Category: LA Craft Beer Events

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DIO NIC ESS X

If you haven’t been to a DioNicEss event before, the number 10 might be a good place to start. And you might want to lock down your tickets now because of who they are pairing with this time around….

“The tenth installment of the famed “DioNicEss” food & drink pairing series is coming to Long Beach’s celebrated Beachwood BBQ & Brewing on June 10. To commemorate this decadent decalogy, the theme of this event has been dubbed “DioNicEss X: Coming of Age,” a play on the fact that every course, as well as the rare beers artfully paired with them, will have undergone some sort of careful aging. Tickets to the 5pm dinner are now available for purchase, but they won’t last long. Admission is $80 per person, all-inclusive, with proceeds benefitting the Real Medicine Foundation. On deck for the evening:

5 aged foods paired with 5 aged beers — This menu is NOT for the squeamish. “We’re dealing with multiple types of preservation here,” says Executive Chef Gabe Gordon. “Pickling, salt curing, air-drying, fermenting, alkaline curing, smoking, barrel-aging, canning… you name it, we’re doing it. And some of these flavors and textures are going to be way the hell out there; I just want to be on record as having warned people about that ahead of time.”

Brewmaster Julian Shrago is creating a special beer called “System Of A Stout” specifically for this event. This limited, draft-only release is an imperial stout brewed with coffee beans (custom-roasted by Portola Coffee Lab to Julian’s specifications!), green cardamom pods, and blackstrap molasses, evoking the flavors of traditional Armenian coffee. In keeping with the event theme, the finished brew will then be aged on oak chips that have been soaked in 25-year-old Armenian brandy, adding even more layers of complexity.

In the spirit of all DioNicEss events, no detail is overlooked, thanks to a dynamic team working hard to craft an exquisite dining experience unlike any other:
Gev Kazanchyan, Public Health Professor & Food Writer
Gabe Gordon, Executive Chef, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Julian Shrago, Brewmaster, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Dave Watrous, “The Gueuzehound”, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Randy Clemens, cookbook author & BJCP Recognized Beer Judge
Cambria Griffith, Social Superstar, Golden Road Brewing

Guests will also be treated to a few unexpected surprises during the evening, including a small parting gift to take home and enjoy. Grand poobah Gev Kazanchyan explains this special touch: “In every one of the 10 DioNicEss events that I’ve organized, I’ve followed one simple principle: always over-deliver. There’s nothing quite like getting more than you paid for!”

More details surrounding this glorious evening and teasers for the menu will be posted to the DioNicEss Facebook page and @DioNicEss Twitter account as the event draws nearer. Additional kegs of System Of A Stout will be sent to a very small number of better beer bars in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties, each of which has agreed to donate $2 per pint poured to the Real Medicine Foundation. Once the final list of participating locations is finalized, it will be announced via the aforementioned social media channels.”

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The Tripel + The Bruery =


The Tripel and The Bruery Team Up for Birthday Brews and Bites on Monday, April 16th from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.. Cost is $65.00.

“In celebration of their one year anniversary, The Tripel invites beer lovers down to the beach for an evening of sumptuous suds & a delectable dinner. The Bruery’s own Ben Weiss will be on hand, guiding a tasting of some of their most hard-to-find brews. To complement the beer, Brooke & Nick have created a sublime four-course birthday tasting menu. This special evening on April 16th begins at 6:30 p.m. for a “cocktail beer” gathering, with dinner and tasting starting at 7 p.m. Act fast though, because there are only 30 seats available! For those unable to make the ticketed event, The Tripel will offer their new menu along with the limited selection of Bruery beers from 9pm to close.”

Check out the best of what The Tripel and The Bruery have planned, below:

Selection of Hors Oeuvres

Mother Funker
Over-The-Top Sour Blonde Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels

Coconut and Lime Leaf Bouillabaisse with Bourbon Shrimp Toast

White Oak
Blend of a Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheat Wine with a Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Duck Breast with Black Soybean and Black Trumpet Mushroom Sauce, Duck Leg Confit and Beet Taro Cakes, Wilted Bacon Infused Greens

Smoking Wood
Rye Barrel Aged Imperial Smoked Rye Porter

Selection of House Made Sweets

Sans Pagaie
Wine Barrel Aged Sour Blonde Ale Fermented with Cherries

Saison De Lente, 2010 Vintage

Earthy, Dry Belgian-Style Farmhouse Ale

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Deschutes in L.A.


