Readers of the blog will know that I love clever ideas and if they are simple too, even better. I would drink in one of these. And that is saying something since I am avoiding gatherings of people.
Open the Cabinet
Smog City Brewing is opening a cabinet. May not seem exciting at first but this is Porter’s Cabinet of Curiosity. Your stop for one-off, small batch beers like…
Quince Essential, Gin Barrel Aged Saison w/Quince or
Beer de Provence, Farmhouse w/Herbs de Provence
Go Small
Now would be a good time to plan a visit to a small brewery at the end of the month. Perhaps pre-order or find some merch for Christmas gifts. I am sure you can find a good reason to visit a local during the festive season.
The Crac
Flying well under my beer radar is another brewery that plans to open in this tumultuous year, The Crac.
It is an Irish themed brewery in Carson and one of the can designs seen on the Instagram is of an Oyster Stout. Not exactly the hazy, pastry seltzer’s that the kids are into these days but does signal a true to Irish lineage.
When open, cans or crowlers will be picked up to see how they are doing.
In Actual Hi-Def
When I spoke to 2/3 of the HiDef Brewing team, one thing that stood out was the comment, “If you can’t drink two of them then you screwed up.”
The other was that a German guy looking to buy a condo, probably based his decision on the fact that the the brewery was close.
More info on LA’s newest brewery to come next month over on Food GPS.
Land in McMinnville
Why did this new Oregon brewery catch my eye? Of course, any brewery that opens in this time is noteworthy there are two other little connections.
A. The brewer has the same name as me! Sean Burke lastly of the well thought of Von Ebert in Portland will be doing the brewing.
B. It will be located in McMinnville, where I went to college. A town which has quite a better beer scene than the much bigger Glendale that I reside in now.
Good News!
After a furious social media campaign, it looks like the L.A. Board of Supervisors has taken a step to help breweries instead of actively hindering them….
…now let’s keep wearing the masks and washing hands because if the virus so much as side eyes these county politicians, they will shut things down again.
Howie Saves LA Beer
Howie’s Cellar which, I have to admit I had never heard of until today, has got a nice little helping hand for LA brewers. They have created a Save The Beer program and part of the proceeds of the special packs will go to benefit the L.A. County Brewers Guild which has been gut punched by Covid and local government. Set the car to San Gabriel and get shopping.
Safety Dance
Are your polka dancing skills rusty? Well thanks to staying at home, you don’t have to train this year. Sierra Nevada will be OktoFesting virtually. They will stream a concert featuring Empire Strikes Brass & The Polka Brothers. Start dancing on the 19th right HERE. And the beer they release each year is damn tasty if you just want to tap your toes.
Accommodate Beer
When I saw this posted on the Eater LA site….
Adolfo Suaya, who has a long history of opening restaurants and bars in Los Angeles, starting with the Gaucho Grill chain and then places like The Phoenix, Bar Delux, Surly Goat, Dolce, the Lodge, and the ill-fated Osaka, has finally secured funding for his planned $35 million whiskey-themed hotel in Hollywood, which he’s calling the Whisky Hotel. With 134 rooms and everything from whiskey-filled minibars to a whiskey fountain, the boutique hotel hopes to open some time in 2022.
Guests checking in will get a complimentary dram of whiskey when they walk in, while whiskey “sommeliers” can guide brown liquor aficionados in their craft spirits selection. The seven-story hotel will also have a greenhouse-style rooftop restaurant and bar. Suaya hasn’t been as active recently in the LA restaurant scene, ashis latest place Paloma in Hollywood closed back in March 2019 after just 15 months of operation
eater LA
…it made me wonder why a beer hotel hasn’t made its way to LA. Dogfish and BrewDog have spots but when will I be able to walk into a hotel lobby, be handed a beer and ushered to a bed made out of a beer barrel?