This one almost slipped my mind, but I’m glad it didn’t, cause this is too good to miss!  This Friday at 8pm, The Daily Pint is holding an IPA tasting, complete with a whole spread of food pairings.  There are a ton of great beers that we never get in LA.  After finally trying Blind Pig a couple weekends ago from the bottle, it’s great to see we’ll be getting a keg of it.  Hit the jump for a full list of beers that will be served at the Pint.

Russian River Blind Pig
AleSmith IPA
Port High Tide
Port Hop-15
Victory Hop Wallop
Green Flash Hop Head Red
Green Flash West Coast IPA
Firestone Union Jack IPA
Dean Brothers English IPA (CASK)
Stone 10th Anniversary
Stone 11th Anniversary
Stone Cali-Belgique (CASK!)
Stone Ruination Double IPA (CASK)
Alaskan Ice Pay
Pyramid Thunderhead
Bear Republic Racer 5

Maybe it was a time you brought a friend ice cream at the hospital.  Maybe it was your athletic prowess that resulted in a meet and greet with the president.  Or maybe your Forrest Gump moment was a bit more literal.

Well Nick Moffatt has been having a Forrest Gump Moment every day for the past five months of his life.  That’s because right now, Nick is crossing the US on foot.

Forrest Gump Moment

He started in New York back in June, and next week, he finally makes it to the Santa Monica Pier.

To celebrate the completion of more than 3000 miles of walking, Nick will be kicking his feet up and enjoying a few pints of the finest cask ale Southern California has to offer.

Come join Nick, by him a pint, or even better, donate what you can to the charities he’s walking for.

A portion of all cask ale sales from the night will be donated to the American Legion Legacy Scholarship fund.

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at the Daily Pint

The Daily Pint will be pulling out some pretty sweet casks for the event, and all 4 beer engines will be running.  Check back a couple days before the event, and I will try and post the beer list.  Also check out the Daily Pint’s website, linked below.

Daily Pint
2310 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA

For more info on the event, visit Nick Walks America and California Beerzine

Firestone 12th Anniversary

OK, I’ll admit it. I’ve known about tonight’s Firestone tasting at the Blue Palms Brewhouse for a couple weeks now. I caught wind of it a couple weeks ago at Brian Yaeger’s Red White and Brew book release party, but have been reluctant to post it up on here, in fear that all the 10, 11, and 12 will be gone before I get there.

OK, maybe a little silly, but still. We’re talking about a vertical tasting of all of Firestone’s anniversary releases on tap. In addition to 3 of the most sought out beers in the country, they will also have kegs of Lil Opal, Saucerful of Secrets (The base of last year’s Eleven), Oaktoberfest, Unfiltered DBA, Union Jack, Pale 31, Walker’s Reserve Porter, Bravo Imperial Brown, and a cask of bourbon barrel aged Velvet Merkin.

You can try a 3 oz snifter of each anniversary beer for $20. Even though that means twenty dollars for nine ounces, I’d still say its a bargain.

Brewmaster Matt Brynildson will be on hand, assuming he can make it down to LA despite the fires going on in Santa Barbara right now.

Come on over to the Blue Palms at 6 oclock if you can, you wont regret it.

Beer Dinner at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar, in Santa Monica

Hit the jump for a look at what’s on the menu, with my comments on the beers:

aperitif
Jolly Pumpkin, Oro de Calabaza – a great sour from Dexter, Michigan

niman ranch bacon ‘en croute’
The Bruery, Black Orchard Wit – one of my favorites from new brewery, The Bruery

fuyu persimmon, fig and fennel salad
with shaved beets and
hachiya persimmon vinaigrette
Browerij Bosteels, Tripel Karmeliet – recently named Best Beer in the World

pumpkin mezzaluna
with brown butter and sage
Green Flash, Nut Brown Ale – WTF??  They stopped making this beer, and I was pissed!  Looks like Christina’s been squirreling some away (my hat is off).

braised duck leg confit
with celery root puree, roasted apples,
and black trompet mushrooms
Abbaye Binchoise, Reserve – haven’t tried this one

double chocolate layer cake
Allagash, Curieux – NOM NOM NOM.

This sounds like an amazing meal, and a great opportunity for some serious beer tasting.  If you’ve got the bucks to spend, I say do it.

For reservations, call Rustic Canyon at 310-393-7050

Wish I was down in San Diego for O’brien’s Wet Hop Festival, which is going on right now as I type.

