Woodshop Beer (2026)

03/08/2024

I love it when a call for celebration is answered... ECSTATICALLY. This particular celebration is the 20th Anniversary of the Adopt-A-Tree program at , which begins tomorrow (Saturday, 8/2) and goes the next two weekends, both Saturday and Sunday. This marks my 14th year (!!) of participation, and to celebrate their year 20 (and my year 14), Mas & Family asked if we could "bring some beers to share." Yessir, can do!

So I reached out to many of our closest friends, collaborators, and brewing partners to see if they had anything they would like us to share to help mark such an occasion, and the responses were enthusiastic almost to the point of being overwhelming. We have , , , and all representing with some fabulous beers in great quantity, quality, and variety, and we also have a few special treats from friends and some surprise goodies from others who will be joining in on the celebration in-person.

These collaborators and partners each have made incredible artisanal products that both capture their own ethos and also showcase the magical beauty of that Masumoto stonefruit in myriad ways, transmogrifying that fleeting and quintessential summertime fruit into something that can be enjoyed all year round. And each Brewer and Chef has developed their own preferences and processes to utilize and highlight nearly every aspect of this amazing fruit that we can dream of (but we still try to push for more!).

06/10/2023

2nd Annual "Pêche" event at Homage Brewing-Chinatown is THIS SUNDAY, October 8th, from 12pm to 6pm-ish. NO COVER.

Please come join us in celebration of the wonderful , with an extremely rare lineup of amazing craft beers, all made with that majestic fruit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime selection of specialty draft and limited bottled offerings from a variety of breweries.

Mas Masumoto will be joining us mid-afternoon (around 3pm), and several Brewers will be in attendance throughout the day to talk shop and enjoy this incredible lineup of Peach and Nectarine beers.

Hope to see you there!

09/09/2023

Check out this conversation I had with on ! Lots of talk about my beloved Woodshop Tasting and , plus lots of lukewarm takes on food, beer, life, and shout-outs to but a small fraction of the wonderful people who have co-conspired in these decades of adventures! Cheers, y'all!

01/07/2023

Well, this NEVER happens... 4 different varietals of Masumoto fruit available at the same time. Obviously not NEVER-never, but never in the 13+ years that I've been working with have we had 4 different fruits available in some quantity at the same time.

It's been a weird year.

The heavy rainfall at the beginning of the year has thrown the stonefruit harvest season for a bit of a loop, it seems. Apricots are in *extremely* short supply not only with the Masumotos, but also from what I'm hearing from virtually every other grower in California. And other crops are not necessarily overly abundant (which you might assume from heavy rainfall) but not in super-scarce supply either. But the season got off to a slow-ish start, with early varietals that normally might be available in late May still around in late June, like 3 weeks longer than normal.

The Masumotos, like many small stonefruit farmers, stagger their crops to prolong the harvest season. So while any given varietal is typically only available for about 10 to 14 days at peak harvest for the year, different cultivars are selected that have staggered ripening windows, so you would normally segue from one to another-- and with 10+ different varietals of peaches, nectarines, and now apricots, you can "stretch" the season throughout the summer from late May all the way to early August.

This year, with the early delay, the season seems to have "scrunched" a bit, and so while it might extend a little bit beyond the typical early-August final pick, what's happening here as we get toward the middle is that more varietals than usual are ripe and available ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

It's just one of those things... If you don't know how it works behind-the-scenes, you probably wouldn't even know it's happening at all. But we take this opportunity to celebrate this amazing fruit and the rare occasion when you can taste a cornucopia of fresh, luscious fruit all at the same time. And I'll never take for granted the amount of effort it takes to produce this incredible food, and the amount of hope and wisdom that goes into every harvest year and every pick.

27/06/2023

Masumoto Gold Dust peaches are here! A perennial favorite, always fantastic with their bold, zesty flavor. Delicious as ever. A few extra cases floating around out there as I make the rounds to , , and to delivery these beauties. Hit me up!

19/06/2023

Masumoto peach and nectarine season in full effect! First-of-season Rose Diamond nectarines are hitting this week, and these babies hit HARD! I should have some extra cases for any folks who want some-- hit me up! Always a delicious treat, Rose Diamonds are lovingly described as "a firecracker for your mouth." Such amazing flavor, juiciness, and balanced sweetness and brightness.

And as if right on cue, some of our craft brewer partners have come out with previews and special releases of some delicious Masumoto fruit beers featuring 2022 harvest fruit over the last couple of weeks, leading up to this summer's harvest. comin' in HOT with some excellent beers showcased at their Anniversary Party earlier this month (Peach, White & Green was a personal favorite), and with their Third Tree bottle release, continuing in the classic tradition of the legendary Same Tree (B1 & B2).

The season has been a bit slow-starting thanks to the heavy rainfall at the beginning of the year, but the fruit is lovely as ever. Here we go!

12/11/2022

This is my friend Kevin Osborne. He is/was the heart and soul of , which, following this latest bottled beer release today, and the remainder of the year as they continue to operate their lovely little tasting room in North Hills, will be a fundamentally different operation.

In recent years, of course, such properties and holdings as the works of Cellador Ales have, with very few exceptions, become... passé.

But what was always out of time cannot ever simply be characterized as "out of style"-- I rather prefer to think of it as *timeless*, and it could not be considered less so due to any matters of cultural capriciousness, fickle marketplaces, or new landlords.

