Photos from the March Madness Craft Beer Can Exchange

The photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Craft Beer Reclamation Center (aka my house), where I held another in a series of what I call the COVID Craft Beer Exchange.

Those of you that read my recap of 2020 may recall that I mentioned that back in September Craft Beer Guy Facebook followers were being invited to participate in a craft beer exchange that I started holding. So far we have done it every month except February.

Yesterday we had our largest turnout, with 15 traders; it was also the first time that we had two people bring the same beers. We had lots of local breweries represented, including King Harbor, HopSaint, Common Space, The Crac Brewery and Grub, Project Barley, Brouwerij West, and Three Weavers. With a total of 27 craft beers to choose from, there were plenty of options available. Continue reading

Karl Strauss Debuts Low-Cal, Low-ABV Hazy IPA to Lineup

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Low-cal, Low ABV Hazy IPA by Karl Strauss

Karl Strauss Brewing Company is proud to introduce Sun Drops Hazy IPA, their brand new low-cal and low-ABV beer that is joining their year-round lineup.

Launching March 4, Sun Drops Hazy IPA is a better-for-you beer clocking in at just 4.0% ABV and 99 calories, yet with all the character and complexity that you expect in a Hazy IPA. Brewed with Columbus, Idaho 7, and Amarillo hops for juicy citrus aromas, plus rolled oats for a silky mouthfeel, this beer refuses to compromise. Sun Drops Hazy IPA will be available on draft and in 6-packs of 12oz sleek cans at all Karl Strauss brewpub locations, as well as at select retailers throughout California.

Sun Drops Hazy IPA is the first release in the Karl Strauss “Small but Mighty” series, a collection of low-calorie beers that refuse to compromise on flavor. This 99-calorie brew is teeming with juicy tropical fruit aromas, big notes of spritzy citrus, and hints of sticky pine. Plus, it has the soft and pillowy mouthfeel that you crave in a hazy. Sheesh, pretty big claim for such a little beer, eh? Small but mighty, indeed. Continue reading

Absolution Brewing Announces New Can Releases

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The Wicked 2021, Lion Around, and Fizziks Pomegranate Hard Seltzer Now Available

It is that time of year again, when triple IPAs come out of hibernation and are sighted all across California. Absolution Brewing is celebrating the season with a triple can release, including the annual release their triple IPA, The Wicked.

The Wicked 2021 offers in your face dankness matched with absurd drinkability; it is what you have learned to expect of The Wicked and you got it. Brewed with Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, Simcoe and Idaho 7 hops, the results are a golden, dry IPA with juicy after tones. The Wicked 2021 (10.5% ABV) is available in 4-pack cans ($20) and on draft.

For the second release, Absolution’s Floc’ing Great series presents Lion Around Hazy IPA. Lion Around is a super hazy IPA loaded with Mosaic, Citra, and Zamba hops making this juice bomb burst with tropical fruit notes! Lion Around (6.3% ABV) is available in 4-pack cans ($16) and on draft. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Releases California Golden Ale

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Now in Cans from Dust Bowl Brewing

Dust Bowl Brewing Co. announces its first new release of 2021, California Golden Ale. The year-round beer fills yet another niche in the Northern California brewery’s growing portfolio.

“Blonde ales and lighter lagers have been gaining in popularity and they are always good performers at our taprooms,” shares longtime Brewmaster, Don Oliver. “Our range of beers had a good amount of lagers and IPAs, so the golden ale was a good compliment and brings more balance to our portfolio. It’s a clean, easy-drinking beer with a light fruitiness and low bitterness.”

California Golden Ale was first released in draft only in December 2020. While consumer exposure was minimal due to the Pandemic on-premise restrictions, those consumers who picked up growlers or crowlers to go from Dust Bowl’s taprooms responded positively to the new release. California Golden Ale will reach the promising off-premise sector in late January. Available in 12oz. 6 pack cans, and 5.2 gallon and 15.5 gallon kegs, California Golden Ale is an ideal gateway beer at 4.5% ABV and 10 IBUs. It is sold through Dust Bowl’s network of wholesalers servicing California and Nevada, and at Dust Bowl Brewing Co. taprooms located in Turlock and Monterey, California. Continue reading

Karl Strauss and Modern Times Beer Release Collaboration IPA

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Mosaic Oasis – a Karl Strauss/Modern Times collaboration

Karl Strauss Brewing Company is kicking off 2021 with the latest in their acclaimed collaboration series, an innovative IPA brewed with their friends at Modern Times Beer in San Diego. Mosaic Oasis will debut statewide on draft and in 16oz 4-pak cans on January 14.

