Brewery collaborations often result in one-offs that are creative and delicious. And Dry River Brewing of Los Angeles and Brewjeria Co. are the most recent suds slingers to join forces to brew desmadre.
Led by husband-and-wife team David Hodgins and Vanda Ciceryova, Dry River brews slow beer it calls sours and experimental botanicals that are fermented in oak barrels for long periods of time. Head brewer Naga Reshi’s product is usually intense and sometimes funky, which is what you’re looking for. The tasting room—built with repurposed pieces of wood and metal from the area—is nestled close to the Arts District bordering Boyle Heights, right across the street from Indie Brewing (brewery hop!).
Brewjeria Co. is a home-brew outfit that’s part of the SoCal Cerveceros Home Brewing Club. It’s currently searching for a permanent location, possibly in Montebello or Pico Rivera, so in the interim, this collaboration is a great way to get the group’s name and brewing skills out there.
Augustin Ruelas, Adrian Gonzales and Milton Ramirez of Brewjeria joined Reshi for the collaboration La Diosa Salvaje. The double passion-fruit sour uses 40 pounds of passion fruit and El Dorado hops. At 7 percent ABV, it has an intense flavor with lots of depth; it’s tart and enjoyably smooth.
Also offered at Dry River is Sasha, a 6.5 percent ABV, dark saison that pours deep red-violet thanks to the use of black currants. The fermenting process adds depth to this tart beer, the wood from the oak barrels gives everything character, and the yeast adds some funkiness. And Bridges IPA (6.5 percent ABV), a craft brew with a little more hop presence, is smooth from the barrels and has a nice clean finish.
A nice collage of music creates a relaxing atmosphere in which to sit back and enjoy a couple of rounds. Take a walk on the wild yeast side and make the road trip to Dry River Brewing.
Dry River Brewing, 671 S. Anderson St., Los Angeles, (213) 375-5235; www.dryriverbrewing.com.
