The L.A. BEER BLAST is designed to let Food GPS readers know about what’s new at select L.A. bars and restaurants with great beer selections. You’ll also discover great beer-related events in the area. Expect a new L.A. BEER BLAST every Thursday evening, in time for the weekend rush. Look in the left sidebar, SUBSCRIBE to Food GPS and you’ll receive the L.A. BEER BLAST by e-mail.

On July 26, people filled Blue Palms Brewhouse to help choose a champion in the first L.A. Beer Float Showdown. Everybody who bought a punch card contributed to 826LA and was able to judge two floats from each competitor according to flavor, originality and presentation, with flavor counting the most. After over two hours of pouring and scooping, The Golden State + Scoops defeated BottleRock LA + MILK by a count of 930.5 to 781. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS…AND FOR SEAN INMAN’S TAKE ON THE EVENT

VERDUGO BAR
3408 Verdugo Road, Glassell Park, 323 257 3408

Verdugo Bar co-owner Ryan Sweeney is hosting Lost Abbey brewmaster Tomme Arthur tonight. This is Arthur’s first in-house L.A. appearance, and he’s bringing kegs of Devotion, Red Barn Ale, Judgment Day, Serpent’s Stout and Cuvee de Tomee. Arthur is also contributing Duck Duck Gooze, Bourbon barrel-aged Santa’s Little Helper, Older Viscosity and Bourbon-barrel aged Angel’s Share.

Tomorrow, Sweeney plans to tap a keg of Russian River Temptation.

BEACHWOOD BBQ
131 Main Street, Seal Beach, 562 493 4500

Beachwood BBQ owner Gabriel Gordon streams his 24-tap blackboard menu via HOP CAM. Some of Gordon’s latest brews include Furstabt Weizen, Speakeasy Bootlegger Black Lager, AleSmith Speedway Stout, Ballast Point Even Keel Session Ale and Drake’s 1500 on NITRO.

BLUE PALMS BREWHOUSE
6124 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, 323 464 2337

On August 8, Blue Palms proprietor Brian Lenzo is hosting the brewhouse’s 1st Anniversary Party. Beginning at 2 PM, Lenzo invites Angelenos to “enter a world of Beer Nirvana.” He’s stockpiled prized kegs over the past year, including Karl Strauss 20th Anniversary, North Coast Old Stock ‘06, Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary, Port Brewing Light Weight Lager, Port Brewing Hop Heavy, Alpine Pure Hoppiness, Alpine Nelson IPA, San Diego Brewing Hop Goodness, Ommegang Rouge, Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze, The Bruery Sour on the Rye, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Firestone Walker Double Jack Imperial IPA, Firestone Walker Parabola, Firestone Walker Bravo, Avery Brewing’s Maharaja, Stone Pale Ale (Dry-Hopped), Russian River Temptation, Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA, Speakeasy Barrel Aged Porter and Stone Anniversary 12.

Blue Palms will also feature a Cask Room next door, including Alpine Exponential Hoppiness, Firestone UnFiltered DBA, Port Brewing Killer Dana Double IPA and Alpine Bad Boy IPA.

BoHo
6372 West Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, 323 465 8500

Verdugo Bar co-owner Ryan Sweeney consults on BoHo’s beer list. Here are two of his latest picks:

Papier, The Bruery’s first-anniversary ale, is a Belgian-style Old Ale (14.5% ABV) that the Placentia brewery’s Patrick Rue described as having “complex flavors of dark fruit, vanilla, oak, and burnt sugar.” BoHo also has a keg of Speakeasy Hunter’s Point Porter, aged in bourbon barrels.

BOTTLEROCK LA
1050 South Flower Street, Downtown, 213 747 1100

Here’s yesterday’s update from Alex Macy, BottleRock LA’s resident beer expert:

NEW BOTTLES

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
AleSmith Grand Cru

“And we’ll be having a keg of Unibroue La Terrible in the near future! (I’ve never even heard of it being put in a keg before!)”

DAILY PINT
2310 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, 310 450 7631

NEW ON DRAUGHT

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Russian River Temptation
Stone Ruination IPA with Amarillo hops (ON CASK)
Stone IPA with Columbus and Amarillo hops (ON CASK)
Bitch Creek ESB
Stone double dry-hopped IPA
Deschutes Black Butte 21 Anniversary
Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale

THE GOLDEN STATE
426 North Fairfax Avenue, Fairfax, 323 782 8331

Co-owner Jason Bernstein plans to score a keg of Firestone Double Jack. In the meantime, enjoy Speakeasy’s Bourbon barrel-aged Hunter’s Point Porter, Drake’s 1500 and Green Flash Saison, which “tastes like lemon and pepper.”

JOHNNY’S BAR
5006 York Boulevard, Highland Park, 323 551 6959

According to co-owner Zac Crandell:

BEER OF THE MONTH
Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale: “Golden orange color with a big frothy head, great lacing, amazing head retention. Smells citrusy, orange, grass, earthy, pine. Huge hoppy taste, more grass like in the nose. Resinous hop flavor. Medium bodied, good carbonation. Very drinkable.”

NEW BOTTLES
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar: “Pours a dark, fairly deep brown with a good tan head and lacing that was clinging thinly on the glass. this one carries the correct moniker…nuts nuts and nutty. In the nose and the taste. Malty sweet hazelnuts mixing with a caramel and seeming chocolaty goodness. Taste is super! Nuts pushing through a veil of malts with a chocolate, caramel hint.”

LUCKY BALDWIN’S
17 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, 626 795 0652

Lauren highlighted several recent additions on draught, including St. Bernardus Abt 12, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition, Castelain Biere de Garde (“French version of a saison”), Craftsman Biere de Blanco (a white beer), Dekoning Winter (“Dekoning’s ale is what New Belgium models Fat Tire on”).

LUCKY BALDWIN’S DELIRIUM CAFE
21 Kersting Court, Sierra Madre, 626 355 1140

According to Jamie, Lucky Baldwin’s eastern outpost recently added Stone Arrogant Bastard, Sierra Nevada Summer Fest, Samuel Adams Double Bock and Stone IPA.

SIMMZY’S
229 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Manhattan Beach, 310 546 1201

Here’s an update from Simmzy’s Manager Chris Garza:

“We have the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous back on tap. Racer 5 IPA is coming back on. We have Port Brewing Wipeout IPA. We just got the Angel City Weizen in. We also got the Che, Angel City’s lager. We do have Modelo Especial as well.”

WURSTKUCHE
800 East 3rd Street, Downtown, 213 687 4444

Bar manager Matty Eggleston is adding three 750mL bottles of Cantillon next week: Classic Geuze, Rose’ de Gambrinus (dry framboise) and the Grand Cru (3yrs barrel aged!)