From Tom Nickel:

I am expecting 24 different wet hop beers from San Diego, Northern California and Oregon.  We should have 22 different draft beers, 4 casks and even one bottled beer.  The line up will include beers from Pizza Port Carlsbad and Solana Beach, Ballast Point, Port Brewing, Stone, 21st Amendment, Anderson Valley, Beach Chalet, Bear Republic, Black Diamond, Blue Frog, Butte Creek, Lagunitas, Moonlight, Sierra Nevada, Triple Rock, Deschutes and Full Sail.

The fun starts tonight with two very rare and special festival pre-party casks from Sierra Nevada – Harvest Ale and ESP.  This year’s Harvest is great and I can’t wait to try it on cask.  The ESP is one of my favorite Sierra beers.  It is the bottled version of the Pale Ale, which is a little stronger and more hoppy, with wet hops added in the conditioning tank.  These are the only casks of these beers in southern California, so don’t miss them tonight, Thursday, 10/23 at 5 pm.  We also have a few wet hopped ales on tap right now including Port Brewing High Tide, Sierra Nevada Harvest and Full Sail Lupulin.  More will be added tonight as well.

I bet Beer Molly from My Beer Pix will be there, holding down the photo blog front.  If anyone makes it down there, let me know how it goes.

This Saturday, September 13th, Verdugo Bar is hosting their 1st annual Oktoberfest.  In addition to their usual biergarten, they will also be converting their parking lot for the afternoon to make way for all the festivities.

Come on out to Glassell Park for beer, brats, music, and even a few competitions like stein holding, boot racing, beer pong, and more.  Tickets are 20 dollars at the door, and that covers you for 3 beers.  Food and more beer will be available for purchase.  Most German beers don’t go too high on the alcohol content, so there will be room for 4, 5, 6- as long as you’re not boot racing!

Pre-sale tickets are available for $15 dollars.  Call the bar at 323-257-3408 with your credit card handy to pay.

Dirndls and leidenhosen are strongly encouraged (by me).

Visit the Verdugo Bar website for more details.

Southern California is going cask crazy!

Next Friday and Saturday, June 13th and 14th, Pizza Port Carlsbad is hosting an all firkin festival.

The Real Ale Fest website boasts over 45 cask conditioned ales. They’ve got a fancy pants VIP lineup that is only available on Friday from 1-4pm, which consists of Green Flash Double Stout, Alpine Duet IPA, Ballast Point Tongue Buckler, Pizza Port Carlsbad Night Rider Imperial Stout, and Lost Abbey’s Angel Share. (UPDATE: VIP is sold out)

The but besides that, they have no listing of what cask ales will be available to us non-VIP peons. My guess is, it will be a pretty heavy lineup of local San Diego brews (keep in mind, these are just guesses):

-A few Ballast Points (Even Keel, Yellowtail, and maybe Wahoo Wheat?)

-Stone (Vanilla Bean Porter seems to be hot right now)

-Some Green Flash (maybe the West Coast IPA or the new Hop Head Red?)

-Alpine Ale, Pure Hoppiness, Ichabod?

-Definitely a wide selection of the Pizza Port brews

Plus I would be very disappointed if there weren’t a few Port/Lost Abbey offerings lined up. Maybe some of Port’s 2nd Anniversary Ale or the fabled Isabelle Proximus? Nah, I’m probably asking too much. I know there’s gotta be a few surprises, though.

I have great news.

Phil brought back 2 beer engines from the UK, and tomorrow at 6pm, the Daily Pint is having another Firkin Friday.

The first experiment with cask ale was a huge success.  Firestone brought in a loaner beer engine and some Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale, and the keg was drained in 15 minutes.

Tomorrow they are bringing back more of the Unfiltered DBA, plus a cask of Stone Vanilla Bean Porter, which made it’s first LA appearance at Verdugo Bar a few weeks ago during their Stone tasting.  (For the record, as much as I love it, I don’t count Naja’s Place as “LA”)

Is cask ale going to be a permanent fixture at the Daily Pint?  With two new beer engines on hand, my guess is yes.

Angelenos have finally gotten a taste for fresh, delicious beer.  At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Firkin Friday started becoming a weekly institution.

Tomorrow, June 6th, 2008 at 6pm SHARP

Daily Pint
2310 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica

Daily Pint Official Site

Fresh out of the gates of their hard opening, Verdugo Bar is already working around the clock to dispel any rumors that LA doesn’t have a real beer scene.

