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Tasty 8% winter ale. Spruce tips and smoked barley. Not much of either present but not a bad beer.
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Mission puts out fantastic brews like their 5% ABV Blonde Ale. I’m still sorting out the meaningful differences between a Kolsch and an American Blonde Ale. Besides the lagering time on the Kolsch, I find there is perhaps greater flexibility in the hop selections when making American Blonde or even Amber Ales. Sierra Nevada for example is loaded up with Cascade hops rather than the continental hops you might find in a Kolsch. Now that’s an American footprint!

Well how does that apply to Mission’s Blonde? We’ll, I definitely taste some American hop influence here. Not nearly the hopping levels you might find on their IPA’s but maybe a tilt that direction. Kind of like taking a conventional Blonde Ale and filling the glass with maybe an ounce or two of IPA. Not enough that it’s a dead giveaway, but it freshens up and gives a bit more zing to an otherwise sedate Ale. I think that’s what we have here.

Super-duper head and great lacing! Another winner from Mission Brewing, San Diego!


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I think it was Mission that teamed up with Coronado Brewing on the Salty Crew collab.
Picked up a case last summer while out in SoCal traveling and really liked it.

I was looking for a Blonde Ale/Kolsch style beer, and the local brew shop guy said to try the Salty Crew. It was the ‘new best thing’ regionally at the time, and I really nursed that case. In fact, the last can is sitting in the RV fridge as I type this msg. I can’t stand to open it, since the distribution is only in Western states. Looks like another WC roadtrip is in our future travel plans!
 
My son was in kindergarten with the owners daughter. Their original brewery/ tasting room is about 2 blocks from my house. They make some of the best beer in town. 🍻
Awesome!! Last summer we rented a place on Mission Beach for a few days. Prior to going down there I asked around for some SD brewery recommendations, and North Park was high on everybody's list. I brought a bunch of their beer back home with me. Even ordered some shipped earlier this year. So my wife and I were back down in the SD area a couple weeks ago for a family event so we stopped in again for some lunch and some beers to bring home. I have to agree with you - excellent beers!! :mug:
 
Awesome!! Last summer we rented a place on Mission Beach for a few days. Prior to going down there I asked around for some SD brewery recommendations, and North Park was high on everybody's list. I brought a bunch of their beer back home with me. Even ordered some shipped earlier this year. So my wife and I were back down in the SD area a couple weeks ago for a family event so we stopped in again for some lunch and some beers to bring home. I have to agree with you - excellent beers!! :mug:
That’s awesome. It always amazes me how word gets around even with so many good breweries in the area.
We had dinner with Kelsey and Amanda, the owners, a couple times, back when the brewery was fairly new and the kids were little. This was before I started brewing. I remember asking him about the challenges of going from home brewing to commercial scale. He said the biggest challenges for him were dialing in the water at the volumes needed and scaling the amount of hops. He said when he scaled his recipes up directly he was using way too much hops. 🤷🏻‍♂️
I should have stayed in touch with him. I guess I can still reach out at some point.

Let me know next time you’re in town and maybe we can meet up for a beer!🍻
 
That’s awesome. It always amazes me how word gets around even with so many good breweries in the area.
We had dinner with Kelsey and Amanda, the owners, a couple times, back when the brewery was fairly new and the kids were little. This was before I started brewing. I remember asking him about the challenges of going from home brewing to commercial scale. He said the biggest challenges for him were dialing in the water at the volumes needed and scaling the amount of hops. He said when he scaled his recipes up directly he was using way too much hops. 🤷🏻‍♂️
I should have stayed in touch with him. I guess I can still reach out at some point.

Let me know next time you’re in town and maybe we can meet up for a beer!🍻


Just in case you or @BongoYodeler missed it, Kelsey was on cbc podcast a few years back. I remember especially enjoying that episode. If memory serves, he discusses the homebrew origins of Hop Fu, trying to find funding after his many major comp awards, and then working out HB recipes on a pro rig. CBC - North Park
 
Just in case you or @BongoYodeler missed it, Kelsey was on cbc podcast a few years back. I remember especially enjoying that episode. If memory serves, he discusses the homebrew origins of Hop Fu, trying to find funding after his many major comp awards, and then working out HB recipes on a pro rig. CBC - North Park
I’ll have to check that out. 🍻
 
Just in case you or @BongoYodeler missed it, Kelsey was on cbc podcast a few years back. I remember especially enjoying that episode. If memory serves, he discusses the homebrew origins of Hop Fu, trying to find funding after his many major comp awards, and then working out HB recipes on a pro rig. CBC - North Park

I’ll have to check that out. 🍻
Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out. I actually have some Hop Fu in the fridge that I need to get to.
 
Of all the things I've learned being on LOA for the last 6weeks, one stands out. Yes, why yes, I'm more then capable of enjoying my life without the burden of a weekly scheduled work. That was my last challenge to retirement.

I guess the 2nd thing I've learned is this, ensure the next LOA is during football season! 😁

This PA needed some tropical hop oil assistance...
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I remember when Stone Arrogant bastard was one of the Heavyweights you could buy here in Southern California. Those were the days! Today we hardly give a 7.2% ABV Ale a second look… a Middleweight!

It’s not easy finding info about Arrogant Bastard. Advertised as an American Strong Ale, the Stone website makes the IBU’s “classified”. Looking at some of the clone recipes online, it looks like maybe 30 IBU, but it seems more than that. The presentation of Arrogant Bastard is very big… seems bigger than 7.2% and 30 IBU!

You just don’t encounter a lot of beers in this style. For a long time, I thought it was a hopped-up Irish Red Ale of sorts. Arrogant Bastard is close, reddish color is right-on, but then again, that hopping level and type is nothing like an Irish Red, so the comparison runs cold. I think Arrogant Bastard is also an Orphan!

Nice head, terrific lacing, stiff bitterness, approaching IPA range, - I think Arrogant bastard fans have a high bitterness tolerance. Most dark Ales like this are more mellow, this one is much more aggressive.

My wife had a gal at her office who drank one of these every night! Stone Arrogant Bastard ….My kinda beer drinking lady – dinner’s at her house!!! He he….!!! All you alcoholics would love this … Or even try their Double Bastard some time and go howl at the moon… Cheers!

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