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Tag Archive: beer

January 31, 2012

Beachwood BBQ and Library Alehouse’s “Pliny the Younger Fights Cancer” Charity Raffle Thru February 18

Russian River growlers Flickr shot by --Mark--

Every year beer geeks go insane for Russian River’s Pliny the Younger Triple IPA. So much so that labyrinthine lines form around the blocks of the very few bars that are lucky enough to get a hold of the allotted five gallons of the beer.

Yes, Pliny the Younger is only available for purchase at a very few bars because as the brewery’s site says “it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make.” Even mothership Russian River brewpub in Santa Rosa doesn’t allow growlers or bottles, rather you are welcome to a 10-ounce glass of the 10.5% ABV beer. And as if its rarity isn’t enough to fuel the fervor, currently Pliny the Younger, not to be confused with Russian River’s more readily available Pliny the Elder Double IPA? Ranks No. 1 out of 100 on Beer Advocate’s list of top beers. Settle down, settle down.

So where can you, a SoCal beer lover, get a hold of this NorCal ambrosia? Russian River Brewery has announced that Pliny will be released this Friday, February 3; and local beer bars Beachwood BBQ (Seal Beach) and Library Alehouse (Santa Monica) will indeed carry it! However the bars will be controlling the chaos by selling $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win/purchase a pint. So you don’t have to stand in line for the beer or suffer Walmart-on-Black-Friday-type crowds, PLUS 100% of the proceeds from the raffle ticket sales will go to the Melanoma Research Foundation, in memory of Beachwood BBQ’s friend Tony Carbone who died of melanoma in 2008.

Beachwood BBQ, both Seal Beach and Long Beach locations, has been selling tickets, to raffle off its 130 pints, since January 17 and will continue to do so til February 18. While Santa Monica’s Library Alehouse will start selling its tickets for a chance at purchasing one of 50 glasses of Pliny for 25 cents, on February 3rd. There’s no limit to how many raffle tickets you can buy but it is cash only.

Winners will then be drawn on February 20 and contacted via email and then have 10 days to fetch their pints. Mmm, can you taste it already?

By the way, other bars that will be carrying Pliny the Younger: Lucky Baldwin’s, Verdugo Bar and The Surly Goat!

Beachwood BBQ
131 1/2 Main Street
Seal Beach, California 90470 (map)
(562) 493-4500

210 E. 3rd Street
Long Beach, California 90802 (map)
(562) 436-4020
Facebook: Beachwood BBQ; Twitter: @BeachwoodBBQ

Library Alehouse
2911 Main Street
Santa Monica, California 90405 (map)
(310) 314-4855
Facebook: Library Alehouse; Twitter: @LibraryAlehouse

Categories: Beer

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January 12, 2012

This Weekend: Pliny the Younger Raffle, Pegu Club Vet at 1886, Space 15 Twenty Sample Sale & Free Cocktails

Thursday, January 12

Bushmills Irish Whiskey Tasting at Neat
Dance a jig into your weekend with an Irish whiskey tasting followed by live Irish music. Whiskey Master Ed Adams will guide a tasting of the entire Bushmills line at Neat in Glendale. Afterward at 8:30p, the Irish band hits the stage. RSVP to info@theneatbar.com for the tasting.

6:30-8pm. Neat, 1114 N Pacific Avenue, Glendale (map). (818) 241-4542.

Pegu Club Vet Scott James Teague Guest Bartending at 1886
Attention cocktail nerds, Scott Teague, head bartender of Alex Day and David Kaplan’s new NYC bar Demi Monde as well as Pegu Club veteran will be behind the stick at 1886 tonight! He’ll be serving up a special side menu while 1886 bartender Lacey Murillo does up 1886′s deelish winter cocktails.

1886 at The Raymond, 1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena (map). (626) 441-3136.

Friday, January 13

Happy Hour Sample Sale and Free St. Germain Cocktails at Space 15 Twenty
Yup, FREE cocktails. Oh and shopping where you can save 50 to 70% off collections by Nombre, Jill Lindsey and Sophmore priced at $10-$50. How can you turn that down? Drunk shopping FTW!

5-8pm. Project Urban Renewal Shop at Space 15 Twenty, 1520 N. Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood (map).

