Who’s up for an LA road trip? For years, the SoCal beer scene has been dominated by San Diego, but times are a changin’, and LA is officially on the beer map. Always known for its innovative home brewers, the LA area is now producing some high quality, commercially brewed beers. I’m itching to jump in my car to make the trip down there. You’ve got Golden Road Brewing, one of LA’s fastest growing breweries; Eagle Rock Brewery, the maker of Stimulus, a mean Belgian amber brewed with coffee; and this week’s highlight, Bootlegger’s Brewery, winner of two Great American Beer Festival (GABF) medals this past fall for its Rocco Red Ale and Galaxian barley wine. I’ve also been wanting to visit Long Beach’s Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, this year’s GABF recipient of the Largest Brewpub of the Year award. Like I said, who’s up for a road trip?
I was introduced to Bootlegger’s Brewery by my dear friend, Daniella, who gave me the Black Phoenix as a gift in honor of my graduation of beer school this past fall. The two of us cracked it open the other day to catch up from our holiday vacations. Based in Fullerton, Bootlegger’s opened its production brewery in 2008. Being that their motto is “drink fresh, drink local,” Bootlegger’s beer is tough to find outside of the LA area. I’m fairly certain Daniella got a hold of this bottle at Oakland’s The Good Hop Bottle Shop since they make regular trips down to LA to pick up beer. In any event, it’s a good excuse for a road trip to check out LA’s blooming beer scene.
At 6.7% ABV, Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix is a very drinkable stout. A coffee stout brewed with chipotle peppers, this beer could work well as a dessert beer or paired with the right dish. We had it for dessert, but I’d love to pair it with a mole enchilada as I think the rich coffee flavors combined with the subtle hint of heat from the peppers would pair well with a spicy chocolate sauce. I’m looking forward to my next trip to SoCal, and of course, drinking more Bootlegger’s beer.
I was introduced to Bootlegger’s Brewery by my dear friend, Daniella, who gave me the Black Phoenix as a gift in honor of my graduation of beer school this past fall. The two of us cracked it open the other day to catch up from our holiday vacations. Based in Fullerton, Bootlegger’s opened its production brewery in 2008. Being that their motto is “drink fresh, drink local,” Bootlegger’s beer is tough to find outside of the LA area. I’m fairly certain Daniella got a hold of this bottle at Oakland’s The Good Hop Bottle Shop since they make regular trips down to LA to pick up beer. In any event, it’s a good excuse for a road trip to check out LA’s blooming beer scene.
At 6.7% ABV, Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix is a very drinkable stout. A coffee stout brewed with chipotle peppers, this beer could work well as a dessert beer or paired with the right dish. We had it for dessert, but I’d love to pair it with a mole enchilada as I think the rich coffee flavors combined with the subtle hint of heat from the peppers would pair well with a spicy chocolate sauce. I’m looking forward to my next trip to SoCal, and of course, drinking more Bootlegger’s beer.
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