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Would you return?

Yeah. I’ve been here a few times before. I come back for the beer, not for the food, but you have to have food…the selection keeps me coming back, and the specials keep me coming back too.

Bear Republic Pete’s Brown (Tribute Ale) from Healdsburg, CA

Roasty, malty, it’s almost got a concord grape aroma…Really malty, but not too sweet…I don’t normally like brown ales, but this is really good…there’s definitely a dark chocolate character to it. It’s got that creamy mouth feel too, which is nice. It’s really well balanced. The bitterness comes in the middle and at the finish to clean it up, but you don’t perceive it to be bitter. It balances out the malty sweetness…[Raub spots sediment at the bottom of the bottle] This was bottle conditioned. I didn’t know that. The yeast won’t hurt you, but it will give the beer a bitter flavor, or nutty.

Stop #3: Lucky Baldwin’s Delirium Café – Sierra Madre, CA

Moinette Blonde (8.5%) from Dupont Brewery in Belgium
Really nice aroma. It’s fruity and a little bit spicy. They’re really spicy. This one has a little more complexity. The St. Feuillien Saison [my beer] is fruitier and the Moinette is spicier. Minerally. Overall impression is very refreshing. It finishes nice and dry, and clean. There’s this very subtle cardamom flavor. I know they don’t add spices to this beer, but it almost has that character to it, a savory spiciness, a little bit of black pepper. This one has more bitterness to it, which might be why it finishes cleaner. There’s a nice pear finish on the end of this.

How do you like Delirium Cafe’s beer selection?
Good stuff. Really, really good list. Almost anything you could be thinking of. Plenty of sour beers, and they have a lot of ciders on tap.

What about the atmosphere?
This seems very small town. Quiet but lots of good conversation going on around you. It’s a lot more relaxed than the Pasadena one. Definitely less rowdy. It seems like more of a neighborhood hangout, especially with the patio. I’ve been here about 5 times and I’ve never had the experience of having a sour beer that’s not supposed to be, so I’m pretty sure they clean their lines here. The service is way better. You can hang out and relax and not worry that you’ll be forgotten about.

Every month, Food GPS will take a different food or drink professional on a focused tour of Los Angeles. If you have any suggestions, please comment below.