Sad news for local craft beer enthusiasts

If you're a resident of the Coachella Valley (in California), you may already be aware that La Quinta Brewing is closing its tap house in La Quinta. Certainly, if you're a regular there, you've been lamenting this news since it was reported in The Desert Sun two weeks ago.

Let that sink in: There will no longer be a La Quinta Brewing in La Quinta. There is no Palm Desert Brewing in Palm Desert but La Quinta Brewing will have their main brewing facilities there. Likewise, there is no Palm Springs Brewing in Palm Springs but La Quinta Brewing has a tap house there.

Pop quiz: Where will La Quinta Brewing not be? Answer: La Quinta.

It doesn't make sense unless you're La Quinta Brewing who was hit with a rent increase that made it unsustainable for them to remain in their namesake city. Or does it have to do with the brewery's leadership restructuring that took place in 2024? Maybe both.

We remember when LQB brewed in Palm Desert in a little warehouse space off Washington just north of I-10. (Why it was located there and not in La Quinta, I don't know. The space is now occupied by Canyon Creek Mushrooms). Mychal was behind the bar then, serving up a smile  as he poured our favorite beers upon seeing us walk through the door. He also knew how to throw a party! In the parking lot, old-school style, with lights, tents, folding chairs, and a band. There was less of a touristy vibe and was more of a community hangout where everyone was welcome.

There was a yellow barrel where people would put stickers from other breweries, like this one from Trusty Brewing in Vancouver WA that we added in 2018. (While Trusty was one of our favorite hangs, it is no longer in business.) When the Palm Desert location moved to a larger facility, the barrel moved with it and the stickers we added are still there for all to see and to remind us of the many places we've been to over the years.

It wasn't until two years after LQB was founded that they opened a tap house in La Quinta (in 2015). It was a small venue with outdoor seating, games stacked in the corner, friendly beertenders, and the same local vibe as the original Palm Desert location. There was no food there, but you could bring in food from a neighboring restaurant and enjoy it with your favorite friends and brews. (Talking about you, J&L!)

In 2021, the La Quinta tap house expanded to include more seating and food service with a move across the street to its current location. There, we contributed more stickers like these from Ghost Runners Brewery (Vancouver, WA) and Barrel Mountain Brewing (Washougal and Vancouver, WA).

The Palm Springs location opened in 2018. It's a great place to sit outside and people watch but it's decidedly touristy as is the Palm Desert location to a large extent. The second iteration of the La Quinta location had a good balance of both tourists and locals, and being as it was the closest location for us, it was our favorite and most frequented LQB location of the three.

And now we say goodbye to Carlos, Kenna, Sara, Alyssa, and Sage - names that come quickly to mind. There are others whose names are out of reach but who always recognized us as one of the regulars and treated us well. There are the regular customers - Harriet comes to mind. A real character. There's the guy who always sits in the corner under the TV at the end of the bar and the woman who is usually on the next barstool with her dog tucked under her feet. We always greeted each other, sometimes we'd strike up a conversation. It was a community with good craft beer and good people at its center.

Where will we all go now?

I'm sad to say that for us it probably won't be to another La Quinta Brewing location. Instead, we'll find a watering hole that's closer and hope a new brewery moves in either to their old space or another nearby.

Thanks for the good times, La Quinta Brewing. We will miss you. All of you.

When is beer foam a good thing?

According to Kegworks, the answer might be "all the time," particularly when considering Czech-style pilsners. 

In discussing the side pull beer faucet, Kegworks describes its features and uses:

"This combination of features allows you to create thick, dense heads of foam with the side pull faucet that is part of the ritual for consuming Czech pilsners, including Pilsner Urquell. This foam, however, is not the dreaded beer foam you get from a typical draft faucet. It is a wet foam with a smooth and creamy texture packed with flavor and aroma from the hops. It lasts longer than dry foam and is meant to be savored along with the liquid beer in your mug." 

[Emphasis mine.]

Wet foam is made by submerging the side pull faucet into the beer while pouring - usually verboten - and is especially desirable when pouring Pilsner Urquell. The amount of foam varies from zero foam to 100% foam. Again, from Kegworks: 

A Čochtan pour is just a mug filled with beer and no foam. Without the foam, you lose the balanced flavor, and thus, you get a very bitter beer.

Mlíko, or a milk pour, is a mug full of sweet and creamy wet foam that really shows off the Saaz hops and aromatics in a Czech Pilsner. This is traditionally enjoyed as a dessert beer that you sip quickly.

Check out this video to see examples:

The idea of an entirely foamy beer runs contrary to my entire beer upbringing. Once I discovered craft beer, I learned a foam head on top of a glass of beer was a good thing. Now, I'm learning that it's a dreaded thing! Which is it?

I guess it depends on what kind of beer you're drinking but I'll be curious to try a "correctly" poured Pilsner Urquell sometime, especially if I can try it side-by-side with a improperly poured one.

Not to knock Pilsner Urquell, but I wonder if a wet foam would improve the taste of a Michelob Ultra or Bud Light. Back in my college days, beer foam was indeed dreaded. It simply meant you had less beer in your Red Solo Cup. Could it be that it would have been a flavor enhancer for all that cheap beer?

Worth trying? Maybe. But here's another thing I'm thinking about trying: the Beertini (olives or pickles added to beer).

Whoa!

#BeerCareful

What does it take to master beer?

A lot of beer, you might say but that would only tell part of the story. It also takes a lot of study and tuition.

There is, in fact, a certification program akin to the Sommelier certification for the wine industry. 

