Verdugo Bar celebrated their 6th anniversary in Los Angeles with a powerhouse beer line-up that included well-crafted whales like Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and Hangar 24 Pugachev’s Cobra. Still, since it was a warm day on Verdugo Bar’s Glassell Park patio, and I wanted to enjoy more than one beer from the roster without passing out on a communal picnic table, I started with a glass of Drake’s Brewing Aroma Prieta, an amber-hued 6.5% IPA. The Bay Area brewery has supplied three L.A. breweries with head brewers in the past year: Golden Road Brewing (Jesse Houck), Haven Brewing (Brian Thorson) and Kinetic Brewing (Alexandra Nowell). Despite that considerable talent drain, Drake’s still seems to be going strong with John Gilloly helming the tanks. They’ve even opened a barrel house and tap room in San Leandro. However, let’s get back to the beer at hand. Aroma Prieta is a cousin to American-hopped Aroma Coma that features a grassy, aromatic New Zealand hop backbone. I would have gladly had another pour, but when Ryan Sweeney puts together an anniversary tap list, there’s no way I’m limiting my glass to one beer.