Saturday, January 14

The Tripel Debuts New Weekend Brunch With Bloody Beer and Duck Hash
Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts introduce a brand-new brunch at their Playa del Rey gastropub, The Tripel, this weekend. Enjoy tasty craft brews and beer cocktails, like the Bloody Beer, along with dishes like The Cure burger with avocado and a fried egg and duck hash with lobster salted peewee potatoes, duck confit, fried egg, pancetta and vinegar cooked greens.

9:30am-4pm. The Tripel, 333 Culver Boulevard, Playa Del Rey (map).

Sunday, January 15

Grand Opening: The Pub at Golden Road
The new Pub at Golden Road Brewery will be celebrating its grand opening by debuting its new canned beer and featuring burger and beer specials. Check out its selection of vegan and nonvegan food offerings and 20 taps as well.

11am-11pm. 5430 San Fernando Road West, Los Angeles (map).

Tuesday, January 17

Pliny Fights Cancer Charity Raffle at Beachwood BBQ
Seal Beach’s Beachwood BBQ will be raffling off 130 pints of the highly coveted Pliny the Younger (which is released in February) for the Melanoma Research Foundation. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the restaurant from January 17th at 12pm to February 18th at 10pm. Tickets are $5 each and there’s no limit but it is cash only. And on February 20 the tickets will be drawn at random and winners will be notified by email or phone if they’re not present.

January 17-February 18. Beachwood BBQ, 131 1/2 Main Street, Seal Beach (map). (562) 493-4500.

Categories: Beer, Cocktails, Lists, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Shopping & Sales

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January 6, 2012

Save Blue Palms Brewhouse: Landlord Lost Lease, Beer Bar’s Future in Question

Save Blue Palms and especially its $4 Pint Tuesdays!

Update 1/11/12: Blue Palms got a 2-3-week reprieve! Discussing long-term solution with landlord right now.

L.A. beer lovers, Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood needs your help. With the closing of Music Box and the venue’s landlord losing their lease, everyone’s favorite beer bar is in danger.

On Blue Palms Brewhouse Facebook page:

To all our Fans, In light of our landlord losing their lease, we are in middle of the fallout. WE are working very hard to work directly with the owner to resolve. The Blue Palms is a small company and in the world of sterile business, we are pawns. Please stay tuned, we love you guys and we are doing our best to convince the owners of our worth. Please help us in posting your support and we hope to keep you posted. from BP

According to L.A. Beer Week, one way you can start right now is to call the landlord’s attorney, Chris Leonard, at (310) 312-2000 and tell him how important it is that the bar and its awesome taps be saved.

But also keep an eye on the bar’s FB page for other ways to help. Help save Tuesdays $4 Pint Night, Lobster Mac & Cheese, those 24 glorious constantly rotating taps, all those awesome beer nights!

This wonderful beer bar that has played a major part in spreading the joy of beer and cultivating the L.A. beer culture must be saved.

Blue Palms Brewhouse
6124 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, California 90028 (map)
(323) 464-BEER
Facebook: Blue Palms Brewhouse
Twitter: @BluePalms_Brew

Categories: Beer, Los Angeles

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January 4, 2012

New Pub at Golden Road Brewing in Atwater Village: Beer-Paired Meals & 20 Taps

Pub at Golden Road Brewing by Golden Road Brewing

L.A.’s newest brewery, Golden Road Brewing in Atwater Village, has launched its very own brewpub for your drinking and eating convenience. Here you can enjoy GR brews the best way possible, paired with food. That’s right, The Pub at Golden Road features vegan and non-vegan bites, salads, sandwiches and entrees meant to be paired with beer. And on the back patio during the weekends, you can score beer specials as well as rotating burger specials. There’s also a deli case for those who want to grab and go for lunch.

The Pub’s chef, Chef Adam Levoe (formerly of Pasadena’s Quadrupel), is actually a home brewer himself and is known for his beer and food creativity. Those scared away by the term “vegan” showing up on any menu needn’t fret. Levoe’s menu offers comfort foods like meatballs served on spicy vegan cornbread and a Sloppy Joseph made of Porter-braised beef short ribs and housemade BBQ sauce.

Here are a few of Chef Levoe’s food-beer pairing suggestions for your drooly consideration:

Pulled Pork Sandwich with the Golden Road Hefeweizen (the pork in the sandwich is braised in the Hefe as well)
Sun-dried tomato polenta with the Point the Way IPA
Sloppy Joseph with the Schwartz Stout (the short ribs in the Sloppy Joseph are also braised in the Stout)
Coconut “Noodle” Salad with the Festivus Cinnamon Bitter

The renovated 3,500-square-foot warehouse space, with its high ceilings and 30-foot bar, will accommodate 80 folks with 72 additional beer geeks on the patio. And seeing as how it’s the brewery’s own bar, it’ll offer all of Golden Road’s beers (five to start) as well as up to 15 guest taps. “All beers will come from friends of ours, as we want to support people that we respect and admire such as Dogfish Head, Oskar Blues, Firestone Walker, Avery, Stone and Hangar 24,” said brewmaster Jon Carpenter.

