Select Beer Store is bringing back the Local Tap Takeover and Brewer’s Chili Cookoff for a second year, and bigger!

The stars around each brewery’s name in the above graphic are well deserved because they will be bringing beer and chili!  And you get to vote on what your favorite chili is and Select will be “donating all proceeds from the chili cookoff to the Salvation Army in Redondo Beach, who provide food, clothes and other assistance to those in need.”

When an event needs that many “and’s” to construct a short paragraph, then you know that it just might be a great way to pre-LABW party (Don’t worry, LABW6 coverage begins next week!) That is a great set list of local beers but I would single out Bottle Logic and King Harbor since they may be the places that people have yet to imbibe from since they are the newest of the group.  Or you could just drink Torrance based beers. Whichever criteria you use to choose the next beer will probably work.

From a chili and beer pairing perspective, take a look at which beers have peppers and other hot items added to them.  Smoked Porters.  Habanero Sculpin.  Those are two styles that would match up very well with the chili.  You want to match the heft of the beans and meat with an equally strong beer and you also want to complement any spice notes as well.

The Beer of the Week is actually a brewery of the month.  One of my favorites from Portland, Oregon, Gigantic Brewing is the Out-of-State brewery of the month at Mohawk Bend and since we don’t get a lot of their beers it would behoove you to try a taster flight with their flagship IPA as well as their other beers depending on which kegs kick first.  If the Pipewrench Gin barrel-aged IPA is still on, grab a tulip and enjoy it is one of the best beers of the year for me.

Your Homework combines food pairing and Mohawk Bend.  During the month of September Mohawk Bend’s “Piece of the Pie” charitable giving project will donate $4 to local non-profit Homeboy Industries.  All you have to do is order the specially created pizza of the month, which is a white pizza, named “The G-Dog”  in honor of Homeboy founder Father Greg Boyle.  On top of the pie is “goat cheese, prosciutto, Kalamata olives, spinach and a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of chives.”

Find more of Sean Inman’s writing on his blog, Beer Search Party.