OnTap Magazine

T he sunlight glints off the little flakes of fruit in my glass as I hold it up to the light. The vibrant orange, completely opaque contents contrast wonderfully against the ardent blue sky. The aroma of sweet tangerine rides ahead of the glass as I bring it down for a taste. It’s California in the summertime and beer has gotten just a little bit weirder. If I’d seen a pint of this without the can for context, I would struggle to guess it was a beer. One taste dispels that notion, though. Fruity and heavily textured with pulp, slushy beer is as unusual as it is unfamiliar to me, but there is no mistaking that underneath the frills it is a beer. A fruited sour, in fact. Brewed some way south of where I’m sitting, the wonderfully named Ermahgerd Slurshy from Local Craft Beer is the last stop on my journey of trying new and unusual brews. I sip my mango-tangerine beer smoothie and reflect on the journey that’s brought me to this point. The first half of my trip to the States ended in Chicago, and a flight across the country to Portland signalled the start of part two – and the start of one seriously epic road trip. I had two days to make the 1500km journey to Carmel Valley, a small town south of San Francisco, and the gateway to Big Sur. Getting there meant taking one of the all-time classic drives: the Pacific Coast Highway. PEAKING WITH PLINY Stretching from Seattle to San Diego, the PCH travails one of the most iconic pieces of coastline in the world. The Oregon stretch, though, is the part that really captures the essence of the journey: narrow, winding mountain passes through forests on cliff faces, weather that changes from fog to rain to sunshine and back around every corner and incredible natural formations from towering sea stacks to improbable looking rock archways. Once I’d made it through the imposing redwood forests, across the Golden Gate Bridge and past the traffic jams of Silicon Valley I settled into the sleepy hollow of Carmel Valley. It was there that I found the best beer I have ever tasted. In search of something to stock my room’s mini-fridge I walked into the local market. The shop was half the size of your average Kwikspar, but it did have two colourful fridges of beer. On the top shelf were some bottles of Pliny the Elder, just there for the taking. I grabbed a couple and had a chat with the proprietor. FIVE OF CALIFORNIA’S STRANGEST BEERS 1. Alvarado Brewery – Daquiri Island Sunset Slush My first entry into the field of slushy beers, this was also the best. A great drink, even if you debate whether or not it is really beer. 2. Firestone Walker – Tequila Barrel Sunrise The concept and ageing of this beer make it something different to me. Barleywines are scarce enough, but this one is really special. 3. New Glory – Gummy Worms The name, the can and the unmistakeable gummy worm taste. This is a beer that sets out to be different from the get-go. 4. Golden Road – Mango Cart Unlike other beers on this list, this wheat beer is very sessionable. Light and easy-going, but unmistakably different. 5. Belching Beaver – Peanut Butter Stout Stouts often boast labels like ‘coffee’, ‘chocolate’ or even ‘banana bread’, but this was the first one I’d had which claimed ‘peanut butter’. The name was one thing, but the flavour really lived up to it. Something quite unique. WHAT IS A SLUSHY BEER? A slushy beer (or slush) is a fruited sour with fruit puree. It looks like a smoothie and has the consistency of one, although the thickness can vary depending on how much fruit it was infused with, and how fine the pulp is. Flavour profiles can vary greatly from one to another, ranging from tart to fairly sweet, with the type of fruit added being the key. Even slushies with the same (sour) base can taste very different depending on whether you try the mango or blackcurrant version. They can be carbonated, although some are not. “Have you had this before? It’s pretty good,” he commented in a nonchalant manner not often used by people talking about Pliny the Elder. The owner apparently picked up a few cases whenever he was at Russian River but seemed otherwise oblivious to the beer’s cult-like following and elusiveness. When I tasted it, I understood what the hype was all about. It is the pinnacle of the art form known as imperial IPA. Perfectly balanced and an absolute pleasure to drink. It is a bucket-list beer that everyone should try at some point. The problem with drinking an almost perfect beer is, where to from here? No IPA could hold up against this heavyweight legend. I’d peaked early and still had two weeks to go. If I couldn’t go up, I’d have to go sideways and hunt down the strangest beers this corner of California had to offer. It was there that I found the best beer I have ever tasted ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2021 | 37