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

Beer and Spirits
21

I may be in Hermosa Beach on Sunday. Maybe. If I am, is Naja’s in Redondo Beach or ?? I want to try that beer, too!

22

Redondo … very close to the north side of the Redondo pier

23

My wife and I may may join you. What time?

Bruce

24

time not set in stone yet. jeremy and i are meeting for lunch today, and i assume we will hammer-out the details then. i will post later. my best guess, however, is that we’ll be there for the lion’s share of the evening.

25

Why do I get the feeling that I am going to be very hung over on Monday morning?

26

because you will be.

27

Well, well, well! The Mikkeller Warrior IPA is on tap at Beachwood BBQ and has been for a few days!! $7 for a pint, mate :slight_smile: I’m juggling my holiday weekend, but somehow, somewhere, this brew is going down this weekend! [highfive.gif]

28

ok … let’s see what I can recall from last week’s trek to Naja’s with Jeremy …

Started off with a Beer Valley Brewing Co. - “Leafer Madness” DIPA (Oregon). It was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Some shrill hoppiness; not heavy/malty. Grade: B.

Then went with a Rodenbach - “Grand Cru” Flanders Sour Red Ale (Belgium). I’ve written about this before. It’s sour/tangy. Barrel aged. It’s delicious. Grade: A.

Next, went to an Eagle Rock - “Equinox” young Lambic Ale (California). I’d never had this before (or even heard of it). I thought it was pretty good, showing nary a hint of the sourness I would expect from a young Lambic. As it warmed to room temperature the sourness did present itself a bit more, but more than anything else it can across as a light summertime witbier of sorts. Grade: B(?)

At this point, I was horribly dismayed by the unusually un-inspiring tap selection Naja’s had going (this actually happens one or two times a year, and it’s eternally frustrating because there’s always a bunch of good beers on tap, but sometimes nothing that really jumps off the list). I decided to try a “Smoky Bastard”, which is a 50/50 blend of Stone - Smoked Porter and Stone - Arrogant Bastard Amber Ale. This was the first time I’d done this mixture — it might have been the best pint I had that night. It’s exactly what you would imagine such a mixture would taste like. Grade: A.

Lastly, went with a Green Flash - “West Coast” IPA (California). A solid, well-made American IPA. I’ve probably noted on this before, so won’t repeat myself here. I thought this (single) IPA was better than the Leafer Madness DIPA.

29

stopped in last night for a couple brews.

First up was the Craftsman - “Spring Braggot” an incredibly interesting and fresh beer. It was a mead/honey beer blend. Wonderfuly light/sour/floral aromas, leading into a pleasantly sour and complex palate. I was told this beer “happened by mistake” when this batch became infected with Brett. I say, “yum!”

Next, I had a small taste of the Craftsman - “Cabernale” which is an ale brewed with a lot of Pinot Noir grapes. I described my taste as “winey beer.” It was very good, but I wasn’t in the mood for an entire glass of it, so instead I ordered a Stone/Victory/Dogfish Head - “Saison du BUFF,” a fantastic beer that I’ve commented on previously.


that was it for Naja’s last night – a busy day left us without the energy to carry-on as we normally do at Naja’s.

30

Ashley and I will be at Naja’s with a couple friends later tonight. Anybody who’s around should join us! [drinkers.gif] We’ll be in the smaller part of the bar, as far away from the live band as possible.

31

H

We’re at Rob Mackay’s with a 9 lb Flannery prime rib on the way. Hop in your car and you can be in Santa Cruz in 6 hours. They have an extra room ready for you. [wow.gif] [cheers.gif]

32

Yup. Crazy lineups of Cabs on tap tonight with some pre-wine wines… Giant prime rib tomorrow with Bordeaux and assorted other tasty treats. And we have two guest rooms. Start driving.

PS - sorry to hijack the thread.

33

Can you have me back in L.A. in time for my dinner with yoni and shilo tomorrow? [wink.gif] Hope you guys are having a good time up there! [berserker.gif]

34

you know, with it being a long weekend and all, if tonight’s venture to Naja’s wasn’t a good friend’s moving away party then I’d take off from work right now and start heading your way! I look forward to detailed reports from the both of yous!

35

LOL - Yoni and Shilo are cool, bring them too!

36

well, I don’t know about that! Sure, Shilo’s cool, but Yoni … meh.

37

Was down in Redondo visiting friends on Saturday within walking distance of Naja’s, so of course we had to go see what they had to offer.

As a stipulation to me going with out G r a f s t r o m, I promised I would try something new. I tried 3 new things. [drinkers.gif]

Alesmith/Mikkeller/Stone Belgian Style Tripel Ale - Hazy orange color. Sweet malty aromatics. Medium bodied, with tropical fruit notes throughout, with a touch of hop. Nice balance of malt give it a creamy texture and a soft finish. A strong collaboration that was a really true to the Belgian Tripel style in its richness with a nice twist in its fruitiness.

Stone/Victory/Dogfish Head “Saison du Buff” (Victory Version) - Been hearing about this beer on this board for awhile now, but haven’t been able to get a hold of it. Hazy, pale golden color. Sweet wheat, flowers, and lemon grass nose. Crisp and clean on the palate, with ginger, lavender, orange and lemon peal flavors. Really refreshing and flavorful. Could drink this all day!

Lagunitas Farmhouse Saison - Sticking with the lighter styled Belgian theme, pale straw, nearly translucent color. Not much on the nose, perhaps some sweet wheatiness and lemon, but it’s pretty muted. The taste isn’t all that much more impressive with very light yeasty citrus, but not much else and very little finish. Nothing offensive here, but just very boring, especially in comparison to the Saison du Buff.

38

Good man! [highfive.gif]

The Alesmsith/Mikkeler/Stone brew sounds fantastic. I’ll have to seek that one out. [welldone.gif]

39

Yeah, best beer of the night (these were certainly not all I had this evening), and one of the more interesting brews I’ve had in some time. I wonder if it can be found in bottle anywhere.

BTW, Josh and Sue live about 4 blocks from El Burrito Jr. Almost went on Sunday afternoon, but opted for a local cafe. Dangerous location for such good friends to live!

40

btw, Ashley and I will be going to Naja’s later tonight (in time to catch the evening NFL playoff game between the Colts and Jets). Come on out and join us!

Also to note: Naja’s has updated their website! Now, each day at approx. 4pm, they take a picture of their beer board and post it online (much like Beechwood does).