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Jun 3, 2016

BeerTv Takes on La Quinta Brewing Co.

On June 1st and June 2nd, Conner and Devin were out in La Quinta, CA and decided to stop by La Quinta Brewing Co.’s tap room and brewery! They have a tap room in Old Town La Quinta which is a cool little downtown strip where all the locals gather. In fact, they had a big Memorial Day Weekend event with music, games, and a beer garden!

The main brewery, open since Fall of 2013, is on Wildcat Drive and has been a local hot-spot for Palm Desert craft beer enthusiasts. In fact, they even took home the Gold in the World Beer Cup for their Bourbon Barrel Aged Koffi Porter, a spinoff of their 2-time Bronze winning Koffi Porter.

Even Parr IPA, Heatwave Amber Ale, Koffi Porter, Bourbon Barrel Stout

The beers that Conner had were their Bourbon Barrel Stout, Koffi Porter, Heatwave Amber, Sandstorm Double IPA, and the Even Parr IPA. Here’s what he has to say:

“Drey at the tap room knew me well; right after I ordered the Koffi Porter, he asked if I wanted it nitro, and after tasting it, oh yeah, he knew me well! Koffi Porter was without a doublt my favorite of the beers I tried! 1st place in my books. It comes in at 6.4% ABV and 20IBUs, and packs a killer dark coffee and light chocolate flavor! You can easily smell the coffee and the roasted malts (which I absolutely love). Fun fact about this beer, La Quinta Brewing Co. actually added locally in roasted coffee beans from “Koffi”, which is near Rancho Mirage! I gave the CO2 version a try, but the nitro takes the cake. I will most definitely be getting this EVERY time I visit.

Another that I adored, placing 4th for me, was the Heatwave Amber Ale. This beer rolls in with a 5.9% ABV and 32IBUs, and the Warrior hops are definitely predominant in the flavor. The Heatwave was more in the mid-hoppy range, giving it a decent bitter flavor, and making it a great beer overall. This beer has a hint of caramel that you get half way through the sip, which I believe was a great touch on the beer.

Coming in at 3rd place was the Even Parr IPA. First off, love the name! If you’ve ever been to La Quinta, you’re always about 100 yards from a golf course. This IPA has 85 IBUs and 7.2% ABV. Give this bad boy one whiff and you’ll smell those Citra hops! This IPA is more on the fruity side regarding flavor and I definitely suggest trying this when and if you stop by.

Placing 2nd, and the last beer I’m reviewing, wasthe Sand Storm Double IPA. This man of beer has over 100IBUs! Partnered with a 9.3% ABV, this beer will do you good after a couple. Though being a double IPA, it drank like a single, which I actually enjoyed. I don’t want my beer to taste like blended up hop-smoothie. The dry hopping makes the tasteful aroma POP, definitely more than the Even Parr. If you’re an IPA lover, get a glass of the Sand Storm and enjoy the brew!

The beers that Devin had were Poolside Blonde, Old Town Honey Wheat, Koffi Porter, Bourbon Barrel Koffi Porter, and the Sundaze Session IPA. Here what he had to say about the beers:

Poolside Blonde, Bourbon Barrel Koffi Porter, Sundaze IPA, Koffi Porter

“The Poolside Blonde was as refreshing as the name itself sounds; an easy drinking crisp ale with a light bitterness and a dry bitter finish. The 4.8% ABV allows this blonde to be the perfect companion on a hot summer day while the 26 IBUs provide a light kick to this delicious brew.

The Old Town Honey Wheat, my favorite of their selection, was a beautiful golden copper hue which had been filtered to eliminate the hazy aspect of most wheat styled ales. The Honey Wheat delivered on what it presented, notes of honey and wheat grain were predominant in this medium styled wheat ale.

The Nitro Koffi Porter was the most unique creation at La Quinta Brewing Co. They added a large amount of local roasted coffee beans post fermentation to allow for a stronger coffee presence within the porter. As a result, the main component of the porter was of course, COFFEE!! Notes of heavy dark chocolate and roasted malt were also apparent in this well balanced porter coming in at 6.3% ABV and 20 IBUs.

And what was definitely unique about the Koffi Porter was its younger brother the Bourbon Barrel Aged Koffi Porter. The almost yearlong Bourbon barrel aging allowed the Koffi Porter to take on a vanilla aspect from the oak aging, while the bourbon aspect added to the overall sweetness of the porter. Oddly enough, the Bourbon Barrel Aged Koffi Porter was CO2 based instead of Nitro like the Koffi Porter was; the CO2 definitely provided a greater amount of “bite” than the Nitro did. The IBUs between the porters are identical, but the ABV did rise to 8.5% due to the aging of the Porter.

Lastly, the Sundaze Session IPA was the definition of a lawnmower beer. Low in ABV coming in at 4.6% while still providing the traditional IPA kick with its 45 IBUs, this IPA was crisp and refreshing. Notes of light grapefruit, citrus, and tropical fruit were present in this brilliant golden straw Session IPA.”

Be sure to check them out here: La Quinta Brewing Co.

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