First Look – Little Bear LA

When you bring together the talent behind the Oinkster and Maximillianos with the beer savvy behind The Verdugo and the Surly Goat, what do you get?

Little Bear in downtown-ish Los Angeles. Here are some photos and my reaction on my first visit.

You drive by darkened warehouses on the eastern edge of downtown Los Angeles. Very noir. Then on Industrial Street there is an oasis and life going on. Strollers out and about. Dogs being walked and two restaurants across a skinny street from each other and one is the new (since Friday) Little Bear.
I scan the beer list and pick # 1 on the list, Duvel Single. Solid list with a good variety of choices. The industrial space is bright and warm. Nice mix of tables and a bar to choose from too. I really like the artwork including the Little Bear badge outside and the iconic Belgian beer logos on one wall.
My beer arrives as does my grilled cheese (which could use a lighter hand on the onion marmalade) and then my second beer (Ommegang Three Philosophers) which goes amazingly well with the Chocolate and Cheese plate provided by Ryan Sweeney.
It is an value for the price. You have to try the cheese and chocolate together. I was wary at first but it works quite well. Especially the stilton with a bit of dark chocolate.

photo courtesy of Richard Rosen
As of now, they are open only at night but lunch will be coming soon and you can expect a rotating list of Belgians and Belgian inspired beers on tap and in bottles. I highly suggest checking out the latest addition to the L.A. craft beer scene.

Angel City + Alchemy & Science =

Big news for the Los Angeles beer world, Alchemy & Science which is a new division (?) of Boston Beer Company has purchased Angel City Brewing which had recently moved to downtown LA last year.

Before I opine on the matter, here are the posts from the great BeerNews.org that detail what happened. # 1. # 2. # 3.

This seems to be uncharted territory as far as I know in the beer world. There is the Craft Brewers Alliance and the Magic Hat group where there is a pooling of resources but those are different from what appears is going on here with Angel City and A&S. The first question that I have is, and should always be the first question in any analysis of a business deal, will the beer quality improve? If Michael Bowe is allowed to just brew and someone else does the marketing and distribution, will that be a change for the better? Only time will tell, but my initial gut instinct is that it will.

Angel City, in recent years, had been eclipsed by Eagle Rock, Strand and El Segundo in buzz and number of tap handles. And Craftsman beers were always more highly regarded especially from a keeping the craft beer flame lit in Los Angeles perspective. Will the big business and dollars behind the new Angel City be a turn off to the craft beer crowd? I think it might.

One good thing is that the craft beer spotlight is now shining on Los Angeles for a bit. Can we as consumers and bloggers and lovers of craft beer keep that focus on LA?

Sunset Beer Company


Have you ever wanted to join a beer of the month club but the shipping costs were too much. Well, if you are lucky enough to be in Los Angeles, you can join the Sunset Beer Company club and get expert beer choices. Here are the details:

“There have been many requests, and we’ve finally worked through the logistics and are starting our beer of the month club!

The membership will get you a monthly selection of beer with accompanying literature to memorize and one-up your beer nerd friends at beer nerd parties (we wouldn’t mind an invite, either…thanks).

There are two levels to the club $30/month and $60/month, where the higher level gets twice the beer! . . . well, that and one free pour at the bar each month. Perhaps you’d like to drink a beer when you come to pick up your club selections? Beer club members will also be on a special email list to get first dibs on special releases!

But wait, there’s more!

If you commit to six months of the club, you’ll get an uber-rare, special edition, limited run, official Sunset Beer Company hat! (we’re in a giving mood)

To join, come to the shop and complete the form, or send an email to: info@sunsetbeerco.com”

One refreshed, One almost opened and One in the works

And they are all under the Andre Guerrero banner.

First, The Oinkster the always crowded (and with good reason) BBQ joint in Eagle Rock with a great beer list has been renovated from tables and chairs to menu board. If you didn’t already go for the beer, check out it’s updated look.

Next up is Maximiliano in Highland Park. It is yet to open but if Oinkster is any indication, this will be yet another spot for great beer and Italian food.

UPDATE – I just tried Maximiliano and I have to say that it is great. The interior is way cool. Great windows make it an airy space. I have tried a good chunk of the desserts which are great and the potato pizza that I had was really good. On the beer front, they are going to carry primarily Craftsman beers including a special beer made just for the restaurant. The place gets a thumbs up from me for sure after one visit.