The Pub at Golden Road
5410 W. San Fernando Road
Los Angeles, California 90039 (map)
Hours: 11am to 11pm Daily
Twitter: @GoldenRoadBrew
Facebook: Golden Road Brewing

Categories: Beer, Dining, Los Angeles

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December 2, 2011

This Weekend: Pigs & Pints, Beer & Desserts, $4 ColLAboration Winterfest Postponed Beer Specials

Sleepwalking Dog – watch more funny videos

Friday, December 2

Rachel Pally Warehouse Sale
Shop Rachel Pally’s fall fashions for 55% – 85% off, including $25 – $75 last season racks. Stock up for holiday presents or for your own closet. Credit cards only.

December 2-4, December 9-11. 2301 W 7th Street, Suite, C100, Los Angeles (map).

Saturday, December 3

ColLab Winterfest Beer Garden Postponed Drink Specials
Due to the destruction caused by Windapocalpyse, ColLAb Winterfest Beer Garden which was taking place on Saturday has been postponed. All advance payment through PayPal will automatically be reimbursed and those who already purchased the Winterfest glass will get admission to the next ColLAboration event which is scheduled for January 2012. To ease the pain, the following bars are offering $4 drink specials for tomorrow:

Mohawk Bend: ALL beers $4 from 12-5pm
Tony’s Darts Away: ALL beers $4 from 12-5pm.
38 Degrees Ale House & Grill: select beers $4 from 12-5pm
Verdugo Bar: select beers $4 from 3-5pm

Sunday, December 4

Food GPS’s Pigs & Pints at Biergarten
OK, this event boasts pork, beer and ice cream. ‘Nuff said. OK, maybe you need more deets. For $30 you get servings from a whole Filipino-style (haaay!) roasted pig with two sides, two pints of California craft beer (Ballast Point Sculpin IPA and The Lost Abbey Red Barn) and a special ice cream flavor from Scoops. Hmm, wonder if it somehow involves beer and bacon? Um. Yum!

1-4pm. $30. Biergarten, 206 N Western Avenue, Koreatown (map).

Monday, December 5

Public School 612′s Darker Side of Beer and Dessert
And yet another beer event you won’t want to miss. This one pairs beer with dessert. You heard me! At downtown’s Public School 612 guest professor Norm Stackhouse from Stone Brewing Co. will explore that odd but delicious combination of beer and dessert by pairing the likes of Speedway Stout, Stone Smoke Porter and Maui Porter with a trio of creme brulee, toasted marshmallow ice cream and pie with smoked bacon ice cream.

7:30pm. $25. Public School 612, 612 S. Flower Street, Los Angeles (map).

For Repeal Day weekend, here’s my LA Weekly Squid Ink post on where and what to drink, including cocktail recipes! Hooray booze!

Categories: Beer, Dining, Lists, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Shopping & Sales

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October 11, 2011

Last Night at Naja Place’s LA Beer Week Kick Off: Crowdsurfing and Stone Brewing Company

Stone Brewing Co's Greg Koch by Caroline on Crack

Stone Brewing Co's Greg Koch leading the craft beer call to arms.

And so after a brief speech over a bullhorn calling for the end of yellow, fizzy beer followed by a stage dive and some crowdsurfing, Stone Brewing Co.’s owner Greg Koch lead the “revolution” against corporate beer and effectively kicked off the 3rd Annual LA Beer Week last night at Redondo Beach’s Naja’s Place. Weeee! (video)

Stan Lee and Ryan Sweeney by Caroline on Crack

Beer buddies Stan Lee and Ryan Sweeney.

The crowd was buzzing but never got out of hand as you’d expect in any huge drinking event. The beer, provided by Stone Brewing Co., kept flowing and there was never a long wait for a refill. All in all a very well-run event, helped by the fact it was broken into two sessions with one starting at 3 and the other starting at 8. I went to the later one where I was able to run into good friends Stan of Drink Eat Travel, professor/food writer Gevork Kazanchyan, and Josh of Food GPS as well as beer guys Matt Olesh of Blue Palms Brewhouse, Clay Harding of 38 Degrees and Ryan Sweeney of Surly Goat and Verdugo Bar.