This Tuesday, May 6th, Verdugo is welcoming Sarah Lescrauwaet of Duvel USA who is stopping by to conduct a beer and cheese pairing. The bar is opening at 7pm, an hour earlier than normal, to reward hard working beer drinkers with a whole evening of Happy Hour-type price breaks.

From the taps, there will be specials on Rare Cos Vos, Houblon Dobbelen (!!), and Maredsous 8. In bottles, specials on Duvel and Ommegangs.

AND the first 30 people through the door get their own Duvel glass, laser etched and everything, probably the finest beer glass known to man.

Keep your eye on the Verdugo Bar Events Page, they have a lot of great stuff coming up. Save the date for their Stone tasting on May 18th.

Verdugo Bar
3408 Verdugo Rd
Glassell Park, CA 90065
323-257-3408

Open Tuesday-Sunday 8pm-2am
Open 7 days a week starting May 12th!

This event is tonight, April 14th from 6pm to 10pm, at Tony P’s Dockside Grill in Marina Del Rey.

In order to age this new beer, DFH constructed a ginormous 10,000 gallon tank, and if you’ve got an extra 10 minutes, you should check out this video that gives some cool back story. The beer uses several varietes of Warrior hops, as well as Glacier and Palisade. A couple types of malts as well, including some chocolate malt, and tying it all together with a yeast strain used for Scottish ales.

Definitely looking forward to trying this one, as well as the whole new influx of DFH that should be hitting all the best LA beer stores soon!

Tomorrow! Friday the 11th of April!

Sometime between 6 and 7 o’clock, the Daily Pint in Santa Monica is tapping a firkin of unfiltered Firestone Double Barrel Ale.

That’s right, Real Ale in Santa Monica. A rep from Firestone is bringing by a temporary beer engine for this single keg, and once it kicks, it’s gone.

If there is enough enthusiasm from the beer community, maybe we can convince Phil to put in a permanent beer engine? Bring your friends, and be sure to explain to them what they are getting into. Some people have not yet been exposed to the joys of warm, flat beer.

See you at the Pint.

The Otheroom is one of the finer beer establishments on the westside that has not been written up on this blog before. Mainly because its crowded enough as it is and there’s no need to go telling even more people about it.

But here they are, celebrating their third year of beer and wine, I guess you can say the secret is out. Venice denizens, never fear – they will still let you cut the line if you flash a Venice address on your driver’s license.

So now let’s talk about their beer menu.

First off, you’ve gotta love a place that keeps Oaked Arrogant Bastard on tap. And it was pretty cool those few months when they had the “NO STELLA” sign hanging from their taps. Yeah, eventually the demand became so insane they had to relent and put it back on tap, but it was cool to see them take a stand and try to open people up to other beers. Damn it people, try something new!

The Paulaner Hef is great, with or without lemon! They’ve got Allagash White on tap! (skip the lemon) They’ve got the lovely Duchesse de Bourgogne, one of my favorite Flemish Red Ales, up on their chalkboard! And of course, there’s the always reliable Racer 5.

If you’re looking for Friday night crowds on a Tuesday, Otheroom tomorrow night is the place to be. And don’t order Stella, give something new a try.

Otheroom Anniversary Party
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
Opens at 5pm
1201 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291

[Via YoVenice!]

Flickr photoset can be found here.

Ever since the Great LA Beer Run of 2007, I’ve realized what huge possibilities there are for events like these. Something this awesome doesn’t come to LA everyday. So when it does, you need to clear your busy Saturday afternoon schedule, find a dog costume, and round up a sled team of man’s best friends.

2nd Annual LA Urban Iditarod 2008
This Saturday, March 1st 2008
12pm – 6pm
Route TBA.

From the YouTube description:

For the past 12 years an event has occurred on the steep hills and dark alleys of San Francisco. This experience has change lives and molded a generation of athletic drinkers, young and old. Inspired by the great Alaskan sled dog race, humans have taken to the asphalt trails of the concrete jungle in the annual running . . . of the Urban Iditarod. A few long time veterans of this hollowed ritual have brought the event to the crown jewel of urban sprawl . . . Los Angeles.

In this race, teams of three or more “dogs” pull a “sled” that is guided by a musher.

