Category: LA Craft Beer Events

Posted on

LA Beer Week – Day Six – Beer Floats


Friday was a day of rest. Two big events past and two on the weekend. Pacing myself. Anyway, here is my take on the 3rd Beer Float Showdown (full disclosure – I volunteered at this event and write for FoodGPS that was the presenter of the showdown)….

The challenge was set forth. Five floats created by a combo of brewer and chef. And not just any chefs. Ilan Hall and CJ Jacobson of Top Chef fame, the Trans of Starry Kitchen, Andre Guerrero of Oinkster and the new Maximlilianos and Laurent Quenioux of Vertical Wine Bistro.
Serious fire power and the beer wasn’t from slouches either Ladyface, Eagle Rock, Beachwood, Firestone Walker and the new Smog City were all there.

I only tried three of the floats and in fact did not get to taste the eventual winner. But I was mightily impressed by the Ladyface / Starry Kitchen effort…..….which had fruit, pop rocks and habanero! My personal favorite was the Firestone / Yard combo … It had a rim of caramel and potato chips, the famous hemp ale and a nice light ice cream. Primo stuff from CJ and Jace. I also enjoyed the creation of Beachwood and Laurent Quenioux. Herbs with saison and another light ice cream. Three creative and tasty floats.

But the winner was Andre Guerrero and Jan Purdy who were paired with the host of the event Jeremy Raub and Eagle Rock Brewery. Their secret ingredient? Bacon with Vanilla Bean Solidarity.

The Beer Float Showdown champions of 2011!

If you think this event looked fun then check the official website for more information on events during week 2.

Posted on

LA Beer Week – Day 4 – Bottle Room


As if last night wasn’t enough, back on the road to Whittier and The Bottle Room for Deschutes beer and chocolate….

Who needs dinner when you can start with dessert. Well, I almost did that last night. Placed an order for the chocolate dessert sampler and the two Deschutes beers (Black Butte and Jubelale) after sitting down. Then realized I should probably have some food first. And since I wanted to save the beer to pair with the desserts, I sampled Strand Brewing’s 2nd Anniversary braggot.
It was quite good. Braggots are hit or miss for me but this had a nice interplay of honey, vanilla and spice. A great fall beer for cool nights. (LA should get one of those in November).
Then it was on to the dessert.
. The cake was soooo rich. That was a wicked mixture of caramel and chocolate that came oozing out of the middle. I am much more a pie guy, but molten cakes rank really high too. The chocolates were also great. There was blue cheese lurking in the small square and it was good. Again, I shall close with the beer. I had the Jubelale 2011 at the Beer Bloggers conference this year and this was a chance to see if my initial reaction would be changed. It hasn’t. But it doesn’t scream winter ale to me. The Black Butte was quite good and matched the richness of the desserts better..

As usual, I was wowed again by the food of Tony Alcazar and the great tap list.

Posted on

LA Beer Week – Day Three – Firestone/Walker Deconstructed


This was the event that I was waiting for, the famed Sean Z Paxton, the Home Brew chef paired with Firestone-Walker’s 15th Anniversary Ale. Welcome to Deconstructed….
Mark off this bucket list item. Dinner created by Sean Paxton. And this was in grand style. All 8 beers that make up the XV anniversary beer from Firestone-Walker. Plus Pale 31 and/or Unfiltered DBA to start with some malted cashews or Moroccan themed popcorn.
The event was held at the Avalon theater across from the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. Great space with old timey movie theater architecture. The downstairs portion got real hot so beer buddy Richard and I hightailed to the more AC friendly upper space to enjoy the evening.

The food (as these photos will show) was plated with care and artistry and the food was just great. Even the items like scallops or peppers that I don’t usually like were done so well that you had to tip your hat even if it wasn’t your thing. The winner for me was the lamb tenderloin that was presented on a spoon and was just delicious. Second place goes to the chocolate covered bacon that was so rich and savory.Neither of which are pictured because I still want them all to myself. So you had great food and then Matt Brynildson walked around and talked to everybody about the beers, David Walker (yes, the Walker) was pouring beer and Sean Paxton made the rounds.
But let’s briefly get down to the beer:
Sticky Monkey – Big and brassy. Almost whiskey in it’s own right.
Double Double Barrel Ale – mellower but strong in different ways
HellDorado – dark golden gem that was my favorite other than XV
Double Jack – really excellent IPA. Paired well with the sausage
Bravo – another dark, big and bold beer
Bourbon Barrel Aged Velvet Merkin – I still prefer the regular of this
Good Foot – similar to Sticky Monkey but lighter and brighter to me.
Parabola – my least favorite of the night. too medicinal

Then the XV was unveiled. And if you are a fan of the Anniversary ales, this one will surprise you. The Double Jack cuts through the barleywine and barrel aged flavors to make for a demanding brew that is hoppy and hot and rich. I really enjoyed it but it is a huge beer and is best sipped in small portions.

LA Beer Week. The bar has been officially raised.

