Naja’s: Intrepid Beers in D major; an ongoing saga

Even though I could easily throw all the beers I drink at Naja’s Place into the “what BEER are you drinking” thread I will instead put them in here, merely to highlight the awesomeness that is Naja’s. Going to tonight. Will report back tomorrow. [drinkers.gif]

http://www.najasplace.com/

Nice list of drafts.
Have you tried any of the Coronado beers? What are your impressions? A distributor just picked them up out here and would be intrested in a second opinion.

Not a shabby bottle list, either. And with the screens, looks like a good place to watch some hoops.

Started off with a Stone Smoked Porter – good roasted malt flavor with a bitter hop bite snapping down on the finish; heavier than a brown ale, but significanlty lighter than most stouts. Solid.

Next beer was a surprise to everyone in the group: it was lighter in color than it should have been for a beer of its type, this American IPA, the Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA, was rather light golden orange/yellow (much like a Pale Ale) and was strikingly clear as well. It did have a good dose of hops to it, but the hops were rather high-pitched for a beer of its style, hitting a cleaner and more crisp note than one normally expects from an American IPA. Was it good? sure. Was it what I was looking for? No, not exactly. I’ve enjoyed this beer more in the past, from bottle.

Finished off the evening with a real palate-buster, the St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradtion. Served in a 47cL bowl, this Belgian sour had a cloudy orange color to it, with a slight greyish hue throughout. I felt almost obligated to take advantage of the rare oppurtunity to get a gueuze on tap … the $8 price point made it a done deal — this is cheaper than retail, folks. The beer was incredibly sour, likely artificially acidified, with a medium-short finish. A tasty beer if you’re a fan of sours, but definitely near the bottom of the gueuze totem pole.

… looking forward to the IPA festival coming up in a few weeks, when 47 different IPA’s will be on tap at the same time. [berserker.gif]

I’ve had the regular IPA: good, not great. Maybe a 7 or 8 out of 10 for an American IPA. Haven’t had any others, iirc.

Ashley and I will be at Naja’s this Saturday … don’t know what time yet, but I think we’ll be arriving sometime in the late afternoon. We are meeting a couple friends there, and, as is always the case at Naja’s, the more the merrier! [drinkers.gif] So, if you are interested please join us! [drinks.gif] We will be seated at the bar (located on the far left-hand side of the place (as you are looking at Naja’s)), and will likely be there until sometime between 7pm and midnight. [training.gif]

Can’t make it this weekend, but speaking of…when can we set up our Naja’s and Osteria Angelini weekend?

I think I’d be joining you if I lived in L.A. - WOW, this place looks great!! Enjoy!

Terry,

Anytime you are in town, with our without others, let me know. It would be my pleasure to accompany you to Naja’s. [basic-smile.gif]

I will, Brian, thanks!

Just sent the link to Naja’s to an old friend of mine who lives in L.A. [basic-smile.gif]

With a nice solid base of carne asada tacos lying in my belly, courtesy of El Burrito Jr. (best LA taco stand) I ventured down to Naja’s this past Saturday.

Usually, I find the first beer choice is the hardest; I waffled between the Avery IPA and the RRBC Pliny the Elder, and eventually went with the Avery IPA thinking it might be best that I not start off with a Double IPA. The Avery was very good: full mouthfeel, with ample oily/citrusy hops, as well as plenty of supporting malt character. Very good representation of the style.

After the Avery came a an Eric’s Ale from New Belgium Brewing Company; Deliciously sour, with a sense of cinnamon apple pie on the palate. Not heavy, but not airy-light, either. Although this is the third time I’ve had this on tap, all of those occurrences have been at Naja’s, and I’ve never seen this beer elsewhere. Even New Belgium’s website makes only one passing mention of its existence: (apparently, once every quarter, employees at New Belgium Brewing Company are given a chance to create their own beer mixture using beers in the New Belgium stable; Eric’s Ale was born therefrom).

Moving on from the sour, it was then time for my Pliny. Russian River Brewing Co.’s “Pliny the Elder” Double IPA is, in my estimation, the best Double IPA in existence this side of the “Pliny the Younger” Imperial IPA (also from Russian River Brewing). This sucker is absolutely loaded with hop-wonderful, and is sure to put a smile on any hop-head’s face.

Next up was my own mixture: ½ pint each of the aforementioned Avery IPA and the New Belgium Brewing Co. “Ranger” IPA. The “Ranger” is not normally to my liking, standing alone, but when mixed with the Avery it’s over-the-top pine-sol hoppy shrillness is cut-down quite nicely. The mix definitely brings a higher-register note to the more mid-range Avery, and was very quaffable.

Finished off the night with a Crafstman “Oktoberfest” a heavier/maltier version of a Saison. It had really nice baking spice and mulled apples on the nose, with those spices carrying through onto the malty palate. Quite enjoyable, but I prefer the lighter Farmhouse style Saisons a bit more.

all beers enjoyed on this night were from tap.

a brief visit last night … Naja’s was packed to the gills, so our plans for brevity were well-timed.

slugged down a pint of two different “anniversary” beers from a couple of my favorite CA breweries.

