The trick to trying out the most micro of brews
Beer geeks live to brew—and to share their wares. But unless you know someone who ferments beer, sniffing out a sample can be tough. Commercial establishments are barred from serving the homemade stuff. Your best option: Attend a class or club meeting (see “One-Stop Hopping”). And look for Samuel Adams’s LongShot Variety Six-Pack, which features recipes from its annual home brew contest; winners (two civilians and one Samuel Adams employee) are named each October, with the six-pack arriving in spring. In 2012, an American-style wheat beer from Bellflower’s James Schirmer, an institutional researcher at the University of La Verne, made the cut. His secret ingredient: hibiscus. —Matthew Segal
- Illustration by Ryan Snook
FOUR STEPS TO BETTER BEER TASTING
- PREP Nuances in flavor are masked if your beer is too cold; give it ten minutes out of the fridge before drinking.
- SERVE Pour your beer into a wide-mouth glass (never chilled) so that its aroma can blossom.
- SMELL Swirl your glass and dive your nose in to sniff the volatile aroma compounds. Citrus? Pine? Caramel? Chocolate?
- SIP Savor and swish around your mouth, letting each taste bud chime in. Swallow. Repeat.
- —Randy Clemens
A flight of home brew stores and the clubs that love them
HOME BEER, WINE, AND CHEESEMAKING SHOP
22836 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, homebeerwinecheese.com
The business that John Daume founded 42 years ago is hallowed ground (above). After all, it’s where the country’s oldest beer club began and continues to hold meetings. Club affiliation: Maltose Falcons.
EAGLE ROCK HOME BREWING SUPPLY
4981 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock, brewsupply.com
Aside from getting advice (classes are available) and all the essentials, you may come across meisters from Eagle Rock Brewery (L.A.’s first brewery in decades when it opened in 2009) or Lancaster’s Kinetic Brewing. Club affiliation: Yeastside Brewers.
CULVER CITY HOME BREWING SUPPLY
4234 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, brewsupply.com
Open since 1994, it shares two owners with Eagle Rock Home Brewing and offers classes. Club affiliation: Pacific Gravity.
SOUTH BAY BREWING SUPPLY CO.
1311 Post Ave., Torrance, southbaybrewingsupply.com
Torrance has become a hotbed for new craft breweries, but it’s also rich with home brewers. Club affiliation: Strand Brewers Club. —Randy Clemens
Also: Read “On the House,” Randy Clemens’ profile of the L.A. home brewing club The Maltose Falcons
Typography by Daniel Pelavin
