Rise and shine elbow benders, L.A. Beer Week round seven is coming to a bar, bottle shop, pub, lectern and brewery near you earlier than seasons past. The epic steam engine that has become the craft beer industry in L.A. and South Bay locales meets for a week, June 20th-28th, a whole three months earlier than last year’s L.A. Beer Week. Presented by the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, #LABW7 (official hash-tag) taps into summer with their 6/20 LA Beer Week Kick-Off Festival this Saturday.
Tickets for L.A. Beer Week’s kick-off event on-sale Friday April 3rd (Image Courtesy of LA Beer Week).
LA Beer Week events in the South Bay peak during the middle of the week at Naja’s Place, the most eminent elbow bending spot on the seedy side of the King Harbor Marina, with Meeting of the Guilds event on Wednesday night. California brewer guilds from L.A., San Fancisco & San Diego and member breweries meet to pour specialty brew for the legal drinking public. You, the beer drinker, get to vote on what tastes best. All you need to do is pay for your pours. Winning brewer with the most votes takes home the Golden Keg. Naja’s will host L.A. Beer Week events through the week featuring special appearances by Ballast Point Brewing and some Belgian brew.
L.A. Beer Week is in its 7th term as a not for profit craft beer event with ever increasing popularity driven by a cadre of volunteer supporters, guild members, and DIY craft beer spirit that have built a platform to celebrate the local craft beer scene that is alive and thirsty in LA and around Califorina. The runaway freight train that has become craft beer in LA (& the South Bay of LA) will be reigned in and curated by the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild during LA Beer Week’s seventh run.
In the sprirt of a unified craft beer community, this year L.A. Beer Week has brewed and nominated a Tart Saison brew, something like a farmhouse-style ale that should pair nicely with summer weather. Unity is the official beer of L.A. Beer Week and was brewed at Smog City in Torrance with help from guild members. Unity is available at various bottle shops and retailers through June while supplies last.
LA Beer Week tradition “Kick the Keg” event at City Tavern in Culver City (Image Courtesy of City Tavern).
Bars, pubs, restaurants, bottle shops, and local breweries, will weave together special food pairing events, tap takeovers, some beer education, and tastes all in honor of L.A. Beer Week’s seventh round.
As we’ve done in the past, below you’ll find a list of South Bay venues & and craft breweries that will be serving up something special for this year’s L.A. Beer Week. If by chance you are in Eagle Rock, San Gabriel, Pasadena or happen to migrate outside the bubble (South Bay) be sure to scroll down the list of L.A. Beer Week events happening all week at L.A. Beer Week’s official events page.
6/21
Father’s Day Vinyl Brunch at Phantom Carriage Brewery
Noon
Phantom Carriage Brewery in Carson preps a Father’s Day brew & brunch event complete with puckering suds, sour beers are their specialty, Sunday starting around noon. They will serve up a brunch menu, sour beers and dad is allowed to bring his favorite album on fully pressed on vinyl, no CDs or cassettes allowed, that he may listen while taking a tour of the brewery. Call ahead to reserve a spot at (310) 538-5834. Phantom Carriage Brewery is located at 18525 S. Main Street in Carson.
6/22
Day One – Mayberry IPA Release
Noon
The tastes and smells of the coastal midwest come alive with the release of one of El Segundo Brewery’s most aromatic IPAs. It’s for good reason that every bottle from ESBC comes stamped with following instructions, “Smell, Drink, Repeat.” ESBC is bottliing their Mayberry IPA during LA Beer Week and it will be available for purchase on site at the brewery. El Segundo Brewery is located at 140 Main St. in El Segundo.
El Segundo Brewing Company’s Mayberry IPA is available in 22-ounce bottles at brewery & in bottle shops.
Pink Boots L.A. Takeover Three Weavers
4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Women have been apart of the craft beer scene in and around LA for some time now with the likes of Golden Road Brewing, Smog City, and Three Weavers Brewing all guided and built with the help of savvy females. Pink Boots Society supports women in craft beer through education and scholarships. Pink Boots’ Takeover event at Three Weavers will pour beers from some of the best breweries around SoCal and 100% of event proceeds will be directed to Pink Boots’ scholarship fund. Cost to attend is $20. Three Weavers Brewing is located at 1031 W. Manchester Blvd. in Inglewood; (310) 400-5830. tickets
LA Beer Week Pint Night at Tortilla Cantina
6 p.m.
