To close put L.A. Beer Week for 2025, may I suggest heading out on Sunday, June 22rd to Arts District’s King of the Kölsch competition?
“We’re rounding up our favorite local, crispy, little German ales to show off this killer style, while a team of judges evaluates our entries to pick the King!”
This year’s lineup includes: 14 Cannons, All Season, Brewjeria, Brown Soul, Burning Bridge, Cerveceria del Pueblo, El Segundo, Feathered Serpent, Firestone Walker, Frogtown, ISM, Lucky Luke, Red Engine, Shadow Grove, There Does Not Exist, Three Weavers, Trumer, Two Coast and last years kin, Boomtown.
Here are the details: “For $25 you’ll receive your own 200ml branded Stange glass to keep, and tickets for 8 200ml pours. Or you can work your way through the menu with pints for $8 / half pints for $5.”
There has been a lot of ISM Brewing posts this month (and last) and it continues with the following review of the L.A. Beer Week Unity Beer that ISM too the lead on this year….
Firstly, I really do like the label design. A smart mix of the elements you might see on a regular ISM can along with select L.A. images.
The IPA itself pours a light straw color. And overall, it is a nice lighter summer IPA. There is a nice bitterness and a concord grape taste that lingers. Little touch of breadiness as well. This is a perfect BBQ beer.
Here are some of my choices for L.A. Beer Week as of today. I will have tried to pick one for each day ( still need ones for the 17th and 18th ) but there is not a lot of choices on the website. Either the number of events is really low or they are not being added to the main site.
Los Angeles Ale Works and Common Space – Friday, June 13 – Block Party
Homage Brewing – Saturday, June 14 – Nine Year Anniversary
Lincoln Beer Co. – Sunday, June 15 – Dads and Donuts with Randy’s Donuts
Hermosillo – Monday, June 16 – Highland Park Tap Take-Over
Beachwood Blendery – Thursday, June 19 – Bottle Share and Beer Release
Common Space – Saturday, June 21 – Defend the Parks Day
Select Beer Store – Sunday, June 22 – Cellador Tap Takeover
Big news was dropped last week in regards to the 2025 Unity Brew for Los Angeles Beer Week.
That news is that ISM Brewing out of Long Beach will be the host…
…which is a strong choice. They have been busting out collaborations and great label design work and holding down that promenade corner in Long Beach very well.
During L.A. Beer Week, Lincoln Beer Co. held a Collective Brew party. Now the hazy pale ale dry hopped with New Zealand Cascade is signed, sealed and ready. You could call it a democratically brewed beer.
The second weekend of L.A. Beer Week for 2024 is done, here are some photos and recollections from me about what events that I went to….
El Segundo and Beachwood came to my neighborhood of Glendale to We’re Pouring (the best pizza in town according to my wife, with a fantastic beer list according to me). They brought in a few beers each of new to me beers.
I planned to have one from each brewery but the choice was hard. Pairs Well with Pizza from Beachwood would have been a solid, safe pick but I went with the Silver Fern IPA which was bith crisp and dank. For my second choice, the new DDH Citra Pale Ale which was so, so lemony and quite light even for a pale.
MacLeod Ales X Anniversary was one that has been in doubt but they made it to 2024 and threw a weekend party to celebrate 10 years. I tasted a cask ale first because, yeah, ya’ gotta. It was a New Zealand hopped ale, named The Crisis and it was delicious. I then ordered up the Triple Hazy IPA and was less than enthused. It had a bit of a weird taste to it and was not soft or pillowy or fruity. Had me looking at the cask menu again.
One of the events that I underlined twice in my mind was the Highland Park CanJam. They borrowed a similar idea from Threes Brewing on the East Coast and brought lagers in cans to their patio.
I started with Human Robot because esteemed drinks writer Lew Bryson has mentioned them plus when else am I going to get Pennsylvania beer? And it was real good. After that, went to Threes Brewing which was ok but not really a hoppy pilsner to me before finishing with Green Cheek for a bit of SoCal. The sign of a good event is that you leave wanting more, and CanJam did that.
The first weekend of L.A. Beer Week is in the books, here is my first thoughts of the festival in Long Beach along with some more picks of events to attend…
I started LABW early with a trip to Boomtown Brewery for the unveiling of the Unity 2024 Hoppy Pilsner. Which I have now reviewed for this blog.
Saturday was the big dance down at Shoreline Park in Long Beach. The weather was on point. Sunny and warm but breezes floating in off the water and plenty of shade. Nothing like drinking a beer and looking at the Queen Mary in the distance.
My goal was to taste the six breweries in Los Angeles County that I have not visited yet and I completed the task tasting beers from Brown Soul, Campsite, La Verne, Santa Cruz, Two Tracks Cellars and Beer Thug. I came away most impressed by Campsite and Beer Thug based on a small sample size but will attempt to visit each taproom.
I should recap my favorite beers. Tuscan Sun an Italian Pilsner poured from a cask at the Smog City tent was great. Space Cookie from Monkish was that weird cookie with hops thing that still works. Rounding out my top three was Aurora Lights by Brewjeria, a Belgian IPA.
This was my first time for the re-christened Los Angeles Independent Beer Fest and it ran smooth, I heard talk of long lines last year but this was very easy entry for me. The tent layout was mostly great though the Unity Beer should have been more front and center and having the food so far away that you couldn’t see multiple trucks was a bit weird. Minor quibbles though. This was a great way to kick-off the Beer Week.
Sunday was a slow day for me after the excess of Saturday. So I planned to visit a taproom that I found out was open when I saw their tent at the festival, Solarc Brewing. They have been open for eight months in Glassell Park on a hip block with Bub and Grandma and The Grant bar.
Inside there is a lot of tinfoil. Cool barndoors. Super bright and colorful and eclectic with a nice little outside seating nook that I was jealous another group had. There was quite a few people hanging on a lazy, hot Sunday..
Glasses are small canning jars. 5 beers on tap. Had the Earl, a tea pale ale which was only OK. I liked yesterday’s glassellager better. But it is a cool block of places to visit.
L.A. Beer Week is underway and here are the photographic receipts to prove it…
beer at the lighthouseHPB was one of the first booths to sell outBenny & Teo from Crowns & Hopsfirst beer of the fest!Brown Soul was one of six new breweries I tried
