Tag: Union Station

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Return Visit – Imperial Western

I really enjoyed my first taster flight at Imperial Western Brewing at Union Station and with a few months passed, it was time to re-visit and see how the beer was holding up.

The Ahoy-hoy Brut IPA was quite nice. It had a nice snap to it with a subtle hop hit. A little more pear/fruit note would have added to it but really solid example of the style.

The taster tray was a different story. The sour had a weird buttery taste and was really only partially sour. Table Manners was as good as I remembered from my first visit and Courier Corps IPA had a tremendous bouqet and hop hit to it. It was the clear winner of the afternoon. Superchief IPA seems to have regressed. It was fine. Straight up West Coast hop profile but the aroma was muted and it was a bit heavy on pine for my taste.

I did a little more exploring this time and the outdoor patio in the front of Union Station is a nice addition except for the fact that a convoy of idling food trucks was the view. Better was a little pass through nook that held the crowler stations. This might be a nice hidden spot when it is staffed to avoid the crowd of the big room.

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1st Visit – Imperial Western Beer Co. at Union Station


I chose a rare wet and windy day to Gold Line myself to Union Station to make my first visit to the new-ish Imperial Western Beer Co. Part of the 213 Hospitality Group and sister brewery to Arts District Brewing a few blocks away. I had super high hopes for ADBC which is fine but hasn’t really super impressed me. That left me wondering how the beer would be here. On the flip side, the photos from various websites were fantastic looking Well, expectations are just that. The space is smaller and less grand than the shiny photos made it look. Don’t get me wrong, the space looks really nice. There is a good amount and different seating set-ups and you can’t go wrong with the look and architecture of the space. There is a weird little front bar that is part (not working yet) coffee bar and host/hostess stand that I think would be better utilized for more seating. At the rectangle bar near the kitchen there is a businessman with ear piece, travelers coming in for a quick beer and local workers. The oyster special seems a big draw, saw three sixers of the slimy things go by. (Not a oyster fancier am I)

And while the surroundings were fine the four beers from the quite large selection sampled were good to above average. I would pick IWBC or ADBC based on this initial taster tray. Below are my quick takes on the beers…

Table Manners Patersbier
Nice Belgian character. A little sharp. Banana prominent. A bit viscous on the palate

Calliope Hazy IPA
Bright fruit character. Haze has left. Concord grape. Nice medium hop hit.

Union Station Pale Lager
Lots of grain and corn. Smooth and easy to drink. Really light yellow.

Fred Harvey Hefe
Not super hefe’y. The Table Manners has more banana. Might have gotten the beers flipped? Couldn’t quite tell from the color.

Lastly, I tried the new…
Some S’mores Stout
Arts District will do the More version. A serviceable Stout. Some chocolate notes. Expecting more flavor components to it.

Next time I go, I will test out the Streamliner bar which wasn’t quite open when I visited.

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Beer at Union Station

It’s neither on Imperial or Western but rather at Union Station….

The logo and name for the awaited brewery at the iconic L.A. transportation landmark are here along with the news that there will be an Eagle Rock Brewery alum at the controls.

More news to come.

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A More Beer-y Union

Cedd Moses and Eric Needleman and their 213 Hospitality Group look to be closing in on adding to their roster of bars with a brewpub in the Harvey House section of the iconic Union Station.

This follows on the heels of the success of Arts District Brewing and the long simmering project will also has chef David Lentz of the Hungry Cat watching over the kitchen. That means seafood and beer pairings may be the norm plus The Varnish style cocktails.

The venture will probably not be up and running until late next year but it would be great to have a top flight taste of L.A. beer at this entry point as well as LAX.

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Event Review – L.A. Beer Week Finale


Craft beer can draw a crowd. Despite some serious heat. Despite the Carmageddon sequel on the 405 freeway. And despite a triathalon blocking other routes, Union Station was packed with beer lovers who were shown a cornucopia of craft beer choices.

For the first time this year, I signed up in time for one of the three break-out sessions (indoors) that were on offer. But I did have time to sneak in a couple beers first. So I started with Smog City’s Citra Quercus and Bravery’s Allegiance IPA.