Old Town Torrance’s Tortilla Cantina is often decorated with empty kegs around its edges and outside its bathrooms as they have been a dedicated sponsor and purchaser of craft beer for a long time now. 2015 commemorative LA Beer Week Pint night goes down at the Tortilla Cantina on Monday, $10 for the glass, $5 for refills. Tortilla Cantina is located at 1225 El Prado Ave in Torrance.
Kick the Keg at City Tavern in Culver City
6 p.m.
Kind of a LA Beer Week tradition now that involves some friendly backyard competition where City Tavern invites 11 brewers to each bring a special keg(s). The first keg to go dry is crowned king or queen. The taps go live at 6 p.m. and City Tavern is located at 9739 Culver Blvd in Culver City; no ticket needed for this event.
6/23
Sierra Nevada Brewing at Rock & Brews PCH
6 p.m.
The fortune and fame of rock n roll and craft beer take center stage on the cusp of Redondo Beach’s Riveria Village when long-time California craft brewer Sierra Nevada Brewing pour the following taps on Tuesday night: Kellerweiss Bavarian style wheat, the Bigfoot Barleywine style ale, and the Hoptimum, a whole cone Imperial IPA. Rock & Brews PCH is located at 6300 Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach.
6/24
Meeting of the Guilds at Naja’s Place
6 p.m.
Three California brewers guilds will join forces for one giant tap takeover at Naja’s Place on June 24th for the official Meeting of the Guilds. This event is designed to showcase all that these organizations have to offer. Taste your way through a selection of Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, San Diego Brewers Guild, and San Francisco Brewers Guild breweries (20 representatives for each) and cast your vote to see who will inherit the prized Golden Keg. Naja’s Place is located at 154 International Boardwalk on the Redondo Pier. No ticket needed for this event.
Firestone Walker Beer Dinner
6 p.m.
Come enjoy a 3 course beer dinner hosted by the Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Rock & Brews Pacific Coast Highway. Dinner guests will receive a welcome beer in addition to the rare beers paired with each unique course from the Rock & Brews kitchen. There will be 6 Firestone Walker beers on draft, including the Aggrestic, the Bretta – Weisse, the Parobola, the Stickee Monkee, the DBA, and the 805. Cost is $45 per person; Rock & Brews PCH is located at 6300 Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach.
6/26
Firkin Friday at Absolution Brewing in Torrance
5 p.m.
Absolution Brewing taps two new surprise firkins on Friday June 26th. Firkin beer is how beer has been brewed for thousands of years where the ale is fermented and drawn from the same container. No outside carbon dioxide is injected into a firkin beer so it tends to be less gassy and can also be warmer than normal kegged beer. Absolution Brewing is located at 2878 Columbia St. in Torrance.
6/27
Rarest of the Rare at Smog City Brewing
5 p.m.
Rarest of the Rare event returns to LA Beer Week after a 2 year hiatus (welcome back). Smog City has brewed new special releases, stockpiled past favorites and they are ready to blow the roof of the proverbial Beer Palace. Expect three bars flowing with bourbon barrel-aged, sour beers and a melange of experimental beers from the last two years. This is not a ticketed event but you should try and reserve a spot through their facebook page or La Beer Week listingto make sure you get a chance to taste and what Smog City has been storing in the cellar. Smog City is located at 1901 Del Amo Blvd #B in Torrance.
El Segundo Brewing & Cascade Brewing – Perfect Strangers Release
5 p.m.
Cascade Brewing is a major sour beer producer from the Northwest that brews tart, barrel-aged brew. El Segundo Brewery is a definitive hop-forward, California style IPA maker, so it’s a rarity that the two would collaborate on a beer… hence the name of the beer to be released “Perfect Strangers.” This is a ticketed event, and there will be no door sales so get your ticket soon. General admission gets you a full pour of Perfect Strangers, tastings of Cascade and El Segundo beers, plus bites from Vella Pizza. El Segundo Brewery is located at 140 Main St. in the Gundo. tickets
Night of the Living… Barrel Aged Dead at Phantom Carriage Brewery
6 p.m.
“Night of the Living Dead” will showcase the 1968 cinematic classic in the Phantom Theatre on a 130 in. UHD projection screen, along with ten hand-selected and rare, barrel-aged beers from amazing breweries. These decadent libations will be paired with artisan cheese and chocolate. But beware… the building will be quarantined. Summoned by an insatiable thirst for barrel-aged beer, live zombies will roam the brewery grounds… searching for something to satisfy their unrelenting thirst. The evening’s soundtrack will be provided by Los Angeles-based DJ Chee-bo… funky, atmospheric & retro jams all on vinyl. Phantom Carriage Brewery is located at 18525 S Main St. in Carson.