LUNA Belgian Style Pale Ale 6.3%(ABV)
Homage Brewing

By | October 12, 2018 | Beer Review

Milk Lizard Coffee Milk Stout at HomageMilk Lizard Coffee Milk Stout at Homage
Petit Masumoto at HomagePetit Masumoto at Homage
Whitest Bier Alive at Homage BrewingWhitest Bier Alive at Homage Brewing
Homage Brewing MenuHomage Brewing Menu
LUNA Belgian style Pale Ale at Homage BrewingLUNA Belgian style Pale Ale at Homage Brewing

Homage Brewing is a welcome addition to the growing downtown Pomona scene, amongst the bars and restaurants Homage is brewing and fermenting some of the best suds in Southern California, they were recently mentioned in The Full Pint as one of the Best Sour Ale Makers of California. Not too shabby for a brewery that just celebrated two years in May. Homage Brewing is owned and operated by husband and wife, Matthew and Lauren Garcia along with Jeremiah Bignell, they are brewing up a storm in Pomona, collaborating with Cellador Ales from North Park and the Blendery from Long Beach. I had been wanting to pay a visit for quite some time and this past Sunday I was lucky to be joined by my partner in crime, Julianna Castillo, her palate leans towards the finer wines and brews so I value her insight and opinion.

Downtown Pomona was very quiet that Sunday so Homage Brewing was easy to find, it was around 3 p.m. and it looked closed but we walked in and we were greeted by 2 very friendly bartenders. We had our choice of seats but decided to sit at the bar, it seems like as soon as we ordered the place started to fill up, the Tasting Room is very comfortable, wide open, you can see all the equipment that they brew with. The décor was easy on the eyes, bright, clean, no TV’s, just you, your beer and your thoughts. Ha! Julianna ordered the Whitest Bier Alive 4.5%(ABV) a crisp and refreshing wit bier, something you would pair with a plate of meats and cheeses. I went ahead and ordered the Petit Masumoto 6% (ABV) Barrel Aged Saison w/Masumoto peaches and nectarines. Tart, refreshing, slightly sweet from the stone fruit, almost champagne-E. I then switched over to Milk Lizard 7%(ABV) Coffee Milk Stout on Nitro. Rich with notes of chocolate, toffee and wee hints of coffee. Very smooth and enjoyable, finished clean with no aftertaste.

So many interesting choices on the beer menu but I have always like Pale Ales and so I thought I would go with LUNA 6.3% Belgian Style Pale Ale Dry Hopped with Galaxy and Citra hops. YUMMMMEEEE!  I’ve become a fan of Galaxy hops, Amarillo hops are my numero uno but I hardly see them anymore, LUNA is hop forward with a nice tropical fruit backbone. FULL bodied, super enjoyable, finishes clean as a whistle. I’m thinking a tall stein of LUNA and a ribeye steak, medium rare.

Homage Brewing allows you to bring in your own grub or you can get your drink on and then cruise over to Dia de Los Puercos which just opened on 2nd and Garey. BOOM   #Bobbyknowsbeer!

Read More →

Dia de Los Puercos “Firme Comida Xicana”

By | October 12, 2018 | Food Review

Bar at Dia de Los PuercosBar at Dia de Los Puercos
Chicharones at Dia de Los PuercosChicharones at Dia de Los Puercos
DJ at Dia de Los PuercosDJ at Dia de Los Puercos
Mexicorn at Dia de Los PuercosMexicorn at Dia de Los Puercos
Tacos at Dia de Los PuercosTacos at Dia de Los Puercos
Taquitos de Weenie at Dia de Los PuercosTaquitos de Weenie at Dia de Los Puercos

From creating T-shirts for chefs to a food truck to a brick and mortor in West Covina and just recently opening new digs in Pomona and at the Riverside Food Lab, Rick “El Chefe” Garcia is channeling both his inner Homie and his Grandma “B” Beatrice. “El Chefe” has built his menu around his Grandma “B”‘s recipes, home cooking with a Chicano twist, a visit to Dia de Los Puercos is like visiting your Primo’s pad in East Los, complete with lowriders parked out front to a pair of Cortez hanging inside. The Pomona location is bigger than the West Covina site, the first room you enter is a bar area, you then walk into the main dining room which is like a big hall, tons of room and seating. I was actually in Pomona to visit Homage Brewing and was told that Dia de Los Puercos was nearby, ORALE! I have been hearing nothing but good things about DDLP so I grabbed my hyna and hustled on over to get our feast on.

