Category: Guide to better beer

how to discover new beer to try

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LA Beer Week – Freaktoberfest

The Blue Palms hosted the Coney Island Freaktoberfest and I would have to say that the beers were freakier than the guy pounding a nail into his nose or the lady who was carrying a large snake around.

So I started with the titular beer of the evening. Freaktoberfest which pours red due to “Zombie blood”. It was a crisp amber lager at 6.66% abv. A fine way to start the evening off.

Then because the list at Blue Palms is so impressive, I went for a sampler tray. First was the Jew’belation Bar Mitzvah. 13 Grains. 13 Hops. A big imperial stout. This is a sipper beer. There are bourbon notes in this dark black beer. Next was Speakeasy’s Mickey Finn. Another imperial but this time of the red variety. It is really hoppy up front then it fades and the alcohol takes over. Number three on the list was the Avery Piglet Purgatory. A 1/2 version of their popular IPA. It is a really nice beer. A good citrusy hop taste that is perfectly balanced. My favorite of the night. Next was St. Feuillien’s Printemps which was the weirdest beer of the night. There was a distinct candy / licorice flavor to it. It was light and sparkly but that sugar taste really skewed the palate. Lastly, I had a taster of the Midas Touch from Dogfish Head. It was a cross between a witbier and a hefeweizen and it worked for me. It was the lightest beer I had and quite good. My 2nd place finisher for sure.

A loud shout out to Paige who alerted me to the event. And if you act quickly, the Schmaltz and Coney Island crew will be at Boneyard Bistro tonight and the Freaktoberfest will be at the Other Room in Venice on Wednesday. Don’t miss out.

Click HERE to get to the LA Beer Week site

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LA Beer Week – The Bruery & Matt Denny's

A glass of Snickelfritz
A glass of Snickelfritz

Yesterday’s installment of LA Beer Week was a chance to introduce the Bruery and their Belgian concoctions to another friend.

First up was the Rugbrod. A Danish winter warmer. Pours dark brown. Gets sweeter the more you drink. Taste wise this is a departure from the normal Bruery line-up. It doesn’t use the funky yeasts that I associate with the Bruery. Next was this years holiday seasonal, Two Turtle Doves. It has a really strong taste at first. Just hits the tongue. But then the flavors sort of melt away. Slight bourbon taste to it.
Autumn Maple was next and it was the winner of the day. Had a nice little fizz to it after a mellow sweet taste. This time around I think I noticed a certain starchiness from the yams. We also had the Orchard White and the Cuvee Jeune to contrast against the heavy malty beers. The Cuvee Jeune is one of my favorites. Lovely sour tang to it but it also has a lovely wine flavor to balance it out. The gang also took the short tour of the operations lead by Head Brewer Tyler. We got to hear about their current and future expansion plans. This place is growing by leaps and bounds.

Then we headed up the 57 to Arcadia for our first ever visit to Matt Denny’s. The German band was playing loud. The crowd was large but not packed and their was a selection of six or so German Oktoberfest beers. I had the Spaten version. It had all the hallmarks of the Okto style but it could have been a shade or two drier. A little to sweet for my taste. And sorry to say but the sausage platter that I ordered with it was pretty sorry for a sit down meal. I have had better Dodger dogs.

More reports to come!

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LA Beer Week – Oktoberfest @ the Verdugo

A blazing hot October day in the valley, but that didn’t stop beer lovers from coming out to sample some authentic German beer and to try some Firestone-Walker, Skyscraper and Shmalz Brewing as well.

okto

Here is what I had….
Julius Echter Hefeweizen – a new entry to the SoCal market. This Hefe has the clove part down but could use some banana flavor upgrading. Very filling for a Hefe.

Firestone Oaktoberfest – Orange brown in color. Had a little of everything. Malty, sparkly, alcoholic and sweet. Awesome for a colder day.

Skyscraper Backhoe Brown – A very nice brown ale. At 6% alcohol it is not wimpy. Nicely balanced beer. Some browns are too sweet but this is not. I really like the seasonals from these guys.

Schneider Hopfen-Weiss – Second time trying this beer and I still can’t get it. Medicinal to me. The hops are weird, the weiss is strong. Not my favorite.

Kostritzer Pilsner – Pretty tasty pils. I liked it. Did not have the tinny taste of some that I have had. Perfect college football beer. Crisp and clean.

There was German music blaring and drinking contests and coaster building. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

P.S. I made a point to ask people what their favorite beer was and all gave me a different answer. That must mean a good selection across the board.

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LA Beer Week – Duvel Green @ Lucky Baldwin's

Because I wanted to be rested and ready for the Verdugo and because the traffic on the 405, 5, 110 was for crap, I wandered to Lucky Baldwin’s for some Green. Duvel that is. It is an interesting beer that I think might be a new favorite. It is almost a cross between a saison and a Belgian golden. Lovely bright yellow color. Aroma was faint but the taste was really different and weird. In a good way.

Also, NEW LA BEER ALERT!!!
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From the mind of Martin Svab comes a new espresso stout made with the help of the fine folks at Skyscraper. They are having a release party tomorrow night at a hair salon? I hope to see you all there.

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LA Beer Week – The Edison

edison_downtown_los_angeles

Ever since I first heard of the Edison, I’ve been wanting to visit. But not being a mixed drinks enthusiast or a fan of crowds or for that matter dressing up, I’ve put it off. Walking in to the foyer, you can tell that they put some money into this. Interesting layout and set of chairs. Looks like it was set up to force people to mingle rather than sit. Very dark inside which made photography of the drinks near impossible.

But last night, I had an excuse to go. Cocktails made with beer! Aidan Demarest had three different examples at the bar and I stepped up to the plate and had two of them.

First up (the one I did not try) the Enlightenment is made with Edison’s own lager blended with bourbon and pomegranate.

Next is the Jack O’Lantern with Rye, apple juice and Floris Apple Beer. This was very sweet. Almost too much so. I probably would have left out the apple juice and just left the rye and apple beer.

Last but not least, the Dublin Dessert. Youngs Double Chocolate Stout with Jameson Irish whiskey and a dash of honey. This had big chocolate taste. And boy did it warm me up fast. This was not a light drink.

And in between the cocktails, there was a cask of living Stone IPA with Simcoe and Amararillo hops. Nice floral aroma and a good change of pace from the typical Stone hop bombs. Also got a glass from a jereboam of Chimay Grande Reserve. Wow. That was a powerful with yeast and alcohol that reached out and grabbed me.

Got to talk with Jay Baum, one of the forces behind LA Beer Week as well as Scott Wiegand from Stone, fresh off the blowout at Naja’s last night.

I would heartily suggest that you check out the Edison. The beer list is small but decent but you are going more for the interior design and the absinthe fairies anyway, right?

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more L.A. Beer Week

1) I will also be at the Freaktoberfest at the Blue Palms on Monday the 19th. Coney Island comes to Hollywood with Shmalz Brewing!!

2) Go to one of the Beer and dinner pairings. They may look expensive but when you factor in the beer and the food being provided you are usually getting a screaming deal. So put the Boneyard Bistro and/or McG’s on your calendar!

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LA BEER WEEK!!!!

It is finally upon us!
Here is my preliminary list of events that I will try to attend.

10/15 Opening Night at The Edison
10/17 Oktoberfest at The Verdugo
10/18 Oktoberfest at Matt Denny’s
10/20/09 Green Flash night at Blue Palms
10/21/09 Crown City RIP at 38 Degrees
10/22/09 Dinner at McG’s
10/24/09 Volunteering at the Descanso Gardens festival
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