" The Cicerone Certification Program empowers beer professionals around the world through the development and recognition of beer skill and knowledge. "

The program consists of four levels culminating in the Master Cicerone certification. The exam for Master Cicerone is a two-day affair at a cost of nearly $1,100. It is given only once or twice per year and obtaining the first three certifications is a prerequisite.

Certified Beer Server is the first level. The exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions that must be completed in 30 minutes. The cost to take the exam is $79.

The exam for the second-level certification, Certified Cicerone, is $450 and consists of a written part (3 hours, online) plus a tasting part (45 minutes, in person) and a demonstration portion (3 minutes, video recorded).

The Advanced Cicerone (third level) exam is given multiple times per year in various cities at a cost of $850.

That's almost $2,500, days of testing, and countless hours of study. Plus the cost for various study materials based on a student's mode of learning and previous experience in the industry.

And, that's not all. The syllabus to the Master Cicerone course explains:

" At the Advanced and Master Cicerone levels, candidates are expected to have a broad knowledge of culinary terms from around the globe, spanning ingredients, methods of preparation, and finished dishes. "

According to this Wall Street Journal article, there are only 28 Master Cicerones in the world. Not surprising, considering everything a Master Cicerone needs to master.

" Cicerones describe their jobs as different from sommeliers swanning around Michelin-starred restaurants. They often work inside beer companies, developing brews and assessing when they are ready, and assisting with design and operations. They are frequently tapped for beer-education events and to judge competitions. "

Don't get me started on the Beer Judge Certification program. That's a whole other thing!

The point is, enjoy your beer. If you want to know more, you can find a lot of resources online or at the library. But, if you want to really get serious about beer, check out the resources available on the Cicerone Certification Program website. A lot of the information there is free or at low cost.

Who knows? You might just learn something interesting about the beverage you love to drink.

#Cheers, #BeerFreak, #BeerHere, #BeerCareful

Riders on the Dust Storm

A terrible dust storm blew through town over the weekend. To get out of the house and breathe clean air, we drove an hour to Beaumont, CA. It was only after we got on the interstate that we wondered if this had been a good idea. Vehicles were driving with their hazard lights on as visibility dropped to near zero. One accident could create a huge pileup.

The destination of Beaumont was selected as being the shortest distance to travel to find better air quality based on maps provided by AirNow.gov where there was also a brewery.

Within 60 minutes, Beaumont gave us clean air, a full 20 degrees cooler than at home but they had no brewery. Instead, we found refreshment at The Craft Lounge Tap Room and Bottle Shop. Hubby had a Rain Pilsner from Pure Project, a reliably good beer. I had the Nachtkrapp Schwarzbier from Ogopogo Brewing. The beertender described it as similar to Deschutes Black Butte Porter. I was impressed he even knew that beer seeing as that brewery is located in Bend, Oregon - 900 miles away from Beaumont! Aware that Black Butte Porter was an excellent beer, I was in for trying Ogopogo's Schwarzbier.

That beertender knew his stuff. The Nachtkrapp was out of this world. Only today, I discovered that the Nachtkrapp was awarded the Gold medal at the 2024 World Beer Cup. Deschutes took home four medals in 2024, three of them Gold. Ogopogo was in very good company.

We only had one and then we drove back to the Coachella Valley finding conditions were much improved. Closer to home, we stopped for a beer at La Quinta Brewing and it turned out they had another beer on tap from Ogopogo Brewing! It was their Sharlie Hazy IPA but I didn't try it because 1) I'm generally not a fan of that style of beer, and 2) I wanted to stay within the dark roast style of the Schwarzbier I had previously.

Kenna at LQB suggested their Tanline Brown which was a great followup to the Schwarzbier. But it got me to thinking, what are the chances that I would run into two beers from Ogopogo Brewing - a brewery I had previously never heard of - in the same day?

Ogopogo is located in San Gabriel, CA, a little bit east of Los Angeles. They only brew four core beers but as I learned from their website, one is a Silver medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival two years in a row (2019 and 2020): Boeman Belgian White. The Sharlie Hazy is another of their core beers available year round. After the win at the World Beer Cup, Ogopogo brewed their Nachtkrapp again and made it available on tap for, I suspect, a limited time. 

I happened to have been in the right place at the right time.

Lessons learned: The next time I go back to LQB, I need to try the Sharlie Hazy IPA. And, the next time there's a dust storm in the Coachella Valley, I need to head to San Gabriel.

H/T to the Craft Lounge Tap Room's beertender who turned me onto Ogopogo Brewery and to Kenna for recommending the Tanline Brown. Don't forget to tip your knowledgable servers!

If you've been following along...

 ... Pliny the Younger was on tap at La Quinta Brewing in Palm Desert yesterday (1/18/25). They were not limiting customers to one glass (which is surprising since the ABV is 10.25%) which means they weren't overly concerned about running out. It's very likely, imo, that there is more to be had today if you weren't able to get to the brewery yesterday.

Pliny the Younger at La Quinta Brewing, Palm Desert

I also have it, from a reliable source, that The Younger will not be made available at the brewery's Old Town location. If you're interested on getting your hands - or tastebuds, in this case - on this seasonal release from Russian River Brewing, right now is your chance.

Is it an overrated IPA or a cult thing? Probably both but I, for one, am all in.

Pliny the Younger is on draft now at…

La Quinta Brewing, Palm Desert.

Limit me glass per customer until the keg runs out.

Screenshot 2025-02-17 at 9.53.02 AM