The menu at Dia de Los Puercos is so inviting, so very familiar. We right away gravitated towards the appetizers, we ordered the Mexicorn-corn off the cob, mayo, cotija cheese, lime,  powdered chili , topped with bacon bits. Taquitos de Weenie- 4 taquitos with beef weenie, ketchup, may, mustard, onions and cotija cheese, Chicha and Chile-huge plate of chicharrones with salsa roja, lime, and chili salt, El Tri- 3 tacos with your choice of meat, so we picked uno de lengua and dos de mochomos(crispy pieces of pork). This was plenty for 2 of us but doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the complete menu that is full of your favorites, tortas, burritos, sopes, more tacos, quesadillas, there’s also dessert and plenty of drinks. And don’t you worry Mr. and Mrs. Vegan there are options!!

Put Pomona on your list of places to visit. Besides Homage Brewing there’s also Sanctum Brewing nearby, both are excellent breweries and with Dia de Los Puercos it’s GANGSTA AF! C/S BobbyKnowsTacos  BobbyKnowsBeer

Read More →

CAPTION THIS!

By | October 11, 2018 | Memes

Read More →

Hot Tip of the Week: Breakfast Bolillos at El Molino de Oro in Orange

By | October 9, 2018 | Food Review

Breakfast Bolillo at El Molino de OroBreakfast Bolillo at El Molino de Oro
El Molino de Oro carnitas tacoEl Molino de Oro carnitas taco
El Molino de Oro tres tacos de carnitasEl Molino de Oro tres tacos de carnitas

El Molino de Oro recently opened their third restaurant in Orange County, in the city of Orange, and it’s a combination of panaderia, tortilleria and restaurant, so it took a few visits to determine. Yay or Nay. Well it is a definite Yay! First of all the pastries, breads and tortillas are super fresh and they are good, second everything is very affordable, and everything has been very tasty.

I first tried a torta de asada a few weeks ago for lunch, pretty good, like I said the roll was super soft and fresh, meat was tender and flavorful. Then I came by for some tacos. I ordered 2 carnitas and 1 al pastor. Tortillas were also super fresh and very flavorful, you could taste the corn, the al pastor was also tasty, a little fatty but it tasted fine, the carnitas  though, plenty of meat, my tacos were full, no fat just meat, I was stuffed and very happy.

On both these visits I had my eye on the pan dulce and the breakfast bolillos, so I told my compadre if he wanted to meet up and try the breakfast menu and he agreed whole heartily. Breakfast bolillos, you don’t see those on too many menus so I was intrigued, they’re priced from $1.50 to $3.75 and there’s 15 different ones. I ordered the #10 chorizo, potato, egg , compadre ordered #12 egg, sausage, bacon, beans, cheese. Just so you know my compadre is very picky, finnicky, he’s kind of weird. Always complaining and he can sometimes be embarrassing, that’s why I invited him. He ate his bolillo and told me not to review this place, he liked it so much he wants it to be a secret, don’t tell anyone! they’re going to raise the prices! He loved his #12 breakfast bolillo which he washed down with coffee and a pan dulce-that he said-not everyone makes these! My #10 bolillo was also perfect, ask for the red hot sauce, it’s just right, bolillo was soft and fresh, I liked them because it was not huge, I enjoyed every bite, I didn’t feel too full, I had room for a pan dulce-I bought a beso- not everyone makes them!

Thank me later! BobbyKnowsBreakfastBolillos!

Read More →

Kelly’s Korner Tavern in Placentia

By | October 9, 2018 | Food Review

Alpine NelsonAlpine Nelson
Kellys Korner Chicken SandwichKellys Korner Chicken Sandwich
Modern Times Critical BandModern Times Critical Band

Every town has it’s local watering hole but not every town has a Kelly’s Korner Tavern which is located in the beautiful city of Placentia, y’all are lucky AF. Walking into Kelly’s is literally like walking into Cheer’s, they will remember your name. I’ve been there two handful of times and as soon as I walk in it’s, hi Bobby! They are so nice, from the owner, Jim Rafferty to the bartenders and servers, it’s always a good time at Kelly’s Korner Tavern.

Sit down and you are surrounded by Big Screen TV’s, there’s pool tables, a Lotto machine, dart boards, plenty of alcoholic beverages and some great grub. There’s daily lunch specials, Taco Tuesday specials, Happy Hour all day on Monday, Tues-Friday 3-6pm, Burger Wednesdays 20% off all burgers, Trivia Thursdays, Prime Rib Fridays $20 Prime Rib, baked potato, garlic bread and side salad, Steak dinner Saturdays(sometimes it’s Salmon Saturday) usually around $15.99. Everything is meticulously prepared by Chef Christian Virrueta and it shows, sandwiches are stacked sky high, Big salads, Huge nachos, you won’t be disappointed. You will be back!