Last is the news (now, not so new) that a third spot will be created downtown called Little Bear! With the always friendly and beer savvy Ryan Sweeney on board. Check out the details HERE. Thanks to Eater for always finding the latest scoop!

L.A. Beer Week starts…..

TOMORROW!

Here are my picks for this week:
10/10 Naja’s Opening Night Stone Festival
(but if you can’t make it or can’t get a ticket, try Lucky Baldwin’s for Craftsman and Stone beers)

10/11 Musical Beer Crawl

10/12 Firestone-Walker Deconstructed. If you can’t get into the main event. Blue Palms has a post party and the anniversary beer will be released into the wild around this time too.

10/13 Deschutes Beer and Chocolate at the Bottle Room

10/14 Lucky Devils will be pouring Lost Abbey beers.

10/15 Beer Float Showdown 3
(you can also hit the nearby Verdugo for their annual Oktoberfest celebration)

Check out the official website for more information on each event.

Golden Road – the first batches

I had the good fortune to sample the inaugural beers from the new Golden Road Brewing last night at 38 Degrees Alehouse and I am pleased to report that I thoroughly enjoyed both.

I started with the Point the Way IPA. I have to admit that I was concerned due to the brewer’s Dogfish past and the fact that I am not a big Dogfish IPA fan. (I know it’s heresy) But this was a solid effort. Especially considering it’s new equipment and the first batch. It poured a dark orange with a big head on it and the aroma was pure pine. The flavor stayed that way too and for a 5% abv, I got some heat off of it too. Once it warmed up a little some citrus kicked in as well to really round the flavors off.

The hefeweizen also was helped by warming up. And again it was citrus that crept onto the palate. But this citrus had a candied quality to it. And again it really balanced out the big banana flavors and the clove spiciness. This is a great example of the hefe style with a little twist that adds to it instead of overwhelming.

Overall this was a great start for Golden Road. I was expecting some work to be done but these are really good on their own right out of the gate.

Sunset Beer Co. is about to open….

…and by about to, I mean tomorrow, Saturday!

I toured the new space which has a beautiful grand hotel bar look to it with dark woods and bookcases and big art pieces on the walls.

It is split into two sections. You walk in and see a row of coolers to the right which hold the starting inventory, which will grow. Right now you can pick up Aphrodite from Ommegang or an Oyster Stout from Porterhouse of Ireland,

The bar section is separated a bit on the other side but you can still see the bottles while perusing the tap list. With Alex Macy at the helm you can expect a good variety of beer for all levels of beer enthusiasts. Last night, Dortmunder Export from Eagle Rock was a popular selection.

So clear some room out of your ‘fridge so you can support a local business!

Far Bar

Recently, I made my first visit to Far Bar in the Little Tokyo section of downtown Los Angeles.

Don't enter here, go a little further to the side entrance.

I like the chill outdoor vibe with the view of the sky above hemmed in by buildings. You feel hidden and out of the way, until you see the beer list and realize the most of the good breweries must know about this place too.
page 2 of the list.

I had chicken satay and ended the evening with Mach 10 Double IPA from Bear Republic but first I had to try the Pumpkin,sour,cranberry “Kick” from New Belgium. It was slightly sour and the cranberry was there all right. But no pumpkin or earthy squash notes came through. A fine beer but I was expecting more I guess.
the New Belgium Kick

My beer buddy Richard had the Stone 15th concoction and this uniquely served Belgian strong ale from Kwak.

If you haven’t been to Far Bar then add it your beer itinerary.

Point the Way

The brewery that I can walk to in 20 minutes, Golden Road, has been making fast progress.

A name and a keg collar ready and soon the first beer will be too.

And speaking of ahead of schedule, what I consider the “backlash” articles are showing up. Just one now, and it is fairly tame but I do not like even an inkling of this sort of thing in an industry that I believe to be super collaborative.

Personally, I don’t care how or when you got involved in craft beer or how big or small your participation level is. All are welcome in my book.

In the history books

I may be in Portland, networking with a great group of beer bloggers but that won’t stop me from thinking about the LA beer scene….

Late last month, KCET.org posted an informative slice of Los Angeles history focusing on breweries.

It got me to thinking that we need to get our current LA craft beer boosters and artists to pay a little homage to our past. The easiest way being to make some lagers that call back the old beer names like Eastside and Brew 102. Or maybe make a Zobelein & Maier session ale.

Or to take it one step further, take our new pop-up beer gardens to some of these historical brewing spots and have a history professor talk about the site and and the stories of brewing from the early days of the City of Angels.

I am sure there are some stories to tell.