Ventura Coast Brewing: Cooling Off at the Coast

For everyone who swore off pilsners for their generic flavor, come back to the fold. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy Ventura Coast Brewing Company’s Kazbier, their take on a traditional German pilsner.

Refreshing with a clean, crisp finish, this golden-yellow beer available at the downtown Ventura brewery is dry hopped with Kazbek, a new hybrid varietal bred from the classic noble hop Saaz and a wild landrace variety from the Caucasus Mountains, explains Dan White, head brewer, who was formerly the lead brewer at Smog City Brewing Company in Torrance.

“Kazbek imparts bright lime and a light herbal character,” he says. “Spalter Select balances the bright lime character of the Kazbek with light notes of chamomile; Magnum hops are used to provide a clean bitterness to the beer.”

Unlike hops from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand—where a majority of the newer hops hail from—European varieties have less intense tropical fruit, citrus, pine and resin flavors and aromas, he says. They also tend to have a more delicate herbal character.

At a low 5.3% ABV, Kazbier is an easy-drinking beer for cooling off on a hot day. When adding food to the mix, pair it with barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, says White, or with Mexican and Thai dishes. It also works well with mild cheeses, like a soft goat cheese or burrata.

This beer reminds White of a “bright green grasshopper, light and springy.” So if, by chance, a grasshopper appears while you’re drinking a pint, raise your glass in a toast.

Toast, too, that Ventura Coast gives the spent grain from its beer-making process to Watkins Cattle Company for its cows, instead of a landfill.

For more info, visit VCBC.beer.