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Tag Archive: Rustic Canyon

April 11, 2011

Tomorrow: Deschutes Kicks Off Base Camp Week in LA

Deschutes Logo Pints by Deschutes Brewery

Oregon beermaker Deschutes Brewery is invading Southern California! From tomorrow through Saturday, you won’t be able to turn around without running into a pint glass of Deschutes beer. OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration but for Deschutes Base Camp Week — basically a thank you from the brewery to its fans in Phoenix, LA, San Diego and Houston — there will be beer tastings, bourbon-barrel beer tastings, beer and food pairings and appearances from Deschutes mascot, Woody the giant barrel all over the place, from Greater LA to Corona Del Mar.

Check out the following calendar for a beery good time near you:

Tuesday, April 12

Verdugo Bar: Beer Tasting with Brewer Veronica Vega — 6pm to close
Enjoy your favorite Deschutes beers plus the never-released Black Butte XXIII and Jubel 2010 (which is available once a decade). Woody the barrel will be dancing a jib and Deschutes’ only female brewer, Veronica Vega will be hanging out to discuss the brewery.

Rustic Canyon: Beer Bash With Beer Chick Christina Perozzi — 6 to 10pm
For $75 enjoy a five-course dinner where beer expert and author Christina Perozzi paired Deschutes Brewery beers with a beer-inspired menu by Chef Evan Funke and Pastry Chef Zoe Nathan. Brewer Tim Alexander will also be on hand to discuss hard-to-get brews, The Dissident ’10 and The Abyss ’10.

Wednesday, April 13

Surly Goat: Beer Tasting — 5 to 9pm
My fave beer bar in WeHo will welcome Woody the giant barrel and pour the Lost Barrels of Mirror Mirror which actually were lost and rediscovered in the brewery’s warehouse. And if you can’t make it all the way to Glassell Park’s Verdugo Bar for the Jubel 2010, not to fret as they’ll be pouring it here!

Schmeven Schmand: Craft Beer and Whiskey Wednesday — 6 to 8pm
OK, this sounds too good to pass up. At this downtown whiskey bar you’ll get a rare chance to taste Deschutes’ Abyss Imperial Stout ’07, ’08 and ’09. Pair it with some hand-rolled Leon Cigars which will be available at the event for extra decadence.

Thursday, April 14

Hot’s Kitchen: Food and Beer Paired Lunch — 12 to 3pm
Take a lonnng lunch at this beer event in Hermosa Beach where you have the pick of 50 different tacos to pair with Deschutes craft beer. Woody the giant barrel will be there as well as a brewer who will answer questions about the beer.

Congregation Ale House: Deschutes Night — 4pm to close
It’s Deschutes night where the brewery will take over every tap in this Long Beach beer bar. Knock back favorites Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale. And you also get a chance to imbibe The Abyss Imperial Stout ’08.

Friday, April 15

Hi-Time Wine Cellars: In-Store Tasting — 12 to 3pm
Tired of being teased into tasting but not being able to buy at the above events? This in-store tasting in Costa Mesa will pour Deschutes beer that is available for immediate purchase. Could be dangerous. At this event they’ll also be pouring the rare Abyss Imperial Stout ’07.

Side Door: Beer and Food Pairing — 5pm to close
This Corona Del Mar restaurant’s executive chef Ryan O’Melvany has created a special menu to pair with Deschutes beers. Also they’ll be pouring The Abyss ’08 and Woody will be parked out front blasting on tunes and spinning a disco ball. Surreal.

Saturday, April 16

Pizza Port: Deschutes Night — 5pm to close
It’s a pizza and beer party at this San Clemente pizza joint. They’ll be pouring Deschutes year-round and seasonal ales like Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale and Nitro-Obsidian Stout.

EVENT: TUESDAY, APRIL 12 to SATURDAY, APRIL 16

Twitter: @DeschutesBeer

Categories: Beer, Los Angeles, Nightlife

This Weekend: Bloggers Who Bake, Free Counter Burger, Beer Class for Dad

Yee-haw for Dads! Hope your kids really celebrate you…except for the deadbeat dads, in which case never mind.

