Attending Ale Academy at Angel City Brewery

When I was at Angel City Brewery trying the Belligerent Bloke one of the brewers mentioned an Ale Academy and my ears perked up. Ale academy? What could that be?

I soon learned that once a month the brewery offers a beer-centric class for a nominal feel. Intrigued, I vowed to sign up. Lucky for me Angel City invited me to attend a recent class centered around British beer.

The Ale Academy is held on a Monday night in a (relatively) quite corner of the public house. As soon as I found my seat I was given a pint of beer that was included in the price of admission. On this particular night it was an English Standard Bitter brewed especially for the class.

The class was hosted by two Angel City employees who were quite knowledgeable and passionate about the beverages from across the pond. The session is an hour long but in that short length of time we delved deep into British beer. We started out with the basic components of beer (hops, barley, water and yeast) and I was surprised the learn hops are grown only in certain areas. In the US it’s Oregon, Washington and Idaho which means the hops I saw on a recent road trip might very well have been in that night’s beer.

We also learned of the various types of British beer – bitter, mild/brown, porter/stout and barley wine. Since this was a hands on class we were able to taste test each type. Again, the tastes were included in the cost of the class making it well worth the admission price!

I also learned a ton of random facts about English Ale. I learned it’s casked which means there’s no pressure/CO2 involved in it’s pouring. That’s why British beer is warmer and smoother. I also learned that a pale ale pairs well with seafood. Why? Because British barley happens to be grown near the ocean. Who’d have thought?

Before I knew it the hour had flown by and the class was over. I was left with a lot of empty glasses and a newfound knowledge of British beer.

Oh! And a discount for the bar. All class attendees get a $1 of pints for the hour following class. What a deal!