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2025 The Outlook is Hazy! |
The independent craft beer industry is facing challenges in 2025. For the first time, in 2024, there were more brewery closures than openings. (399 closings and 335 openings.) There were more closings in states with more breweries. (California, Colorado.) Breweries also face other challenges; issues related to the pandemic, decline in demand and the cost of raw materials and shipping going up. It is not as simple as raising prices as drinkers are watching their expenses and changing what they drink. Brewers have responded by offering more variety in their taprooms. Many now serve ciders and other drinks besides beer. The good thing is that the independent breweries will figure out ways to make their business models work. Collaborations and festivals help unite brewers and bring in more people. Ir's a channellings environment; chances are your favorite local brewery will survive. We all should support the local guys that are making great beer and offer excellent experiences. One thing, I think, is upping the quantity and quality of food offerings. Some have really done a great job of melding a brewery with a great chef or restaurant for a complete drinking // dining experience. I have found several, in the last few years. For the last few years my 'Brewery of the Year' has been breweries with great food. Some still work with food trucks as this eliminates the need to manage an eatery along with a brewery. Things are changing and beer and food is becoming more important to this business, all the time.
The IPA style remains the driver of most breweries' sales. The West Coast, Cold and Hazy versions being the most popular. I am enjoying the renaissance of the West Coast IPA and the Cold IPA. Both are clear and refreshing. I have had enough of the "Hazies". I just like the clearness of of the brews. Also the hazy style is now made using a bit of wheat or oats in the malt bill. That's how the beer stays hazy. The original NE IPAs were unfiltered and some remained hazy well after brewing. Sometimes a keg would lose the haze as the beer sat in the keg. Therefore the use of wheat / oats as the sediment than stays suspended in the beer. 'If I want a wheat beer, I'll ask for it"! That's my feeling. We will let the market decide. Meanwhile there are many great brews our there, beyond just the IPA style. See you at a brewery soon!
Cheers, Larry |
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Past
reviews 1999
- 2025 Click on each year. Enjoy, Larry |
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Green Cheek Oceanside is a big place with several different seating areas, both indoors and outdoors. It looks like a fun place; the parrot and cactus theme is all around with cutouts and stuff on the walls everywhere. We were there for lunch on a weekday so it was quiet. They brewed a beer to help victims of the LA wildfires that hit in January 2025. Fire Relief IPA was brewed as "A California Fundraising IPA to help those affected by the LA Wild fires." Brewed with Mosaic, Citra and Krush hops. at 6.2 ABV is was easy drinking and the perfect lunch, brew. The beer was enjoyed and we were harpy to do our small part for the fire victims. Raident'r is a double dry hopped West Coast IPA. Brewed with four hops; it was a great hoppy, clear brew. It was my favorite that day. Lunch also was good; my Cajun Chicken sandwich hit the spot and was good and spicy. They have their own kitchen, which usually leads to better food. Website: GreenCheekBeer.com
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After a sunset at Sunset Cliffs Beach we found Eppig Brewing a few blocks east. Eppigs' waterfront biergarten is on Americas Cup Harbor on the east side of Point Loma. It was dark but we still got a good view of the harbor area. Eppig has a good laid back vibe and the beer list has a wide variety of brews. I had the 8th anniversary IPA, It was a classic west coast IPA. Citrusy, piney and toasted malt notes. We enjoyed the beer and vibe as the place filled up with beer drinkers enjoying the evening. Later, we explored the area south and discovered Southwestern Yacht club where they were friendly to visitors form other areas. Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar was a great find. I highly recommend this for lunch or dinner when in the area. It's a local chain with top quality seafood and a great atmosphere. It made our visit to Eppig a complete evening of beer, food and fun! Website: EppigBrewing.com
