California Love
Smog City Brewing

California LoveCalifornia Love
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From:
Smog City Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial Red Ale
Ranked #39
ABV:
7.7%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,610
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 10.65%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
66
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 27, 2023
Added:
Jan 23, 2014
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  17
Our first official collaboration beer. Porter of Smog City and Zambo of 21st Amendment, San Francisco, got together to create Califronia Love, an Imperial Red brewed with pinot noir grapes, citrus peel and aged on medium toast oak spirals. Designed to bring the best of NorCal and SoCal together; California Love features wine grapes from wine country and citrus peel from SoCal. Together they blend beautifully into our newest release, California Love.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by crob3888:
Photo of crob3888
Reviewed by crob3888 from California

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours much darker than I expected: super dark ruby-brown color. Smell is of vinous, resinous pine, some grapefruit, caramel, and a hint of the grapes. Overall it's another great beer by Smog City, one of LA's best craft breweries.
Sep 27, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.11/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
great hop taste with light malt back round smooth beer to drink a beer to go back to
Apr 27, 2023
Photo of laketang
Reviewed by laketang from Arizona

4.04/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Beautiful ruby red hue and a pillowy head. Fantastic lacing. Hoppy roasty notes.
Pino grapes definitely come thru with this.
A nice hop bite looms over the citrus.
Medium feel, grainy and chewy. Malt and hops balance out nicely.
Not normally a red ale fan but I will be buying another one or two of these.
Jan 15, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Marvicsin from California

Nov 18, 2022
Photo of Victory_Sabre1973
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

4.02/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful dark amber pour with a 2 finger tan head. The head retention is amazing, and it clings to the glass like superglue with beautiful lacing.
Nose is minimal. Just a faint hint of rye bread.
Taste - A hint of the hops hits right away and fades, only to build again on the backside. I get multiple berry flavors that kick in after the first hop blast. I also get a malty flavor, not really rye - don't know where I got that aroma - more bread. I get an earthy, woody, oak flavor in this beer as well. The hops kick in on the backside again, and the flavor and feeling lingers in my throat.
Decent body. The feeling from the hops lingers in my throat.
Delicious and complex beer.
Nov 11, 2022
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

3.61/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Packaged on 9/21; consumed on 10/25. Poured from a tall boy into my Bruery tulip.

Crimson tinged garnet body; dark and hazy with a smattering of wheat foam. Thin yet sticky lacing; decent retention.

Herbaceous, citrus forward hops in the nose. Vague funk and wet wood emerge next with oak and grape must as well. Subtle and complex.

Wine cooler like palate entry with moderate and persistent bitterness. Fairly aggressive tannins suggesting oversteeped tea with some hibiscus and river stones. Dry grape laden finish.

Medium bodied, zesty, rich yet refreshing. Somewhat alcohol forward for the ABV, but not fusel.

One of the less successful wine influenced ales I’ve had, and surprisingly uneven between the nose and flavor. A bit too much focus on the adjuncts.
Oct 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4.05 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Oct 01, 2021
 
Rated: 3.52 by 2beerdogs from California

Jul 27, 2021
Photo of BillAfromSoCal
Reviewed by BillAfromSoCal from California

3.77/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16 oz can (canned date shows 10/12/20) purchased from Trader Joes about 11/20, refrigerated until 12/2 and poured into a tall tulip glass. Beautiful bronze color with light tan head about 2 fingers high. Some lacing, and good head retention. Smell and flavor are similar with more hoppiness detectable from the flavor than the smell. A hint of caramel/toffee smell and taste and I look at it and I expect "caramel maltiness" but I get a lot more hoppiness than that so it messes with by brain; reality not matching expectation. It is an interesting change from an IPA but if I want to deviate to a red I think in the future I would go a more classic red flavor profile that is more malt dominant. Note that this can says 7.7% ABV while the BA description shows 8.5%. Listed hops on can= Amarillo, Citra, Centennial.
Dec 04, 2020
Photo of AJM_Beers
Reviewed by AJM_Beers from California

4.36/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Picked up at Trader Joes in Culver City. This is labeled as "double hoppy red ale". However, this was labeled as an "imperial red ale" in the photo and category here on BA. Also, the one I am reviewing is now 7.5%, not 8.5%. So, the recipe was changed and "double hoppy red ale" is better for your expectations. A hoppy red ale. Hard to find. This would be the one to beat. Tasty.
Nov 21, 2020
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hey man, you know what? I’m feeling this one like Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver doing whatever she can to win the war. Oh yeah, a sexy Red like Maureen O’Hara doing Maureen O’Hara things. Get it, sniff it, and sip it.

Yep!
Oct 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4.59 by evanwoertz from California

Sep 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.11 by michiganmatt from California

Sep 20, 2019
Photo of antonyliu
Reviewed by antonyliu from California

3.96/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle poured into a tulip glass…

=====

Look
Poured a red wine hue with a ton of activity between the carbonation and head, which was a thick 3 fingers of puffy froth. One of the best “looking” beers I’ve poured, very inviting. Truly looks alive.

Smell
Nose is chocolate, roasty, hoppy aroma

Taste
I’m getting molasses, spices, oak and wood aromas, toasty, and a lingering bitter, malty, and tart dry finish

Mouthfeel
crisply carbonated with a medium, smooth body

=====

Overall
This is a quality beer of depth and character. However, I’ve discovered American Imperial Red Ale is not my favorite style. I prefer either a purer hop profile or, a purer malt profile—but not both together. My bottle was only 1 month old so very fresh. Purchased for $2.99 in Southern California.
Oct 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by mrcraft from California

Feb 10, 2018
Photo of WickedBeer
Reviewed by WickedBeer from Alabama

3.7/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Tasting Notes:
Pours a rust crimson color, opaque, ivory white head
Malt, caramel, booze nose
Slightly metallic but lots of malt / caramel.. bitter.. only very slight citrus , not much oak
Smooth, light carb
Jan 10, 2018
 
Rated: 4.57 by deg from New Hampshire

Oct 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.09 by JuiceMan818 from California

Jun 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.3 by mnine from California

Mar 04, 2017
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2017-02-25
Entered from notes. 500ml bottle. Couldn't find a date.

Pours a dark reddish brown with a big head. Smell is roasty malts and toffee.

Taste is similar, with a nice bitterness and something vaguely fruity.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied. Overall, it's a good beer.
Mar 04, 2017
California Love from Smog City Brewing
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 66 ratings