Owen Smigelski

Eel River Raven's Eye Imperial Stout- A tasty organic beer

Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout Eel River Brewing Company, in Northern California's Humboldt County, claims to be the first certified organic brewery in the United States. One usually is skeptical of such claims, first because...

Ken Schmidt/Maui/Stone Kona Coffee, Macadamia, Coconut Porter: Seductive and exotic

Ken Schmidt/Maui/Stone Porter Unfortunately, the Ken Schmidt/Maui/Stone Kona Coffee, Macadamia, Coconut Porter is one beer that you probably might not get to taste. A very limited release from Stone Brewing Company's Collaboration series, this...

Wolaver's India Pale Ale- a decent organic beer

Inexplicably, beer is not part of the big push for natural and organic foods. Organic beers are hard to find, but hopefully as this trend continues more organic beers will come to market. Wolaver's is a pioneer in...

Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale is the eighth in a series of eleven epic ales from Stone Brewing Company. The first was released on February 2, 2002, and each subsequent release is one year and one day...

Bison IPA - A good tasting organic beer that's good for the world.

Bison IPA is an organic India Pale Ale from Bison Brewing. Formed in 1989, Bison Brewing is based in Berkeley, and believes in making good beers with good ingredients- that minimize the environmental pollution generated during beer production. Bison...

Victory Hop Devil - A very delicious well hopped beer

Note: This beer was tasted while on vacation in the Poconos (PA) and Binghamton (NY), and is part of my Vacation Beers 2009 series. This beer can be purchased in the Los Angeles Area. Travel and vacations are usually fun...

Magic Hat Brewing Co- Lucky Kat (the subtle IPA)

Note: This beer was tasted while on vacation in the Poconos (PA) and Binghamton (NY), and is part of my Vacation Beers 2009 series. An odd label on a beer certainly attracts attention. Factor in a demented looking pink cat...

Dundee India Pale Ale- an IPA worth skipping

Note: This beer was tasted while on vacation in the Poconos (PA) and Binghamton (NY), and is part of my Vacation Beers 2009 series.As a fan of India Pale Ales, that beer type usually attracts my attention first. The...

Ithaca Beer Co. Apricot Wheat- A good morning beer

Note: This beer was tasted while on vacation in the Poconos (PA) and Binghamton (NY), and is part of my Vacation Beers 2009 series.Sometimes a beer can be enjoyable simply because it is, well, simple. Not every beer...

Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout- an unexpectedly different stout

Note: This beer was tasted while on vacation in the Poconos (PA) and Binghamton (NY), and is part of my Vacation Beers 2009 series.When looking for new beers to taste, especially those in a new town or region, it...

Currently in Los Angeles