Your Next Pint

End FeBREWary with The Foundry and The Bruery

   

Photo courtesy of thefoundryonmelrose.com

For those of you more interested in red ales than the red carpet, spend this Sunday, FeBREWary 27th at one of my all-time favorite LA restaurants, Chef Eric Greenspan's The Foundry on Melrose. They're teaming up with The Bruery of Placentia to deliver a special beer-paired menu for lunch and dinner. Seating is limited, so if you're interested get your tickets in one hot minute at itsmyseat.com (As the flyer above states, you must be pre-registered to attend.)

The Grub/Washdown:

- 4 Course Lunch 1:00pm for $45

- 6 Course Dinner 6:00pm for $85

- Lunch AND Dinner (10 Course without redundancies) $115

While the menu has yet to be released, I'm sure Greenspan has another one of his specialty Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (like Taleggio Cheese & Apricot Caper-Puree on Raisin Bread) up his chef sleeve. And let's not forget about his housemade mashed-potatoey Tots with Cheese Fondue & Violet Mustard.

As for what's on tap, The Bruery might choose a selection from their Year Round brews like Loakal Red Ale (6.9% ABV) with Toffee and Orange notes, or Snicklefritz (9.5% ABV) with Juniper & Grapefruit from their Special Draft collection (it was also their Pro-Am choice for the '09 Great American Beer Festival.

Hoppy drinking!

Mammoth Mountain High Country Pilsner

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A storm's brewin' – you know what that means – lots of snow at Mammoth Mountain this President's Day Weekend. So to celebrate those lucky ones who get to take advantage of the fresh powder, let's cheers with Mammoth's High Country Pilsner.

The Washdown:

- creamy, nutty, honey, wheaty with a lemon finish High Country Pilsner (Mammoth Mountain Brewing Co. in Mammoth Lakes, CA) 4.2% ABV

The nose is Malty Citrus, the tongue is like a bowl of Honey sweet Wheaties, and the finish has a bit of Lemon Zest. It's incredibly smooth with little to no head, validating the label's line "crisp and refreshing as a High Sierra Stream."

This beer is brewed with both Organic Pilsner and Vienna Malt hops, then bottle conditioned at elevation 8,000 ft.

It's also got a beautiful honeycomb orange color – try not to replicate it in the snow.

Follow @MammothBeers to keep up on their brew news.

Just Outstanding IPA is better than that

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If the name isn't enough to draw you in, the sassy smoothness will. Kern River Brewing Company's Just Outstanding IPA packs in a powerful Piney punch followed by a calm 'n Creamy conclusion.

The Washdown:

- like sippin' on a grassy knoll that's pine 'n lime yet light 'n fluffy, Just Outstanding American IPA (Kern River Valley in Kernville, CA) 6.8% ABV

When this beer first touches your lips, the Simcoe & Amarillo dry hops really awaken your senses. From nose to tongue, instantly you're drenched in bitter Citrus Pine, quickly followed by a gentle, creamy 'n fluffy foam that softens up the Lime.

It's golden caramel in color, has subtle carbonation, and ends up being a lot smoother than you'd think – making this American IPA just a little more than "Outstanding."

Follow @KernRiverBrewin for news on their 7 standard beers and 3 SeasonALEs.

Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

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Ring in the month of FeBREWary with Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale – it'll knock your hops off with its sweet 'n sour bite. This private label beer, brewed by family-owned Van Steenberge Brewery, blends both young and old beers and has a strong lactic acid kick.

The Washdown:

- malty sour nose, green apple & raspberry tongue, bitter bite Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale (Van Steenberge Brewery near Ghent, Belgium) 5.5% ABV

Ahhhh, how mouthwateringly delicious it is for Your Next Pint to be back in beer business. (Let's just hope my 30-day detoxed body runs as smooth as this one goes down.)

As Monk's Cafe's website states, this medium bodied, sienna colored ale is a "real thirst quencher, and palate cleanser."

It's got a fruity (apple, raspberry, lemon) nose & taste, and a peppy carbonation almost like Cider. But its lactic acid – not to be feared – sour flavor, and malty bitter finish reminds you you're drinking beer. And when you get to bottoms up, you can literally see the milky, cloudy malts going down.

This $3, 11.2 fl oz Flemish Ale is a little harder to find. (Luckily it caught my eye at a local Whole Foods.) But if you do spot it, snatch it up for some sunny, sweet 'n sour relief from this cold Winter spell.