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Tomorrow over on FoodGPS, I will talk about the busy beer season that LA hits each fall. Here is a snapshot of events that I will be writing about….
L.A. Craft Beer Crawl – 8/18
LA Beer Week – 9/20 – 9/30
BAM FEST – 10/6
GABF – 10/11 – 10/13
A night in Alahambra, sipping at the L.A. Beer Week version of Ultimate Flight Night thanks to 38 Degrees….
That photo shows only 1/2 of the plethora of flights you could have ordered last night. I chose to not go that route and tried the Eagle Rock Barrel Aged Equinox, Stone 15th Anniversary with espresso beans and The Bruery’s Birra Basta.
My beer buddy Richard stayed on program and got the Beachwood BBQ Brewing Flight. His favorite was the Thrill Seeker IPA. 
Jeremy Raub was in the house along with Kern River and Mitch Steele from Stone as well. Oh and FoodGPS Josh, Alex Villa, The Full Pint guys and Dan from L.A. Weekly too…
Who gave me the lowdown on the proper toast.
Thanks to Clay Harding and his flight crew for the evening!
Blue Palms hosted Kern River Brewing last night. And for awhile, their Facebook event page just had Class V, Just Outstanding, Golden Trout pale and the new pumpkin beer (which is reviewed by me, today). 
But I knew that they would probably have the famed Citra DIPA as well. And I was right. 6:30 came and so did our goblet with one of my favorite beers in it. 
It is just a tropical fruit explosion especially in the aroma. Personally, I wouldn’t call it a Double because it is so light and effervescent with just a touch of bitterness. I have only had this twice now and each time I am pulled in two directions. Savor every last drop slowly or greedily drink in all the goodness.
As mentioned, there were other Kern beers last night. Including the Golden Trout pale ale which was new to me. Utilizing the Galaxy hop, this was a solid pale. It is such a different flavor profile from Citra. To me there is a somewhat metallic harshness to it. But a nice hearty beer.
Thanks to Brian and Matt and everyone else at Blue Palms and Kern River for bringing the good stuff. Blue Palms will be featuring Beachwood beers tonight. Try the Thrill Seeker IPA!
Three years of Ten Fidy from Oskar Blues? Sign me up. At Boneyard Bistro last night, I got the chance to compare and contrast three vintages of the Colorado beer at yet another great LA Beer Week event…
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The ’11 was strong with a lot of roasted notes. As it warmed up, the hoppiness revealed a bit but it was dimmed by the rising heat at the back.
The ’10 was much more mellow and sported a chocolately flavor. The roasted qualities were there but not in abundance but I did get some bourbon flavors as well.
The ’09 was my favorite of the night. Milder than the ’10 with a milk chocolate taste. Had some vinous wine aspects to it and as it warmed, I got more floral tea like notes.
To top it off, amongst the many stout choices available, I went with Ballast Point and their Indra Kunindira. And that is a beer that I am still, the day after trying to decide if I liked it or not. It was this swirling combination of vanilla, cinnamon and pepper on a base of stout. The 4oz pour was perfect. I can’t imagine trying to drink more than that. It is a fireplace after dinner, snifter beer for sure.
Thanks to Rory and the Bistro for showing off some world class stouts!
My second visit to Golden Road brewing on a Sunday afternoon…
….as a big crowd lined up to get access to not only a mini-beer festival but also to scope out the three colorful buildings that make up the Golden Road mega-complex.
There were stations in each building and outside too to where you could get some Hangar 24, Eagle Rock (including Unity 2011), Stone, Dales, Avery, Firestone and of course Point the Way IPA and Hefeweizen from Golden Road.
All of which looked great in the grand opening glass. (That I very nearly broke on the way out). Aside from Point the Way my favorite was the Thrill Seeker IPA from Beachwood. Very herbal and piney aroma that was strong on flavor but not a hop wrecker.
There was quite the crowd from a sheer number perspective but also from the world craft beer luminaries. Let’s name drop! David Walker of Firestone-Walker. Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. Julian from Beachwood Brewing. Megan from Beer West. The guys from Oskar Blues.
But the biggest name drop was the third beer from Golden Road.