Tomorrow is the start of 6 days of Deschutes Brewery Base Camp Week here in Los Angeles. And below is the press release information that talks about the why, what and where of Base Camp. In addition to the Steingarten event which I highlighted earlier…

“Deschutes Brewery brings its Base Camp campaign to Los Angeles for an amazing week of specialty beer tastings, beer and food pairings, and appearances by Woody, the giant beer barrel on wheels. Deschutes brewers, ambassadors and fanatics will be on hand to provide some in-the-trenches insight into our courageously crafted brews.

What is Base Camp you may ask? It’s a place where Deschutes Brewery offers beer fanatics a spot to “pitch a tent” of sorts – and find their footing with the cornerstone of Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Deschutes Brewery Base Camp Week is a celebration of Mirror Pond’s easy-drinking goodness, along with many more of the brewery’s passion-heavy, pioneering brews. The Deschutes Brewery team is traveling around to cities all over the west this year, providing passionate fans with a seriously fun exploration of beer. Make the trek to Base Camp. It all begins here…”

Planned Events

Mon, 4/9, 6pm Deschutes Brewery Scavenger Hunt (Far Bar)
No one will deny it: scavenger hunts equal good times! Couple a scavenger hunt with some damn tasty beer from Deschutes Brewery and you have pure fabulousness. Join us and start the hunt at Far Bar – we’ll give you a list of several things you need to find and take a photo of with your smart phone. Send the photos to Deschutes Brewery as you take them – they’ll be judged on correct completion of all tasks, best photo and best team name. So gather your friends and take up the gauntlet to win prize packages from Deschutes Brewery for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. You could even be strutting home with the coveted Golden Growler. See you here!

Contact Joey Pleich (jpleich@deschutesbrewery.com) to sign up your team.

Mon, 4/9, 8-10pm Base Camp Kick-Off Party (Mohawk Bend) Woody!
Join us as we kick off five whole days of celebratory beer drinking made possible by Deschutes Brewery’s Base Camp. Our featured brewery of the month for April, we’ll be whooping it up with the Deschutes Brewery team this evening as they share with us such brews as Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Hop Henge Experimental IPA and even The Abyss. Pair some of this hand crafted goodness with our specially selected appetizers, and you’ll have a night to remember.

Tues, 4/10, 6-9pm Hats Off to Homebrewers (Steingarten LA) Woody!
Attention homebrewers…come hone your craft with the gang from Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery. The Deschutes crew, including brewer Robin Johnson, are heading to Los Angeles for Base Camp Week and will be giving away clone recipe booklets and bags of whole flower hops to use in your next homebrew. Specialty beer tastings of rarities like Black Butte XXII, The Abyss and The Stoic paired with some tasty appetizers will whet your palate. And that’s not all…five more Deschutes beers will be on tap including Obsidian Stout on Nitro and Chainbreaker White IPA. Robin will also be leading a deconstruction of the never-released Black Butte XXII, providing tastings of some of the specialty ingredients. We’ll even have commemorative glasses to give away while supplies last. Hope to see you here!