From the Beta Dogs themselves:

Hundreds of doggies have already registered for the Second Annual Los Angeles Urban Iditarod on Saturday, March 1st. We meet between 12 and 12:30pm at the same place we started last year. If you didn’t run last year, you must register by email, and a detailed map will be sent out on Friday.

What to bring?
- Team of 4 or more costumed participants (dog themes please)
- Sled (shopping cart creatively decorated to match your theme) w/ ropes for dogs to pull
- Pre-race hydration of your choice
- $20 entry fee (per sled), for donation to LA Humane Society

Other Recommendations
- WEAR SHOES you can run in. Sandals/barefoot/Ugg Boots are not only bad style but terrible to run in.
- Please do not carry open containers of alcohol while running.
- Bring ID and some cash for the pit stops at local bars.

Not that we’re worried, but the race happens RAIN or SHINE!

To register, contact: urbaniditarodLA@gmail.com

Good links to visit:
Facebook Event Page
MySpace Profile
2007 Award Winners

And just in case you’re still not excited enough for this amazing event, here’s last year’s write up in City Beat.

I’ll see all you crazy dogs on Saturday.

You are invited to a place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock, like the salmon of Capistrano. No, not Aspen. I’m talking about a little place called El Monte, California. And the beer will be flowing like water, or maybe even flowing like the oil in There Will Be Blood.

Yes, it’s been a full year since Skyscraper Brewing cut the red ribbon to much fanfare (Hey, it’s El Monte Mayor Ernie Guttierez! And is that local celebrity councilwoman Pat Wallach helping Phil cut the ribbon?!) at their Grand Opening Gala Event on January 20th, 2007.

I guarantee you’ve never had a better reason to visit El Monte. Where is El Monte, you ask? Here is a map. The brewery is right by the 10 and the 605.

It’s probably a bit of a trek, but for those of you who have never seen the inside of a brewery before, this is a great opportunity to peek behind the curtain. But don’t expect to catch a glimpse of the fabled Mad Brew Wizard of El Monte.

Instead, you will probably get to meet Phil Sutton, 32 year old head brewer and mild-mannered family man (and occasional OSHA safety code violator) who was profiled by the LA Times a few months back. Phil is a great guy making great beer, and I’m sure he’d love to throw back a few pints with his adoring fans.

Really, how often is it that you get to drink beer straight from the brewery? It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

Lug Nut Lager and Bulldozer Honeyweizen will be pouring from the tap, and there are unconfirmed rumors that one of the last kegs of Skyscraper Winter Warmer will be tapped at this event. If you still want to try the 2007 Winter Warmer, this will probably be your last chance.

If you’re smart, you’ll get there early and bring your own pint glass. Otherwise you will probably miss out on all the great food and be stuck with a red keg cup. Come on out and help Skyscraper celebrate their first year of brewing great beer in LA!

For all you Advocates of Beer, here’s a link to the event page for Skyscraper’s 1st Anniversary Party.

Skyscraper Brewing Company
3229 Durfee Ave. (Between Valley and Garvey)
El Monte, CA 91732
626-575-0770

Anderson Valley, can you do no wrong? Ever since I tried your Summer Solstice back in July, I knew I’d found something special. That Cerveza Crema coats my gullet with velvety goodness that rivals even a snug velour jumpsuit in tactual pleasure.

I had high hopes for the Winter Solstice, and I’m happy to say my expectations were exceeded.

It has all the creamy sweetness of the Summer, but more going on for it in the spiciness department. Now, some beers have a maltiness to them that makes you think, “Hmm, this tastes like bread.” But Winter Solstice’s maltiness just makes me think about graham crackers and Whoppers (America’s Favorite Malted Milk Balls, not BK value menu you sicko).

At 7%, this guy definitely brings a bit of warmth with it. Great weight to it; not too heavy, not too light, this is the porridge that Baby Bear would eat. Highly sessionable despite the higher %, and what better evening to enjoy it than the longest night of the year.

This may just be my favorite domestic Christmas beer of the year.

Today, the third Tuesday of October, is Sticke Day. So take a moment to educate yourself about this rare style of beer, courtesy of the German Beer Institute (skip down if you find this sort of thing boring, otherwise, it’s time to geek out!):

Twice a year, on the third Tuesday in January and on the third Tuesday in October, a ritual is re-enacted in the dark and smoky recesses of the hallowed halls of an old brewpub, the Uerige in Düsseldorf in the Rheinland. There, a crod of cognoscenti gathers expectantly in the taproom, as if they are members of a secret society about to witness an exclusive event—the tapping of the season’s first wooden cask of a rare, aged ale, called Sticke Alt.

