The Conduit
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Brewery Hoppenings
Late summer is nothing but hoppy days here at the brewery. Here’s a quick heads up on the various IPA-related activities we’ve got going on leading into the Labor Day weekend:
Hop 15 Returns
Yes, it’s true Hop 15 is returning to market! The Port Brewing Hop Bomber fleet returned to the skies this week loaded with fresh bottles and kegs of Hop 15 destined for every corner of our distribution network.Depending on your proximity to our central hop-to-air base here in San Marcos Hop 15 supplies should begin turning up on shelves and taps in your area any time in the next couple of weeks. Get it while you can though. The re-supply fleet isn’t scheduled to return until March of 2013!
Fallbrook Estate Fresh Hop Pale Ale
If you checked in a couple of weeks ago, you probably noticed that we just harvested the hops for our local fresh-hopped IPA, Fallbrook Estates (you might have even harvested with us). This year was different than previous years in that we had a large enough yield to use the local goods in the entire brew process rather than just in dry-hopping. We used 80lbs of local Nugget and Chinook in the boil and an additional 120lbs in the hopback, so it should be an awesome brew. In total we produced 30 barrels, so this one will be on draft only in the brewery. There won’t be any bottles, but word is you will be able to get your growler filled with the homegrown.Look for Fallbrook to hit the taps in the Tasting Room Labor Day weekend.
Predicting a High Tide
Word from the hop supplier is that the harvest should be coming in very soon, which means we’re gearing up to brew our amazing fresh hop IPA, High Tide, here really soon. Assuming that the hop guys are correct, we expect to see a semi-trailer full of fresh-picked hops sometime early September, which means we’ll be brewing High Tide around the clock for four days to ensure the hops are at their freshest when they go into the brew. If you’ve never experienced the hop-infused organized chaos that is a High Tide brew cycle, this will be your chance to witness it. Drop by the Tasting Room, that weekend and check it out.Oh, and if you can’t make it to the Tasting Room, no worries. The beer will hit our full distribution network in the latter half of September, so you’ll still be able to experience the fresh-hopped goodness that is High Tide.
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Fresh Hop Estate Ale - Part Deux
Slap on your gloves and pluck some hops off the vine. Calling all HopHeads! Monday 8/13 is "Harvest Day" for our crop of Fallbrook grown hops. We need volunteers to help pluck the vines. Lunch and Refreshment included. Must bring own leather gloves and a strong desire to reak of hop resin for days. Come join the fun!
- What: Hop Harvest for a fresh hop estate ale
- When: Monday, August 13, 2012 - 10:00am to WHENEVER WE'RE FINISHED
- Where: The Lost Abbey / Port Brewing, San Marcos, San Diego County, CA
Fallbrook Homegrown from The Lost Abbey on Vimeo.
Tasting Notes: Anniversary Ale
In this episode of Tasting Notes, Tomme presents Anniversary Ale, our massively hopped strong pale ale brewed to celebrate our anniversary each year.
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Tasting Notes: Mongo IPA
In this episode of Tasting Notes, Tomme presents Mongo Double IPA, our double IPA.
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Tasting Notes: Wipeout
In this episode of Tasting Notes, Tomme presents Wipeout IPA, our flagship IPA.
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Video: Harvesting Hops in Yakima Valley, Washington
A couple weeks ago we threw some photos on the website pertaining to harvesting fresh hops in Yakima Valley, Washington. Then last week, as if you weren't already hopped out, we brought to you The Making of High Tide IPA. Now, because we believe you can never have too many hops, we bring to you a short educational video narrated by our very own DOBO (Director of Brewery Operations), Tomme Arthur giving a little more depth to the photos and explaining the process.
Photos from High Tide brewing weekend
Despite a couple of minor setbacks (an emergency root canal for our head brewer, and a hop truck break down that had it arrive 10 hours late) our Labor Day weekend brewing of High Tide fresh/wet-hopped IPA turned out to be a big success. The beer should be out by the end of the month and will go into our distribution network from coast to coast. In the meantime, here's a few photos to show you what brewing a fresh-hopped IPA looks like.[nggallery id=23]
Beer Release: Anniversary Ale
This is the release day for Anniversary Ale, our strong pale ale that celebrates our birthday.This is a general release and will be available in bottle and on draft throughout our distribution network.
Beer Review: Serious Eats - California IPA
Serious Eats' Maggie Hoffman is dedicating the next few weeks to writing about West Coast IPAs, beginning this week with California. Russian River's Pliny the Elder topped her list, but we were rather pleased to find both of our bottled IPAs, Wipeout and Hop 15 among the few notables pulled from a field of 30 beers from up and down the state.
From the article:
At their best, California IPAs clean and crisp–totally refreshing. (At their worst, they get a wee bit metallic.) Some have malt profiles that lean toward a traditional English style. Moving into the double- and imperial- range, the maltiness and earthiness of these beers get heavier. For the most part, California IPAs aren't fruit bombs–the hops tend to be more toward the bittering end.
» Read Serious Beer: California IPA Via Serious Eats