Avery 15th, Full Sail Brewing, Real Ale Festival Hype

Whole Foods Market in Los Angeles just got their shipment of Avery Anniversary Ale: Fifteen. Sour beer is in a new frontier, being presented more and more to the American craft brew drinker. Russian River and Lost Abbey have been generating a large amount of the buzz, and rightfully so.

After reading some reviews on other beer websites, I have found that some people have been giving Avery 15 a bad review based on expectations alone. To that, I ask these people, “what did you expect?” The brew is not a traditional wild ale/sour ale, and it is not a traditional saison. With that said, I don’t think it is fair to mark it down for not being true to either style. I tried my first bottle Friday night, and really enjoyed it. I will post all of my tasting notes this week as well.

I was pleasantly surprised with my catch of the week at Trader Joes. They had six packs of Full Sail LTD Series No. 2. I did not enjoy LTD No. 1 at all. It was bitter, and didn’t do a thing for me. I have to say, I don’t really enjoy Full Sail’s regular line up for the most part. They use a really bitter hop that doesn’t jive well with my tongue. I like their Wassail Ale in the winter, and I LOVE their Session Lager. Back to LTD No. 2. It is awesome. It is an all malt lager much like session, but better if you can imagine. Refreshing, a tad bit sweet, and 6.4% abv. Would it be too much to ask for to have them bottle it year round. The bottle and sixer holster is decked out in marketing gimmickry as well. The main focus is for us drinkers to Live the Dream. Well, I just might be already, and I appreciate the advice.

We are one week away from the Pizza Port/O’Brien’s Pub Real Ale Festival in Carlsbad, CA. Almost all of team TheFullPint will be there, as well as our supporting cast (wives, fathers, and girlfriends.) I am not sure what to expect, but it is in the same setting as the Strong Ale Festival, held at the same location. I really hope some goodies are left for us non VIP ticket holders. VIP ticket holders get first crack at rare goodies, Friday night June 12. Either way, it should be a good time. My hope is that Pizza Port has their Fest Pizza ready to go. This piece of wonderment is a rye crust, topped with brown mustard, bratwurst, sauteed peppers and onions, and sour kraut. Anyone from “Back East” can give this pizza a pass, as this might be better than “real pizza.” I hope to meet some of the rockstars of brewing too. Steve Wagner, are you reading this? Should be a fun fun time. Hope to see you all there.