Speaking of Ryan, he told me that regarding his new Belgian beer bar, Little Bear, which took over the old Royal Clayton’s spot downtown, there is no set opening date for it yet. At least not in the near future. But, still, with L.A.’s first certified cicerone in charge of the taps, you know it’s going to be gooood so I’m keeping my ears and eyes open for this one.

LA Beer Week glasses by Caroline on Crack

LA Beer Week glasses never ran dry.

But back to the beer, since each admission was given 10 tasting tickets and there were 40-plus beers to choose from including some vintage picks, I chose carefully. However, I was still recovering from my weekend eating tour of Tijuana so couldn’t imbibe as much as I would have liked. I therefore agreed to be the DD to my boyfriend who gladly indulged in the generous 6-ounce pours.

Of the beers we tried, our absolute favorite was the 10th Anniversary IPA which was like a honeyed barleywine. I so wanted to marry this beer. It was brought out in a large bottle with the bartender saying it was worth a green ticket (vintage pours) or two blue ones. A sign that this was the good stuff.

I also had a bit of the Arrogant Bastard with coconut flakes, which actually isn’t as odd as it sounds as the coconut just popped up on the finish and blended nicely into the lingering hoppiness of the beer. Stone’s collaboration Special Holiday Ale — a collaboration beer with Stone Brewing Co, Jolly Pumpkin and Norwegian brewery Nogne Ø — tasted of winter with its malty but holiday spice flavors. Everything was so delicious. But sadly, there was no way I could finish every drop of the 6-ounce pours and ended the party well-sated.

If Naja’s Place’s kickoff party is a portent of what to expect for the next 13 days of LA Beer Week, I’d say there’s lots to get excited about. Great beer, fun beer people and good times ahead.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Categories: Beer, Los Angeles, Nightlife

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October 6, 2011

Hooray Beer: 3rd Annual LA Beer Week’s Calendar of Events

Steingarten beer cocktail.

The 3rd Annual LA Beer Week kicks off this coming Monday with a beer-intensive party at Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach (which you can still buy or win tickets for by the way). What follows after that is 14 days of beerlicious events. Take your pick: a musical beer crawl, a 12-course beer paired dinner, a beer float showdown or a brewery opening. Only the truly ambitious will attempt them all.

Here’s a calendar of events for your consideration. Which events are you going to hit up?

Monday, October 10

Naja’s Place Official LA Beer Week Kickoff with Stone Brewing Co.: 40+ Stone Brewing Co beers, including vintage and special releases. (Redondo Beach, Session A: 3-7pm, Session B: 8pm-12am)

Tuesday, October 11

Musical Beer Crawl: A night of craft beers and live music along Echo Park’s Sunset Blvd. Some of LA’s finest beer and music establishments will have discounts, deals and surprises just for crawlers with the FREE print-at-home Musical Beer Crawl Passport. (Echo Park)

Breakfast for Dinner Pairing: Beachwood BBQ & Brewing will be collaborating with L.A.’s Eagle Rock Brewery for a “Breakfast for Dinner” event featuring five courses. (Long Beach, 6-9pm)

Wednesday, October 12

Firestone Walker Deconstructed: The Avalon Theater is hosting Home Brew Chef Sean Z. Paxton, who will be preparing pairings for each of the eight beers that were blended into the much-anticipated Firestone Walker XV Anniversary Ale. By the way, to score a 15% discount, enter the code “AHA” at checkout. (Hollywood, 7pm)

Thursday, October 13

3rd Annual Uptown Whittier Pub Crawl: 10 different Uptown Whittier establishments celebrate beer culture by hosting a unique beer and cuisine pairing at each stop! (Whittier, 5-11pm)

Karl Strauss Reverse Tap Takeover: Karl Strauss turns its taps over to four of LA’s hottest breweries. Enjoy locally brewed craft beer and small plate pairings, and bump elbows with the brewers. (Universal City, 5-9pm)

Boneyard Bistro & The Bruery’s Epic 12-Course Dinner: The title says it all. The menu backs it up. (Sherman Oaks, 7pm)

Friday, October 14

Dogfish Head Night at Naja’s Place: Close to 20 Dogfish Head beers (the most ever poured in L.A.), including some very rare treats. (Redondo Beach, 8pm)

