It’s not quite official, but the Blue Palms Brewhouse opened its doors for business last Friday night.  Word of a new craft beer bar in the heart of Hollywood has been spreading like wildfire over the last few months, and the rumor mill had been working overtime.

Founders (!) in LA?  Proximus (!!) and Russian River on tap?  A firkin of Firestone’s Parabola (!!!) for the opening?

The official opening is this Saturday the 16th, so you will have to check it out then, because I can not confirm or deny anything that might have been mentioned. All I know is that owner Brian Lenzo is a huge beer fanatic, and he definitely has some tricks up his sleeve.

Beer geeks were out in full force for the soft opening, and there were plenty of big beers to be had.  Hair of the Dog Fred was on tap, probably for the first time in Los Angeles (west of Stuffed Sandwich, that is).  Other heavy hitters included St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Ola Dubh 30, which first reared it’s delicious head at Verdugo Bar a few months ago.

photo credit: flickr user lesbal123

Contributing to the opening day excitement, there were several new beers that made their LA debut at Blue Palms.  I was excited to see the Black Sour from Craftsman, a new beer that I hadn’t heard of.  Mark Jilg and Head Brewer Todd Peterson were in attendance, but I didn’t get a chance to ask them about this new creation.  It’s definitely not a puckeringly sour beer, but like all Craftsman beers, it’s worth your money. Continue reading →