Two for six at Burgeon in Carlsbad

It’s standard operating procedure for breweries to concoct anniversary releases. But for its sixth anniversary, Burgeon Beer Company amplified the trend and brewed not one, but two commemorative beers. “We knew for sure one of the beers would be an IPA of some sort,” explains Anthony Tallman, Burgeon’s head brewer and co-founder. “Simply put, we landed on a West Coast IPA over a Hazy IPA because that’s the style that we prefer to drink. We decided on the use of the CGX product so that we still continue to experiment and offer something new and unique to our customers. The American Lager had been something we’ve been wanting to brew and figured, ‘Why the hell not do it for such a special occasion?’”

The CGX product Tallman refers to is a concentrated lupulin version of Nelson and Strata hops, which contains all the hops’ aroma and flavor without the vegetative material. Tallman’s team dialed back the malt bill of Subliminal Sync West Coast IPA to give the ale a lower ABV (6%) and focus on the tropical and citrus fruit flavor provided by the hops concentrate.

As for the American Gold Premium Lager, Tallman notes, “We wanted to brew something a little out of the realm of what we’ve typically done at Burgeon. We used 2 Row, 6 Row, Flaked Rice, and Flaked Corn to achieve a sweeter perceived malt character that finishes dry and clean, and leaves you craving the next pint.” With the lager’s sharper focus on the malt profile, Burgeon has provided two distinct anniversary beers for diverse palates: a bitter, hoppy West Coast IPA; and a lighter, sweeter American Lager.

Matthew Zirpolo, Burgeon’s president and co-founder, credits a strong beer scene with the brewery’s success, “Our community is the reason why we have been so successful. They have supported us from day one and continue to do so. We truly believe we have the best beer community in the world. That very community has taught us the importance of support, which is something we have focused on as a company.” Burgeon’s upcoming releases are manifestations of that focus. As the anniversary releases are tapped, three new collaborative beers are in the tanks, waiting to be canned and kegged. Tallman divulges, “The first beer will be Rainbow Pulp, a Hazy IPA collaboration with Great Notion from Portland, OR, brewed with Strata, Citra, and Nelson. The second will be Western Grit, a West Coast IPA collaboration with Westbound and Down Brewing from Idaho Springs, CO brewed with Mosaic, Simcoe, Simcoe Cryo, Citra, and Chinook. Lastly, and releasing much later due to additional lagering time: Reverb, a Bohemian Pilsner collaboration with Ruse Brewing from Portland, OR.”

Rainbow Pulp and Western Grit are scheduled for a February 3 release, while Bohemian Pilsner will be released mid-March. The anniversary releases debuted at Burgeon’s anniversary festival on January 14 and are on tap now.