Thursday, June 17

Steve McQueen Weekend and James Bond Double Feature
I know these film events are supposed to be for dads but damn, I like Steve McQueen and Sean Connery, too. HOT! This whole weekend, the Egyptian Theatre will showcase a slew of Steve, including the 50th anniversary of The Magnificent Seven as well as The Great Escape. But unfortunately, no Bullitt. And on Sunday, the Aero Theater in Santa Monica will be showing Goldfinger and Thunderball, featuring my favorite Bond: Sean “Hot Scot” Connery.

Friday, June 18

LF Summer Warehouse Sale
Build up your summer wardrobe at this huge warehouse sale where you can get designer jeans, dresses, tops and more for 70 to 90% off. Deals include $6 t-shirts, $12 dresses and $35 boots! Cash and credit cards only.

Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 7am-3pm. 5333 McConnell Avenue, Playa del Rey (map).

Saturday, June 19

Eat My Blog Summer Charity Bake Sale
We, bloggers, can criticize food but how are we as bakers? OK, not me, but definitely all the other food bloggers who will be selling their tasty pastries at this biannual bake sale. The Manila Machine’s Ube cupcakes, Lindsay of LAist’s scrumptious smoked salt toffee and so much more. There will even be gluten-free goodies available. Here’s the menu for your perusal. Proceeds go to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. I’ll be manning the table from 10am to 1pm if you want to stop by and say, “Hi!” and put me to work. Hope to see you there.

10am-4pm. Tender Greens West Hollywood, 8759 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood (map). (310) 358-1919.

Beer Chicks’ Father’s Day Class at Rustic Canyon
If you still don’t know how to thank dear ol’ Dad for raising you, I say buy the man a drink, or several via this beer class by the Beer Chicks. I took the class back in April and had a blast. You and Dad will learn about all the different beers by tasting them. And for this class there will be several craft beers including Barrel-aged Beers, Double IPA’s and Sour Belgians.

12-2pm. $45. Rustic Canyon, 1119 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica (map).

Sunday, June 20

Free Burger for Dad at The Counter
Score a free burger for Pops at any of The Counter restaurants just by walking in and yelling at the top of your lungs, “I WANT THE BFD!” OK, maybe you don’t have to yell it but just bring in your family and then let your waitress know you want the BFD (“burger for Dad”). And he’ll get a standard burger with toppings; it’s extra for the premium toppings. Only works when accompanied by a paying customer.

At various The Counter locations.

Categories: Cupcakes, Dining, Los Angeles, Movies, Shopping & Sales, Sweets

10 Things I Learned From the Beer Chicks at Beer School

Beer Chicks: Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune

This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend Beer School hosted by Beer Chicks Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar in Santa Monica. We went through 13 beers learning about the variety of flavors, distinguishing characteristics, what hops and barley look like, etc. But here are some things I took away from the class and the Beer Chicks’ book, The Naked Pint. Stuff that, sure you probably already knew, but were frankly news to me since I’m not a beer connoisseur.

Franziskaner Hefeweisse

1. As many types of beers there are out there, there are actually only two categories they are separated into: ale and lager. The quick way to tell the difference is if you sniff the beer and don’t smell anything, it’s a lager since ales are the ones that are aromatic.

2. When in Germany, do not put a slice of lemon on your glass of Hefeweizen. That’s a sure way to piss off the Germans. Hefs have an aroma of bananas and cloves and a slice of lemon would totally kill that.

3. Although stouts and porters are dark doesn’t mean they have higher alcohol content or more calories. A St. Bernardus Witbier has 5.50% ABV versus Guinness’ 4.20% ABV. And stouts/porters do seem heartier but they actually are worth less Weight Watcher points than, say, a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

4. Here are the reasons why you have to pour Guinness a very specific way:

At bars Guinness has its own specialized tap that’s hooked up to a nitrogenated tank which creates nitrogen bubbles that are really tiny and stick together and make for that creamy-looking texture. The bubbles and beer need to settle for a bit.
Beer in nitrogenated tanks are meant to mimick the creamy mouthfeel of cask ales.
The perfect pour of Guinness should create a two-finger thick head on it so you can enjoy that creaminess and get enough beer.

5. Indian Pale Ales aka IPAs are actually not all nasty-tasting. My problem with them before is that I didn’t like their bitterness and the ones I’ve had have only tasted like pine needles. At beer school, I tried both the Ranger IPA and the Inversion IPA. While the Ranger was as bitter as I had learned to expect, the Inversion’s bitterness showed up like a nice kick and then mellowed out a bit.

