The second leg of my beer journey took me to the West Coast, visiting San Diego, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco area (Seattle and Portland had to be saved for a separate trip).  But as far as California is concerned, the craft beer culture is thriving and the level of innovation and experimentation is high.  It seems to be the trend in the West; in a culture of hop-heads and extremists, crazy big beers reign the tap lists.

I visited a small sampling of breweries when you consider that California is home to hundreds of them.  Across the board, every brewery is focusing on re-defining the classic beers we’re used to, and coming up with some seriously complex and adventurous new beers to wet our palate.  As always a few stood out amongst the rest.

Stone Brewing, notorious for their big crazy beers with names like “Arrogant Bastard,” has made a name for themselves in the vein of hoppy and aggressive brews. These big brews dominate the market out there, which is evidenced by Stone’s recent announcement of a $26 million expansion.  The stand out for me was the Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, an American Black Ale coming in at 8.7% that starts with a yummy brown sugar aroma and pulls through with a nice balance between malty, hoppy, and a roasty toasty finish.  With boldly hopped beers and equally bold marketing campaigns (“It’s not expensive, you’re cheap”) Stone has created a great deal of space in craft brewing for these irreverent beers.

Another SoCal brewery that deserves serious recognition is The Bruery in Placentia, CA.  Being only three years old and producing around 2,700 barrels annually, The Bruery’s presence in craft beer culture across the country is impressive to say the least. Packaging in 750mL bottles (no six-packs for these guys!) gives them an edge of exclusivity, and it’s fitting since they are making incredibly interesting and innovative beers. The Loakal Red, an oak-aged American red ale, offered a round, woody, and malty experience, while the Mischief (a Belgian golden strong ale) cask-conditioned with saffron is a spicy, herbaceous, and citrusy kick in the head (in a good way).  Or take their Black Tuesday, a 20% ABV imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels for over a year.  Everything The Bruery is brewing is complex, delicious and pushes the envelope.  You won’t find a flagship IPA from these brewers, they are more interested in developing a new definition of California craft beer, and doing a pretty good job at that.

If you head up north to the Bay area you’ll find some like-minded individuals, especially at a little brewery called Russian River.  Located in Santa Rosa, you won’t find any of their beers distributed out east, to the dismay of many.  Just like The Bruery, Russian River is pushing the boundaries, brewing with wild yeasts and bacteria like lactobacillus and pediococcus. The still have their signature IPAs to appease the hop-heads, as well as a triple IPA Pliny the Elder only released once a year.  I was lucky enough to try the Elder at Toronado in San Francisco, and even at 11% ABV, the hoppy and citrusy triple IPA is clean and goes down oh so easily.  They also have their Belgian beer series, which features beers like Defenestration, Supplication, Sanctification, Consecration, and Redemption.  Without a doubt, my favorite was the Supplication: a brown ale aged in pinot noir barrels with sour cherries, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus.  The cherries come straight through on the aroma, the barrels provide a nice oaky flavor while balancing the sourness from all the yeast and bacteria strains.  Again, some crazy things happen when you throw wild yeast and bacteria in to the mix, but Russian River is nothing short of eager to cross those lines for the sake of great beer.

Going from the first part of my trip on the East to the West Coast was a bit of a shock to the palate, but also quite fascinating.  A friend suggested that perhaps California crowds are more open to extreme beers because they don’t have to face the extremes of East Coast weather, which the more I think about, the more it makes sense.  Regardless, these breweries are listening to and answering the call for creative and experimental beers that define craft beer culture on the beautiful left coast.

About The Beer: This brew from the famed Stone Brewery takes their classic IPA and mixes it up by brewing it with Belgian yeast rather than the typical American strain. The result is a hybrid IPA that draws in equal parts of old Belgian tradition and new American experimentation.

In a nutshell: While enjoyable, Stone Cali-Belgique IPA leaves me wanting for more.

Review: Belgian IPA is a new style that has emerged in just the last few years as old Belgian brewers have infused New World hops with centuries-old Belgian recipes. I’ve enjoyed others in the style like Houblon Chouffee; plus Stone IPA is one of my all time favorite India pale ales, so I was excited to try this new twist on an old standby. While perfectly enjoyable I found the beer to be a bit disappointing as it left me craving both more West Coast hops and more classic Belgian malts. The beer’s delicate aroma and flavor were nice enough, but in the end it was just a bit bland considering the two flavorful traditions this brew pulls from. Stone’s website recommends we “think of it as an otherwise identical twin to Stone IPA that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally.” This quote gets right to the heart of the problem for me: instead of simply changing the yeast and leaving the rest of the recipe unchanged I think the brewers should have perhaps altered the grains used to better highlight the unique flavors Belgian yeast gives beer.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Barrel-aging is nothing new in the world of wine and liquor; aging beer in barrels, however, is a relatively new practice that’s gaining in popularity. Today, we’re going to take a look at how it works and some barrel-aged beers that everyone should try.