Saturday, October 15

4th Annual Verdugo Bar Oktoberfest: Traditional German and local breweries pouring their German-style beers; authentic sausages, pretzels, and other delights. (Glassell Park, 1-7pm)

3rd Annual LA Beer Float Showdown: Five top chefs are collaborating with five top California breweries to develop imaginative beer floats. Every attendee is a judge, voting on flavor, originality, and presentation. 25% of event proceeds will go to Share Our Strength. (Eagle Rock, 1-4pm)

Factory Gastrobar Oktoberfest: The Factory will be pouring 7 of the greatest American-made Oktoberfest brews, and cranking out German specialties like bratwurst and schnitzel. (Long Beach, 3pm-12am)

Sunday, October 16

Golden Road Brewing Grand Opening Festival: Meet Brewmaster Jon Carpenter, tour the huge facility and try the beers behind L.A.’s newest craft brewery. Specialty beers from local breweries will be poured and food trucks will be serving up eats. (Los Angeles/Glendale, 2-7pm)

Flights of fancy.

Monday, October 17

4th Annual Beachwood BBQ Molecular Gastronomy Dinner with The Bruery: A six-course beer pairing dinner of epic proportions. (Seal Beach, 6pm)

Public School 612’s Belgian Beer 101: Professor Trevor Mortensen returns to educate on brewing and techniques that go back to the Middle Ages. Six beers and snacks. (Downtown LA, 7:30pm)

Tuesday, October 18

Lucky Baldwin’s Exclusive Pub Tour: A hop-on/hop-off bus pub tour, taking you to all three Lucky Baldwin’s pubs. (Pasadena, 6:30pm-12am)

3rd Annual Autumn Avery Brewing Dinner: A 5-course beer pairing dinner, inspired by the flavors of fall, at The Bottle Room. (Whittier, 7:30pm)

Wednesday, October 19

Ladyface Ale Companie Brewmaster’s Dinner: Five gourmet courses paired with Ladyface ales. Hosted by Proprietor Cyrena Nouzille, Brewmaster David Griffiths, and Chef Adam Fritz. (Agoura Hills, 6pm)

Mohawk Bend / Stone Brewing “Riddle Me This”: A night of festive beers that you have to earn by solving the associated riddle. Also, Mohawk’s food menu will feature Stone Farms produce delivered fresh that day! (Echo Park, 6-10pm)

Thursday, October 20

Big Crawl in Little Tokyo: Pub crawl spanning 9 bars, featuring 9 breweries, and 18+ Stone Brewing tap handles at Far Bar. (Little Tokyo, 5pm-12am)

Friday, October 21

Dionicess IX: Steingarten LA hosts this 5-course beer cocktail menu, showcasing the brilliance of Matt Biancaniello (of Library Bar), Dave Watrous, Gev Kazanchyan, with paired bites by cookbook author Randy Clemens. All proceeds benefit Real Medicine Foundation. (West Los Angeles, 7pm)

Saturday, October 22

Surly Goat Oktoberfest: Featuring beers from Weihenstephan, the world’s longest running brewery. (Founded in 1040!) More details TBA. (Santa Monica)

Sunday, October 23

LA Beer Week Festival: Closing out LA Beer Week in style at Union Station, this event features over 70 breweries pouring a wide array of their beers, gourmet food trucks, educational sessions, and much more. (Downtown Los Angeles, 12-4pm)

Extra Credit

And these weren’t on the official LA Beer Week calendar but these are some must-do events.

18th Street Arts’ Beer Art & Music Festival: If you want to get a jump on the beer drinking, check out this Beer Music & Art Festival in Santa Monica, benefiting 18th Street Arts on Sunday, October 9. Tickets are $35 and you get to party it up with 20 craft breweries (Golden Road, TAPS, Ladyface Ale, Eagle Rock Brewery), four bands, three galleries, open artist studios, an artist market, and gourmet food trucks! (Santa Monica, 1-6pm)

Farm to Table Dinner Featuring Craftsman Brewing Company: Wednesday, October 19,the Langham in Pasadena hosts a “farm to table” dinner where five courses will be paired with beer from Pasadena’s own Craftsman Brewing Company. Throughout the dinner Chef Schuster and Craftsman brewer Mark Jilg will explain each pairing. Dinner is $95 a person. Reservations: (626) 585-6218. (Pasadena, 6:30pm)

Categories: Beer, Featured, Los Angeles

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