Tag: Food GPS

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Food GPS Teaser – You’re Not From Around Here

Tomorrow on Food GPS, I will talk about the spate of recent craft beer immigration into Los Angeles.

But if you spin around 180 degrees, there is a need for our local beers to make the rounds out of state as well.  Sure, some get seen and rewarded at the Great American Beer Festival, but it is hard to make an impression when it is one taster glass out of 30-40- or 50.

Golden Road has been in the vanguard on branching out into markets and during San Francisco Beer Week, our brewing peep’s have a venue for an L.A. Tap night but until our breweries get bigger the best way to create an L.A. craft beer image is for us, the most vocal fans, to spread out beer far and wide.  When you go home for the holidays, if Los Angeles is not your final Turkey/Xmas destination, take some beer FROM HERE home.

Yes, you will have to check it but Southwest lets bags fly free.  And you can put beer in a bag.  Grab a sampler of beer to pass to your buddies and family.  Or if you don’t want to share, tweet that you are drinking our beer somewhere else or Instagram it. (just not in sepia, God how I loathe that).

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Food GPS Teaser – Where to go in the South Bay

Tomorrow, the Food GPS “Where to go for Craft Beer” series returns with a survey of the South Bay.  Previously, I took a look at Downtown LA and at the Hollywood area.  As a travel guide for those who either are new to Los Angeles or native Angeleno’s who want to explore out of the area that they live or work in.

Those first two “neighborhoods” as it were are pretty easy to identify.  They have boundaries that are pretty well set.  And so does the South Bay, but people (like me) from the Glendale area may not know what those boundaries are per se.

So to prepare for my picks, here is a handy map detailing where we will be headed tomorrow…..

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As always, if you have suggestions that I missed.  Let me know.  My list of craft beer places is long but I want to be as informed as possible and will add even more.

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Food GPS Teaser – 10 Great California Pale Ales

The “10 Great California brewed” series continues tomorrow over on Food GPS, with pale ales the topic of conversation.

Today’s tease though is that I want to run a different list by you good readers.  5 Underappreciated Craft Beers from California.

I would start with Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast – You see it everywhere but it gets no beer geek love.  Then follow it with Craftsman Poppyfields a British style pale that is chewy and malty but geeks either talk (and deservedly so) about 1903 or Triple White Sage.  Third up would be Anchor Liberty Ale.  A really pleasant beer that never fails to make a good impression.  Next would be Bear Republic Racer 5.  Everyone seems to try all the different variants but not the original.  Lastly, Kellerweis from Sierra Nevada is a great Hefeweizen and should get more cred.

What beers do you think people should be talking about more?

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Food GPS Teaser – What has happened at #LABW5 and What Will

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Food GPS tomorrow will reveal what I thought about some of the events so far this week.  (And add some events to see in the remaining days as well).  I thought I would use this space to review the L.A. Beer Week beer, Unity 2013 with honey and hibiscus from Eagle Rock Brewery.

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Unity 2013 pours with a lovely red tint to it.  I get a slight aroma of hibiscus on the nose as I tip the bottle towards me.  The taste is very light on the tongue.  I get mostly wheat and malt at first followed by a good amount of hibiscus.  But not so much that it takes over which hibiscus is wont to do.  There is some residual sweetness to it but the bubbles really do their work and scrub it away before anything cloying happens.  A really nice beer for the late summer / early fall heat wave that L.A. is fond of having.

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Larry’s in Venice

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In my years of doing the L.A. Beer Blast for Food GPS, I have attempted to stay current with all the beer-y spots on the list.  I have failed miserably.  Which means there is plenty of good beer out there.  But last week I made it out to Larry’s Venice on a sweltering day to have a cool beer.
You know you are there when you see the lamp posts with multicolored tiles.  They have an elliptical stone bar, a covered patio area and another smaller seating area with sun overhead.  They have  26 tap offerings (including some locals which I like to see).  I started with Das Tart from Ohana Brewing which pours orange and not raspberry red. But the raspberry taste is there  and it has a slight tartness to it

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There is a quirky hat display above the bar and despite being mere steps from the beach is not a typical beach place like others.  Has a more upscale and classy feel to it.  Very easy to make yourself at home at the bar so I ordered up a Sam Adams Rebel IPA which had a bit of a caramel aroma and a bitter taste of grapefruit and herbs that has to be searched for a bit to locate.  A little to blah for my taste.

