The L.A. Beer Blast is designed to let Food GPS readers know what’s new at select L.A. bars and restaurants with great beer selections. You’ll also discover beer-related events in the area and meet industry leaders. The L.A. Beer Blast normally arrives 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.
Q&A with brewer Veronica Vega (Deschutes Brewery)
Veronica Vega is a brew pro and outdoors addict who grew up in Ventura County and worked in places like Mount Rainier and Crater Lake before settling in Bend, Oregon, home to Deschutes Brewery. She started in the tasting room and transitioned to the brewhouse. We spoke to Vega by phone, where she further explained her background and outlook. Click Here to Learn More about Veronica Vega.
Brew & You
This week in Brew & You: A review of the groundbreaking ColLAboration, a bi-coastal beer and another craft beer homework assignment to complete in a post titled Collaborate with Me .
Echo Park bar owner Elizabeth Fischbach says: “Here’s what I have this week: Port Mongo, Avery Joe’s Pilsner, North Coast Le Merle, and Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix Chipotle Stout.”
Beachwood chef-owner Gabe Gordon currently features draught beers such as Moylan’s Bjor Nagal lager, Uinta Wyld organic, Bruery Gremlin, Telegraph Petit Obscura and a barley wine from Oskar Blues. Track changes to Beachwood BBQ’s 24-tap menu via Hop Cam.
Blue Palms taps are pouring Deschutes Black Butte porter, Sudwek Dunkel, SoCal Seismic IPA and many different TAPS brews such as Biere de Garde, Alt and a Russian Imperial Stout among many others. Track changes to Blue Palms Brewhouse’s 24-tap menu Here
From bar manager Rory Snipes, “New beers on tap this week include Telegraph Obscura Arborea, Flying Dog Raging Bitch, Lost Coast Maibock, Dupont Avril Biere de Table, and two new brews from Utah’s Uinta Brewing – Wyld Organic Pale and their Anniversary Barleywine. Our next beer dinner is happening Sunday May 1. 4 courses paired with 4 beers from Bootlegger’s Brewery, for $40. Tickets for the dinner are pre-sale only, and availabe at the restaurant or by phone at 818-906-7427. I’ll have the complete menu for you next week. Also coming up: Wednesday April 20 we’re tapping Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe’s new collaboration Gnomegang – we’ll have Rare Vos and Three Philosphers from Ommegang on tap, and LaChouffe and McChouffe from d’Achouffe. Good drinking!”
On tap in Whittier, “The Cismontane TAPS collaboration saison, Eel River Earth Thirst, Great Divide 17th Anniversary, and Craftsman Spring pilsner among other choices” Beers updated daily on Facebook.
City Sip
Here is the latest from Nicole Daddio at City Sip, “Eagle Rock – Solidarity and Manifesto,The Bruery- Orchard White, Alagash – Curieux, Strand’s- Pale Ale and Taps – Cream Ale.”
According to Beverage Director Eli Wilson, “This week Thursday at 7pm we kick of Grand Prix in Long Beach the right way, playing host to brewer Veronica Vega and her lovely beers from Deschutes Brewery! She will be accompanied by special kegs Abyss 2010, Hop Henge, Jubel 2010, The Dissident, Abyss 2008 in bottles, and a Woody truck out front. Current tap highlights include Devil’s Old Mephisto, Deca Westoek, Avery Dugana, Ballast Point Sea Monster, and Schonramer Festbier. Cheers!”
Since last Thursday, Phil McGovern’s iconic Santa Monica bar has added Stone IPA with Centennial hops to their beer list.
Eagle Rock’s tap room will be pouring Solidarity and Nitro Solidarity along with Manifesto wit, Revolution XPA and Populist IPA. Friday the Grilled Cheese Truck will be on site and on Saturday the CheeseBall truck will be there.
The Factory
The Factory is pouring Anderson Valley Weech Geech, Great Divide Titan, Lagunitas WTF and Iron Fist’s Dubbel Fisted and Gauntlet.
At The Golden State, draught beers include “Craftsman 1903 lager and Honesty Ale, Great Divide’s 17th Anniversary and Chocolate Yeti, Dedschutes HopHenge, Avery Maharaja, Lost Abbey Carnevale, Bruery Gremlin and coming up is Gnommegang, a Belgian golden.”