Burning Bush is a rauch-IPA that really brings the smoke and BBQ notes but then the hops kick in to balance things out. Quite tasty. Would get rauch fans to try IPA’s and IPA fans to try more Rauchbiers.
Thanks to Tony, Meg, Jon, Cole and Skipp for putting on the party.
Night number two and on to Echo Park to walk and drink. Just not at the same time. Here are my thoughts on the Musical Beer Crawl…
which coincided with a beautiful SoCal night. I thought the passport idea was grand because you need one to navigate LA at times. You had your map and the specials in a handy pocket sized guide. And more importantly, I thought the walk and number of establishments was good. Too much more and the amount of walking and drinking would discourage people from doing the whole route.
My other beer bloggin’ friend Richard and I started at Sunset Beer since he had not visited the store before. Started with the Populist IPA from Eagle Rock (see above). At 6pm, we were some of the first crawlers.
We next went to Short Stop (a first time visit for me) where no one knew about the crawl despite being on the map and they certainly did not know about the special keg or special prices either. Though the barkeep did remedy the last part. This could have been avoided with a pre-visit to all the locations by the organizers. So we moved past Lot 1 which wasn’t open and on to El Prado where I had a Duvel Single (see above) and Richard had a $5 Angel’s Share. You read that right $5. El Prado is my kind of place. Chill with good beer choices. I will be returning there. (I totally forgot to give a shout-out to Two Boots Pizza. Two-for-One slices that were really good)
We hadn’t planned on visiting Mohawk Bend because our plan was to visit places we hadn’t been to before. We looked in on City Sip but we didn’t see any of the Stone beers that we thought were supposed to be on tap. So we headed back to a now busier Sunset Beer and had a nightcap.
Overall, this was a good way to introduce people to the craft beer in the area. It would have been better if crawl volunteers could have been posted along the route to assist and make sure events and kegs were working and/or some more signage delineating spots that were stops on the crawl. But for a first year event, pretty well done, and I didn’t even partake of the music.
Tomorrow is the epic DECONSTRUCTED dinner. Gotta pace myself.
Hopefully you have gotten your tickets to the Union Station finale of LA Beer Week.
~ All three Lucky Baldwin’s will be pouring Stone and Craftsman beers for the week.
~ The Verdugo will celebrate it’s 4th Octoberfest
~ Golden Road Brewing will grant a sneak peek.
~ Dionicess will visit Steingarten
~ Cismontane and Tony’s Darts Away feed our caffeine needs
and that is just a smattering of the fun we will be having in LA!
Here is the full spiel:
“The ever-growing horde of Los Angeles craft beer fans can again rejoice as LA Beer Week makes its triumphant return on October 10. Cramming so much win into seven days proved impossible, so the event organizers decided to slightly alter the definition of the word “week,” opting to extend the festivities through October 23, spreading the gospel for a whopping 14 days.
This epic celebration of local beer culture will take place throughout Los Angeles & Orange Counties (and their respective environs), highlighting an array of focused tastings, educational seminars, and beer pairing dinners at bars, restaurants, bottle shops, and breweries throughout the area. These resplendent activities will culminate with the signature LA Beer Week Festival on October 23, from 12-4pm at the historic Union Station. $45 pre-sale tickets for the flagship festival are available now, which entitle attendees to unlimited 4oz. tasters of beer from over 70 of the world’s most respected craft and artisan breweries, including some rare and special releases.
One special find that will pop up around town throughout LA Beer Week will be Unity, an autumn saison brewed with tamarind. The recipe, developed by Eagle Rock Brewery’s Jeremy Raub and Craftsman Brewing Company’s Mark Jilg, and brewed by a team of the event organizers, is reflective of the collaborative spirit behind LA Beer Week as well as the camaraderie present within the craft beer industry.
The team is rightfully proud of the diversity of the local beer culture and community, and looks forward to once again promoting and celebrating it with a larger audience. A framework and calendar for individual establishments and breweries to promote their own events, as well as information and tickets for the LA Beer Week Festival, are available at LABeerWeek.com.