Posted on

LA Beer Week – Day One – Lucky Baldwin’s


Since I spent most of Sunday driving, I did not relish a trip (in traffic) to Redondo Beach. And besides, I was planning on going there for the Local Breweries night next week. SO to kick off the 2 weeks of beery goodness, I and beer buddy Richard headed to the old school Lucky Baldwin’s in Old Town Pasadena to ring in the 2011 edition of LA Beer Week.

I had the double dry hopped Ruination to start, then a year old Emperial IPA (the 14th anniversary ale). It was a restrained start to a two week marathon of great beer.

Stone 14th Anniversary IPA

Posted on

L.A. Beer Week starts…..

TOMORROW!

Here are my picks for this week:
10/10 Naja’s Opening Night Stone Festival
(but if you can’t make it or can’t get a ticket, try Lucky Baldwin’s for Craftsman and Stone beers)

10/11 Musical Beer Crawl

10/12 Firestone-Walker Deconstructed. If you can’t get into the main event. Blue Palms has a post party and the anniversary beer will be released into the wild around this time too.

10/13 Deschutes Beer and Chocolate at the Bottle Room

10/14 Lucky Devils will be pouring Lost Abbey beers.

10/15 Beer Float Showdown 3
(you can also hit the nearby Verdugo for their annual Oktoberfest celebration)

Check out the official website for more information on each event.

Posted on

Beer and Descanso Gardens

One of the calmest and tranquil places in Los Angeles is Descanso Gardens. Nestled in the mountains above my home in Glendale, the garden played host to the first LA Beer Week Finale Festival in 2009. And this year they are joining in on the Beer Week festivities with a day devoted to brew, on week from today.

The main attraction is a biergarten from 3-8pm. But there will also be a Home Brew class and how to grow wheat and barley class that you have to sign up for beforehand. It is a great place to stop and smell the roses and listen to your beer as Fred Eckhardt would say.

Posted on

Two Week Warning – LA Craft Beer Week is coming


Hopefully you have gotten your tickets to the Union Station finale of LA Beer Week.

~ All three Lucky Baldwin’s will be pouring Stone and Craftsman beers for the week.
~ The Verdugo will celebrate it’s 4th Octoberfest
~ Golden Road Brewing will grant a sneak peek.
~ Dionicess will visit Steingarten
~ Cismontane and Tony’s Darts Away feed our caffeine needs

and that is just a smattering of the fun we will be having in LA!

Here is the full spiel:
“The ever-growing horde of Los Angeles craft beer fans can again rejoice as LA Beer Week makes its triumphant return on October 10. Cramming so much win into seven days proved impossible, so the event organizers decided to slightly alter the definition of the word “week,” opting to extend the festivities through October 23, spreading the gospel for a whopping 14 days.

This epic celebration of local beer culture will take place throughout Los Angeles & Orange Counties (and their respective environs), highlighting an array of focused tastings, educational seminars, and beer pairing dinners at bars, restaurants, bottle shops, and breweries throughout the area. These resplendent activities will culminate with the signature LA Beer Week Festival on October 23, from 12-4pm at the historic Union Station. $45 pre-sale tickets for the flagship festival are available now, which entitle attendees to unlimited 4oz. tasters of beer from over 70 of the world’s most respected craft and artisan breweries, including some rare and special releases.

One special find that will pop up around town throughout LA Beer Week will be Unity, an autumn saison brewed with tamarind. The recipe, developed by Eagle Rock Brewery’s Jeremy Raub and Craftsman Brewing Company’s Mark Jilg, and brewed by a team of the event organizers, is reflective of the collaborative spirit behind LA Beer Week as well as the camaraderie present within the craft beer industry.

The team is rightfully proud of the diversity of the local beer culture and community, and looks forward to once again promoting and celebrating it with a larger audience. A framework and calendar for individual establishments and breweries to promote their own events, as well as information and tickets for the LA Beer Week Festival, are available at LABeerWeek.com.

Proceeds from the LA Beer Week Festival will be benefiting The Spero Foundation”

Posted on

Belgian Beer and Cheese

One week from today:
“Belgian Cheese and Beer
with Kendra, The Bruery Cheesemonger @ The Bruery Provisions, $30

Wednesday, September 21st 2011 8pm-9:30pm

Do you love Belgian cheese and beer? If you do, or just want to learn more about the two, then stop what you’re doing and let us pour you some beer and cut you pieces of the perfect cheeses! During the Middle Ages in Belgium, monasteries were known for their exceptional beers and cheeses – a staple of their daily diets and form of income. You will get an overview of Belgian cheese and beer styles as well as discuss with you the fundamentals of pairing the two, all the while eating and drinking the syllabus.

Class will include:
Overview of basic Belgian cheese and beer styles
History of the Belgian Beer and Cheese world
5 Cheeses and Beer Parings
Fundamentals of Beer and Cheese pairing
Print out of Basic pairings and tasting notes
Additional accompaniments chosen”

Call (714) 997-2337 to see if there are any spots left.