Modern Times is widely recognized as one the top IPA producers in the country and when the teams came together to work on a recipe, they were inspired to push the envelope with their experimentation through the inclusion of the newly released Talus hop varietal. Talus hops impart big aromas of pink grapefruit, dried roses, pine resin, tropical fruit, and sage, which makes it the perfect complement to the Mosaic hop’s classic tropical and citrus notes. The result is a dank and citrusy San Diego-style IPA with a colorful mosaic of intoxicatingly fruity aromas. Continue reading

The Craft Beer Guy Recap of 2020

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Port Town Brewing – progressing

Well, it is that time of year again. I usually call these articles a “review” of the prior year; but that would be a very short article. I give it two stars out of five, and would not recommend. Instead, this will be a recap of 2020; let’s see what happened.

January 2020

2020 started off mellow enough; little did we know what was in store for us. The highlight of the month, and possibly the year for some, was the Hop Culture Juicy Brews Beach Party Craft Beer Festival held at Brouwerij West. It was a very fun event featuring craft beer from more than 25 of the top breweries in the country.

The month ended with a going away party for Smog City’s taproom manager Jason “Breezy” Briseño as he and his bride prepared to move to Australia; I think COVID put a temporary damper on those plans. Continue reading

Eureka Brewing Company Now Open

These photos were taken over the last two and a half months at Eureka Brewing Company, in Gardena. They include photos of one of their first pilot brew days, the first day of canning, and day one of their “grand opening.”

I guess it is an understatement to suggest that the year 2020 has been a little tough on the local craft beer scene. The SpaceX Corridor took a double hit, beginning in February with the closure of State Brewing. About a month later LA County started getting hit with ridiculous rules that caused did nothing but cause hardships to our breweries, restaurants, and bars. It began our current period of “survival of the fittest” and a second brewery of the SpaceX Corridor, Ximix Craft Exploration, stopped production and closed up shop.

In the middle of August it was announced that King Harbor Brewing co-owner and head brewer Phil McDaniel was leaving; what may not have been common knowledge was McDaniel was opening his own brewery with childhood friend Adam Ansari. McDaniel and Ansari took over the former Ximix location, equipment and all, and changed the name to Eureka Brewing Company. Continue reading

Photos of the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover

These photos were taken Wednesday at Tortilla Cantina, where they hosted the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. This annual event took a little more to accomplish this year, but Tortilla Cantina, our local breweries, and hundreds of their fans made this possible “last hurrah” of 2020 a great success.

My first tap takeover was held on the first Thursday of September in 2015, and as the craft beer scene around here grew, there started to be overlaps when it came to craft beer festival dates and brewery anniversaries, and everyone started changing dates of their events to avoid conflicts. The fact of the matter is that there was just too much going on out there, so I set it in stone that all subsequent South Bay Tap Takeovers would be held on the first Thursday of September; that worked out okay until COVID-19 struck and the State of California and the County of Los Angeles decided restaurants, breweries, and bars had to discontinue in-person dining. Continue reading

Crac Brewery and Grub: From the Beginning

These photos were taken at Carson’s newest brewpub, The Crac Brewery and Grub; the photos are of the construction I observed between November 4, 2019 and day one of their soft open, November 21, 2020.

It was Halloween 2019 B.C. (Before Covid), when Buddy and I entered King Harbor Brewing during our nightly walk. It was the one day a year that people would wear masks, and a masked cowboy addressed me by a nickname that most of you don’t know, but told me this cowboy must know me even if I couldn’t recognize him in his costume.

After doing a little recon with the beertender I figured out the masked stranger was Jeff Parker, so I went over to be a little more sociable. It was then that Jeff informed me that he was involved with the building of a new brewery in Carson; four days later I stopped by to take the first of my photos that would show the construction during the upcoming year. Continue reading

6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover November 25

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6th South Bay Tap Takeover – November 25

So, let’s make this official; the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover is not going to let a little thing like COVID-19 stop it! Yes, in the past I have been pretty adamant that I was not going to deviate from the “first Thursday of September” and for the first five years, we made it work. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has caused some things to be out of my control; however, Tortilla Cantina has been set up for outside dining and they are ready to once again host the South Bay Tap Takeover.

While our past events have had up to 26 South Bay breweries, with 49 taps, this year’s event will be a little smaller.

While four breweries that were in attendance last year have since closed up (Abigaile, State, Ximix, and Zymurgy), this year we have 21 South Bay breweries that have confirmed attendance this year, seven of which did not exist during last year’s tap takeover. Continue reading

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