Speaking of which, let’s talk about their beers. I was fortunate enough to try four of their styles: two portfolio beers to showcase their daily offerings, one beer to highlight their creative side, and one more because I really like the style and just wanted to drink it. The foundational beers were their Fog Crusher NEIPA (hazy IPA) and the pilsener Ships Ahoy, Krispy Boy. The New England-style IPA was true to its roots and packed a fruity hop aroma balanced with a mild bitterness that we expect. It’s easy to see why this is one of their most popular beers. It combines the love Californians have for hop-forward beers with the drinkability of a softer mouthfeel and tropical aroma of its East coast counterparts. The pilsener was crisp with just a hint of malty backbone, which is what I want with my craft lager—a little extra oomph to differentiate it from the more mass-produced macro brews of the same style. The extraordinarily intricate and nuanced artwork of the can sealed the deal. And, in the interest of education, a “crispy boy” is industry slang for a highly quaffable brew. I next tried the Piston Honda, a rice lager, straight from the 32-ounce crowler can. I’ve had a few beers of this style before and appreciate the rice adjunct as a way to give a dry and crisp finish to a beer that can often become cloyingly sweet. Humdinger’s example was no exception, and I think it paired very well with the warm sand under my towel and the sun’s rays on my face. A fantastic summer beer, but it can be enjoyed just as readily on a ski slope as on a riding mower. There might be plans to do a canning run on this one as well. I will throw money at it, so I sure hope so. Speaking of summer, their seasonal offering of Blueberry Dinger-weisse was a home run. It’s a kettle-soured (not to be confused with a wild ale containing souring microbes) Berlinerweisse with a proprietary lactose blend, a milk sugar, that has been infused with over one hundred pounds of fresh blueberries. I remarked how fresh the blueberry flavors came through, as I’ve had my share of “flavored” beer and knew it wasn’t scent in a bottle, and even had my reservations about it coming from a more respectable purée. It turns out that Lee and Amy traveled a few miles over the hill in Arroyo Grande to a blueberry farm where they spent most of a day hand-picking all of the fruit themselves and then returned to their restaurant kitchen where the chefs processed the fruit and readied it for the brew. It was a harmony of sweet, lightly tart, and incredibly refreshing. If you don’t have a chance to get your hands on one, they have plans to do raspberries in the late summer and keep a rotation going on this farm-to-table brew year-round. Naturally, Humdinger offers other beer styles. When asked what will be releasing around the time of this hitting your mailboxes, Samways pointed to their exciting collaboration with their roots at the South County Home Brewers Club. A mutually brewed Kentucky Common will be hitting taps in August, which is an excellent time of year for this type of beer reminiscent of the beginning of fall. This steam-style beer can be closely described by comparing it to an original Anchor Steam with a light flavor or summer mixed with a malt profile more related to autumnal offerings. They are also offering another Hazy IPA Quality Time, an easy-drinking porter Browndo, and their strawberry blonde Shevulf. Plenty of options for everyone. I casually mentioned their kitchen somewhere back there, but according to some locals, it’s the best food in The Village. Samways waxes poetically, yet humbly, about their elevated pub fare. Sure they have the standard burgers and fries, but you might also catch a compressed watermelon salad, or handmade pasta, or even an authentic Bánh mì Vietnamese sandwich. He touts his Head Chef Spencer Johnston and Chef de Cuisine Nick DeShon as the masterminds behind the kitchen. He affords them full reign over the menu, allowing them the creativity to use seasonal ingredients and cater to their customers’ tastes, much as the brewhouse does the same for the drinkers. Food and beers are available for dine-in or curbside pickup if you are on the run. They also use Cafe Runner, another local company, to deliver food directly to you, explaining that their consistency and speed results in hot food fast. Whether you get to enjoy this new establishment in BRANT MYERS is a beer industry veteran and person or from the convenience of home, check out the founder of <strong>SLO</strong> BIIIG, a newest kid on the block and remember that drinking local hospitality consulting firm. is supporting local so shove off from life and yell “Ships, ahoy!” as you crack open that Krispy Boy. <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> 82 | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | AUG/SEP <strong>2020</strong>
AUG/SEP <strong>2020</strong> | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | 83