Smog City Appreciation

I slept on cuddlebug, once I had it I wanted to punch myself, delicious!

 

1) I would say Smog City, it seems like all the recent beers that Toolbox has been releasing were by BPT and sold out pretty quick.

2) I'm closer to LA so I won't speak on the SD beer scene, but all the good IPA's by Smog IMO aren't bottled so with that said, if you like IPA's go with Beachwood BBQ, they are fairly easy to get and world class IMO. I would also go after IPA's made by Noble Ale Works, not hard to get. In regards to stouts and sours that are easy to get, try stouts from Firestone and The Bruery and for sours I would say Almanac and Bruery also.

I work a few blocks away from Beachwood so let me know if you want to set up a trade.

 

Don't forget IPAs from El Segundo, Hammerland is good stuff.

 

LA people will have better access to Smog, SD for Toolbox. Both distribution areas don't quite overlap yet. Maybe someone from South Orange county may have the best chances of having easy access to both.

Speaking for Smog, definite gets are Cuddlebug and Infinite Wishes as previously recommended. For stouts, there may be a few bottles of The Nothing floating around, I would assume most of them have gone down someone's gullet at this point. If you like Saisons at all, the ones they bottled recently were great. I personally preferred the Kumquat Saison, but Currant Saison and Saison Contraire were both very good too. Coffee Porter is one of their staple beers, and it is excellent. I would have it in my fridge constantly if it were a bit cheaper. If trading, you could easily get one thrown in as an extra. And while neither one is a preferred style for you the BBA releases they had a few months ago, Goldie and OE are both excellent. Outside of that, most of the stuff you basically have to get to the taproom for, or find on tap elsewhere. I don't remember if they bottled their Brett IPA - Steamfunk. If they did, I thought it was very good.

 

I was at Smog on Saturday.
Steamfunk bottles are actually available at the brewery right now. It was their Anniversary beer.
Bourbon OE, Goldie, Kumquat Saison and Cuddlebug are all gone.
Infinite Wishes sold out in 3 hours.
I'd say Infinite Wishes and Cuddlebug are the hardest to trade for. I know I'm not giving up my Infinite Wishes bottles. lol
Bourbon OE and Goldie would probably be a lot easier to acquire.

 

bourbon OE is amazing. would be god tier if it was a bit less thin

 

Sounds good. We are coming back to Cali for a wedding in July. This time we are flying into LAX and driving up to SLO (opposed to San Jose and down the last time). Im planning to hit Barrelworks on the way up and the Bruery when we come back through. I might check around for some Beachwood stuff, but if I'm unlucky I'd definitely be up for a trade. Thanks.

Thanks for the great info. Are some of their regulars easy to find on shelves or does it all go through the brewery? Thanks.

 

Smog only has Coffee Porter and Sabre-Tooth Squirrel as their bottled regulars, and Coffee Porter is very easy to find. I see Squirrel a little less often, but it is still pretty easy to obtain. Their bottled limited releases the best bet is going direct to the source. I have had hit or miss luck finding them, but they do filter out into the better bottle shops if they don't sell out instantly in the tap room.

 

@OUJayhawk1799 I noticed you said you were going to stop by the Bruery. If you're looking for Smog City stuff, stop by Mr K's around the corner from the Bruery. I was there today and they had The Nothing still sitting on their shelves.

 

Just tried Cuddle Bug for the first time last night. It was excellent. Great balance of sour and fruit. Very well made beer.

 

If you like IPA's like most of the west coast ipa drinkers then you should look into places like Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, El Segundo Brewing Co, Noble Ale (all from the LA/OC area). I am not familiar with Toolbox. I do know they are from the San Diego area. From the SD area you should be looking at Alpine(bottles), Modern Times and Societe(growlers only). Those are for IPA's from the SoCal area.

 

Anyone else going to be at Smog City on Wednesday for the Amarilla Gorilla bottle release?

 

I'm waiting on Cuddlebug v2 release.

 

I possibly will be there. A few bottles and a growler fill and they are doing a Key Lime Pils tonight that sounds pretty good. Plus Chip Shot is on tap right now also.

 

Gorilla bottles are $4.59 apiece right now at the tasting room (just got back). Doubt that price stays, but just FYI to those wary on their bottle pricing.

 

That's a pretty good price.

 

If the porter and saber-toothed squirrel dropped to that or at least <$6, I'd be picking them up so much more frequently. That is indeed a pretty good price.