Proceeds from the LA Beer Week Festival will be benefiting The Spero Foundation”
Entering the final weekend of LA Beer Week, I was excited to see how the closing festival turned out in it’s new location at Union Station. Very well indeed. Crap, I jumped the gun on my own post.
But first, I drove over to Eagle Rock Brewing on Saturday to try the LA Week beer. The aforementioned, Unity LA’s Team Beer. An imperialized California common. As well as the new lemongrass wit. They have been busy at ERB! (And I haven’t even talked about their coffee beer Stimulus)
Of the two, the Lemongrass was the winner. Distinct and vibrant notes of lemongrass that didn’t cloy on the palate. Why it doesn’t have a fancy name like the rest of the beers I don’t know. But it was delicious.
The Unity was solid and well made but not a style that I would normally go back to repeatedly. I think I just prefer the regular old fashioned common / steam beer. Amping up this style doesn’t add anything for me.
On to the FINALE!
I arrived early to volunteer and got to haul ice and do some general helpful things before getting my assignment for the four hour festival. I and Oregon Beer Festival veteran Richard would be manning the Wyder and Woodchuck cider booth.
Luckily that put us right in between Brian and Nibble Bit Tabby and Jeremy and Co. from Eagle Rock. And Craftsman was right across from us. Thankfully cider is easier to pour. Less finicky than beer. So we could watch the crowd ebb and flow and see everyone come to see Jeremy’s GABF medal.
It was a blast to be a part of something that put so many smiles onto people’s faces.
So now that the 2010 edition is in the books, I will be giving out two grades. One for the week+ of events and one for the Union Station festival.
EVENTS GRADE – B-
Why? – Plenty of events all over the LA. Diversity of events.
Why not higher? – Need more events in the mid-price range ($20.00-$30.00)
I always found something to go to. And if I didn’t have something new or spectacular, I did get to re-visit some places that I hadn’t seen in a bit. That is such a plus.
Here are my recommendation for improving on this years edition.
1. The ability to tag and get updates on those events that most interest you. This would have helped me considerably. I mentally jotted down what I wanted to attend and then didn’t really look to closely after that. If there was an e-mail update that told me that the Oinkster event was about to put tickets on sale for an event that I didn’t know required tickets, I might have made that event. Same for the Hot Knives and Cheese at the Verdugo. Information was on the calendar very fast but it changed too and it is becoming daily work to keep on top of things.
2. Official “HOME of LA Beer Week” banners for establishments holding events during the week. Who knows how many people may have wandered into a bar or brewery if they could easily see such a sign. (More on signs later)
3. Keep pressing for more press. KPCC was at the Float Showdown. Los Angeles magazine did a blurb. More is needed and will come if the momentum is tended to.
FESTIVAL GRADE – B+
Why? – Good amount of breweries. Wide ranging beer selection. Was not cramped. Great location.
Why not higher? – Needed more signage and toilets. Needed to display the Unity beer more prominently.
First off, I want to congratulate all of the people who dedicated alot of personal time and energy to put this on. These events are hard to put on. Logistically and stylistically. Then factor in that this was the first attempt at this venue and you add more hurdles. Anybody who starts complaining or whining without spending time congratulating and high fiving people first, is an idiot.
Now down to brass tacks. AKA, my personal recommendations for improvement.
Pre-Event
1. I could not for the life of me find the list of breweries. Maybe it was there and I missed it. Either way, it was not easily accessible.
2. Push the mass transit. Link up to the rail and bus time tables.
3. Have the LA beer bloggers start banging the drums about what they are itching to drink.
During the event
1. We need the mayor or a sports personality to tap the first keg and it needs to be the official LA Beer for the week. And that beer needs to be front and center and visible to all walking in. Even if it is in limited supply.
2. Signs. In the Union Station space, a map truly isn’t required. I could walk around in 5 minutes with a festival going on. But signs would be nice. A sign for the Spero Foundation booth. A sign for the water. Where to go for the food trucks? If that is too costly or time consuming, posting 5 or 6 volunteers around the festival with “Ask Me” pins or shirts would work wonders.
