Category Archives: Miscellaneous

New Group for LA Beer Lovers

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Go check out the brand new site for LA Beer Geeks, the aptly named BeerGeek.LA

The word is, tonight at 6pm, the Daily Pint will be tapping kegs of Pliny the Younger(!!!), Consecration(!!), and AleSmith’s My Bloody Valentine(!!). Here’s the announcement on Beer Geek LA, plus the official word from the Daily Pint’s site

One cool aspect of this new site, its focused on bringing beer lovers together in real life, as opposed to just on the internets.  There is a corresponding Meetup.com group, with the stated mission of “Meeting other beer geeks in the LA area at some of the best beer bars in town.”

I’ve never tried meetup.com before, but it seems like a pretty good way to meet other people with the same obscure interests as you (not that beer is an obscure interest, everyone loves beer!).

Looking through the LA area, I’ve finally figured out where all those Salsa dancers at the Third St. Promenade every Sunday come from.  It’s a giant Meetup.com group!  Who would’ve known?

Join the LA Beer Geek meetup group to stay posted on “all the best beer events happening in Los Angeles.”  As of right now, there are already 32 beer geeks who have joined up.

And don’t forget, The Daily Pint has freakin Pliny the Younger on tap tonight!!

LA Grand Crew Rides Again

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It’s that time again.  The Second Annual L.A. Grand Crew!  If you missed it last year, now’s the time to clear your Saturday and pump up your bike tires.

The ride starts at 11AM in front of Union Station, and ends at my favorite eastside beer haunt, Verdugo Bar.

The route has changed, and so has the time of year.  Now, instead of buying all the beers for yourself, you can use this ride to buy some delicious Christmas presents for friends and family.  Who in their right mind doesn’t love to get beer for Christmas?

Continue reading for the video invitation from Hot Knives. Continue reading →

New website design

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I’ve been screwing around with the site a little bit recently.  Upgrading to the latest version of WordPress and trying out a new template.

What do you think about the new look?  The white background is kind of weird, right?  Should I switch it back to the black / gray of the old site?

Beer Beer Beer

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So yesterday, I was thinking about how much I love Eggs Benedict, and wondering why I have never tried to enjoy it in the comfort of my own home. Then it hit me: I have no idea how to poach an egg. I consulted Google and the first thing that caught my eye was the eggs-cellent How to Poach an Egg guide by Rob Manuel. (Side note: I am indebted to Rob for his research and eggs-periments. I too value results over choices. 2 minute boil in saran wrap takes the prize. Thanks Rob!)

After screwing around on his site for a good 30 minutes, I found this little gem he made last year. It’s a great song and an even more impressive stop-motion video starring a whole family of anthropomorphised pint glasses. You’ll be singing along by the end of the video!

Also, head over to William Brand’s Beer Newsletter for a great video of a bar in Belgium made entirely out of beer crates.

Stuff White People Like

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#23 – Microbreweries

california microbrews

If you haven’t seen it by now, Stuff White People Like is friggin’ huge right now. It’s been up for about a month and has already reached over 2.2 million hits.

There is a lot of speculation about who writes it. I am pretty sure that it’s a guy that lives in LA, and to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he is white. How else would he know about all this stuff?

A lot of the items are spot on for me. Yes, I love Wes Anderson movies, Snowboarding, Arrested Development, Indie Music, and Bicycles. I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or proud about of having my whiteness laid out on the internets like this.

But it made me think, when did enjoying good beer become a white thing? What percentage of the people on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer do you think are white? How many microbreweries are there in this country that are founded or owned by non-whites?

What do you think, is there something inherently white about enjoying microbrews?

LA Times Most Emailed Article

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Awesome cover story from yesterday’s Calendar section.

LA Times Beer Cover Story

A brief excerpt:

“Right now, in the L.A. scene, there are a bunch of places that are starting to address the whole spectrum of what beer is,” Jilg says. “It really is the tipping point, where decision makers — restaurant owners and bar managers — are realizing that beer is more than the big three.”

And craft beer is growing around the country. Denver-based nonprofit the Brewers Assn. reports that sales of craft beer were up 12% in 2006. The trade group has craft beer representing about a 3.5% share of the overall beer market, up from 3.2% at the end of 2006.

Those numbers jibe with trends the larger American brewers are seeing. Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of import, craft and specialty beers Andy Goeler says craft beer might even have a slightly higher percentage of the overall U.S. beer market, putting the number above 4%. “We’re starting to see the urban areas, and L.A. being one of the big ones, where the craft brands are really taking hold,” Goeler says.

Most urban areas are already associated with a brewery. San Francisco is home to Anchor Steam, San Diego boasts the presence of Stone Brewing, Chicago is linked with Goose Island and New Yorkers raise a pint from Brooklyn Brewery.

But L.A.?

“Los Angeles has the Father’s Office,” says Greg Koch, chief executive of Escondido-based Stone Brewing.