Kelly’s has 37 taps of craft beer that they rotate on a daily basis, once the keg kicks they hook up another new beer. All styles are represented, Stouts, IPA’s, Lagers, Sours, One Offs, there’s also Bud Light, Modelo, Dos Equis on draft. I follow them on Instagram to find out the latest craft beer, this week they brought in from Alpine Brewing, Nelson IPA 7%(ABV) a limited release, using generous amounts of Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand while brewing and then it’s dry hopped with more Nelson Sauvin hops, European rye malt is added for balance. This is a whole lot of beer, tons of flavor, tons, the Nelson Sauvin hops are actually a subtle hop that will give off hints of grape, somewhat tart and sweet, but Alpine is on steroids, which is a good thing, West Coast is the best coast! Alpine is one of the best IPA’s ever brewed, if you like hops you will ❤this IPA. Por Vida. Get some while it lasts! I also drank a Modern Times Critical Band IPA 6.7%(ABV) using Simcoe, Centennial and Citra hops, Denali Oil, this is a juicy IPA, very juicy, with tropical fruit notes up front, hoppy, very enjoyable, Modern Times is really doing some great stuff right now, they’re pushing the craft beer envelope! Winner!

Kelly’s Korner Tavern is located in Placentia but I wish there was one in every city, especially mine! One can only hope. Cheers! Bobbyknowsbeer!

Read More →

Marvel-Ous Marzen! Oktoberfest
Unsung Brewing Company

By | October 9, 2018 | Beer Review

Tangerine SaisonTangerine Saison
Unsung GABF LuminoUnsung GABF Lumino
Unsung Marvel Ous MarzenUnsung Marvel Ous Marzen

Roll Out the Barrel! It’s Oktoberfest!!! My favorite time of year-I’m a malt fan-when breweries release their version of Oktoberfest style suds. Fresh off their win at Great American Beer Festival for Lumino, their Mexican Style Lager, Unsung Brewing took Bronze for this crisp and refreshing brew and now have released Marvel-Ous Marzen! Very exciting times at Unsung, their Tasting Room is located in Anaheim across the street from the Packing House. Congratulations to Mike Crea the Spider Man fan/Owner/BrewMaster and his crew for winning one of the twelve medals that Orange County breweries took home a few weeks ago at the 2018 GABF. Along with the 14 medals at this year’s World Beer Cup this makes Orange County the absolute Capitol of Quality Craft Beer when you consider that there’s only 37 breweries here compared to other counties. Yeah I did the math. BOOM

“We are dedicated to honoring these unsung heroes through philanthropy, and hope to inspire the hero in all of us”

Amen Mr. Crea. Inspiration hangs on every nook and cranny at the Unsung Tasting room that is decorated with murals of super heroes, collection of super hero dolls, posters and comic books. Plenty of room to stretch out with outdoor seating, yes, pets are welcome, there’s board games, various activities during the week including Yoga and Trivia. Food is right across the street or bring your own but my choice would be Jav’s BBQ which is in the same complex a few feet away. Smoked meats and side dishes are waiting for you but don’t wait too long because they do run out. Check out the menu at www.javsbbq.com. 

On my recent visit they were out of the award winning Lumino but it’s almost ready, another batch is fermenting, so I chose the Tangerine Saison 6.9(ABV) another customer told me it tasted like a mimosa and sure enough it did! Very juicy, easy to drink, fresh and enjoyable the 6.9(ABV) is not noticeable until you get about half way through, that’s when I started to feel it, whoa, easy Tiger, it literally taste like tangerine juice with a tiny bit of booze. Friggin amazing!

Marvel-Ous Marzen 5.5%(ABV) MMMMmmmmalty! Always a nice change from the hoppy brews, gives the palate a chance to breathe, to stretch it’s legs a bit, give it some brown shugga, so to speak. Yes this marzen has a slight slight sweetness to it,  full bodied, hints of spice and toastiness with a clean AF finish. Very noice! Perfect for the cooler evenings, bring out those Brats Jav! Bobbyknowsbeer!

