Lost Coast Brewery - Alleycat Amber Ale

This brew pours a – well, whaddya know – amber-coppery color, topped with a sizeable pillowy head. The aroma offers up strong caramel malt notes, while the Pacific Northwest hops overlay with a moderately herbal and spicy character and a bit of citric acidity. While this brew smells nice, it’s on the palate that it really shines. We found it a full-flavored, tasty beer with a robust caramel malt base along with a breadiness that spans from an almost doughy character to a toasted breadcrust-like impression. Hops are present with enough strength to offer a counterbalance without overwhelming the palate with bitterness, and they offer a mild citric note with a spicy edge. A light apple tone contributes to a mild caramel apple impression. The flavor profile includes some residual sweetness that hits upfront and seems to build on the mid-palate as Alleycat fills the mouth with a creamy, round, medium body, but the hop bitterness builds as well and hangs on a bit at the end to maintain the balancing act. For a food pairing, try using half a bottle to cook up some chicken breast in a reduction of brew and a bit of toasted sesame seed oil—then chop up the chicken into thin strips, serve in a salad with diced pecans and sliced cucumbers tossed with a bit of balsamic vinegar and toasted sesame oil. And, of course, serve it with the same beer. Enjoy!

Though Humboldt County in Northern California may be well-known to some people as the primary home of California’s grey-market cash crop, cannabis, it’s also home to a sophisticated beer culture and plays host to a number of fine breweries and brewpubs. Lost Coast Brewery & Café is one such establishment, and is also notable for being a woman-owned brewery – unusual (but refreshing) in the brewing industry, which is often regarded as a man’s world. Lost Coast’s story begins in 1986 when founders Barbara Groom and Wendy Pound were bit by the brewing bug and set out on the path to own their own brewery. Years of intensive homebrewing and education ensued. Groom formally studied brewing at UC Davis as well as Chicago’s famed Siebel Institute, and the pair traveled to Britain to visit dozens of pubs across England and Wales. After quitting their day jobs (Groom was a pharmacist and Pound a family counselor), in 1989 they purchased an historic building dating from the late 1800s to serve as their brewpub location in Arcata, CA. They spent the remainder of 1989 and the first half of the next renovating the building, known as Pythian Castle (the former local home of The Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias), and installing brewing equipment. Finally, in July 1990, Lost Coast Brewery & Café opened to the public. 1990 proved an excellent time to open a brewery as the American craft brewing renaissance built up a massive head of steam in the ‘90s. Lost Coast grew strong and steady, and by 2000 their brewing operations had outgrown the Pythian Castle location. A larger building was acquired nearby in Eureka, CA to house a larger brewing system. To learn more about the brewery, their brewpub, or their very solid lineup of beers, visit them at www.lostcoast.com or give ‘em a ring at (707) 445-4484. And, if you’ve ever considered a drive along the northern California coast (Route 101), do it. The mixture of gorgeous ocean views and awe-inspiring redwood forests is amazing, and then when you reach Eureka you can enjoy the inviting atmosphere, great food, and well-crafted beer of Lost Coast Brewery.