Last night The Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach had a beer tasting featuring Allagash Brewing, from Portland, ME. Allagash specializes in Belgian style brews and I had tried their Allagash White on draught and really enjoyed it, so I did not hesitate in accepting the invitation to try five more of their brews. The downside was that the beers were brought in bottles, which [in my personal opinion] is never as good as on tap. Storing the bottles on ice just made the beer colder than I would have preferred, but the glasses were small and my hands are warm so it did not take too long for me to warm it up to a temperature I enjoyed.
Lou, the distributor hosting the tasting, did not bring the Allagash White with him because The Rockefeller sells it on tap. I think he may have been there more for his account that for introducing us to the various Allagash brews. We sampled, in this order, the Allagash Tripel, Dubbel, Curieux, Four and Black. I think I liked the Black best although the Curieux was very nice. It is aged on old Jim Beam barrels for four weeks and you can really taste the bourbon from sitting in the kegs.
The Rockefeller is located in Hermosa Beach on Pier Avenue and will be the location of our August 9 get together of Business & Beer. Any business owners in the South Bay area that are interested in networking with other business owners while enjoying a nice American craft beer is encouraged to join us. There are no dues or rules, just business and beer.
