Beer

LA Beer Week & Drake’s/Beachwood Collaboration IPA #2

Oh hi, Los Angeles. Yeah, we see you there. Looks like you’re gearing up for another and bigger LA BEER WEEK than ever before.

Not ones to miss a party due to something silly like distance, we are gearing up for the festivities again this year by hopping on the Enterprise for another brain blending collaboration with Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach.

In August, we sent our brewmaster John Gillooly down to cavort with Beachwood Brewing’s Julian Shrago for their second year of IPA Collaboration shenanigans. See information on last year’s beer here.

For this year’s brew, these two very adept west-coast style brewers logically decided to stick with an IPA, but to thrown in some Capt. Kirk style improvisation with the addition of 20% Heirloom Spelt to a grist otherwise made up of entirely 2-row malt as well as new Medusa hops, a neo-Mexicana hop variety they found to be spicy with a bright fruitiness just shy of being citric.

The beer, Vulcanizer IPA, will be a pale, ~7% ABV IPA that features a soft palate of light, earthy spelt with citric hops Jarrylo, Amarillo, and El Dorado in the kettle and primarily Medusa hops in the dry-hop adding big aromas and flavors of passionfruit, lemon, and light spiciness.

The beer will be tapped at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing on Thursday, September 18 at a party to kick off LA Beer Week with both brewers and a few others from the Drake’s crew in attendance. Event starts at 6pm.

As for the rest of LA Beer Week, Chris, Tori, Gillooly and the rest of the SoCal crew will be hitting up the following joints to drop their knowledge on Drake’s beers for all who thirst for our beer in the City of Angels. Here’s the Drake’s schedule so far:

One Night Stand @ Beer Belly – Sep 17, 2014
Beachwood Collaboration Release – Sep 18, 2014
Meet the Brewer @ Sunset Beer Co – Sep 19, 2014
LA Brewers Beer Week Kickoff @ Chinatown Central Plaza – Sep 20, 2014
Kill the Keg @ City Tavern Culver City – Sep 23, 2014
Kill the Keg @ City Tavern Downtown – Sep 24, 2014
…and more to come.