For those that have not visited the north of Glendale (my hood) and We’re Pouring, well here is an L.A. Beer Week excuse for you….
For us Valley folk, it is a great chance to get some Beachwood gems without a long drive.
L.A. Beer Week Kick-Off – The Recap
Back to L.A. Center Studios to volunteer and drink beer at the Kick-Off Fest for LABW10.
Here is my recap of the day after I finished my shift of putting wristbands on festival patrons…
I tasted fifteen beers. Some just a few sips, others I needed to get to the bottom of the glass. Only 1 was truly off but that was from the new Ximix Brewery down Hawthorne way and I will attribute that to travel and being new.
On the good side was Simmzy’s Beerbank Bubbly Brut. I don’t know what to expect from this American version on the classic (but wicked expensive) and rarely seen Belgian Brut beers. But this was low on bitterness with a nice dryness to it. Of the two Brut’s that I had, this tasted more like I expected than the Beachwood/Drakes collab.
My two favorite beers were from new breweries since that is where my focus was pointed. Liberation’s Lucy Hoppy Blonde and Ogopogo’s Naitaka rye were both bursting with flavors and stood out amongst the flood of tastes from each taster. I was also quite impressed by Wiretap from Lincoln Heights. Both their Echelon Pale Ale and Luchador Belgian/Mexican mash-up were very tasty. Cellador was strong as was Chapman (which had three beers kick before I could even make my way there!
Thankfully the weather was much better. So much cooler in fact that I forgot to put on sunscreen and came home red despite the cool breezes downtown. Organization wise, I will again make the plea for signage. Lots of signage. The crowd was processed much faster this year and with much less complaints but I think that signs and maybe some traffic controller volunteers might help make this a smoother event.
As it stands, this is the best event to try the beers from all over our sprawling beer scene.
L.A. Beer Week Kick-Off – The Photos
Back to L.A. Center Studios to volunteer and drink beer at the Kick-Off Fest for LABW10.
Here are some photos from the day…
#LABW10 Unity Beer(s) review
For 2018, LA Beer Week has sibling IPA’s. Here is the official BSP reviews:
Juicy IPA
Pours a pretty and barely hazy orange. This one has Mandarina over the west coast Simcoe. Has a full, fuzzy mouthfeel to it. Aroma is piney and dank to me. Little tingle on the mouth. I did not store the can upside though so maybe that is the issue. Getting a bit of mango and pineapple but not in heavy doses.
West Coast IPA
Pours a super clear and very light orange. Has a lovely floral meets citrus aroma. Honeysuckle maybe. Smooth and medium bitter. Getting orange zest notes. Very easy drinking. Hops coat the roof of the mouth.
The Verdict – Go for the yellow orange can.
#LABW10 – Oink
It is Beer Week Eve! Here is my fifth event choice for L.A. Beer Week….
From The Full Pint gang hosted by The Oinkster
June 21st starting at 6:30
“To celebrate LA Beer Week 10, The Full Pint crew will be hanging out at their favorite burger and pastrami joint, The Oinkster!
Join Danny, Franny and Jonny for a night of special selected local craft beer and a “One-Night-Only” food menu.
We’ll have beers on draft from our friends at Highland Park Brewery, Green Cheek Beer Co. and Homage Brewing
We just may be popping some rare bottles of beer, you never know.
## Food Menu ##
Danny’s Bacon Patty Melt
Jonny’s Jalapeno Burger
Franny Fries!”
#LABW10 – Tomorrow
Only a couple days away now! Here is my L.A. Beer Week choice for the day….
From Southland Beer – The Unity Firkin
Tomorrow at 4:30pm!
“Every year for LA Beer Week the LA Brewers Guild selects one local brewery to brew up one massive collaboration beer called Unity. This year Los Angeles Ale Works was the lucky brewery. Every year since we’ve opened we’ve been honored to receive one of the few firkins of this beer. We’ll be tapping one again this year to kick off Beer Week! No doubt you’ll be drinking more than a few pints of Unity beer this month. Come check out the cask version and see how it compares!
UNITY West (7.0%) – El Dorado | Idaho 7 | Simcoe. Classic dry west coast IPA with notes of tropical fruit and a dank finish. Hop forward with the malt and yeast characteristics playing second fiddle.”
#LABW10 – Flora
Here is the daily event recommendation for L.A. Beer Week event # 3….
From Mikkeller DTLA a tap take-over with Fonta Flora
Here are the details for this event:
“Join us on Friday 22nd June for an awesome event with our friends from Fonta Flora Brewery! With an emphasis on seasonal flora, Fonta Flora brings English tradition and Belgian inspiration to the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina.
Free Entry as always! Tap list below!
Beets, Rhymes Life – Appalachian Saison brewed with local beets
Irish Table – Dry Irish Stout
Southern Saison – Appalachian Saison with black tea and lemons
Whippoorwill – Witbier brewed with organic oranges, coriander, and earl grey tea
Wolf Spit – Baltic porter brewed with hickory bark”
#LABW10 – Women
It’s Tuesday, time for L.A. Beer Week event # 2….
From Kelly Erickson and hosted at Sunset Beer, Celebrate the ladies of Los Angeles craft beer with this special event featuring a taplist of women-brewed beer!
“Thursday, June 21 at 6 PM – 9 PM. This event is designed to highlight female brewers in our city and the industry at large. While only a small percent of brewmasters are female, more and more women are working in various fields and levels of breweries (from ownership to lab techs and marketing, and more). Craft beer consumption by women grows every year.
Full taplist coming soon – confirmed breweries are:”
Arrow Lodge Brewing
Arts District Brewing Co.
Three Weavers Brewing Company
Indie Brewing Company
Brouwerij West
#LABW10 – Sour
In the run-up to L.A. Beer Week, I am highlighting a different event a day that you should consider. Here is # 1…
From Cellador Ales comes the S. CA Sour Friends Fest
Here are the details:
“Join us Saturday, June 23rd for the first S. CA Sour Friends Festival, in partnership with Angel City Pit Bulls!
From 12:30p to 4:30p, you’ll have access from unlimited 2oz pours from the following breweries:”
United x 2
One of the best traditions of L.A. Beer Week is the release of the yearly Unity. It is a collaboration worthy of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild.
This year we have twins as on June 6, 2018 there will be a dual-can release. Los Angeles Ale Works is the lead brewery for 2018 and they have created both a hazy and West Coast IPA.
Here are the details from the L.A. Beer Week website, “Both beers clock in at 7% ABV and will take on flavors of El Dorado and Idaho 7 hops, but the west coast and east coast will also feature Simcoe and Mandarina Bavaria hops respectively. The west coast is fermented with the classic Cali 01 yeast strain while Sach Trois was utilized for the juicy version. The recipes result in a classic, dry west coast IPA with a dank finish for the west coast and a softer, full-bodied hazy IPA with lower bitterness and a tropical finish.”