While the precise terms of their negotiation with the new landlord have never been announced, the result is an open secret: some time after the new year, Cellador Ales will be vacating their North Hills home, and Kevin Osborne will be leaving Cellador Ales, the brewery he founded more than 6 years ago.

This is HIS VANISHED WORLD. A relic of a bygone era, maybe, with Masumoto peaches flowing in abundance, an edgy medley of experimental accompaniments in fresh strawberries and fragrant Thai basil, and a spirit of exploration and fearlessness captured in the liquid, almost daring you to drink it, and nearly defying anyone to try to make anything quite like it. And the honey. Always the honey, wrapping that bristling, zipping bottle-conditioning carbonation with a neat little aromatic bow.

So what's next for Cellador Ales? Who's to say?

And what's next for Kevin? Who even knows? Perhaps a long, wandering journey abroad....

What more is there to say?

Thank you, Kevin. For everything. See you at the release tonight!

27/10/2022

"PÊCHE" - What a great weekend event with lots of fantastic beers, lovely food, and, most importantly, amazing people. Thanks to Matt, Nick, Jazz, Jer and Co. Homage Brewing™]. And thank you to all proud supporters of , both in the craft beer industry and "just" the fans. After all, at some point, we're all "just" fans of the incredible organic stonefruit grown by and family. Thank you, Mas!

Now the festivities resume with an onslaught of bottled special releases Homage Brewing™], including the fabulous Château Masumoto, a new beer made with the legendary Masumoto Sun Crest peaches and Pinot Gris grapes. Selling at both locations tomorrow. Be there!

Might be some leftover goodies kickin' around this week at the Chinatown location from incredible brewers and . Great stuff!

21/10/2022

I hope you'll join me THIS SUNDAY, 10/23 at in Chinatown to celebrate "PÊCHE," a Masumoto Peach and Nectarine Beer Event, where we will welcome several Guest Brewers and our Guest of Honor, David "Mas" Masumoto himself, to partake in the day's festivities. 12pm to 9pm. No entry fee required. Come one, come all!

Here are some details about the event:

- 3 serving stations:

1) Main Homage Bar - full, special lineup of Homage draft beers and specialty Guest beers acquired for the day, both draft and bottle pours

2) Homage Booth/Tent/Table (near brewery roll-up door) - small taster pours of "Sneak Peek" bottles from Homage's upcoming Masumoto releases

3) Woodshop Booth/Tent/Table - special "extracurricular" beers that I am bringing for the day from my private stash, plus Beer Floats

ADDITIONALLY:

- We will start festivities promptly at 12pm (opening bell) with all beers flowing at the main bar, and the Woodshop tent equipped and ready. Timing for Homage "Sneak Peeks" TBD.

- Beer Floats will be mid-afternoon-ish, and probably will be like $5 apiece. We do not have enough for every single person to get every single float, so please think of this as the lovely BONUS treat that it is. If you don't get one, or if it takes awhile to make them, my apologies... We are doing the best we can.

- Woodshop Booth will essentially operate like a "merch stand," and we will have some nice vintage Woodshop glassware for sale, as well as limited numbers/sizes of some lovely t-shirts. Buy a glass! Grab a shirt! Support the cause! Then hang out and partake of some specialty "extracurricular" treats that are from my own, personal collection.

- We'll have several Brewers in attendance and "unofficially" scheduled for brief little talks/anecdotes about their beers. Staggered throughout the day probably starting at like 1 or 2pm.

- Mas Masumoto is planning to arrive between 3:30 and 4pm. Party will obviously be going a good long while by that point, and Mas will strut in like the rock star he is, shake hands and kiss babies, and lead us down the final stretch of the day!

- Aiming to wrap up "formal" festivities by about 6pm, then relax and chill with Mas and all.

10/10/2022

Let's do this thing!

"PÊCHE" is a Masumoto Peach and Nectarine Beer Event, a celebration of the amazing beers made by many craft breweries with organic stonefruit from the legendary . On Sunday, October 23rd at the Homage-Chinatown location in LA, starting at 12pm opening bell, we will have this once-in-a-lifetime lineup of special draft and bottled beers featuring Masumoto peaches and nectarines. And are so excited to welcome David "Mas" Masumoto himself later in the afternoon, as well as multiple Brewers and creators of these fine beverages, to share their stories and join us in this celebration.

There will be a veritable smorgasbord of Masumoto-focused offerings, all available a la carte with no pre-paid entry required, so we can keep this as loose and flexible and open it up to as many people as possible. Homage Brewing will have a special beer lineup and food menu for the day, with beers to include special offerings from , , , , and , among others. Plus Homage will showcase some "sneak peek" pours of special release Masumoto beers coming soon. We'll also have some other surprise goodies and tasty treats that might seem familiar if you know how "Woodshop" beer events go.

I hope you'll join us for this very special day and help spread the love!

07/08/2022

Anyone in the east/north LA area want a case of amazing, organic Masumoto Le Grand nectarines, tree-ripened and picked from the farm today? Hit me up! Would need to meet me somewhere convenient around Sylmar/Burbank/Glendale/Eagle Rock/Chinatown tonight or tomorrow (Sunday), along my path of travel (210, 2, 5, 110 freeways, basically). This fruit is incredible.

21/07/2022

Yes, indeed it is, my friend. RT from . Although I always try to slow down and appreciate things in the moment, sometimes I forget to capture and share them. Big day yesterday and today, with the amazing Sun Crest peaches and Summer Grand nectarines going to friends and partners far and wide, including , , , , , , , , , and . Lots of delicious things in the works!

Woodshop Beer