Wed, 4/11, 6-8pm Beauty, Bloggers & Beer Private Media Event (Makeup and GO!)
Los Angeles Magazine’s Best Beer Sommelier Christina Perozzi, aka ‘The Beer Chick,’ will be on hand to discuss Deschutes’ yummy Black Butte Porter, the popular Mirror Pond Pale Ale, the almost-impossible-to-find, never-formally-released Black Butte XXII, plus endless complexities of The Abyss. Of course, there will be a chance to get some beauty pampering like eyelash extension and custom makeup application too. And did we mention the delectable desserts? This is an intimate private media-only event, RSVP is required – please email christina@thebeerchicks.com to reserve your spot

Thurs, 4/12, 3-5pm Deschutes Brewery Two-Bit Tastings (Silverlake Liquor) Woody!
Clean out under the couch cushions, break open the piggy bank and dig around on those car floorboards – you’ll be surprised at how you can utilize a mere 25 cents tonight at Silverlake Liquor! Let us surprise you while you visit with Deschutes brewer Robin Johnson, and frolic around the brewery’s giant traveling beer barrel, Woody – all while drinking Deschutes Brewery’s damn tasty year-round line-up of beers.

Thurs, 4/12, 6-8pm Deschutes Brewery Tasting (Whole Foods, Fairfax)
Deschutes Brewery will be visiting the Fairfax Whole Foods Thursday evening to talk with craft beer fans and provide samples of their award winning beers. A brewery representative will also guide you through a cheese pairing with The Stoic, a barrel-aged Belgian-styled ale. There will be special offers on beer in the store, plus you’ll get a free collectible pint glass when you buy a 6-pack to take home.

Thurs, 4/12, 6pm-close Beer-lesque: Tastings & Tassels (Skinny’s Lounge) Woody!
What’s better than an evening full of craft beer from Deschutes Brewery? An evening full of craft beer coupled with intriguing Burlesque dancers and Vaudeville variety acts. Each act will feature a different Deschutes Brewery beer equaling a night of excitement, laughter, and unforgettable fun.

Fri, 4/13, 4-6pm Deschutes Brewery Snacks & Sips (The Village Idiot) Woody!
Thank goodness it’s Friday, and it’s time to wind down after a long week with some damn tasty beers and snacks. That’s right, we’re welcoming the gang from Deschutes Brewery as part of their Base Camp for Beer Fanatics. What does that mean for you? You can spend Friday after work chatting about hand-crafted brews with the experts, while sipping on hard-to-find beers like Hop Henge Experimental IPA and Chainbreaker White IPA.

Fri, 4/13, 7pm-close Grab Beer by the Horns (The Surly Goat) Woody!
Not only will the giant Deschutes Brewery barrel on wheels, Woody, be here, but you should be too! We’ll be pouring a limited amount of some Reserve Series brews like Black Butte XXIII, The Abyss and The Stoic along with the brand-new Chainbreaker White IPA. With live music on our back patio to help you get your groove on, and a Deschutes beer in your hand, you’ll kick off the weekend right and change your mind about the possible pitfalls of Friday the 13th.

Sat, 4/14, 7pm-close Base Camp Finale (House of Blues) Woody!
Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery’s been in LA all week celebrating a fanatical love for craft beer, and the celebration is wrapping up with a grand flair at House of Blues. Guests will have access to the members only Foundation Room, where Nitro Obsidian Stout will be on tap and sampling of all of their year-round beers such as the infamous Black Butte Porter will take place. Paired with the beer will be a special selection of scrumptious appetizers. Downstairs in the music hall Mirror Pond Pale Ale will be on tap, ready to rock it to the reggaeton sounds of Prince Royce. Contact Lisa Aranda at Lisaaranda@livenation.com or 323-848-5146 to buy your tickets in advance.

Chime in and listen to the Base Camp chatter on Twitter using #BeerBaseCamp and by following @DeschutesBeer.

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Strand Tasting Room Opening Party

I haven’t mentioned Strand Brewing in awhile. Very remiss of me. But now I have an excellent reason. April 14th and 15th will be the opening shindig for the new tasting room next to their brewery.

If, like me, you haven’t had a Strand beer in awhile. This will be the perfect opportunity to reacquaint yourself with the delights of the Atticus IPA or, my personal favorite, the Beach House amber. Both of which I had while checking out the new space and both are as good as ever which isn’t surprising with their exacting quality standards.

And like at the new Monkish tasting room (which is also a must stop location nearby), the atmosphere is very convivial and laid back. Easy to sit and stay and enjoy.

