has more than embraced back. For good reason too: this employee-owned brew house claims to make some of the most supremely drinkable concoctions in their fermenting tanks and barrels, but does it live up to the hype? Steve & Joey head down to a special event - then the brewery, proper - to find out if styles like Ghost Train Hazy IPA, Monster’s Park Imperial Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged variants of Devil’s Teeth Imperial Stout, Finally in L.A. Hazy IPA, the much-anticipated special release of Barrel Aged Modem Tones, and many, many more justify the hype around Modern Times...or if it’s best left in the past.

The boys are tackling a pillar of the west coast craft beer industry, and, arguably, the craft beer industry as a whole: Ballast Point. They take in some libations and guzzle down some grub at their new waterfront Long Beach location, taking in the beautiful view of the majestic Pacific Ocean...who’s imagery and wildlife are the very inspiration for Ballast Point’s nautical branding. Sold to Constellation Brands for 1 Billion dollars in 2015, is the now nationwide giant simply a “sell-out?” Or have they continued their commitment to experimentation and quality post corporate buy-out? Let’s dive into the likes of Sculpin IPA, Victory at Sea Stout, Fathom IPA, Grunion Pale Ale, and some experimental selections from the R&D section of their menu.