Read More →

Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders; Colombia-Women of Pijao

By | October 6, 2018 | Food Review

Bomb Dot Com Bodhi Leaf CoffeeBomb Dot Com Bodhi Leaf Coffee
Bodhi LeafBodhi Leaf

I’ve been drinking coffee for a few years, I started after reading an article in the New Yorker on Aida Batlle, she owns a plantation in El Salvador and has won numerous awards for her coffee beans. I don’t mind paying $30 for a 12 oz bag of joy, it works out to about $1 a cup and beats any cup of Starbucks. At home I use a French Press or I will do a pour over, I also own a Keurig but rarely use it. I drink my coffee black with a piece of pan dulce or pastry, so yes I am a #coffeesnob.

Now that I’m retired I do drink coffee daily but when I was working I only drank it on my days off, I would never drink it at work, it gets me too amped and I usually will come down off the caffeine high and take a nap. It works out well. I discovered Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders thanks to a friend, Thien Le, he’s a home brewer who has roasted coffee beans with his friend who owns a roasting house in Arkansas. Bodhi Leaf has 5 locations in Orange County and was founded by Steve Sims in 2009, the location in Orange on Katella is their main warehouse where you can purchase bags of the raw or roasted beans along with a wide variety of coffee drinks: lattes, espresso, cappuccinos, iced drinks, smoothies, etc. I go for the straight pour, they offer 3 single origin beans that alternate weekly and your choice of full immersion, pour over V60 or French Press, the fresh drip is a house Colombian, I have tried them all and they are all so GOOD! Fresh pastries and empanadas are available with some vegan selections. The café in Orange is pretty large but it can get full during peak hours, they are constantly roasting beans and it can be loud if you’re looking for a quiet place to study.

I’ve been wanting to buy a bag of beans for home and they just came out with a light – medium roast from Colombia, Women of Pijao, Las Mujeres Association, a group of women farmers from the town of Pijao, Quindío. The notes are cherry, cocoa and vanilla, I grind just enough beans for my one cup and use a French Press, it smells so wonderfully delicious. Try it black so you can taste the richness, it’s soooooooo rich, it’s has deep chocolate notes with a dark cherry backbone, you get the vanilla on the back end. Since I purchased these beans I have not ventured out to my other coffee houses, the coffee is so enjoyable. I’m hooked!! A one pound bag of Women of Pijao coffee beans retails at $19.99 and is worth every penny. So which came first? the coffee or the donut?  BobbyKnowsCoffee!

For all location go to www.bodhileafcoffee.com

Read More →

By | October 3, 2018 | Memes

BobbyKnowsBeer!

Read More →

The 2018 Great American Beer Festival: “CraftBeerPalooza”

By | September 24, 2018 | Beer Review

BobbyKnowsBeerBobbyKnowsBeer
Stereo Brewing CompanyStereo Brewing Company
Green Cheeck Beer CompanyGreen Cheeck Beer Company
Tommy Hadjis from Left Coast BrewingTommy Hadjis from Left Coast Brewing
half a Sunrise Burger at Growlers U.S.A.half a Sunrise Burger at Growlers U.S.A.
Dee Flores Pretzel Necklace MakerDee Flores Pretzel Necklace Maker

The 2018 Great American Beer Festival was all that and a bag of pretzels! Held every year in the great city of Denver, Colorado this year’s fest was host to 2,404 breweries that poured 8,864 brews. Awards were giving in 102 categories that represented 167 styles of beer, also, 105 Pro-Am teams competed for 3 awards. State wise, California led the way with 72 medals, L.A. County won 9 medals, San Diego County won 16 medals and Orange County won 12 medals. With 37 breweries Orange County is proving to be the “Quality Capitol of Craft Beer” in America! And the envelope please:

1.Stereo Brewing Company in Placentia; Robot-Imperial Red Ale (Silver Medal)               2.Stereo Brewing Company in Placentia; Wall of Sound-Oatmeal Stout (Bronze Medal)   3.Barley Forge Brewing Company in Costa Mesa; Grandpa Tractor-Dortmunder or German Style Oktoberfest  (Gold Medal)  4. Noble Ale Works in Anaheim; Nobility-Imperial India Pale Ale (Gold Medal )  5. Riip Beer Company in Huntington Beach; Black the Riiper-American Style Black Ale (Silver Medal)   6.TAPS Fish House and Brewery Corona; TAPS Irish Red-Irish Style Red Ale (Silver Medal)  7.The Bruery in Placentia; Mischief-American-Belgo-Style Ale (Bronze Medal)   8. Unsung Brewery in Tustin; Lumino-American Style Lager or American Style Malt Liquor (Bronze) 9. Gunwhale Ales in Costa Mesa; Hayshaker-Classic Saison  (Bronze Medal) 10.Green Cheek Beer Company in Orange; West Coast IPA is Dead-American Style India Pale Ale (Bronze Medal) 11. Green Cheek Beer Company in Orange; Fools and Babies-English Style Mild Ale (Bronze Medal) 12. Beachwood Brewing in Huntington Beach; Udder Love-Sweet Stout or Cream Stout (Silver Medal)  13.Beachwood Blendery in Long Beach; Funk Yeah-Belgian Style Lambic or Sour Ale (Gold Medal)

