California Lagers (2024)

@Resistance88 I go to everywhere for both lagers & ipas. But last time I went, month n half ago their ipas disappointed me and my buddy. Maybe I need to change it up with Radiant once in a while? Idk. Maybe my taste buds are so use to the 3 next to me, RiiP, BW Pizza & Cheeky. And outside my area is Kern. I don’t bother much these days with Monks. Like @RaulMondesi thinking, I would like to work at GC when I retire next January. When I say work I mean like 10-12 hours a week and minimal work. I’m working on it.

EDIT: my house is in the middle of the IPA Triangle (Heaven).

 

i know it's mass produced and all, but i still enjoy their IPAs and they usually come out with a decent seasonal lager here and there. it's not a place i specifically choose if i want beer, nor would i pick it over other breweries in the area like everywhere, monkish, unsung, or radiant. but if we're talking gamecraft or even worse, brewheim (shudders), give me KS all day

 

Tried the "new" Acme Beer from North Coast in a 12 oz can I bought at the brewery. It's a little lighter bodied than Scrimshaw, and I think it has a little more perceived bitterness (30 ibu at 4.4% abv). It's distinctly an American lager, not trying to be German or Czech. A good hot weather quaffer, I'd say.

Unfortunately there's no date on the box or the can that I could find. These are canned at Anderson Valley, and their packaged beers have the same problem, although they at least attempt to date the cans with mixed results (often unreadable).

 

I should've bought more

 

I had another one of the six pack and found it much improved, I know this is heresy, but I think the new Stone Pilsner was too fresh when it was first released. After an additional month of lagering, the sulfur taste subsided, letting the hops and a little malt go to the forefront. To me the hops fit in nicely between the classic Nobel flavor and a more modern taste with a little hint of. lime, but thankfully, no grapefruit.

 

I finally grabbed a pack the other day and really liked it as well. Had a very light, almost frothy mouthfeel to me which was unexpected.

 

Has that Helles been out for a while? I haven’t been able to track it down.

 

I think the release was a little over 3 weeks ago? Honestly I’ve seen it on tap more than in cans, I got the pack at Handy Market in Burbank.

 

Probably their best colab of the Reinheitsgebot was also with Bierstadt when they did a Pilsner version a couple years ago

 

I picked up a 4 pack myself along with a sixer of their regular
Helles, the Lightest One. Both are good, but the Lightest One has a great pale malt profile that I think beats the collaboration with Bierstadt, or pretty much any beer that I’ve ever had.

 

Picked up the Alesmith Italian pilsner and it's a very solid beer. Worth a try if you enjoy beers like pivo for sure

 

Moonlight's Helles is super delicious. I really wish that they would put some of their stuff in more accessible formats. I would happily buy $20 12 packs of this beer regularly

 

My only complaint about that beer is its name. I avoided it for years because brewpubs used to make some crappy beer for the “non-initiated” a give it a name with “light” in the title.
I picked one up by accident thinking it was Lagertha, but was very surprised by how good that beer is.

 

I picked up a sixer of Acme lager, it’s a pretty decent beer. Slightly darker than an AAL, with a little hop flavor. It is a lot less bitter than Bitburger, although they both state 30 IBUs.

I probably will not buy again especially with Pivo and Summerfest available, but I would choose it at a bar if the other options are IPAs or macros on draft.

 

X-posted from BOTD… these guys really do good stuff, I’ve even liked their hef enough to order it more than once on tap and I’m not typically a wheat beer fan.