According to Ladyface rep Robyn Britton, “Eleven Ladyface ales are currently on tap, including our newest release and first staff brew – Workers’ Co-Hoperative. A West Coast style pale ale with Belgian Saison yeast, it features a hint of honey and a solid hop profile with pronounced citrus character. Alongside are Sierra Nevada Ovila and Outta Town Brown, Dogfish Head Aprihop, Saison Dupont, and Marin White Knuckle. On deck, Dogfish Head 90 Minutes IPA and Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale. Cask of the Week is “Hot For Mama”, our Blind Ambition Abbey ale infused with smoky Chipotle pepper.
We’re at Pizza Port’s Real Ale Festival this Friday and Saturday and Oakquinox over at Stone on Sunday, so we hope you OC folks come by and say hi. And tickets are on sale for our Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner, Wednesday, April 27th. A guest chef and five elegant courses paired with select Ladyface ales. Call 818-477-4566 to reserve your spot. Cheers!”
Here is the latest from Alex Davis at Library Alehouse: “This weekend we’re featuring Brandy Angel’s Share from the Lost Abbey. It’s a huge English Barleywine aged in freshly-emptied brandy barrels. It has delightful notes of toffee, dates, tobacco and port wine.
We’re also happy to announce the return of Great Divide to the tap wall. Once Grisette Blanche is gone, we’ll put on Colette, Great Divide’s GABF Silver Medal-winning Saison. And once Maui Coconut Porter runs dry, we’ll put on Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti. It’s Yeti brewed with chocolate and aged on oak chips with a touch of spicy, drying cayenne pepper. See you at the Alehouse!” Check the Library Alehouse Facebook page for updates.
Mark your calendars for their Belgian beer festival which kicks off with a Duvel night on April 25th and continues through May 5th with Belgian and Belgian style beers and some special new menu items as well.”
For the next two weeks, starting on April 16th, all three locations from Old Pasadena to Sierra Madre to the new Trappiste pub will be hosting a Barley wine, high alcohol and Imperial Stout Festival. Vintage Hair of the Dog and Sierra Nevada beers will be tapped at the Old Pasadena location.
Mediterraneo
Matt Husted reports these new brews on tap: Strand’s Beach House, Duvel Green, Kern River Just Outstanding, Deschutes HopHenge and Black Butte and Stone Old Guardian barley wine.
According to assistant manager Martin Svab, new beers include “Telegraph Obscura Aroborea, Telegraph Slippery Slope, Liefman’s Cuvee Brute, North Coast Le Merle Saison, He’brew Origin, He’brew Human Blockhead, Uinta Hoodoo Kolsch, Uinta Wyld Organic XPA and Maui Coconut Porter
The 3rd Annual IPA Festival Kicks off next Thursday, April 21st and runs one week. This is our biggest event of the year (in addition to LA Beer Week). Commemorative glassware and t-shirts will be available. Here is the line up of 50 IPAs / DIPAs / IIPAs that will be pouring. The other 12+ hop bombs (many uber-rare) will be revealed the day the festival starts. This line up does NOT include casks. Since this year we mark our 30th Anniversary… my goal is to make this the BIGGEST hop fest in SoCal. Here is a small sample of the 50+ IPA’s that will be pouring: Karl Straus Black Belgian IPA, Cistmontane Double Rainbow, Iron Fist Gauntlet, Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie IPA, Drake’s Geyser Brau, Kern River Just Outstanding IPA, Buckbean Black Adler, Eagle Rock Populist IPA and Strand Single Hop DIPA.”
According to Tuesday night’s update from assistant manager Josh Salinas, “This weekend we have two beers from Strand brewing, Atticus IPA and Beach House Amber Ale. We are also pouring Bootleggers Palomino Pale, Eagle Rock Solidarity, Great Divide’s Colette, and Craftsman Heavenly Hefe. On deck we have TAPS Vienna Lager and Cosmic Brewing’s HellHound Brown.”
SideBar
Here is the list from Glendale: Coronado Orange Avenue wit, Great Divide Belgica, Flying Dog Double Dog on nitro, three from Alesmith to choose from with Midnight Sun XXX and Telegraph Petit Obscura in the wings.
