Category Archives: Events

Ye Olde King’s Head: Fancy a Banger in the Mouth?

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Oh right, I forgot, here in the States we call it a “sausage” in the mouth (actually, let’s just call it a sausage).

Ye Olde King’s Head

The King’s Head holds a special place in my heart. It’s only a block away from the Promenade, but once you enter the front door, you feel like you’ve been transported across the Atlantic. Seriously. Some afternoons I’ve wandered in for happy hour, and I’m the only one who’s not British. With the King’s Head Shoppe on the corner, the Tudor House across the street on 2nd, and Britannia down the way on 4th, it’s like a real life Wee Britain.

Pretty standard selection of English beer, and all the servers and bartenders have British accents. Most of the patrons, too. Boddington’s, Bass, Guinness, Harp, Fuller’s London Pride, Stella, Pyramid Hefeweizen, Newcastle, and a cider or two. Nothing too noteworthy besides the Fullers.

Darts really make this place worthwhile. They’ve got two boards, and it definitely has an arena feel to it. Great lighting and some deep divots in the floor behind the line. There’s also a glass case on the wall that has darts and dart accessories for sale (someday I will be one of those badasses that brings their own darts to the pub).

The music is decent, but I can’t stand these confangled touch-screen jukeboxes. Look at me! I’m connected to the internet! And for a dollar more, I can play the song that you actually want to hear! Weak. What happened to the old style jukes that had entire albums to choose from?

Wednesday night they’ve got a Pub Quiz, which I’ve never actually been there for, but pub quizzes are awesome, so it’s worth mentioning.

FA CupIf you’re a fan of football, The King’s Head is probably already your home away from home. This Saturday (tomorrow! May 19th!) you can head over to watch Chelsea take on Manchester U for this year’s FA Cup Final. The game starts at 3pm London time, so what is that, 7am here? Get there early to grab a table. Lord knows all the expats will be there.

King’s Head is also a restaurant, so don’t be afraid to order up some food. They’ve got incredible samosas, highly recommended (I don’t know any other non-Indian food restaurants that even have samosas on the menu). Also very tasty are the chicken satay, the popcorn shrimp, and (of course) the fish and chips, the best on the Westside.

When you leave, head over the Ye Olde King’s Head Shoppe to pick up some awesome British stuff for your pantry; Heinz Baked Beans, Vegemite, crisps, Crunchie bars, and Kinder Eggs. You can also pick up some bottles of Wychwood (Hobgoblin is most prevalent), Black Sheep Ale, and maybe even a Riggwelter.

Pub to the Right

YE OLDE KING’S HEAD
116 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310)451-1402

Cinco de Drinko Special: Corona Extra

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Corona Extra

Here in the good ol’ US of A, we have a knack for taking marginally important cultural holidays from other countries and turning them into National Binge Drinking holidays. There’s a bit of Chicken v. Egg controversy as to who is responsible for this national paradigm shift. Is it the beer companies with their hyper-aggressive ad campaigns? Or the consumers, who seek feelings of camaraderie in their beer selection?

All I know is, Cabo Cantina is the last place I’d want to be this evening.

Interesting side note: Both St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo were on Saturday this year. Is this some vast conspiracy within the beer industry to outsell water? ON TO THE BEER.

Corona comes in a more-phallic-than-normal clear bottle (ever ponder the name?). There’s really no need to pour it out into a glass, since its much better with a lime stuck in the neck.

I know there are a lot of purists out there who say, “I only drink beer that doesn’t need fruit to make it taste good.” To them I say: Go rain on somebody else’s parade.

Corona is a skunky beer, but I find its skunkiness more charming than, say, Heineken. Yes, it is a bit thin and watery. Yes, it’s a bit bland (that’s why you add lime). But no one can deny Corona is crisp and refreshing, and a perfect session beer for the beach, picnics, barbeques, or in this case, Drinko de Mayo.

  • Appearance: 2/3
  • Aroma: 6/12
  • Palate: 2/5
  • Flavor: 13/20
  • Overall: 7/10

Rating: 3.0

Coachella 2007

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Down in Coachella for the weekend. Stuck with seven dollar Heinekens. Bleh.

Well, I came for the music, not the beer. Thank god for a cooler full of Tecate. Getting pumped for some great bands today; Kings of Leon, New Pornographers, Ozomatli, !!!, The Good the Bad & the Queen, Chili Peppers. We’ll see what else catches my fancy.

Last night we got there just in time to miss Amy Winehouse, but caught the tail end of the Arctic Monkeys and Stephen & Damien Marley. Then we checked out the Italian DJ Benny Benassi and the Brazilian Girls before laying out on the grass and taking in some Bjork. So many bands, you really have to pace yourself.

I do have to say, I’m a little sad to miss this years Hollywood Beer Pong Tournament at El Guapo.

Who am I kidding? I don’t miss it at all. El Guap is a terrible place to play Beirut. Who wants to pay 12 bucks for a pitcher of Miller Lite? Keep Beirut where it belongs: in the backyard.

As If The UC Police Didn’t Already Have Enough B.U.I.’s On Their Hands

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Firestone Bike Race

Firestone Walker, brewers of the delicious Double Barrel Ale, are sponsoring the UCSB Cycling Team in hosting the 2nd Annual Firestone Walker Cruiser Bike Race this Saturday, April 7th.

How come they didn’t have this when I was around? This sounds like a blast. Or complete madness. Tomayto, tomahto.

The course: 4 laps around Anisq Oyo Park. The prize: a brand new beach cruiser. The catch: you must wear a helmet. This disqualifies about 99% of the population. Fortunately there is also a costume contest. Haha, as if IV wasn’t already a great big costume contest.

Yeah, I’m guessing Sam’s To Go would be a pretty good place to post up for the afternoon. Man do I miss SB.