Tag: L.A. Beer Week

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Recap – MacLeod’s 3rd Anniversary


Sometimes it takes me time to catch-up. In the case of MacLeod’s, it took until anniversary three before I made it out to try their cask ale extravaganza.

In addition to their main bar, which held their house cask beers plus three from their staff brewing program. There was a wooden set-just as you entered the taproom and one back in the brewery to showcase beers from a wide swath of local L.A. breweries.

An intriguing aspect was that two past MacLeod brewers had beers tapped from their new breweries, Andy Black at Yorkshire Square brought Castle Dangerous Export Stout and Josiah Blomquist at Iron Triangle had their Dark Ale.

There were also a pair of intriguing sours available as well. Both Dry River and Cellador were in casks next to each other. With the Firegold # 6 with grapefruit from the latter being particulary good. I also enjoyed the Ladyface IPA with tangerine and habanero. Not too spicy and not too fruity but both flavors came through well.

Despite the overbearing valley heat, everyone was having a good time mingling and going from cask and cask.

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LABW9 Kick-Off Festival – The Good

Saturday marked the 9th L.A. Beer Week starting with the Kick-Off Festival celebrating the L.A. County Brewer’s Guild members.

Here are some photos and notes from the hot and muggy day…

To show my gratitude for all that the Guild does for independent beer, I volunteered and was assigned the front lines. Scanning tickets and wristbanding guests at the entrance to the ever growing list of breweries.

After my duty was done, the first beer that I had poured into my cool little glass was the Unity 2017 IPA which was bright and refreshing in the heat. My first really wow beer was (the above) cerveza from the new Brewery Rex…

Firestone Walker had a cool tent with David Walker in attendance pouring beers like the new Adversus. And there were plenty of hops abounding like Melting Faces from Transplants…

… or two from Burbank’s Lincoln Beer…

You could get the wonderful Don’t Maize Me Bro from Eagle Rock, or a pilsner from Mumford. But my favorites on the day were the Firegold # 6 from Cellador which had a great balance of grapefruit, pith and sour. State Brewing had a orange and mega hazy From Here to Gardena that is on my list to get again as soon as I can. Lastly, I got one of the last pours of the anniversary Seis Del Segundo from El Segundo BC which really well balanced.

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LA Beer Week starts TOMORROW!

I have highlighted some of the #LABW9 events earlier this month but here are my picks for each and every day of the 2017 L.A. Beer Week.

Saturday, June 17th
Mexican Beer Festival at Mikkeller DTLA
“Join us for the LA Beer Week opening festivities with a celebration of the Mexican Craft Beer Scene. Free entry, as always, and a killer line up of the best breweries South of the Border.”
Featuring:

Cerveza Fauna, Mexicali
Border Psycho, Tijuana
Cerverceria AguaMala, Ensenada
Cerverceria Wendlandt, Ensenada
Cerverceria Insurgente, Tijuana

+ One time only Mexican food specials!

Sunday, June 18th
“Smog City’s bi-annual LABW bourbon barrel-aged, sour, experimental, and wild beer event, Rarest of the Rare, is coming back and it’s bigger and better than ever!

Packed with cellared beers brewed and bottled at Smog; including sour releases that’ll leave you salivating and bourbon barrel-aged beers to warm your soul.

Last held in 2015, Rarest of the Rare left no stone unturned and this year will be no different. Mark your calendars as this a unique opportunity to get the most comprehensive tasting of Smog City beers on tap. Do. Not. Miss. It.”

Monday, June 19th
The Local Peasant Beer vs Wine
A five-course chef’s dinner with beer and wine pairings for each course. The beer pairings will be chosen by Kevin and Sara Osborne of Cellador Ales and the wine pairings from local Sommelier Chris Webb, famous from Buzzfeed’s ‘Wine Mom vs. Wine Expert’. Each course gives the competitors a chance to describe their pairing to the group, why they chose it, and an opportunity to defend it against their opponent’s selection.

Tuesday, June 20th
Thinking about starting a brewery or just wondering what brewing is like using a 15BBL Premier Stainless Stacked Combi Brewing system? Ever wonder how homebrewers diving into a large commercial system adjust after 18 months of on-the-job training?

For LA Beer Week we will give you a candid and rare opportunity to experience a full, complete, no bullsh^t brewing day with us from the opening our doors to end of day cleaning! We will show you every step of the brewing process with long winded speeches/rants, samples and lots of pointing at stuff. Lunch and a pint of beer provided. 21 or over. Limited to 20 guests

Purchase your tickets HERE.

Wednesday, June 21st
Sour & Funky Night at The Hermosillo
Once again we’re stacking our taplist with the best sour, funky, mixed culture beers we can find.

Featuring beers from Highland Park Brewery, Sante Adairius, Homage, Cellador, Beachwood Blendery, Firestone Barrelworks, Good Beer Co, Allagash, and more.

Thursday, June 22nd
For LA Beer Week #LABW9, Horse Thief BBQ and Beer Garden continues their summer long Tap Takeover series with DTLA based Concrete Jungle Brewing on Thursday, June 22nd. Free to attend, the Tap Takeover will feature five taps from Concrete Jungle Brewing, available to purchase starting at 5 p.m

Friday, June 23rd
Iron Triangle Tap Takeover at the Pasadena DogHaus
Featuring $6 Pints of:

Iron Triangle GOLD
Iron Triangle DARK ALE
Iron Triangle IPA
Speaks for Herself Amber
Civil Monument Bavarian Hefeweizen
Blue Heron Wheat IPA

Saturday, June 24th
38 Degrees 8th Anniversary
Please join us for our annual celebration, 38 Degrees Ale House & Grill Alhambra’s 8th Anniversary! Just like year’s past, we will be breaking out some very exquisite barrel aged beers along with the freshest hoppy ales. There are no tickets and no cover charge, just stop in and hoist a glass to 8 years with us. Please stay tuned for our killer tap lineup. This is one LA Beer Week event you’ll won’t want to miss.