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Coachella Valley Brewing is the first brewery in the desert. Started in 2013 in 1000 Palms, the Brewery recently expanded, adding the Palm Springs taproom. The brewery uses locally sourced ingredients, recycles everything possible and has unique farm to table brewing using the diversity of the valleys' agriculture. The taproom is a bit hard to find if you don't know the area. It is set back from Palm Canyon Drive on the second floor of Mardado Plaza. We found it and enjoyed the outdoor fire 'pit' with our beer and food. I had a taster flight with 4 beers. The Modern West Coast IPA is a 7% ABV brew with the piney / citrus tastes and malt sweetness of the style. JT Rye IPA a 6.9% ABV brew with some rye spiciness and the bitterness stands out. Grapefruit IPA is the West coast infused with grapefruit. The grapefruit added more bitterness and fruity aromas. Black Widow is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial Russian Stout. At 17.65 ABV it has a complex taste with molasses aroma and the high ABV is evident. The food was good and we really enjoyed overlooking the street below with the fire in front of us and the cool weather of January made this a great visit. Website: cvbco.com |
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Las Palmas Brewing - Palm Springs, California
A sign outside Las Palmas Brewing says "We are a small local brewery specializing in lagers, unfiltered IPAs, and farmhouse ales. Our team is all family and best friends." A friendly place run by locals. I like that attitude and my visit was short as we had to hit the road. Our beer tender was friendly and helpful. He heard that we were going to LA and gave me a list of good breweries to check out. That list got tucked away somewhere and when I find it, I will add it here as these guys are real beer people. As we had been seeing lately, Las Palmas had a LA Pale Ale - a beer for Las Angles. All proceeds from January 14th - 19th, of “LA” Pale Ale, will be donated to relief efforts for those affected by the fires in Los Angeles. We were there during that period and did our bit for this effort. Alas, we had to hit the road for LA and would return on another trip Website: LasPalmasBrewing.com |
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After another spectacular west coast sunset, we were looking for a beer and dinner spot. Firestone Walker Brewing was a few blocks away and filled the bill. FWB is a large place with indoor and outdoor seating all around. It was quiet this evening but we could see that a lot of people could have fun and enjoy good beer and food here. FWB is known nationwide and the beer line up looks great. Unfortunately, there had been an issue with their keg room walk in refrigerator and there was a limited selection of draft brews. Hype Archetype Hazy IPA was still pouring. This 6.9% ABV was citrusy and went well with the food here. All of the food sounded great; my Cali-Western Smash Burger was made with bacon, onion rings, chedder and BBQ sauce. It hit the spot. Beer and Dinner Shot This was our last brewery, in California, as we were flying out early the next morning. Website: FirestoneWalker.com
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Kaua'i Brewing is the westernmost brewery in the US. The Port Allen location is right across form several whale watching charter boats. We scheduled a cruise and had a great lunch at Kaua'i Brewing. The brewery is in a big metal building with a big lanai across the front. Inside is a full bar, game room and the brewery in full view of the taproom. I had The Fonz IPA a west coast IPA at 6.2% ABV and 65 IBU. This award winning brew was easy drinking and the malts are subdud but go well with the hops for a mellow taste. It's the perfect island beer. The food here is locally sourced and top notch. Our Ahi Tuna Poke had a great spicy sauce and was the best we had in Kaua'i. I would have liked to try more brews but the ship was calling everyone to board for the whale watching /sunset cruise. This turned out well; we saw some whales and a great sunset including a 'green flash' which I had not seen before. KIB had very good service on the lanai. Thanks for that. Website: KawaiiIslandBrewing.com
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Maui Brewing Waikiki is located a few blocks from the beach in the heart of the Waikiki area. We were there on a busy Saturday night; the streets were busy and full. The brewery was the same. Upon entering there is a small bar with kegs hanging from the ceiling! We were able to get seats at the longer bar and had a great experience. They have a wide selection of their brews available. I had Big Swell IPA, a hoppy brew with citrusy notes and aroma. At 6.8% ABV and 50 IBU it is a classic IPA. Dry hopped with: Cascade, Chinook, Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe. This one is a winner. I also enjoyed the Waimea Red an American Red Ale. This style is unusual, these days, it was reminiscent of the California Reds of the 1990s. We loved our pizza here; The Butcher had several different meats, mushrooms and cheese. One of the better pizzas we had on our trip to Hawaii. We had a great visit and would return here or to one of the three other locations on different islands. Website: MauiBrewingCo.com