Categories: Los Angeles

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April 22, 2010

This Weekend: $1 Cocktails, Beer Class, Poketo Party

SO many fun things to do this weekend. I hope it doesn’t rain!

Friday, April 23

$1 Cocktails at Bigfoot Lodge West
One of my fave Westside bars is debuting two new cocktails on its happy hour menu and we all benefit. From 8 to 10pm, the new drinks — Moscow Mule and the Honeycomb — will be specially priced at only $1 each! Only thing that makes me go “Wuuut?” is that their Moscow Mule is made with rum but it’s only a buck so why complain?

8-10pm. Bigfoot Lodge West, 10939 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). (310) 287-2200.

Thirsty Crow Bar’s Grand Opening
Last night I had a chance to check out this wonderful, new bar which happens to be owned by the same cool folks who own Bigfoot West, Bigfoot Lodge and Saints & Sinners. And if you consider yourself a serious bourbon fan, you’ve gotta check it out. And yes, the skunk butts are thankfully gone, now replaced by some antique-y lights. Order up a Sazerac or a Manhattan. Or even a Pappy Van Winkle with an ice ball. And then grab a cozy table in the back room.

Thirsty Crow, 2939 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). (323) 661-6007.

Saturday, April 24

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Before Kindle and the iPad, there were books. Remember them? Well, now’s your chance to stroll down Memory Lane and peruse novels, short stories collections, cookbooks. Smell them, get a paper cut and perhaps converse with actual booksellers. You can also check out author panels and seminars while there.

Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm. UCLA, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles (map).

2nd Annual Unique LA Spring Show
Shop 300 hand-selected designers and artists and their wares. You’ll find unique clothing, housewares, artwork, gourmet edibles, etc. at this huuge two-day shopping event. It’s only $10 to get in and then it’s unlimited re-entry for the weekend. Admission also includes free drinks, hosted bar with Unique cocktails and a tote bag.

Saturday and Sunday, 11am-6pm. $10. California Market Center’s Penthouse, 110 E. 9th Street, Los Angeles (map).

1st 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational
Yes, Mom’s comfort food has got its own event in L.A. that’s the favorite of every Angeleno foodie. Tillamook Cheese is the official cheese sponsor of this much anticipated cooking contest and will be handing out tons of sample of its cheese as well as grilled cheese sandwiches. And even the cute Loaf Love Tour mini bus will be on hand. Attendees will get to witness the amateur and pro grilling competitions, partake of a beer garden as well as feast on the food sold by the multiple food vendors.

12-6pm. $10 online, $15 at event. Los Angeles Center Studios, 1201 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles (map).

Beer Class With the Beer Chicks at Rustic Canyon
Before I make you fall in love with this event, know that I’m not sure if tickets are still available. Yesterday Beer Chick Christina Perozzi said there were only 4 tickets left. Anyhoo, at this very informative, tasty school, you’ll get to go on a Beer Journey exploring the styles and flavors of craft beer. You can only buy tickets for this event online; they won’t be sold at the event.

12-2pm. Tickets online: $40. Rustic Canyon Wine Bar & Seasonal Kitchen, 1119 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica (map).

2nd Annual Santa Barbara Wine Fest
Taste over 150 wines from 48 Central Coast wineries, all handpicked by the Wine House buyers. Small production lots, single vineyard labels and more. That will be over $5,000 worth of Santa Barbara Wine you’re tasting for just $55 a ticket. And if you purchase any of the wines the day of the event you get $10 off!

2-4pm. $55 general, $68 VIP with early admission and parking. The Olympic Collection Banquet and Conference Center, 11301 Olympic Blvd. #204, Los Angeles (map).

Opening Reception Party for Poketo x Kitsune Noir presents �Los Angeles, I�m Yours�
Browse the living art market at the Space 15Twenty Gallery while enjoying Scoops ice cream and a DJ set by Aquarium Drunkard at this opening reception. Participating artists will include actor/musician Jason Schwartzman, film director Neil LaBute and over 30 L.A. artists. The market will run til May 15.

7-10pm. Space 15Twenty Gallery, 1520 N. Cahuenga Avenue, Los Angeles (map).

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Dining, Lists, Los Angeles, Shopping & Sales