Tag: Los Angeles

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To the City of Los Angeles – Zoning Administration

On Saturday Night Live, there was a recurring segment called “Really?”. Whenever the writers hear of an issue that strikes them as outrageous or dumbfounding, they use this segment to give it the satirical roasting it deserves.

I wish I could hire the writers of that show to give me better words for this occasion, but I will have to settle for “Really?”

What is this occasion? Eagle Rock has to go in front of the Zoning Administration to defend itself as part of the Conditional User Permit it was granted. And if they pass this test, they get to do it again in 3 1/2 years. Before Eagle Rock is questioned tomorrow, here are my questions for the City of Los Angeles….

You are actually thinking about stopping a growing business that has actually hired people in this economy and possibly force them to move. Really?

You would rather a building sit empty than have people inside buying products that are taxed knowing that those dollars then go to the City of Los Angeles? Really?

You want to make the City of the Angels MORE unapealing to entrepreneurs who would like to be opening breweries? Do you know something that Portland, Oregon, Asheville, North Carolina, San Diego, California, Seattle, Washington and New York City, NY don’t know? Really?

You desire to antagonize the small but tight knit craft beer community? A community that has propelled economic growth in a down economy? Really?

Eagle Rock Brewing is an asset not only inside city limits but across the country because they not only employ and serve our local citizens, but also represent Los Angeles at national events – like when they brought home a gold medal from the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

This is a law abiding, tax paying, community building small business who needs your support. Really.

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Los Angeles Craft Beer timeline

Saw this on the Craft Beer Chronicles and thought it should get another audience after bouncing around Facebook and Twitter last week.


These two timelines really show how young we are as a craft beer community. I sometimes feel impatient with the growth of breweries and bottle shops here in LA but I have to stop comparing to Portland and Denver and see that that most of the places that I frequent aren’t even 5 years old. We have to walk before we can run. And here is what I think we will need in the future to really make LA a beer destination.

1. More breweries. We are on the path and if the City of Los Angeles would just get the hell out of the way we could have a bumper crop in a couple years. A community of brewers will only create higher standards and more experimentation.
2. A couple specialty beer bars. We need a real ale establishment or a sour beer house or heck even a bar that serves out of town beers to all the LA people who came from someplace else. Maybe a movie house with taps like the Alamo Drafthouse.
3. More media coverage. I’m looking at you LA Times and KCRW’s Good Food.
4. A lot more summer beers. LA gets hot if you didn’t notice over the 4th of July weekend. We can’t be drinking high ABV Triple IPA’s and Barrel aged stouts. We need light session beers and pilsners and we need more of them in cans so the active set can take them to where they want to go.

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colLAboration in July

If this can happen…

…then what may happen when the colLAboration takes a month long residence in West Hollywood?

Check out the website HERE to get all the details because you don’t want to miss the beer or the people at these events.

But for starters here is the general where and when….
Saturday, July 9th
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 16th
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 23rd – A Salute to Belgian Beers!
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

8950 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA 90069

The new Duvel/ColLAb glasses are $15. Those who purchased the $10 glass from the first or second event can use that as their admission; most beers will be $5 to $6.

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the colLAboration continues…

…and here is the latest update, “colLAboration – the mobile craft beer garden from the brains behind Tony’s Darts Away, Verdugo Bar/Surly Goat, Blue Palms and 38 Degrees – is popping-up a second time in Hollywood on Saturday, June 4th at the corner of Gower and Hollywood, from noon til 7 p.m.

The garden will feature dozens of the best in California beers including:
Firestone Walker, Sierra Nevada, Russian River, Beer Valley, Craftsman, Green Flash, Moylan’s, Avery, Alesmith, New Belgium, Dogfish Head, Port/Los Abbey, Eagle Rock, Hangar 24, Oskar Blues, Grand Teton, Uinta and many more.

Also, for the entire month of July, COLLAB will be held every Friday (4 p.m. to 9 p.m) and Saturday (noon to 9 p.m.) on the Sunset Strip right across from the world-famous Roxy Theater, featuring craft beer from California and beyond.

When: Saturday, June 4th 12 noon to 7pm.

Where:6124 Hollywood Blvd. at the corner of Gower and Hollywood

Cost:Those who purchased the $10 glass from the first event can use that as their admission; most beers will be $5 to $6. Glasses will also soon be available for purchase online at http://www.collaboration.la/

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Pop-Up Warning

If you live in Los Angeles and love craft beer, and you DIDN’T know about Saturday’s ColLAboration pop-up beer garden, then you are quite the professional hermit.

All pre-sales are now closed. There will be a limited amount of ColLAboration glasses (which are the admission ticket for this and future pop-ups) on sale Saturday.

I will be there enjoying the atmosphere and the beer and taking photos for a future post. To further whet your appetite, here is the first tweeted beers that will be there…”Bruery Gremlin, Russian River Redemption, North Coast Barrel Aged Old Stock.”

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El Segundo Brewing

There are reports on the food blogs such as Grub Street about a new brewery in El Segundo (near LAX).

They have the prototypical initial beers: a pale ale, a red ale, an IPA and a stout under the Blue House name plate.

They may be opening soon but as faithful readers will know, these openings are never set in stone.

More news and reviews when the beer becomes available.

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LA Beer Week – Where the BSP is going

Here are the events that I am MOST excited about for the 2nd year of the Beer in the City of the Angels Week
10/7 – Naja’s Place for the kick-off
10/10 – Beer Float Showdown II at The Verdugo
10/13 – Oinkster for Craftsman beer
10/14 – Beer and cheese at the Surly Goat
10/17 – Union Station for the Grand Finale festival!

Where are you going?

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38 Degrees app

I know the abbreviation “app” has been used to death but if we are going to overuse a phrase, we might as well overuse it in the cause of great beer.

So break out your mobile devices and upload this app to get the lastest scoop on a great Los Angeles beer destination…
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Click HERE to get the scoop.

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Nibble Bit Tabby release party

On Saturday, May 15, from 5 PM – 2 AM, The Nibble Bit Tabby Release Party is at Blue Star, featuring food, kegs of Uncle Arnie’s Irish Red, DJ Will, fire breathers, stilt walkers and special guests.

Live bands include HDR, Ollin, Swords of Fatima, Suffering Luna and Black Babbath. The event’s open to the public.

Check out the FoodGPS post about brewer, Brian Lethcoe and his beer philosophy HERE.