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When we left Maui brewing (above) we passed by Waikiki Brewing on our way home. It looked busy and a fun place to go. A few days later we visited the location a few blocks from our hotel. (There are 3 around Waikiki.) It was busy and we got a table on the outside deck. It was a beautiful night and the beer and food was just what we needed. I tried the Eee Pah IPA a classic old school IPA. At 7.2% ABV and 75 IBU it has a strong malt backbone to support the huge hop additions., It is brewed with the classic hops: Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe. (That's why I called it 'old school' as these three hops were a big part of the original IPAs in toe early 2000's.) It is also dry hopped with the same hop bill. it was quite tasty and the malt sweetness went will with the bitterness of the hops. I also tried the Cille of Approval Cold IPA. This was a special release with 6.7% ABV and 36 IBU it was crispy, clean and hoppy. I really like the clear beers and this style is outstanding when brewer properly. This was a winner and I was able to visit another time to enjoy a couple of this limited release brew. They should make it a part of the menu year 'round! Website:WaikikiBrewing.com
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Honolulu Beerworks - Honolulu, Hawaii
When visiting Honolulu, I saw Honolulu Beerworrks beer both on tap and cans. Both were the real deal; top notch quality and correct to the style. I wasn't able to visit the brewery as the taproom is 'temperately closed'. I don't know why; it certainly isn't production or quality of the beer. Hop Island is a straw colored, dank hoppy IPA. 7.0 ABV made it stronger and enjoyable with lunch one day. Their stout was featured, at an eatery in Waikiki, as the craft beer of the week. It was tasty and worked well with our dinner. They sell their beers all over Hawaii. However, I wonder why the pub is closed and how long they can survive without it. For many breweries the taproom / pub is a large source of income for the business.. We will see...the Outlook is Hazy!! Website HonoluluBeerworks.com
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Wye Hill Brewing has a patio that overlooks the Raleigh downtown skyline. WHB brought new life to a Raleigh landmark. Opening in 2019 they added great beer and chef driven foods. They brew a wide variety of beers; all made under the patio. I started with a four beer flight. Sea Change is a West Coast IPA one of the first brews made here. It is constantly evolving with each batch. Currently the hops are Altus, Triumph, Amarillo and Bravo, two yeasts and local malts. At 6.8% ABV It has a resiny, piney aroma and taste. Monolith is a double dry hopped single hop IPA. The hop was Alora which produced peachy and melon tastes. They change the hop in each batch. Luminous Beings is a Thiolized DDH IPA. Thiolized yearst is a process where thiolos (aroma producing parts of yeast) are engineered into special yeasts. Read more here. Canyons of Static is a DDH Double IPA using Thiolized yeasts and two hops. It was quite tasty and the aromas were strong with melon / peachy tastes. Spring Ale is a strong ale brewed with 12 herbs and spices using crystal malts. At 8.5% ABV it has a malty taste and is strong (boozy). Overall WHB is very innovative in their brewing and the brewer believes in improving each beer with every batch. Website: Wyehill.com |
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Bières Cultes Cardinal - Paris, France
Bières Cultes (Aka Cave à bières) is a small, local beer store and outdoor cafe. By local, I mean that it wasn't a tourist spot; all French locals enjoying beers at the end of the day. There is outdoor cafe type seating, indoor tables and a small tasting bar in the back. In addition to draft beers they also have a selection of canned beer to go. It was near our hotel and I tried some draft beer on our first night in Paris. They have five draft beers available and I found Paris Delight a NE Hazy IPA. Brewed by TankBusters in Belgium in collaboration with Parisian beer cellars like BEER. It is brewed with HBC 1019 and Citra hops. There is lychee flavor in the background. The menu says "fruited" and the brewers website mentions lychee. At 5.2% ABV is isn't a session IPA but not a powerful one either. It was easy drinking and the hops and fruit mix worked well. The server was friendly and I managed to talk beer with my limited French. There was a local at the bar who liked my 'accent'! Overall a fun visit and we soon headed to our first dinner in Paris. Website: BièresCutles.fr |
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Monk la Taverne de Cluny - Paris, France
A Monk La Taverne de Cluny copy to come
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2025- larrygoeser.com |
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