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Get yourself some beer education

When I saw this press release come through, I knew the L.A. Beer Scene needed to see it and ASAP. Including myself, who will probably be there learning as much as I can too!

Certified Cicerone ® Launches LA’s First Certified Beer Server Class

“The three part class begins on Wednesday April 11th at 7 PM, and is continued for the next two consecutive Wednesday evenings. I am running this class for the introductory cost of merely $50 for three 1.5 hour sessions which will each include a tasting flight of my choosing, as well as a pint from El Segundo’s tap room. (Book and Testing Fees not included).

The class is structured around Randy Mosher’s book Tasting Beer, which I have found to be the best one resource for the exam. I recommend buying the book and reading through beforehand to obtain as much knowledge as possible, though it is not absolutely necessary. The first class focuses on history and the brewing process. In the second class we cover how to evaluate beer, as well as how to serve and pair with food. And in the third class we cover the great wide world of styles. At the end of each
class we will taste a flight of beers, each flight designed to teach you about certain styles and processes.

Once you have completed the course, the exam can be taken online for a cost of $69. It is a 60 question, multiple choice exam that must be taken in 20 minutes and has a passing grade of 75%. I will hold a follow up class for anyone who fails to pass on their first take. There is one free retake.

More info on the program is available at http://www.cicerone.org.
For more information on the class, or to sign up email: Thomas Kelley ciceronetom@gmail.com.

I hope to bring further beer education to Greater Los Angeles with this class. The more educated people are, the more passionate they become. And.. the more passionate craft beer drinkers there are in the world, the better. I have been certified for close to 2 years now, and continue to be a big advocate for the program. The Certified Beer Server certification is a great entry into the growing world of craft beer, and also a great door opener for anyone who is looking to break in to the industry.

**Free Hop Class**
Additionally, I will be holding my first hop class at Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach on March 26th from 5-7 PM. This will be a free preview for any of you whom are wondering if I actually know what I am talking about *wink*. We will be pouring White Dog IPA, and Blue House Citra Pale. I will be talking about our use of hops, and how it relates to traditional uses through the ages, as well as history, taxes, and the current market forces that bear down on breweries. As well as drinking some fabulous HOP BOMBS!

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Bruery Reserve Society

Normally, I do not go out on St. Patrick’s Day. And if provoked, I will declare that it is a beer beginners night and I don’t fancy my chances on the road from other revelers and police checkpoints.

BUT…(and you all probably saw that coming), if the Bruery is throwing their Reserve Society Celebration that day? Exceptions are made.

Beer buddy Richard and I arrived in slightly rainy and slightly cold Anaheim in the afternoon to get in line for the festivities not knowing how it would play out since it was our first time at this event.

I had heard through the beer hop bines that last year’s party was not optimal. But from the start, this celebration was smooth as 2009 Papier. We were allowed in the tent early to avoid more rain. Check in was quick and painless and after the initial long lines as people targeted their must have beers most lines throughout the 3 1/2 hours were very short. You could walk up and get Chocolate Rain in no time flat.

The choices were ridiculously great. Papier, Coton and Cuir. Black Tuesday. Multiple versions of Carmen and Smoking Wood oh and Eagle Rock brought Libertine and Deuce, Bootleggers had Black Phoenix and Knuckle Sandwich, Hangar 24 had Pugachev’s Cobra and their DIPA and TAPS brought the awesome Imperial Balinese Stout and Crystal Pils.

But this was THE place to have Bruery beers. And my favorite was Sour in the Rye with Kumquats (Thanks Dave for the recommendation). Fruity and tart and well balanced. Just awesome. I had my first taste of ISO:FT and Carmen with Kiwi too.
And for those in the Irish mood, you could get a beer dosed with Centennial hop oil. My green beer was Humulus Lager and boy was it green and hoppy.

Oh and great food from Beachwood (love the blue cheese grits), plenty of water and soda and enough room that you did not feel cramped. I just wish I had more than ten tickets and another couple of days to work through the whole list of beers!