3. I don’t know what the breakdown of new to craft beer vs. old hands has been for the festival but we need an education booth or breakout session. Where we can distribute information about all of the great places to go here in LA. I know a map is in the works but even a simple sheet just names, address, hours of operation and website might bring more people after the festival.
Post-Festival
1. Pre-assigned breakdown teams. Before the event, put people into specific groups for cleaning. One group starts by kindly getting our guests out of the area. Another group does empty bottles. Another group moves kegs. Another strikes tables. Each group should have a leader. There is a great group of volunteers willing to help that could use more forceful direction.
Two events to talk about today:
Stone Archival at Tony’s Darts Away.
I have to admit that I had planned on visiting the Oinkster for Craftsman beer and BBQ. For whatever reason, I thought I could just mosey in an order some cue and a beer. It was not that kind of event. And I missed the ticket window. Bummer for me. But the great thing about LA Beer Week is that there are other things to do!
So I headed to Burbank for more Stone. I had a nice glass of the 09/09/09. It was rich and mellow. Belgian notes had really receded to the background and added a slight tint at the end. The orange and vanilla talked about when it was brewed had also faded a bit. All in all, a lovely dessert beer if you have any and are willing to open it now.
I was going to have another Double Dry-hopped Sublimely Self-Righteous but the taps were pitching a fit. The crew at Tony’s soon got the snafu fixed and had to play catch up with the large and growing crowd. So to finish, I had another San Diego beer. San Salvador Saison from Ballast Point.
This is what the brewery says about it, “The idea started as a San Diego Farmhouse Ale using local ingredients. We wondered what the Kumeyaay Indian’s were eating when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo climbed out of his flagship boat, the San Salvador, and onto the shore of Ballast Point in 1542. Also, what might have Cabrillo stocked on his boat before he left Acapulco (then called Navidad) 3 1/2 months earlier? So with some research we tracked down a fun mix of ingredients for a Belgian inspired San Diego indigenous Ale.
With some help from our friends at The Linkery, North Park Native Plants and Wingshadow’s Farm we were able to track down ingredients like corn, pine nuts, agave, elder flower, white sage, manzanita berries, curacao and local sage honey. The malt bill consisted of Belgian pale malt, caramunich, biscuit, wheat and corn. The result is a 7.5% ABV, brown beer that really has to be tasted to be understood. It tastes like the San Diego countryside.”
As you can see, it is a beer without a category. Is it brown, saison, regular Belgian? More the first with a bit of the latter and not the middle. A very good beer with lots of individual flavors. Just don’t order one hoping for a saison.
Last night, again I was not vigilant enough to the Beer Week Calendar. I thought I could saunter into the Surly Goat and maybe have cheese and beer presented by the Hot Knives. Well, A it was another sold out ticketed event and B, it wasn’t even at the Surly Goat!
But again the depth of events saved me. Surly Goat was pouring some special Maui Brewing beers. I tried Ode to Carol which either didn’t survive the journey to the mainland or was one of the lightest Belgian ales on record. I also had their Hula Honey Lager which was only OK in my book. Others at the bar though really enjoyed it.
3 DAYS LEFT. Be sure to check out all the happenings at the LA Beer Week event page.
The 2nd Beer Float Showdown presented by FoodGPS and held at the Verdugo was a rousing success with a bunch of people taking the leap into the realm of beer and ice cream.
Four competitors created really original floats with most involving fruit beers. Here are the four floats in pictorial form.
# 1 from Ladyface Brasserie
# 2 from Simmzy’s
# 3 from Boneyard Bistro
Here is the description of the winning float, “Boneyard Bistro bar manager Rory Snipes made a float using Floris Apple, Bourbon-salted caramel-cinnamon ice cream, and a garnish of green apple coated with caramel cinnamon crumble.” Since it was such a hit, it may end up on the regular menu.
# 4 from Tony’s Darts Away
Since there is no such thing as too much ice cream or too much beer, next stop was Scoops on Monday night for some incredible artisanal ice cream made with beer as a highlighted ingredient. I had the apricot/Chimay which was really good. You got a both fruit and beer solidly. The Hazelnut Lost Coast combo also worked wonders.
To further tempt you to go, here are some photos of the deliciousness… (Double click the photos to see the combinations)
