Category: LA Craft Beer Events

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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.

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One Night Stand

I love Meet the Brewer nights but a much better name has been devised by Beer Belly in Koreatown, A Series of One Night Stands, the first of which is starting February 22nd, 2012

“Behind every craft beer is a story, and starting in February we’re bringing the story to you.

We all love craft beer, that’s a no-brainer…but just how well do we know the stories of the beers we drink?

This year the Beer Belly family is going straight to the brewer and bringing back the stories of local brewers to share with you and the Beer Belly community.”

What this means for you:
-Throughout the month stay tuned-in to our Facebook and Twitter for news, stories, and specials…starting with this video from our visit to Hangar24:
-Mark your calendars (see below) and join us for our One Night Stand community nights where we’ll feature a variety of beer styles from the featured brewery
-Meet and greet fellow craft beer lovers, brewers, and more

The One Night Stand schedule:
2.22: Hangar 24 Anniversary Party (ONS Kickoff)
3.21: Golden Road Brewing
4.18: Bootleggers Brewery
5.16: Coming Soon
6.20: Coming Soon
7.18: Coming Soon

This is a labor of love for us and we really hope that you’re able to join and be a part of this craft beer passion project.

Follow the beer,

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The return of the Winter colLAboration!


Here is the full info on the re-scheduled Winter colLAboration event.

“Winter ColLAboration is back on! The mobile craft beer garden (from the brains behind Tony’s Darts Away/Mohawk Bend/Golden Road Brewing, Verdugo Bar/Surly Goat, Blue Palms and 38 Degrees) will be revived in the form of a weather-proof, indoor late-winter wonderland on Sunday, February 26th at the Belasco Theater in Downtown L.A. – located conveniently near the Metro Blue Line. 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

As previously planned, the garden will feature a selection of winter brews and favorites from: Anchor Steam, Avery, Bootleggers, Bruery, Beachwood, Cismontane, Dogfish Head , Eagle Rock Brewery, Eel River, Firestone Walker, Hangar 24, Golden Road Brewing, Lost Abbey, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Russian River, Sierra Nevada, Smog City, Stone, TAPS and many more.

Food will be available onsite.

Limited-edition Winter Fest Steins are $15 while supplies last. Any 2011 ColLAb glasses can be used for admission; most beers will be $5 to $6.”

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Old Guardian 2012


The 2012 version of the classic barley wine from Stone will be hitting shelves in two days but even better, tomorrow at the World Bistro and Gardens, starting at 11am, you will have the opportunity to try this year’s model as well as the the previous 12 vintages. And that includes the VERY LAST CASE of ’99. The old century’s barley wine is almost history.

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Libertine returns

Fresh off the release of their anniversary beer, Deuce, the Eagle Rock crew will be bringing Libertine back in a release party tomorrow night.

Here are the details…..”Yay! Libertine is coming back online after a long long wait! Our Belgian Amber Wit is made with honey and is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat for you and your hunny bunny to share… Or if you don’t like to share, then get a growler for each of you!

Whether you’re having it for Valentine’s Day or not, hurry up and get some because it won’t last long!

@iHeartPies will be onsite as well, to feed you some amazing treats (and gift ideas?)

It’s also TRIVIA NIGHT, so come test your brains against our Trivia Hosts…ones MIT, one drives things on Mars. Three rounds per night, and your welcome to join in at anytime. Each round you and your team (no more than 4) can win the best prize off all, FREE BEER. The nights overall winner gets some ERB swag to go with their already great night. What more could you ask for?”

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Citra returns to El Segundo

As opposed to the fuss and muss involved in PtY, I spent part of my Saturday in El Segundo with a double dry hopped citra pale ale that has returned (for as long as it lasts) to taps in Los Angeles.

It poured a lovely orange color and the aroma introduced itself proudly. Big lemon and citrus notes. The bitterness really hung with me and coated my palate. Which I learned may have been influenced by me eating something sweet beforehand. Good to know. The more I drank the more grapefruit notes came through.

I heard from reliable sources that the previous night a keg went really quickly and to ensure some beer karma. I just had the one glass. But I look forward to having it again the next time the two of us meet.

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TAPS @ Congregation Alehouse in Pasadena

On Thursday night, I ventured two towns over to Pasadena to the bustling Congregation Alehouse in Pasadena. (The newest chapter of the three strong alehouses) for TAPS night with brewmaster Victor Novak in the house.

Here are some photos of the night…..

Travis from Congregation with Victor

My favorite beer of the night. Crystal Pils.

My second favorite of the night was the coffee aromatic Mocha Stout.

The TAPS barleywine.

Me with Travis.

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Eagle Rock’s 2nd Anniversary

Eagle Rock Brewery celebrated the Deuce yesterday. Both the anniversary and the anniversary beer. It was a bright sunny day with a big crowd ready to sample a wide spectrum of Eagle Rock’s brews.

Beer Buddy Richard and I waited in line and quickly grabbed our taster glasses and tickets. I started with Tarte Noir a lovely sour beer with big dark fruit tastes and then went bigger with the Deuce.

This anniversary edition (in bottles too!) is an amped up version of their classic Solidarity. Which has also spawned a vanilla bean nitro version which I also had a glass of too. It is big and defies easy adjectives. It isn’t super chocolately or roasty and it is almost more Belgian-y than English. Dark fruits and some light coffee notes.

Oddly enough, the biggest line was for the taps that housed Stimulus and Red Velvet instead of the new beer. Then I tried the Red Velvet which had been run through a randall and tasted why. It was lighter and less hoppy than I remembered the original award winner being and it had a lovely tea taste infused all the way through it.

It was my favorite even though I went back for seconds on the Deuce and bought a bottle later at the brewery.

Thanks to Jeremy and the hard working Eagle Rock crew who had to man the tap room right after the party. And also a big shout out to Ryan Sweeney and the Verdugo folks for hosting.

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Select Beer Store

Being a Portlander, I have been waiting for California versions of Belmont Station and Bier Cafe or Saraveza or BeerMongers down here.

So I was happy to see Sunset Beer open up last year and now it looks like another is joining the ranks. Select Beer Store!
Let’s look at the statistical breakdown. 12 taps. Over 300 bottles that you can take away or enjoy on premises (for a small corkage fee). That should be enough to get you down to Redondo Beach.