East County Blues

It has been a tough couple of months for East County brewers.  Twisted Manzanita abruptly closed in March, and now SD Eater has an article on the re-boot of Butcher Brewing into Finest Made Ales.  I have said before that I believe a large part of a brewery's success is in making good beer.  The beers I had from Twisted Manzanita and Butcher Brewing were nothing special.  That being said, I wish Finest Made Ales the best of luck.  I like to see all breweries succeed.

Accumulated Knowledge

Modern Times' Accumulated Knowledge IPA is one of my favorite IPAs of the year.  It is one of the least bitter IPAs you are going to find, which I didn't know when I bought it, but found immediately appealing once I stared to drink it.  The crisp, not bitter hops brought in a nuance and a dank fruitiness.   The beer was not filtered, and I don't know whether its cloudiness actually added to the dankness or it just fooled my brain to think so.  Read this article by London beer blogger Chris Hall, who actually references Modern Times in the post, as he describes the trend in IPAs away from bitterness to more complex flavors.  He could have had Accumulated Knowledge's variety of flavors in mind when he wrote the post.

Accumulated Knowledge is an exclusive release for Trader Joe's.

Arrogant Brewing

Earlier this week I learned that last year Stone Brewing split Arrogant Bastard into its own brewery, Arrogant Brewing.  A pilsner of all things - the most unlikely Stone or Arrogant Bastard source - lead me to discover Arrogant Brewing.  Last weekend I picked up a six-pack of Who You Callin' Wussie pilsner, assuming it was from Stone.  When I replied to a tweet where I recommended what I referenced as Stone's new Who You Callin' Wussie pilsner, Stone's social media group replied that while it agreed Who You Callin' Wussie was delicious, it was not a Stone beer but an Arrogant Brewing creation.  A quick internet search found Arrogant Brewing, its stories, and its lineup of beers.

I will leave it to the pilsner purists to tell me whether Who You Callin' Wussie is true to style.  I don't really care.  After drinking it, I know it is quite a beer.  It is a crisp, spot-on thirst quencher that is full of flavor.  It will never be confused with that beer that changed its name to America.  On Arrogant Brewing's website it looks like Who You Callin' Wussie is the only beer that is not an Arrogant Bastard derivative.  This difference alone makes it a beer worthy of your attention.