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I am a Benny Boy fanboy and part of that is due to their cider side, if you still haven’t visited or have only tried the beer half, then maybe you check out this…
Milkfarm has partnered with Eagle Rock Brewery in the past, so they understand the ins and outs of cheese and drink pairing.
DAMN – This sold out in a day, so you folks are going to have to DIY it. Hit up your map app of choice and plot the best route between Eagle Rock and Boyle Heights to pick your cheese and cider duos.
Eagle Rock Brewery has a new anniversary beer out. Not for themselves but for another Eagle Rock small business, Milkfarm. For a limited time you can get cheese or a sandwich and pair it with a special 7th Anniversary Milkfarm Hoppy Lager.
Here is a really early look at L.A. Beer Week events that you may want to add to your schedule for celebrating the week in Los Angeles beer…
1. Monday, June 18th @ Eagle Rock Brewery Public House
“Come one, come all to learn a bit about the beer world from our esteemed panel of brewers/brewery owners (Highland Park Brewery, Three Weavers, Societe Brewing and Eagle Rock Brewery)! The kicker? Each panelist will be presented with hot wings that get progressively hotter throughout the panel. Sayre Piotrkowski, Bay Area beer evangelist will be moderating this SUPER HOT and hilarious panel. Can they take the heat? Can YOU? If you aren’t scurred, you should come try the flight of hot wings plus beers designated by the panelists to quell the inferno in their mouths. Each of the hot wings will be prepared with special hot sauces prepared by Chef Jerry Su, so they’ll be both delicious and SPICY!”
2. Tuesday, June 19th @ Harajuku Taproom
“Harajuku Taproom is a taproom for Baird Beer from Shizuoka, JAPAN. We will be celebrating LA Beer Week with a wide selection of Japanese Craft Beer from Baird Beer, several guest taps including Coedo and Hitachino, and some Japan-themed local LA beers. 21 beers on tap, special flights, representatives from Coedo, pouring some samples of their beer offering, a presentation on Baird Beer, and a discussion of Japanese Craft Beer by Tomm Carroll, LA Correspondent for Celebrator Beer News, and regular writer for Beer Paper LA.”
3. Thursday, June 21st @ Naja’s Place
“Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach will once again host the Battle of the Guilds; a three-Guild tap takeover between Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Come support the home team and help LA win back the highly-coveted Golden Keg!”
4. Saturday, June 23rd @ Three Weavers Brewing
“Join us at our brewery in Inglewood for the 1st Annual Brewmo Pseudo-Sumo Showdown, where brewers from all around will square off in a brew-tal battle for eternal glory and a chance to hold the world-renowned Brewmo Pseudo-Sumo Belt of the Beermasters. We’ll have our parking lot turned into a sumo wrestling arena where you can drink some beer while you watch your favorite brewers lay it all on the line as they strap themselves into giant sumo wrestling suits and fight! It will be TOTAL PSEUDO-SUMO MADNESS. Free admission for 21+ with valid ID; our doors open at High Noon.”
5. Sunday, June 24th
“Why not finish the week at Milkfarm for the grand finale? ‘Cause in case you didn’t know….BEER LOVES CHEESE and CHEESE REALLY LOVES BEER! We’ll kick-off the class with a welcome pour of this year’s Unity Beer hosted by LA Ale Works! Alyssa, Milkfarm Cheesemonger and Craft Beer Cellar’s Beer Queen, will then guide you through FIVE unique, LA-brewed beers paired with FIVE delicious American cheeses (and/or cheese-based yummies). This class is meant to highlight the importance of the current-day artisan, and how they affect their communities. You’ll also get an overview of the brewing process, as well as learn the differences between many of the major beer styles….oh and you’ll learn a thing or two about CHEESE of course!”
When Allagash comes a callin’ with a new beer, any beer blogger worth their salt will want to taste it. Such was the case when I got an invite to taste the new Little Brett from the Maine brewery at the cheese shop / deli, Milkfarm in Eagle Rock.
L.A. rep Hallie Beaune led me through a tasting of favorites forgotten as well as one of my favorite beers that just was re-released in our beer market. But let’s start with the star of the show.
Little Brett was started on the Allagash pilot system and the beer evolved from where it began. Utilizing Allagash house 2 row malt and their own version of brettanomyces. All the while managing to be at 4.8% abv. And be a complex beer and not watery. The initial aroma is Mosaic hop which transitions to some cool tropical fruit notes before the not so little Brett makes its appearance. It is very Brett at the end finishing with leather and barnyard notes. As with the other beers in the flight, the a uniform dryness completed the picture.
The taster flight started with the beer that made the brewery, White. I haven’t had that beer in soooo long and it was almost new to me. It was much more Belgian-style yeast driven. Very dry and I was reminded to swirl the glass to get the sediment moving and give the cloudy effect. Nancy, their yearly cherry beer was as awesome as I remembered. Just a blast of pie cherry flavor with a restrained sour/tart tang to it. If I had to pick a cherry beer to give to someone as a template, this would be it. Curieux was as good as always and I learned that a gin barrel beer had been made at the brewery. If it is as good as this Jim Beam barrel classic, it will be awesome to find.
Lastly, I had my first taste of Sixteen Counties, their Belgian Pale which has a Maine Grain malt bill and a slight touch of hops. I really enjoyed it. All of the beers had a simplicity to them. No gimmicks. Just a dogged point of view. You could really tell that these beers came from the same brewery.
By the way the Cheese of the day was Alpha Tolman. Milkfarm has a small selection of wine and beer to choose from with some pricey corkage but according to Beaune the sandwiches are great. So grab a beer and a sandwich and enjoy in the Cali sunshine.
