Category: Where to go…

bottle shops, pubs and breweries

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2nd Annual L.A. Craft Beer Crawl


Here is all the information you need for the crawl that is in one month:

“The beer festival so nice, we’re doing it twice! The 2nd Annual Los Angeles Craft Beer Crawl is happening again this year on Sat. August 13th. Again, we will showcase and celebrate all things craft beer in lively and vibrant historic downtown Los Angeles.

Taste as many samples of over 50 delicious craft beers across 7 different unique venues all within easy walking distance of each other (7 Grand, Golden Gopher, Las Perlas, Cana Rum Bar, Cole’s French Dip, Broadway Bar & Casey’s Irish Pub) We Beer Chicks are curating the beer and are collaborating on this event with Cedd Moses & 213 Ventures that will feature some of the top Craft and Artisanal Brewers in the country!

We are also proud to have the host of KCRW’s Good Food, renowned author and executive chef/owner of one of LA’s favorite restaurants, Angeli Caffe, Evan Kleiman involved with the Crawl this year. She’ll be curating a selection of delicious food trucks to indulge in along the crawl route.

A portion of the proceeds will go to Heal the Bay. an organization dedicated to making Southern California waters healthy, safe, and clean.

TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE and cost $49.00. A bargain for what it includes: a 6oz tasting glass and wristband gaining access to all the venues featured in the festival, unlimited tastings of over 50 different taps in 7 different locations from 3pm-8pm. Hurry up, because tickets are going fast!”

I missed the first iteration of this event so I can’t give a thumbs up or any helpful hints. Except for making sure you use Metro. OK, another suggestion look for Noble Aleworks and Uncommon Brewers. Last thing, it is good to see resident L.A. food host Evan Kleiman involved. The craft beer scene could use her voice advocating for more breweries and better beer lists at restaurants.

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BruHaus

As part of my weekly LA Beer Blast duties, I get the occasional call to visit new beer-centric spots around the southland. I have a high bar, but I also want to have a wide variety of different beer locales that reflect both the diversity of people and beer styles.

And I was pleasantly surprised by the two-month old BruHaus. Wedged next to “Mexican themed” bar next door, you find a warm and inviting spot with an open kitchen and a solid set of beers. And they have taken the extra step of pairing the sausages and other menu items (Sweet potatoe tots) with primarily German and Belgian beers that really sparkle next to that hearty fare instead of just choosing the trendy beers of the moment.

Charlie Hwang and his partners are also super nice. They took the time to speak to me for a long while about their future plans (Kolsch for the summer in the authentic Cologne glassware) even though I am sure that they had multiple items on their to-do list.

The craft beer invasion continues as more places spread out across LA. Soon every neighborhood might be so lucky as to have a Bruhaus near them.

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Pilsen’s Small Breweries Club

I saw this article in the NY Times earlier this month and is my style, am just now getting to post it for those traveling to the wellspring of lager.

This part of the travelogue caught my eye….“The best news for thirsty tourists, however, might be the new Klub Malych Pivovaru, or Small Breweries Club, an easygoing, youthful bar whose dinginess belies that it is refreshingly (and atypically, for the Czech Republic) nonsmoking. Four rotating taps offer unusual beers from regional Czech and Bavarian producers, with several oddball specialties available in bottles, like the Regenator doppelbock from Germany’s obscure J. B. Falter label.

Though the ramshackle, romper-room décor of the bar leaves something to be desired, the beer geek is likely to be satisfied by its blend of picnic tables, grime and obscure beer-related knickknacks. But for thirsty pilgrims who chance upon an exciting new brew — like the madly hoppy Quarterback IPA from Pivovar Kocour — in one of the world’s greatest brewing towns, finishing a trip here can feel like the culmination of a religious experience.”

Who knew that you can get an American style IPA named after an American football position in the land of Pilsener Urquell?

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Beachwood BBQ AND brewing

from the Beachwood BBQ website

The beer scene in LA will be a little bit brighter on July 5th.

“We are pleased to announce that after two-plus years of hard work and anticipation, that Beachwood BBQ and Brewing will be opening our doors Tuesday July 5th, 2011 in downtown Long Beach. For those of you who don’t know, we have teamed up with well-known Southern California home brewer, Julian Shrago, to bring to you a new 10-bbl brewpub with 90 barrels of fermentation space.

We’ll be producing about eight year-round finely crafted brews, with a
few seasonals and other special beer projects going alongside. And
yes, we are keeping our normal guest tap list of about 24 rotating
taps featuring only the finest in craft beer. You can bet we’ll have
an extensive cellar in downtown Long Beach too. Our HopCams will be up for both locations, so if you don’t see a chalkboard with what you’re
looking for… who knows it could be on at the other place. And, of
course we’ll pour Beachwood Brewing beers at Beachwood Seal Beach on the regular.