First up: Port Brewing’s 3rd Anniversary Ale, a hop-bomb of an American Strong Pale Ale. This beer, ladies and gentleman, is neither for the faint of heart or the empty of stomach. As I lifted the beer towards my lips for my first sip resinous oily hop aromas blasted my nostrils, carrying some of the 10% abv. on its wings. On the palate, this is medium-heavy bodied with hops as thick as San Francisco fog. It took me a good 45 minutes to down this pint – I would be seriously concerned about the mental health and physical faculties of anyone who chooses to completely traverse a pint of this monster in less than 10 minutes. O.G. reading on this bad boy: 1.090 — yowza! I thought this was really good, but it’s a bit too much for what I’m usually looking for.


Final beer of the evening: Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Anniversary IPA: Noticeably more manageable and less headache-inducing than the Port Brewing, this brew was more to my liking. Still tons of hops, but they were lighter, crisper, and simply less thick than the brutalizing Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary. “Only” 8.7%abv, and 100 IBU’s. Yummy!


Only because it now occurs to me that it has not yet occurred to me to comment on such, I will comment as such: For many of the beers Naja’s has on tap, one has the choice of ordering either a pint or a 24oz. “tall one.” Once upon a time, I routinely opted for the slightly more economical-per-fluid-ounce “tall one” option. I don’t do that anymore. I’ve found that foregoing the slight volume discount one is given when opting for the tall one is ultimately the more valuable option: Sure, 3 pints will be more expensive than 2 tall ones, but getting to try 3 beers is better than only getting to try 2. So, when confronted with a similar situation, if you’re not already so inclined, I would suggest ponying up a couple extra bucks in the name of intrepid beer exploration – your taste buds will thank you for it! :slight_smile:

Patrick and I were at Slater’s 50/50 Burgers in Anaheim Hills on Saturday night (I have to take you and Ash there, quickly becoming my favorite burger place anywhere), and we ended up sitting at the bar next to a couple of engineers who build electric cars (one works for Tesla).

Anyway, they recently were working on a project out near Redondo and through our conversation Naja’s came up. Apparently this was their favorite watering hole while they were there. I think they said they lived within walking distance as well.

Can’t wait to get out there!

Brian,

Have you had, & do you like the Fond Tradition better out of bottle?
Just curious.
I’ve never had this on tap, but many times from splits. I agree it’s near the bottom of the pecking order, but also enjoy it quite a bit. And it is the most inexpensive “real” Lambic in my area.

The bottled version is young, fresh & correct, & certainly doesn’t taste artificially acidified to my palate.

The color you describe makes it almost sound like the keg has undergone some slight additional oxidation, or maybe the keg version is just slightly different raw material.

Ha Ha I’ll have to crack one and refresh my taste-memory! Thanks for the excuse!? !

Proost!

[drinks.gif]

Rob,
I do prefer the Fond Tradition from bottle, but even from bottle it’s near the bottom of the pecking order as far as its style is concerned … on tap, it was slightly leaning in the direction of something like a Smirnoff Ice.

yesterday the sun was shining and the beer gods were smiling:

first up, Drake’s “Denogginizer” DIPA. Holy cow, this beer is thiiiick! 10% abv, 100+ IBU’s. It’s a meal in and of itself. This is very heavy, reminding me of why DIPA’s are sipping beers. I was initially told this was a regular IPA, but found that awfully hard to believe due to the massive hoppiness and apparent alcohol presence; a later check of Drake’s website confirmed my suspicions. A very good deal at the “regular” $5/pint price.

second up, what may be my NEW FAVORITE “SINGLE” IPA in the world: Mikkeller “single hop” (Warrior) IPA. A total treat to find this on tap, and at $8 a pint it was no more expensive than the standard going rate of $6 for a 12oz. bottle at retail. As soon as I was handed my pint I was thinking, Holy crap! What tha fuck is this!?! It was a hazy copper/orange color that made it look like some kind of alien hefeweizen on steroids. The aroma was absolutely delicious, redolent of tangerine and spices. On the palate, this is as juicy as a beer can be; incredible tangerine and orange flavors with what I consider to be the perfect amount of hops. I’m struggling to find the right words to describe this beer – it literally blew my mind. At 6.9% abv. it is on the lighter side for an IPA. Throughout my pint I kept asking myself if this is better than Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA – they’re different enough to make the comparison a very difficult one, but I ultimately decided that, price aside, the Mikkeller is the better beer. It has been a looooong time since an IPA excited me like this … I am in love. flirtysmile

You are killing me Brian. I must try the above beer ASAP :slight_smile: ASAP!!

BTW, I just drank the Port Brewing’s 4th Anniversary Ale, DIPA, and loved it. BOLD, “in your face” smell with a delicious flavor. Hop head heaven :slight_smile: It’s definitely sweeter than the Pliny the Elder, so it may not fit the bill for some. However, even though I found this beer extremely enjoyable and was extremely happy with my pick, it’s so intense that it would be difficult to drink a second one.

this is why I like Pliny so much: I don’t shudder at thought of drinking more than one; I can’t say that for most DIPA’s.

as far as the Mikkeller goes: I cannot vouch for what it tastes like out of the bottle, but on tap it was out-of-this world! i want to go back before the keg is gone! – will probably have to be this weekend … or maybe friday … or thursday night … or afternoon.

Jeremy and I will be at Naja’s Sunday evening. Anyone else interested in joining us should do so … will be fun times! (and I am praying to the beer gods that the keg of Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop isn’t out yet)

Jeremy and I will be at Naja’s Sunday evening. Anyone else interested in joining us should do so … will be fun times! (and I am praying to the beer gods that the keg of Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop isn’t out yet)