Congratulations to all! This weekend was the fun part but a lot of hard work goes into each and every ounce of beer that is produced by all those that are involved in the brewing process. A few notes on my end. It was good to see more folks from Orange County attending the event, of course I didn’t run into anyone, my one beef with this year’s GABF was that the breweries were placed in alphabetical order where in years passed they used to be set according to region. I would be able to visit the local breweries because they were all in one area but now they are all split up. Boo! I did run in to Tommy Hadjis from Left Coast and his Galaxy Supernova IPA was on point!! In fact I enjoyed quite a few delicious Stouts, IPA’s, Reds, Pales, Sours, so many choices!

This year I stayed in the wonderful neighborhood of Wheat Ridge, last year we stayed downtown a few blocks from the convention center but decided to try out the local scene, it was a wise decision and we had a great time. Growler U.S.A. had 100 craft beers on draft and the food was bomb. Rise and Shine was a biscuit establishment but they also poured 8 craft beers in case you wanted to wash down that flaky AF biscuit with a pint! My all time fave is Ted’s Montana Grill which is in downtown. Steaks, burgers, sandwiches, all with great service, I wish we had one here in Santa Ana. Until next year! Cheers! Bobbyknowsbeer!

 

Read More →

Curvas, Cherry Sour collab with Brewjeria Company and Dry River Brewery
Dry River Brewery

By | September 18, 2018 | Beer Review

Curva Cherry SourCurva Cherry Sour
Dry River BrewingDry River Brewing
CGK OystersCGK Oysters
Yazmin Belgian IPAYazmin Belgian IPA
CGK ShuckedCGK Shucked

When we talk of collaborations we usually refer to the musical kind, Lennon and McCartney, Sonny and Cher, Simon and Garfunkel all made beautiful music in their day. The modern day collab is now the joining of two breweries, both creative in their own ways, with different ideas, different styles and the end result is beautiful music in the form of a nice pint of craft beer.

The collaboration between Dry River Brewing and Brewjeria Company is a bit different from other brewery collabs,  Brewjeria Company are home brewers that belong to the fastest growing Latino Home brew club in the nation, SoCal Cerveceros, Brewjeria is made up of six individuals, Agustin Ruelas, Adrian Ruelas, Isaac Ruelas, Milton Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Raul Gomez  is very close to getting their own brick and mortar brewery, in Pico Rivera, so close I can taste the Belgian Dubbel but I’ll let them make that announcement, sealed my lips they are. In fact this is the third collab between Dry River and Brewjeria, earlier this year they brewed La Diosa Salvaje, using 40 pounds of passion fruit with El Dorado hops, it was a tangy sour, slightly sweet, very enjoyable.

Dry River Brewing has made a name for itself, in it’s short existence, led by head brewer, Naga Reshi, they brew what they call “Slow Beer”. Using only wooden wine barrels they will ferment their suds for as long as it takes to create the right funkiness. Sour beers are an acquired taste, it took me awhile to appreciate the lengths that a brewer will go to brew a sour, utilizing different strains of wild yeast, different barrels and the time it takes. If you’re not a fan don’t give up on them, you will eventually find one that you like.

The release of Curvas was on a sunny Sunday afternoon, Dry River Brewing is located in the far reaches of Boyle Heights, the tasting room is a fascinating collection of reclaimed material, look closely and admire the handiwork of owners, David Hodgins and his wife Vanda Ciceryova. That day the food vendor was CGK Oyster Bar, Crooked Gaff Kitchen from Uptown Whitter, brothers, Kevin and Steven Obregon were shucking like crazy, the fresh oyster platters were a very nice change from the usual food truck fare. Freshly brewed craft beer with some oyster shooters! Viva La Vida! Curvas 7.2%(ABV) is a vibrant cherry sour, tart, smooth, the cherries are not overpowering, another tasty collaboration between two old friends. I. Got. You . Babe. Bobbyknowsbeer!!

Read More →

× Close