Category: About the Search Party

General information about the blog.

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In the Tap Lines for July 2014

header_attractionsFourth of July.  Perfect for craft beer.  So many different ways to pair beer with hamburgers, hot dogs or for the more adventurous ribs.  I will be assisting (OK, watching) a friend home brew for the first time.  So there will be stories to tell even without a grill.  And also coming this month…..

~ e-visits to three breweries from the state of Maryland going from DuClaw Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery and Public Works Ale
~ video reviews of two beers from Tahoe Mountain Brewery.  Recolte Du Bois in two versions.  Peach and Sage.
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed. This month two stouts from 2011.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 89 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month Beer in History

Here are two events to get your July started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) Tuesday, 7/1 – Firestone Rare beer tap takeover at Stout (Hollywood), 6PM
2) Saturday, 7/5 – Beachwood Brewing’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration

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In the Tap Lines for June 2014

header_attractionsJune in Los Angeles and there are breweries opening like MacLeod and Pac City which the L.A. Beer Bloggers will be visiting this month.  Then there are the other regularly scheduled posts….

~ e-visits to three breweries from NBA Draft lottery winner, Cleveland (Buckeye Brewing, Fat Heads and Great Lakes)
~ video reviews of two beers from Hess Brewing of San Diego
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed. This month a couple years of Vintage Ale from Trader Joes is in the spotlight
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 88 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month Traditional Beer Mixes

Here are two events to get your June started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) Saturday, 6/7 to Sunday, 6/22 – Lucky Baldwins annual IPA festival
2) Saturday, 6/14 – 2nd Annual Father’s Day “COLLABREWTIVE” Brunch, 11:30AM-3:30PM

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In the Tap Lines for May 2014

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Festival season in full bloom.  There are no practically beer festivals every weekend once the calendar turns to May.  Personally, I prefer the smaller, niche festivals that circle around a theme, like Session Beers (check below) but if you are in L.A. there are lots of beer fest opportunities so get out there and a get a wristband and a taster glass….

~ e-visits to three breweries along in Florida such as Pensacola Bay, Props Brewing and Idyll Hounds
~ video reviews of two beers from the Sierra Nevada Hopped Up Variety pack.  But which ones?
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed. This month Deschutes Brewery is in the spotlight
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 87 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month Local Brewery History is the topic

Here are two events to get your May started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) May 10th – Eagle Rock Brewery’s 4th Annual Session Fest starting at Noon
2) May 17th – Bite at the Beach craft beer and food pairings in Manhattan Beach

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In the Tap Lines for April 2014

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Be on the lookout for craft beer hijinks today!  Lot’s of bad and obvious ones will mask the truly brilliant pranks for April Fools Day.  But it is no joke that there will be loads of good content right here at Beer Search Party, including…..

~ e-visits to three breweries along in England such as Pressure Drop, Five Points and Burning Sky
~ video reviews of two beers from New Belgium
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed. This month Brouwerij Lindemans
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 86 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month What is the state of Craft Beer Journalism

Here are two events to get your April started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) April 3rd – City Tavern Anniversary Party at 5:00pm
2) April 5th  –  Board Beer Geek Tavern – Beer, Board Games & More – International Table Top Day at Story Tavern from  12pm – 3pm

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In the Tap Lines for March 2014

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Wow, two months of 2014 are already in the books!  March will hopefully bring some rain to our parched streets of L.A. so that we can fully enjoy the full range of beers.  And speaking of full range, I will be talking Las Vegas, Single Malt beers from the O.C. and Terrapin this month along with beer reviews and event listings and other tomfoolery.

~ e-visits to three breweries along from Sin City, Las Vegas like Banger Brewing, Big Dog’s Brewing and Tenaya Creek Brewery
~ video reviews of two beers from Georgia’s, Terrapin both stouts.  One milk and one oatmeal.
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed. This month the 2011 & 2012 Mission Street Anniversary
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 85 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month Why do we drink alcohol from host Baltimore Bistros and Beers

Here are two events to get your March started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) March 11 – “Gearing up for the Green” at Lucky Baldwin’s
Piraat Triple Hop Event – lots of glass giveaways and enter into a free raffle.
2) March 13 – New Belgium Snapshot Release event at Sunset Beer Co, 7:30-9:30PM

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In the Tap Lines for February 2014

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February is the month for lovers. At least one day that is. And this blog will endeavor to show my love for the world of craft beer. Starting with the unusual assignment of writing a review without reviewing. Over this short month, there will be plenty of reviews from my recent Let’s Pour purchases sprinkled amongst the usual suspects, such as…

~ e-visits to three breweries from San Francisco starting with Fort Point, Magnolia Dogpatch and Cellarmaker Brewery
~ video reviews of Jai Alai from Cigar City. Both the canned version and the humidor series version.
~ two more beers will come up from the BSP cellar to be reviewed.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 84 will converge bloggers onto a single topic, this month is “A Review that is not a Review”
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) Saturday, 2/8 to Sunday, 2/23 – Lucky Baldwins 15th annual Belgian beer festival
2) Thursday, 2/20 – H24 at The Hermosillo Eagle Rock – tap take over

 

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A Fine Lace

You can make the argument that if you have seen one photograph of beer in a glass, then you have seen them all.  But one area that is more unique is the lacing a craft beer leaves behind.  Like snowflakes to a certain extent.

So every twice-in-a-while, I will post up some examples of cool lace patterns on the inside of the glass…..

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Example # 2

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Draft to Try, Bottle to Buy

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Usually my Twitter feed is a snapshot of what craft beer I am drinking currently.  See Twit # 1.

But now, I will also be adding the following.

On Friday – a tweet with a draft beer on tap in the Los Angeles area to try

and on Monday – a tweet of a bottle to buy from one of our fine bottle shops.

Two more reasons to follow me on Twitter.

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The BSP Yearly Disclaimer

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Each year, I start the blogging calendar with a disclaimer.  Not sexy, I know.  Maybe if I made a list of Top Disclaimers or Disclaimer with Chris Paul’s son on Vine or #hashtagged it, then it would go viral.

But here goes, let’s trudge on through the lack of snow on the streets of Los Angeles so that we can re-commence with actual blog posts about beer.

(Throat clearing noise)

Every beer, brewery, event, restaurant reviewed on this site whether paid for or complimentary will get the same treatment when reviewed.  If I don’t like the beer, it will be described as a beer that I did not like, even if it was handed to me by the brewer and I like the brewer.  If I forget (which probably will happen) to mention how I got a beer or a pass to an event, then go back and read that first tortured sentence.

I clearly want the Los Angeles Craft Beer Scene to flourish and I want craft beer in general to flourish.  So my reviews will also take that into consideration.  Some points in time require cheerleading and others require harsh sentences.

I will be as impartial as I can be and I hope to not lead anyone astray in 2014.