Category: Guide to better beer

how to discover new beer to try

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LA Beer Week – Descanso Gardens

This capstone event to LA Beer Week did not have the look or the feel of a first year attempt. This was very classy. From the location of Descanso Gardens to the music being played to the great selection of beer and cider.

It was a chance (at a very reasonable price) to sample old favorites and try some of the hotly anticipated beers that are new to the market. Nectar Ales had some Black Xantus on hand. Gentleman Scholar was pouring their Espresso Stout. Telegraph brought down an excellent Harvest Rye that was brewed primarily for the vintners of Santa Barbara. Duvel had their “Green” on hand and Craftsman brought a wet-hop ale that was quite tasty. There was a good mix of styles and regions represented.

The one thing that I worried about was the crowd. Usually the unlimited pours brings out the beast in some people who are not their to expand their palates but rather to wreck them. But that was not the case. It was a friendly and fun atmosphere.

Thanks to Jay, Scott, Dennis, Ryan, Brandon and to all else who volunteered and took time out to make this happen.

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Where are you?

You better be at Descanso Gardens for the LA Beer Week extravaganza.

I will be there volunteering so if you see me come up and say hello and let me know what beer you have had and which is your favorite.

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Yorkshire Stingo

Since the beer dinner featured beers from across the pond, here is another notable export that you can find here now.

Stingo071

“Stingo, traditional strong ale originating in the north of England, is mentioned in literature before 1700. Samuel Smith’s Stingo melds the fine history of this style with the signature elegance of the brewery. Brewed from British malt and multiple hop varieties, Stingo is fermented in open-topped stone “Yorkshire Squares,” with the Samuel Smith ale yeast strain. It is then aged for over a year in oak barrels that previously held cask-conditioned ale, gaining complexity and depth from the wood. Bottle conditioning – bottling the beer with live yeast for carbonation – produces soft conditioning as well as a fruity aroma and finish; it also allows Stingo to age and develop in the bottle for many months.”

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LA Beer Week – Beer dinner at McG's

mcgs-beer-dinner1

One of my goals after looking over the imposing list of events for LA Beer Week was to attend a beer pairing evening. Mission accomplished. The evening at McG’s started off very nicely with a large glass of German lager from Weihenstephan.

Here are the highlights:
Best pairing:
Boxty Potatoes with Salmon Mousse was a surprise and the Blanche de Namur witbier with its citrus overtones really contrasted the starch in the potato pancake and the creaminess of the mousse.

Best Individual Beer:
Weihenstephan lager was bright and sparkly. Served in the brewery’s own logo’d glassware. Just a great lager that American’s should be drinking instead of BMC.

Best Individual Food course:
For me it was the Shepherd’s Pie. Good portion size. Gravy was good. And the meat had a nice spiciness.

All in all, I was surprised that the courses that, on paper, would not be my favorites were better than the ones that I thought would be great. I was anticipating that the lamb course would be my favorite followed closely by dessert. Both were dissapointing. The lamb was charcoal outside and close to raw inside and the sponge cake had a great Framboise reduction but was dry. Beer wise, the Xingu lager seemed off to me. Much more sweeter than normal, almost honey-ish. And the beers from St. Peter’s Brewery were solid but not spectacular. They didn’t really add anything to the dishes they were paired up with. But the Irish Green mussels were great with the kellerbier which I did not expect.

So, thanks to all at McG’s who made it a memorable night with all of their hard work.

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LA Beer Week – 38 Degrees

38

When I first moved to Glendale, I was shocked that there was little to no access to good beer. Now this was (dare I say) around 15 years ago and I was a spoiled Portland boy. One of the few places available along with Lucky Baldwin’s (which was nearby) was Crown City Brewing. It was a friendly place and I could easily get to it on the bus which was my main mode of transport out of college. As the years passed and more avenues for beer became available, I went less, but still held a fondness for Crown City.
When I drove by one day and saw that they were out of business, I was sad but not surprised. Their beer had been eclisped by bigger and bolder brews. I wished that I could have raised a final pint to the brewery that got me through the lean times.
And last night I did, a type of wake was held for Crown City (as well as the Dodgers as it turned out). Two of their beers returned, Arroyo Amber and Oatmeal Stout, and the large crowd got to see familiar faces and remember the Around the World beer club and sample from a special tasting menu created for this party.
The Oatmeal stout was mild but very nice after the extreme Green Flash beers from last night. The amber could have used a little more punch to it but was right on style wise. In the end, it was a fitting tribute

Click HERE to get to the LA Beer Week site

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LA Beer Week – Descanso Garden event brewery list

A mighty impressive list (I highlighted what I am excited about)…

Abita Brewery
Allagash Brewing Company
Ballast Point Brewing Co
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Belhaven Brewery
Bières de Chimay S.A.
Bootlegger’s Brewery
Brasserie d’Achouffe
Brasserie Lefebvre
Brewbakers
Brewery Ommegang
Brewery St-Feuillien
Brouwerij Het Anker
Brouwerij Huyghe
Brouwerij-brasserie Van Honsebrouck
Cerveza Cucapá
Coronado Brewing Co.
Craftsman Brewing
Dale Bros. Brewery
De Koninck
Duvel Moortgat
Eagle Rock Brewery
Eel River Brewing Co
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Fuller Smith & Turner (Fullers)
G. Schneider & Sohn
Green Flash Brewing Company
Greene King
Hacker-Pschorr Bräu München
König Ludwig Schloßbrauerei Kaltenberg
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Lost Coast Brewery
Malheur (de Landtsheer Brouwerij)
Moosbacher (Scheuerer Brewery)
Newport Beach Brewing Co.
North Coast Brewing Company
Paulaner Brauerei München
Port Brewing Company
Schloss Eggenberg Brewery
Shipyard Brewing Co.
Shmaltz Brewing Company.
Skyscraper Brewing
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
Speakeasy Brewery
Steelhead Brewing Company – Irvine
Stone Brewing Company
Taps Fish House & Brewery
Telegraph Brewing
The Bruery
The Lost Abbey
Unibroue
Wells & Young’s Brewing Company
Wychwood Brewery

Click HERE to get to the LA Beer Week site

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Eastburn

Blue Palms is a great place for LA Beer so I thought I would spotlight another great beer spot. As if Portland needed more places to go, Eastburn has come on the scent to provide beer and food (oh and wine too).

Eastburn should be on your list of Portland haunts or must see’s on your next visit to Beervana.

eastburn