LA Beer Week – The Edison

edison_downtown_los_angeles

Ever since I first heard of the Edison, I’ve been wanting to visit. But not being a mixed drinks enthusiast or a fan of crowds or for that matter dressing up, I’ve put it off. Walking in to the foyer, you can tell that they put some money into this. Interesting layout and set of chairs. Looks like it was set up to force people to mingle rather than sit. Very dark inside which made photography of the drinks near impossible.

But last night, I had an excuse to go. Cocktails made with beer! Aidan Demarest had three different examples at the bar and I stepped up to the plate and had two of them.

First up (the one I did not try) the Enlightenment is made with Edison’s own lager blended with bourbon and pomegranate.

Next is the Jack O’Lantern with Rye, apple juice and Floris Apple Beer. This was very sweet. Almost too much so. I probably would have left out the apple juice and just left the rye and apple beer.

Last but not least, the Dublin Dessert. Youngs Double Chocolate Stout with Jameson Irish whiskey and a dash of honey. This had big chocolate taste. And boy did it warm me up fast. This was not a light drink.

And in between the cocktails, there was a cask of living Stone IPA with Simcoe and Amararillo hops. Nice floral aroma and a good change of pace from the typical Stone hop bombs. Also got a glass from a jereboam of Chimay Grande Reserve. Wow. That was a powerful with yeast and alcohol that reached out and grabbed me.

Got to talk with Jay Baum, one of the forces behind LA Beer Week as well as Scott Wiegand from Stone, fresh off the blowout at Naja’s last night.

I would heartily suggest that you check out the Edison. The beer list is small but decent but you are going more for the interior design and the absinthe fairies anyway, right?