On the cutting edge of experimentation for well over two decades, Paso Robles–based craft-brew powerhouse Firestone Walker (firestonebeer.com) keeps pushing the boundaries of what beer can be. The latest example: Rosalie Beer Rosé. “We wanted to create a super-drinkable beer that captures the best qualities of a rosé wine but at less than half the alcohol [5 percent alcohol by volume],” says brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “The result is what we are calling the rosé lover’s beer.” After extensive controlled experimentation, juice from 200 tons of wine grapes from Templeton’s Castoro Cellars was co-fermented with beer, with hibiscus flower providing the pink color. “We had to go out on a limb and find a way to make something entirely new to us,” Brynildson says of this beautiful, one-of-a-kind brew with bright fruit flavors and luscious acidity. Not yet 10 years old, Buelltonbased Figueroa Mountain Brewery Co. (figmtnbrew.com) has grown astonishingly fast and now boasts six taprooms along the Central Coast. Paying tribute to the region’s citrus-growing heritage, new release Summerland Citrus, at just 5 percent alcohol by volume, is here just in time for picnicking. “Santa Barbara was once a flourishing agricultural region for citrus of all types,” says head creative brewer Kevin Ashford, “so we brewed a beer to commemorate the past. We use real grapefruit, tangerine, and blood orange to create a light and drinkable citrusy blonde ale that will quench your thirst as we prepare for our endless summer.”
Saison (French for “season”) is a traditional Belgian farmhouse ale brewed in cooler months for consumption during the summer. Third Window Brewing (thirdwindowbrewing.com) continues the custom in downtown Santa Barbara. “This year’s Spring Saison 2019 is based on pilsner malt, unmalted wheat, and rolled oats and is flavored with local honey, hummingbird sage, and California sagebrush,” says founder Kris Parker, grandson of the late Santa Barbara winery legend Fess Parker. Mini Monk Belgian Enkel, a new release
from Draughtsmen Aleworks (draughtsmen aleworks.com), is a lower-alcohol (4.7 percent) tribute to Belgian monastic brews. Available on draft only at the brewery in Goleta and taproom in Santa Barbara, this quaffable, light-bodied Trappist-style ale “is refreshing and sessionable [low in alcohol] while also being loaded with flavor; it has notes of honeysuckle, stone fruit, and cloves,” says partner and master brewer Reno King. Growlers are available to take home. Five Threads Brewing Company (fivethreads brewing.com) in Westlake Village is community-focused; owner and head brewer Tim Kazules is an outspoken advocate for drinking locally. “BevMo is not the only place to get beer!” Kazules proclaims. His Margarita Gose is a new creation, available at the taproom for sipping on-
site and in branded growlers. “It’s our first time doing a gose,” says Kazules, referring to the sour German wheat beer style. “It’s got a little tartness going on, and one of the unique ingredients is a decent amount of salt. You don’t taste the salt; it just enhances the fruity flavors.” Mexican lagers have long been staples for warm-weather quaffing, and now 14 Cannons Brewery + Showroom (14cannons.com) in Westlake Village is making its own version. “Catorce is a true-to-style Mexican lager brewed with flaked maize to give the beer the slightly sweet and supercrushable body that is expected from the style,” says head brewer Nic Bortolin. “The aromatics are zesty and limelike, thanks to the use of Motueka hops [aromatic hops developed in New Zealand], giving the overall flavor a one-up on the classics.” Speaking of Mexico, San Luis Obispo’s SLO Brewing Co. (slobrew. com) just introduced its spin-off brand Tío Rodrigo Craft Beer Michelada. The michelada, a popular Mexican beerbased cocktail with lime, tomato juice, and spices, takes on a Central Coast accent in Tío Rodrigo, which starts with classic SLO Brew Hefeweizen as a base. Tío Rodrigo Original is enhanced with fruit for the Mango and Blood Orange versions. “There hasn’t really been a quality craft michelada available to consumers until now,” says brewmaster Steve Courier. “We chose to use real, authentic ingredients and SLO Brewing craft beer to make great micheladas like you would at home, with the convenience of a can.”
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