This was not the panel I was attending (though I hear it was great). I sat in on the Unity – Prickly Pear panel and sampled four of the prickly pear influenced beers from Eagle Rock, Monkish, Beachwood and Ladyface. It was a study in comparing where one ingredient would take a brewer. Two added it to existing beers to create a whole new breed and two created from the ground up. Or the Sueno up in Monkish’s case. My favorite of the group was the super Prickly Pear Chesebro IPA from Ladyface that was SUPER red and fruity before getting back to bitterness at the back.

This year, I decided that I was only going to have beers that I had not sipped before. And I still had plenty of options. I got my first taste of Ritual Brewing from Redlands, Ouroboros and the aforementioned, Bravery. And I tried new beers from Ohana (Saison Dubach), El Segundo (Rum/Oak Hyperion Stout) and Hangar 24 (a hybrid IPA a blend of two of their regular hop offerings) too.

The ratio of hit to miss was about even. Partially due to the heat and the fact that after seven or eight tasters the palate gets a little wonky. But that is what is great about beer festivals, you get to sample so many and find that gem of a beer. One like Bravery’s Pineapple Boo which had a kiss of pineapple then a nice wheat beer behind it.

Speaking of gems. My two favorites were from one booth. Smog City. Their Citra Quercus and Weird Beer (yes, that is the name) both rocked.


They were light with a complex swirl of spices and very refreshing. Each one made you stop and go what is in this. I even told complete strangers in line to get either one or both.

So the 4th annual L.A. Beer Week is complete. Due to BAM Fest in Santa Monica and the Great American Beer Festival coming soon, there will be no heavy critique on these pages about this year’s extravaganza. But I would like to hear your thoughts as to how to better improve the festival and the week as a whole for when the Week turns five.

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L.A. Beer Week – Day 14 – Union Station


What a beautiful Sunday to have a beer festival. There were three “must” attend events for this two week bonanza called L.A. Beer Week. One was Deconstructed, the second was the Beer Float Showdown and the third was the festival finale.
First on my list was to sample the beers from L.A. newcomer Ohana. They were pouring their new Black IPA by the gritty L.A. name of Black Dahlia. As well as two versions of a Muscat barrel lambic. And as good as the IPA was to this hophead, the lambics were great. One was milder and really showcased the grape tastes with a bit of tart. The punchier version was much more Belgiany and pucker inducing. I liked both equally precisely because they were so different but with common flavors.
The other spot that I honed in on was the Pro-Am area. And I was lucky to get the last of the collaboration of Strand Brewing and the Beer Chicks. It was a combination of hops, nuttiness and caramel that I really enjoyed. I ended up trying close to (15) samples while alternately hiding in the shade and warming up. But there was just too much good stuff being poured. From Beachwood…. to Craftsman…. …to Dogfish Head…. and many more inbetween.

The first two iterations of the festival, I volunteered. But this time around, I played the role of media and got to see the event from a new perspective. There was quite the equal representation. Both genders and all ages in equal amounts. This was definitely not a Beer Geek dominated party. There was also a wide representation of beer with a nice amount of focus on SoCal. I was really impressed by the amount of beer that Craftsman brought too. Angelino Weiss, Ruddy Bloke, Sour Grapes among the many they were pouring.

On the downside, water stations were nowhere to be found and I walked around a few times looking. At a festival with unlimited pours, there needs to be easily accessible water. There was a hiccup getting people inside but that was an unforeseen complication that was not the fault of the organizers.

Overall, it was easy to navigate and get beers. Not many lines and the ones that were there were fast moving. Couple that with the selection and the weather and this event was a winner.

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LA Beer Week – Final Report (and grade)

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.

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LA Beer Week tickets

Go HERE to get your tickets for the 2nd LA Beer Week finale party on October 17th.
labeerweekad-760270

And if you thought last year at Descanso Gardens amongst the roses was cool. How about upping the ante to historic Union Station!

Now you can metro to the beer and not have to worry about driving or parking.