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They have a wild looking menu that looks pretty good.  The only downside being the prices are very typical for a beach.  A little on the high side.  But it does look like quality.  Beer wise the 26 selections were strong and I liked that there were a smattering of German and English beers as well.  We can get so caught up in American beers that we forget some of the classics.  If I had more time, I would have tried the Crazy Ivan Belgian IPA from Bear Republic.

Now I have to see what other Beer Blast spots that I have been remiss in visiting.

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Food GPS Teaser – Craft Beer in Hollywood

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Tomorrow on my weekly post on Food GPS, I list up 10 spots to visit for beer in Hollywood.  Hopefully handy when you have seen a movie at Arclight or been to a show and what a beer after.  But one thing to notice about the beer scene in Hollywood is that there is no brewery with a taproom open to the public in this historic part of Los Angeles.  And that is a shame.

I know that rent is a high barrier to entry in Los Angeles.  (Amongst other reasons) And that Hollywood with the current uptick in condos and development is probably higher than the high average already set, can make basing a labor and equipment and ingredient intensive business even harder than in other spots but count this post as my “cry into the void” for someone with deep pockets and a love for good beer to come to the rescue.

Because there is a community there in Hollywood that would probably warm to the idea of a local beer that they could walk and get when Highland is shut down for parades and Oscars and such.

 

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Food GPS Teaser – Pacific Plate

Tomorrow’s post over on Food GPS is cut right down the middle.  1/2 about the recently opened Pacific Plate Brewing and the second 1/2 about some of the events on tap for L.A. Beer Week.

This teaser does the same.

First up a review of the tap room at Pacific Plate.  As craft beer fans know, breweries tend to be tucked into industrial parks and other odd spots.  This locale is not different.  At the back of part of a bigger complex off of Myrtle in Monrovia, the space is fairly roomy for a start-up.  I have seen and been in smaller.  Nice amount of blue barrel tables to stand at and a couple of picnic benches as well.  The best seats are the ones at the cut out window that looks at the taps and gives a birds eye view of everyone that comes in. The big thing is that the people at the taps are very welcoming.  And the beer is good, but I leave that to tomorrow.

Second, here is an additional event to consider attending.  Then check my post tomorrow for others and decide which (or all) that you will not want to miss.

Beer vs Wine at at The Local Peasant

Monday September 23rd 2013 6:30 pm-10:00 pm

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5 course menu of our Chefs creation. Each contender ( One Beer Guru and One Wine Guru) are presented with the menu. Pairing begins and the challenge is to vote on which libation works best with each dish…Who will win… Beer or Wine?

 

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Food GPS Teaser – 10 Great Sour Beers

A few weeks back, I chose some of my favorite IPA’s for Food GPS, and tomorrow I have selected 10 of my favorite sour beers.

I fully expect to hear howls of protest.  How could you leave this beer off the list?  Why did you pick this beer?  You are just choosing beers based on internet rankings.  Your probably haven’t had these beers.  You get the idea.

If you want to start a discussion, then please comment.  I may not respond super quickly.  But I try to. I certainly hope that someone directs me to a beer that I haven’t had.  I may find a new favorite sour because of that.

But if you just want to scream or have your voice heard then please go out on your patio or back yard or balcony and do it.  If all you want to do is say, “you are wrong and stupid”  tell that to the wall.  Because that would accomplish the same thing as trolling a list of beers.

That is because we live in a time of plenty when it comes to craft beer.  10 different bloggers could come up with 10 equally great lists of sour beers.  And most readers would probably do as well.  There is no wrong list.  There is no right list.  It is just a list from one perspective as of this day.  Totally subject to change.

 

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Food GPS Teaser – IPA

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Tomorrow, the first in a series of California-centric postings on Food GPS.  With the recent passing of the 2013 IPA day, I will select 10 bitter bombs brewed in California.  Beer Styles will alternate with best beer spots in different parts of the vast and sprawling mega-plex that is Los Angeles.  Starting with Downtown L.A.

I fully expect and encourage comments and rants about what was included and what was left out.  Mostly I want people to know that you can come to Los Angeles and find the best in craft beer.