As the last call bell rang at the CA Beer Summit Festival in Sacramento, hundreds of Lyfts lined the State Capital Mall, waiting to book rides from thousands of sweaty beer lovers. 170 breweries scooped up their leftover swag, jockey boxes, and empty kegs, excited to head to the airport after an exhausting three-day event.
After a dip in the pool and a twenty-minute disco nap, my crew needed one last hurrah to close out an epic summit and decided on The Hop Gardens Taproom, a newer spot in Sacramento that’s down the street from Pangaea Bier Café, a must-stop eatery while up north.
Walking in their door, I was shocked to see a table filled with Bottle Logic-clothed dudes. “We’re having a tap takeover tonight,” says the healthy-bearded Sean McNew, Bottle Logic’s driver. When feeling homesick, seeing some familiar faces definitely brought me back to my happy place.
As a general rule, I like to start with something I haven’t tried, and their Aeon of Strife Hazy Pale Ale at 5.7% got the nod over a $9 10oz pour of Fundamental Observation. “It’s super crunchable,” mentions Stephen Langton, Bottle Logic’s director of sales and distribution.
Aeon of Strife is named after a Starcraft video game map, as Bottle Logic has close ties with local game producer Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine (several employees names have been used in recent games such as World of Warcraft). Citrus and a bit of melon jolly rancher ring the nose, easing the way into a light and fuzzy haze that finishes bright and clean.
The night was finished with a Fundamental Observation for good measure, which is more of a beer of the decade, but for this week, it’s all about crunching those striflin’ hops! Grab a pint at Bottle Logic for $7.
Bottle Logic Brewing, 1072 N Armando St, Anaheim, (714) 660-2537; bottlelogic.com.
Greg Nagel has been writing about beer since 2011, is an avid homebrewer of wine, cider, and beer, is a certified Cicerone Beer Server, level 1 WSET in Wine, a podcaster with the Four Brewers Show, and runs a yearly beer festival called Firkfest happening on June 29th in Anaheim!