It is assumed that wine and cocktails are to be added to the mix when one goes to a restaurant. Independent, local beer is still mostly an afterthought, even to famous chefs.

But Tony Alcazar of The Bottle Room and Harlowe’s French Dip has seemingly always put beer on the table, so to speak. At Harlowe’s, his saloon and sandwich spot on Union Street in Old Pasadena, you can order up different variations on the French Dip theme and have as many beer variations to pair with it.

You will not see a wall of taps but what you will find is a rotating list of local beers as well as a goodly selection of foreign ales and lagers for a change of pace. Their 8 taps recently held a Mumford IPA, a Craftsman Saison from and a State Brewing lager. [You can keep up with their tap choices via our very own L.A. Beer Blast.]

L.A. has a growing network of great taprooms to visit and before that local craft beer bars help set the tone for the city. The next wave is to have great food spots that know, understand, and love beer. Alcazar has now accomplished that two times.

The BEER OF THE WEEK is golden. For the 3rd in the Beer Bros. collaborative series, El Segundo Brewing teamed up with Bob Kunz from Highland Park Brewery for an IPA. Wait, no, it is a kellerbier. Actually, L.A. Gold is a bit of both as the duo have created a bright and aromatic beer that is quite different from the first two beers in the series.

Your HOMEWORK is to see if you might be able to get a last minute ticket to a rare experience. Stout Burgers & Beer in Hollywood will be hosting their The Rarest Experience on Saturday, July 1. This is where you will find beers from 2010, 2011, 2013 and, well, you get the picture. Talk about some serious aged beer from both the U.S. and abroad.

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