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Two from Firestone Walker

Firestone-Walker has gone all out on two events that you should really ponder attending. They have grabbed some seriously great breweries. (Some of which do not venture to California). Read the descriptions below and start drooling.

“From the Barrel will return for the second year at the Historic Santa Margarita Ranch and will feature some of the best barrel-aged beer in the country as well as Ports, Bourbons and great local food. The event is March 30th and tickets are on sale now at fromthebarrel.net. Breweries that will be there will be Russian River, Jolly Pumpkin, Crooked Stave, Lost Abbey, Ballast Point as well as Firestone Walker. This is a prohibition themed event that was very well received in its first year. There will be even more this year with the inclusion of more Bourbons and a beer cocktail station run by the Beer Wench herself Ashley Routson.”

“The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest will be making its debut on June 9th and will feature a TON of great breweries. In partnership with the Pioneer Day Committee we decided to put on a world class beer event in the middle of wine country. We had a dream list of breweries that we could get to attend this and sent out the invites and to out surprise and pleasure they pretty much all said yes. We have breweries from all over the country and some from overseas as well some of whom have never poured their beer in California. Visit Firestonebeerfest.com for all of the info and the full list of breweries. Tickets will go on sale February 10th.”

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An Oscar Worthy colLAboration

The colLAboration folks have done it again. Putting on a most excellent Oscar pre-party at a unique spot in Los Angeles that would not have been out of place in The Artist.

Multiple levels of the Belasco Theater were utilized to create a moving picture of craft beer. And, to me, the space proved a fitting backdrop with plenty of seating and outdoor nooks to huddle into and soak up a brilliant L.A. day.

The one fix that I would have made would have been to light the place up. Mood lighting is OK but near pitch black is another thing. I can deal with music and TV though I am not a fan of them at beer events but if I cannot even see what is on offer on the menu unless I am within a foot of the board then that is problematic.

I purchased (4) tokens and hoped that I would get my drinking in before the madness of Pliny the Younger. Which I thankfully accomplished. I started off with Hangar 24’s Vineaceous. A unique malt forward brew that had tastes of oranges first before any grape notes entered the picture. I moved on to Dogfish Head’s Ta Henket. More out of curiosity and it was a fine beer with black pepper notes hidden in it’s yellow hued color.

I sat in the balcony to enjoy my second Hangar 24 beer of the afternoon, the Spring Beer. A Belgian Hoppy pale. It took home favorite of the day for me. Good hop kick with a nice side of grain flavors that really worked well together. I finished up with High Water’s barley wine, Old and In the Way. Boy did that have a bourbony nose and body. As I drank more, notes of coconut came up along side some vanilla. A pleasant way to end an outing.

Oh and I got to see some world class beer pong from Ryan and Bryant….

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The Ale Trail leads to Bruery Provisions

Tomorrow night, there will be a combination of two of my favorite things at a favorite location of mine. A beer book with a tasting at Bruery Provisions! The tasting flights at the Bruery are great and you will probably end up with a few bottles on the way out along with the book that you should get too.

Here is what you need to know, “On Thursday, February 23 2012, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., the public is invited to join author Christian DeBenedetti at The Bruery Provisions (143 North Glassell Street, 503-232-4677), for a free local beer tasting and reading and signing of his first book, The Great American Ale Trail: The Craft Beer Lover’s Guide to the Best Watering Holes in the Nation (Running Press; Paperback; $20.00 US).

From crab shacks and copper-lined brewpubs to farmhouse startups and elegant New York Restaurants, DeBenedetti leads readers on the ultimate coast-to-coast road trip of craft beer. This is the first definitive guide to the worthiest places to discover and drink craft beer across the entire United States. With over 400 destinations and suggestions for what to order in each one, it also maps out how those beers relate to the local, national, and international beer cultures and profiles the interesting characters behind all the great beers.

A native of the west coast, DeBenedetti will be signing books, reading from his new release, and talking all things beer and road trips. Kendra Birdwell, Assistant Manager of The Bruery Provisions, will be serving up a special flight of local LA beers for guests to enjoy as they get to know the author and his national Ale Trail of craft beers.