Sticke is the strongest and scarcest Altbier there is! To understand its strange name, we must first delve into a bit of linguistic history: “Sticke” is a mangled version of the “plattdeutsch” (low-German) word “stickum,” which translates into English as “secret.” The origin of the Sticke, according to local lore, dates from a time when beer ingredients were still measured rather haphazardly by the bucketful. If the brewmaster made a “mistake” and mashed in too generous an amount of malt, he also had to add an extra dose of hops for balance. The finished beer from such a batch would be a strong and substantial beverage. In a sense, Sticke is to Altbier ale what Bockbier is to a regular lager. Because the Sticke started out as a mistake, it was rarely brewed the same way twice. The news of a brewmaster’s mistake, of course, normally would get around quickly among the initiated, who would pass the secret by word of mouth, behind cupped hands, in a “stickum” or “sticke” sort of way… and to be in on the secret was quite a privilege. It is said that this “stickum” hot tip, shared among the aficionados, then became the origin of the beer’s name. Nowadays, however, Sticke brewers have abandoned the secrecy surrounding the unveiling of the Sticke. Instead, they keep the Sticke tradition alive by advertising the dates of their special offerings in the media, on posters, and on their websites.

I haven’t been keeping up with the world of beer blogs recently, so I don’t know if anyone else has written about this, but you, dear reader, can now consider yourself among “the initiated.”

To be in on this secret is “quite a privilege,” so don’t say I never did nothing for ya.

You can find Uerige Sticke Alt in tiny little bottles at Wine House for around $5. I bought mine a month or two ago, so it was probably from the January batch. No matter, it was still a great beer.

The whole idea behind the beer is they brew it with more malt and hops than normal, creating a richer taste. I haven’t tried the regular Uerige altbier, so Alaskan Amber is pretty much my benchmark.

Uerige Sticke is a mellow malty fellow that I sucked down a little too fast. Smells a bit like toast and the hop flavor seemed buried behind the sweet malt.

A bit pricey for the less-than-12oz bottle, but this is definitely something I would buy again, most likely for the third Tuesday in January. Mark your calendars, and I’ll try to give you a little more advance notice next time.

Welp, the first annual Great LA Beer Run came and went and I think everyone involved agrees it was a great success.

We started off at the Highland Park Gold Line stop. After a bit of meet and greet, name tags, and sunscreen, the first place we hit was the Rock ‘n’ Roll 7-Eleven on Figueroa and Avenue 52.

I had driven right by it when I was getting off the freeway and was impressed with their banner advertising Rogue, Chimay, Duvel, Delirium and so forth. But when we got there, what really blew me away was their selection of glassware sitting behind the counter. Too bad I wasn’t in the market for any Chimay goblets or Affligem tulips.

My first purchase of the day was a bottle of this year’s Stone Vertical Epic. I had picked up a couple bottles back in June on a trip to the Wine Expo in Santa Monica, but they are still sitting in my closet and I’ve really been wanting a taste.

In today’s McWorld, it warms my heart to see this kind of selection from such an oppressive convenience store franchise. Unfortunately, Charles the manager wasn’t there to greet us, but someone definitely spent some time preparing for our arrival.

We hopped back on the bikes and cycled over to Galco’s, a mom and pop-type soda pop shop on York and Ave 57. This place was really amazing. Aisle after aisle of bottles. Tons of soda that you’ve never heard of and one of the best beer selections I’ve seen in all of LA.

Nothing is refrigerated, but this worked out well because the beers were going straight into my backpack anyways. I adopted a single St. Bernardus Abt 12 from a litter of 4, and a bottle of North Coast Old Stock 2006. And just for good measure I grabbed a miniature glass bottle of Dublin Dr. Pepper, which John, the proprietor, commented on while ringing me up.

It suffices to say that all the liquor stores on our route were incredible. Red Carpet in Glendale, the beloved Cap’n Cork in Silverlake, special guest store Vendome on Olympic, and the illustrious Wine House in Culver City.

Here’s a picture of my haul, taken outside of the Cap’n Cork:

The ride from Wine House back to Echo Park went by much quicker than I expected. I guess having all these beers waiting for us when we got home was a good motivator.