In addition to Julian’s signature IPAs, he’ll be brewing a range of
craft beer styles including stouts, wheat beers, Belgians, and pale
ales. Some of the house beers Julian’s got ready include:

Foam Top Cream Ale, which is traditional American cream ale brewed with American 2-row malt and imported German hops. Delicately hopped, light in body, and very refreshing with a clean finish.

Uno Belgian Single Ale is a lively Belgian blond ale accented by notes of lightly toasted malt and graham crackers. Brewed with imported German and Belgian malts, this beer is finished out with German hops. Floral and fruity aromas round out this refreshingly dry Belgian ale.

Kilgore Stout: an American stout brewed with rye malt for a silky body. Kilgore is brewed with British roasted barley and chocolate malts for a roasty backbone with notes of coffee and cocoa. Hopped with Chinook, Columbus, Centennial, and Amarillo hops for a citrusy Pacific Northwest punch.

The food menu will be the same great Southern barbecue we serve at
Seal Beach with items like slow-smoked, dry-rubbed baby back ribs,
beef short ribs, and smoked chicken. The same great sides like
blue-cheese grits, smoked asparagus, and skillet-baked cornbread will
be there too.

We’ll have much more dining room and bar space, and huge patio area on the Promenade, which is a pedestrian only street. Live music and
special beer festivals are definitely on the agenda. And sure, we’ve
got a few tricks in the bag we’ll break out in due time.

Cheers!”

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colLAboration in July

If this can happen…

…then what may happen when the colLAboration takes a month long residence in West Hollywood?

Check out the website HERE to get all the details because you don’t want to miss the beer or the people at these events.

But for starters here is the general where and when….
Saturday, July 9th
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 16th
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 23rd – A Salute to Belgian Beers!
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

8950 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA 90069

The new Duvel/ColLAb glasses are $15. Those who purchased the $10 glass from the first or second event can use that as their admission; most beers will be $5 to $6.

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City Tavern + Cismontane + TAPS

Last Thursday, I had the great pleasure to partake of another great night of beer and food at City Tavern in Culver City. Great vibe and great location in Culver City.

Anyway, here is the menu from the night. Try to guess the theme….

To me, the best pairing of beer and food was course # 2. The spiciness of the pork and the hushpuppies worked really well with the amber maltiness of the steam beer. I mean California common. The Blacks Dawn with the salted Caramel ice cream played well together too but since I am not a big pecan pie fan, it comes in a notch lower.

TAPS and Cismontane give us the rationale behind the pairings. It is essential to have this before beer dinners. Victor from TAPS really explained the choices and even how to eat and drink. A little of each food on the fork to catch all of the flavors.

The TAPS witbier that paired with the first course of ambrosia and cream. And below are the buttermilk fried chicken and the dessert at the end of the night.


The portion size was good for both the beer and the food. But even so. I was stuffed by the end. And a little filled with salt. My only course correction would be to subtract either the pork or shrimp dish for a soup or a salad one to give the breweries a chance to choose a beer that would work with different food and also to lighten the meal.

If you haven’t been to a beer dinner, you certainly should and if you get the chance to try one at City Tavern. Hop on the opportunity.

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colLAboration part 2

If you are a beer nerd in Los Angeles then you had better be in Hollywood one week from today.

The second pop-up biergarten is on the way and this time Avery, Hair of the Dog, Grand Teton, Uinta and many others will be added to the California mix and you can rest assured some goodies will be on tap that you haven’t tried yet.

If you can’t make it. (Better be a good reason) There will be MORE!
Every weekend in July in West Hollywood and then more in various parts of the Southland including an Oktoberfest in September.

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Tuesday’s are for Tapping

I love the LA beer scene but damn if what happens in Portland doesn’t make me green with envy. One thing that I would certainly be doing is hitting the Cascade Barrel House with regularity and especially on Tuesday’s when guests get to tap a weird out there sour beer. Last one was “Apple Pie” (hopefully better than what was in an episode of Justified this year) and this coming Tuesday at 6pm it is …

“Live Honey Rye Ginger.” This NW style sour ale is a honey rye that was barrel aged for eight months before having various types of ginger added for an additional two months. Ginger, rye malts and lemon greet you in the nose. A slight sweet ginger spice and heat sparkle on the palate. A crisp bite of ginger and a lingering honey herbal note lead to a light peppery finish. The addition of candied ginger provides the slight heat and spice. It weighs in at 7.9% and costs $6.50 a glass.