The latest from general manager Micah Schiesel, “We got some great IPA’s going right now and some great ones coming up, Stone Ruination, Gubna, Port Mongo, Full Sail, Kern River Just Outstanding, Shipyard XXXX, and Marin County IPA. On the lighter side we have Iron Fist Brewing Hired Hand Saison matched up with the Bruery’s Saison de Lente, it is spring time so it’s time to lighten it up a tad, but not too much. If we shake the keg we can still pour a bit of Maui Brewing Coconut Porter and right behind that keg we got Victory Brewing Baltic Thunder Porter, and to keep things on the darker side we are pouring Kern River Class V Stout and upcoming is Cismontane Black’s Dawn. We stumbled upon a keg of Rogue’s XS series Scotch Ale and a little gnome dropped up off a keg of Gnomegang, a Belgian style collaboration between Ommegang and Brasserie D’Achouffe. Drink well beer geeks!!!” Track changes to Simmzy’s tap list Here
For the month of April, Marlene Samaniego and husband Sam are featuring seven beers from Rogue Brewing Company from Newport, Oregon, including John John Juniper Ale (Juniper Pale Ale aged in Spruce Gin Barrels), John John Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale (Hazelnut Brown Nectar aged in Hazelnut Spiced Rum Barrels), Mogul Madness Ale (Seasonal Winter Ale with intense citrus, hops, and hints of nuts, berries and mocha), Brutal Bitter IPA (A cross between a very Extra Special Bitter and an India Pale Ale), 21 Ale (English Style Olde Ale – John Maier has brewed 21 different beers for the last 21 years for the Oregon Brewers Festival. This is the first time the beer has been released in bottles and draft. Only 21 kegs were made – we are proud to have received one of them!), John’s Locker Stock – Charlie 1981 (This beer is named after Charlie Papazian, the father of the homebrew movement in the U.S. It’s a strong ale) and XS Russian Imperial Stout 2009 (This is from their XS series – XStra Special, XStra Strong & XStra Small (in bottles) It’s very robust with hints of chocolate and oats).
Per Andrew Kelley, highlights include Stone Old Guradian Belgo, Ovila Dubbel, Le Terroir from New Belgium, Collaboration not Littigation from Avery and Russian River, Collete from Great Divide and Anchor Bock. To get the latest tap news, check out the Surly Goat Tap List
According to manager Paige Reilly, “Anniversary Week is FAR from over at TDA. Come on in for some Moylan’s Tipperary Pale Ale on Nitro, SF Brewer’s Guild Imperial Common Collaboration, Brouwerij West Tripel, The Bruery Autumn Maple, Moylan’s Hopsickle Imperial IPA and Bear Republic Double Rocket. Also, get geared up for our Bruery Night in two weeks on Tuesday, April 26th. It’s going to be AMAZING!”
Vendome Toluca Lake’s weekly Beer Tasting is from 2-5 pm. Each week has a theme and this Saturday you will be treated to hops and lots of them from the following breweries: Drakes Brewing, Hair of the Dog, Port Brewing, Stone, Moylans, Firestone, Eel River, Alesmith, Great Divide, Dogfish Head, Black Diamond and Coronado.
According to Ryan Sweeney at the Verdugo, the following are on tap: Sudwerk helles, Mammoth IPA 395, Avery White Rascal, Cismontane Pandion, Stone Old Guardian Belgo among many other taps.
The Yard
From Blake Landis at the Yard: “Lips of Faith Ooh La La, Deschutes Red Chair, Deschutes Black Butte, Dechutes Organic Pale, North Coast Prankster, Craftsman Honesty Sour, 24th St Pale Ale from Strand, Mama’s Lil Yella Pils, Strand’s Atticus IPA, Blanche De Chambly, Lagunitas IPA. On cask – Sublimely Self Righteous Cascadian IPA.
What’s rare and on deck for the coming week: Jolly Pumpkin – Madrugada Obscura, La Chouffe & Ommegang Collaboration – Gnommegang, New Belgium – 10 metric, Craftsman – Lavender Sour, New Belgium – La Terrior, Cask – Stone Arrogant Bastard with Chinook Hops
L.A. Beer Blast compiled by Food GPS Beer Editor Sean Inman
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