Sunday, June 25th
Simmzy’s El Segundo – Caskaway III
Come celebrate the closing day of L.A. Beer Week with Tropical and Hawaiian fruit themed casks from El Segundo Brewing Company and whole roasted pigs from Lil’ Simmzy’s on the Deck.

$24 for Roasted Pig plate and 2 Beers. $22 if you wear a Hawaiian Shirt. Live Music and Games Too! And L.A.’s only Advanced Cicerone Greg Bechtel. First Come, First Served…While Supplies Last

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Featured Review – Unity 2017

Time for the moment of truth, what is the review for the 2017 edition of Unity – The LABW beer.

This year hosted and bottled by El Segundo Brewing.

From the tap: the fruit added IPA pours a pretty clear and light orange color. I was wondering if this would be a fruit bomb or if the extra hoppy nature of ESBC would win the day. Turns out neither, really. It is for sure hoppy but it is approachable, dare I say lighter than the baseline for them. The citrus doesn’t come through as strong as I would think considering all the zesting the L.A. brewers did.

From the bottle: More citrus popped out in a few days old bottle. The orange peel bitterness was there, intermingling with the hops. The color is light and the beer is super easy to drink. 22oz is actually an OK size for this IPA.

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LABW9 & Craft Beer Cellar – Eagle Rock


Craft Beer Cellar in Eagle Rock will be very busy for #LABW9. Check out my picks from their roster of fun plans….

Saturday, June 17 – L.A. ALL DAY IPA – L.A. IPA Tap Takeover, 5 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday, June 20 – Transplant Bottle Release Party & Beer Trivia, starts at 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 24 – Hecho En the East Side Craft Beer & Art Show, featuring beers brewed in East/Northeast LA, 5 to 10 p.m.

Sunday, June 25 – Beer & Donut Pairing with Donut Friend – 2 to 4 p.m. (must purchase ticket in advance)

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LABW9 & Angel City


Angel City will be releasing a new beer and a new beer to cans as part of their week long LABW9 celebration but they will also have the Vagabond Cheese people in for an event as well. Oh, and the DTLA United shuttle will have a special night too.

June 19th: Ale Academy – Beer and Cheese – Angel City Brewery and Vagabond Cheese present a special addition of Ale Academy with a guided beer and cheese pairing. 7-8pm. Tickets HERE

June 20th: Purple Grain Launch Party – Sip the craft beer creation that won Angel City’s 2016 “What Would You Brew” competition alongside the creator, as well as Angel City Brewery’s Head Brewer, Layton Cutler. 6-8pm. Free.

June 23rd: Sunbather Can Launch – Angel City Brewery’s Sunbather Ale has quickly become a fan favorite, and for a limited time during LA Beer Week, Angel City Brewery will be selling this tart, juicy beer in cans in the Public House Retail Shop. Join us in celebrating this new can release with music by our own brewer DJ Tyler & friends, poster giveaways featuring Sunbather-inspired art and guided brewhouse tours for a behind the scenes peek at how the beer was brewed. 4-6pm. Free.

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Day 1 – Unity 2017


For the 9th annual L.A. Beer Week, El Segundo Brewing has been put in the lead and hosted this year’s Unity brew.

It will not come as a shock that they went for their wheelhouse to do an IPA. But to add that extra local quality they had the brewers from the Guild attack local CA citrus and zest it by hand. That and the juice was added for this years brew.

And since ESBC knows how to distribute across the area in one (amazing) day, the new Unity IPA will be available pretty much everywhere on June 9th. Eagle Rock and Ladyface are good options and for a possible two-fer you can try Simmzy’s Burbank which will be pouring their 1st batch and probably Unity too!

#LABeer Come’s Together – Now More Than Ever

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LABW9 & Mikkeller DTLA


If your plans for L.A. Beer Week include DTLA then Mikkeller has a trio of intriguing events scheduled.

Starting on June 17th, they will celebrate the Mexican Craft Beer Scene. With a South of the Border line-up featuring:

Cerveza Fauna, Mexicali
Border Psycho, Tijuana
Cerverceria AguaMala, Ensenada
Cerverceria Wendlandt, Ensenada
Cerverceria Insurgente, Tijuana

On Father’s Day, the man himself Mikkel Borg Bjergso will be on hand along with the brewers from the Mikkeller to the south, San Diego for a one-night only private beer dinner. It will feature “5 exclusive beers from Mikkeller SD paired with 5 unique courses from Executive Chef Enrique Cuevas.”

Thirdly, AleSmith and Pizza Port take over the taps on June 22nd bringing more San Diego treats to L.A.

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In the Tap Lines for June 2017

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Get ready. The first part of the month will be filled with Firestone Walker Invitational re-capping and the last half will be all about L.A. Beer Week including my review of the Unity Brew that was brewed at El Segundo this year.
~ e-visits to three breweries from Nashville, Tennessee. Southern Grist, Honky Tonk Brewing and Czann’s Brewing Company
~ special featured review of the newest Unity beer for LABW
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The Mezcal Rush
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your June started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) June 1st – Libertine Flight Night at Southland Beer
2) June 2nd – Beer Camp Across the World at Select Beer in Redondo Beach