Beer is usually placed in barrels for aging after primary fermentation is complete and before it has been carbonated. A variety of barrels can be used, but brewers frequently use barrels which have previously held wine or liquor. After anywhere from several months to several years in a barrel, the beer will absorb some of the flavors and aromas left over from the wine or liquor. Then, the beer will be carbonated and bottled for your drinking enjoyment.

The barreling process adds additional complexity to the taste and aroma of a beer. Sometimes a brewer will simply age an existing beer he has in his (or her) repertoire, but many of the more adventurous will craft a recipe specially suited to benefit from the barreling process. This could be an extra malty brew that will blend well with the sweet flavors of rum or a crisp light beer that will complement the light flavors of a chardonnay.

However it is done, barrel-aged beer is an exciting area that craft brewers are exploring with enthusiasm and passion. Be sure to try one if you haven’t yet. Some of our favorites include:

Stone Brewing Co. Oaked Arrogant Bastard – The barrel-aged version of Stone’s infamous Arrogant Bastard. Trying this alongside the regular version would be a good introduction to how barrels can enhance beer.

Brooklyn Brewery Manhattan Project – This  beer was a collaboration between Brooklyn Brewery and David Wondrich, drinks editor of Esquire magazine. It was aged in rye whiskey barrels for a wonderfully smoky aroma and taste.

Allagash Curieux – Aged in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks, this one is a must try.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton – A fantastically complex yet still light ale with notes of oak and vanilla.

Smuttynose Brewing Oaked Tripel Penetration – A great twist on a traditional Belgian style tripel. The heavy oak notes blended well with the light flavors of a tripel.

What’s your favorite barrel-aged beer? Have you tried a barrel-aged brew you would like to recommend? Let us know next time you have one by tweeting what you drank and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.

The spicy flavor of hops isn’t the only benefit they provide beer. Hops are also a natural preservative, a quality which lead directly to the creation of the IPA style. During Great Britain’s occupation of India in the 19th century beer would be shipped from England all the way to India for British soldiers stationed there. To ensure the beer survived the long and perilous sea voyage brewers loaded the beers with extra hops, resulting in the hoppy taste that was a hit in India as much as it was at home in the UK and a style was born.

Hops are grown in many regions throughout the world and come in dozens of different varieties which fluctuate in their bitterness, flavor and aroma. Regardless of which hops an IPA features, it can be counted on to feature the spicy bitterness which are a hallmark of the style. Many hops grown in England such as Kent Goldings have a mellow, spicy quality to them, which is reflected in the pale ales of England such as Samuel Smith’s India Ale.

On the West Coast, where most American hops are grown, Cascade is by far the most dominant variety; it’s a style famous for its strong floral and citrus-like qualities. West Coast Brewers, such as Stone, Rogue and Sierra Nevada have experimented with the these hops creating a unique take on the IPA tradition that’s American through and through- the Double or Imperial India Pale Ale.

In craft beer the terms ‘double’ or ‘imperial’ generally refer to a extra strong version of a more traditional (and timid) style. ‘Double’ simply denotes twice as much of something (such as hops) as been used, while ‘imperial’ refers to the Imperial Russian Stout, a particularly strong stout brewed for Catherine the Great (but that’s for another style profile.)

As you might guess, the Double India Pale Ale is a much stronger version of the IPA, both in terms of hops and alcohol (typically ranging around 8-9% alc./volume while a standard IPA is just 5-6%) Rather than simply being a more intensified version of the IPA the DIPA takes on unique qualities all its own.

Serving Suggestions:

Glass: IPAs do well in your standard pint glass, while I would recommend a snifter for DIPAs to take advantage of the intense hop aromas.

Food Pairings: The spicy flavors of IPAs and DIPAs pair great with spicy cuisines such as Cajun, Mexican and Indian. Alternatively, a the sharp hop flavors can provide a nice counterpoint to more savory flavors such as barbecue chicken or pork.