Hacker-Pschorr is a great bananay hefe, one of my favorites. Butte Creek Christmas Cranberry Ale was not Christmassy enough for me, and frankly a little watery, but I really enjoy Butte Creek’s Organic IPA and Porter. Stone Vertical Epic ‘07 is fantastic, will I actually be able to save the one in my closet for 5 years? Don’t know about that. Old Stock 2006 is heavy, sweet, and great for savoring. I actually didn’t get to try the Abt 12. Loterbol Bruin hit the spot, subtle and highly sessionable. He’brew Origin Pomegranate Ale is an imperial amber. Interesting style, but a little too boozy for the pomegranate to shine through. Tasty beer though, I will definitely try some of their others.

The great thing about our tasting afterwards was all the sharing.

Highlights of the evening included the Allagash Curieux, a tripel that’s aged in old Jim Beam barrels, Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, a coffee-caramelly dark beer brewed in honor of Hunter S. Thompson, and Duchesse de Bourgogne, a deliciously sweet and sour Flemish Red Ale that I could drink all day every day.

Special thanks to Hot Knives for hosting and providing some incredible nuts, which you can now enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

Viva La Grand Crew ‘007!

I am ridiculously excited for this event since it incorporates two of my all-time favorites, bikes and beer.

See below for details.  Be there or be square.

For no good reason at all Hot Knives is hosting our first (annual?) bicycle tour of L.A.’s best beer stores on Saturday, August 11. We know we’ve been eluding to this thing for months, since we first started reviewing our favorite brew purveyors for this site. But now the date is set and the details are fermenting. La Grand Crew ‘007 is here!

So, bike buddies, we invite you to tear yourselves away from watching Tour de France reruns at the Yard House and come join us and our closest alcoholics on an overly ambitious beer adventure! Hitting all five stores FEATURED HERE, we plan on traversing L.A. side streets to collect a wide array of bombers and six packs with the express purpose of throwing a tasting/swigging/gulping/retching party at the finish line. We’ll be starting at the Gold Line Metro Highland Park station and end at Echo park lake for a hot nuts & cold beer party. Maybe that’s reason enough to be doing this. In between we ask only that everyone 1) make new friends 2) buy a beer at each stop 3) drink lots of water.

Every store has generously offered to give us discounts and to not comment on our god awful August-heat stank. This event is, obviously, free. You just need some spending money for beer and a bag, sack, fanny pack or pannier. All the details are on the above flyer thanks to Meanstreetz Industries, our co-conspirator ) or contact us with other questions. If you’re down please RSVP ASAP to hotknivez@gmail.com, tell a friend and feel free to let us know if you’re a bike expert or a beer expert with any special skills you can lend to the team! We will post an estimated schedule and map next week in case anyone wants to join the ride partway, which is only very mildly frowned upon. La Grand Crew!!! Whose in?

Well apparently Mike Nelson, Crow, and Tom Servo escaped from the Satellite of Love (no word on Gypsy), and now Mike lives in San Diego and enjoys the local microbrews.

Not much has changed since his return, he still sits around with Crow and Servo and riffs on crappy movies.

Tonight at 10pm, Mike will host an evening of beer and Scientology as a part of Stone Garden’s Late Night Movie series.

For info on future movies and upcoming events at Stone, check out their newsletter archives.

Other movies being shown in August: Princess Bride, Young Frankenstein, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, and one of my all-time favorites, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

The highlight of the evening was meeting Evan and Alex of Hot Knives, the preeminent beer bloggers of LA. They also blog about food and cooking, and occasionally work beer into their recipes. How about some Levitation flapjacks or Stone-inspired ice cream? Come to think of it, I could go for a chocolate stout float right about now.

These guys are a great inspiration for a blossoming beer blogger like myself. They tell great stories and aren’t afraid to shit all over the Beer Establishment. Ever tried a Velveeta quesadilla right after a beer bong? (Further reading: In the Busch with A-B’s Specialty Beers)

On occasion they are known to wear bucket hats and yellow shades while speaking through clenched teeth and smoking from cigarette holders as they use their press credentials to gain entry to the biggest wine convention this side of the Mississippi. (Furthur reading: Food and Wining in Los Angeles)

If you’ve clicked all these links and still haven’t got enough Knives, you will also enjoy their Reverse Sideways trip to the Stone Brewery last December.

Wörtwurst, dry your eyes. My man-crush has officially transfered. Deal with it.

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.

If 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.

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

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

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.

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.