It is not often that I am jazzed about the food options at a brewery in Los Angeles. It is usually not about food quality either. It is mostly that I pick a weekend destination based on the beer. So I end up with whomever is there when I am.
All preamble to the exciting news that APL BBQ from noted chef Adam Perry Lang will be on hand each weekend at Strand Brewing in Torrance from Father’s Day weekend until September.
In the holy trinity of food that pairs with beer, pizza, tacos and BBQ would be my choices and to get the buzzworthy BBQ is an added inducement to head to Torrance.
I took a walk through Glendale over to Brand Boulevard to the recently added Glenwood Smokehouse yesterday to eat some BBQ and check out their curated craft beer list.
1st off the BBQ aromas are great when you walk in and even better when the food hits the table. This is really good brisket, pork ribs as well as chicken (roasted or fried or winged). The sides and appetizers are elevated and tasty. The fried pickles were great and that is not something that I usually would order.
Now that the quality of the food is settled, let’s dig into the beer list. 24 taps on the wall leading to a cooler with the tell-tale red tubing that means that care and expense were taken to have the beer at proper temperature.
There were five Beachwood taps, three Radiant Beer Co. taps and a pair for Riip Beer as well. Right there is a big time savings for me. No need to travel to Orange County. I can walk.
The style mix is good and there is a good balance of rotating taps to fixed beers including three house beers. With nods to seltzer, cider and kombucha too. There is a cocktail program as well.
Plus, if you sit out front, you get a view of the people streaming in and out of the Americana Mall.
I quickly scroll by the people posting vacation snaps and selfies on Facebook and Twitter. But show me a video of furniture or RV’s that open up and reveal hidden features, and I am hooked.
So, of course, when I saw the video below, I really, really wanted one. Hidden dartboards people!
Sometimes you need an extra push to commit to a beer dinner. So, in that vein, check out this Boneyard Bistro menu and the Allagash beers that they are pairing with it….(One big plus is that you have some choice in this matter)
STARTERS
Pineapple & Green Chile Shrimp Sopes with Guacamole | Cotija *Allagash Tiarna
or
Kobe Donut Sliders with Strawberry Jelly | Bacon Jam *Allagash Avance
ENTRÉE
Crispy Jerk Fried Chicken with Mango Chutney | Smashed Plantains *Allagash Victoria
or
Braised Short Rib with Ancho-Cocoa Mole | “Street” Corn | Spanish Rice *Allagash St. Klippenstein
(another) or
Seared Scallops with Kafir Lime Rum Butter | Grilled Mango | Thai Basil | Fried Rice *Allagash Little Brett
DESSERT
Bourbon-Cream Filled Churros with Coffee Dust *Allagash James Bean
BBQ and craft beer both have passionate adherents and divergent styles and preparation methods. And for both, all it takes is to step a foot into a brewery or a BBQ restaurant and then another and you realize that wealth of differences.
All hokey preamble to a quick night spent at Barrel & Ashes in Studio City near the CBS lot. There is a great smokey smell inside the small place that has a nice big window onto busy all-the-time Ventura Boulevard.
I was there to sample the unique collaboration of Wolf Creek Brewing putting their Timber Wolf Red Ale into a Buffalo Trace whiskey barrel. Used but not in the normal way of being, this particular barrel had been dispensing whiskey at the restaurant. B&A is one of the rare six spots in Los Angeles that gets an actual barrel that held whiskey. (Along with an allotment of bottles too)They are allowed to taste and pick what whiskey they like from a selection to be their “house” drink. Sometimes they go oaky. Sometimes mineral.
Due to the laws of beer and distribution, layered with spirits regulation. B&A couldn’t just ask a brewery to fill it and pay for the beer. Nope, had to find a brewery who A) self-distributed, B) that they liked and had a relationship with. Enter Wolf Creek, who has been hit or miss for me in the past but they have thought outside the box and added a red ale to the barrel.
The resulting beer pours a muddy red/brown color. Big whiskey aroma and taste to it. Vanilla and wood are the dominant notes. 7.3% is the final ABV and there is a light mouthfeel to it while some sweetness sneaks in at the tail end.
The beer menu has a good mix of craft beers to choose from and beers to please your cranky non-craft, just here for BBQ friends. It is one of the rare spots that has regular taps. Not all are rotating. And if you need an excuse to visit then on September 10th, B&A will be hosting a Sixpoint. Night. Meet members of the NY based brewery team and try their beers.
Tomorrow, I talk BBQ and the new Bludso’s on La Brea in my weekly FoodGPS post.
For today, here are some bottled selections that will go great with BBQ.
Full Sail Brown Ale – “The combination of 2 row pale, crystal and chocolate malts impart an array of malt and chocolate flavors in a medium bodied ale with an extremely smooth palate. Fuggle and Mt.Hood hops contribute a slightly spicy aroma and finish to complement this beer’s malt character.”
Anchor Bock Beer – “The dark satiny texture of Anchor Bock®, with its rich hints of chocolate, caramel and roasted barley, is our interpretation of the strong German beers that signal the coming of spring.”
or you could go with one or both of these XPA’s Holy Jim Falls from Cismontane (which was on tap at Bludso’s) or the Revolution XPA from Eagle Rock.
My final suggestion is….. Trumer Pils – ” Trumer Pils’ aromatic nose, vigorous carbonation, and dry finish will satisfy the most demanding palate.”
photo from Oskar Blues websiteOne of the best food and beer pairings is with BBQ. And one place that marries the two is in, you guessed it, Colorado. And it has a clever name to boot…
Oskar Blues’ newest down home beer joint celebrates beer culture with 43 craft taps, Southern-inspired BBQ & soul-saving live music. “This is an authentic craft beer bar right down to the keg based fountains” says owner Dale Katechis. An in-house smoker, named “the Midnight Toker”, stoked with local apple wood turns out slow smoked North Carolina style BBQ pork, spare ribs, beer-can chicken, salmon and turkey.
“Liquids & Solids is like the Big Muddy flowing through the Rocky Mountains,” says Oskar Blues founder and owner, Dale Katechis. “The slow, Southern style of cooking is the perfect match for American craft beer. Both are labors of love and have mouth-watering tastes people love to enjoy and savor.”
Set in the heart of Colorado craft beer country, Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids takes both its beer and food seriously. Jason Rogers, former executive chef at Denver’s J.W. Marriott and recognized by the James Beard Foundation – the ultimate kudos in the gourmet food world – oversees the kitchen. Menu features such items as smoked salmon fish and chips and a Dale (Pale Ale), or bourbon balls and a Ten FIDY (Imperial Stout).
Sounds good doesn’t it? And after visiting the Tasty Weasel, I know for sure it is.
