Only ten days remain until LA Beer Week, the prolifically sudsy fall event that showcases the best in LA County beer. This year, the whole thing runs from September 20 - 28, and is overseen by the Los Angeles Country Brewers Guild, which counts the likes of Golden Road Brewing, Beachwood Brewing, Ladyface Ale Companie, Smog City and others as members.
What's that mean for the average drinker? More locally-focused events than ever before. There are dozens of drinking opportunities all week long, with half a dozen on any given weekend night and others spread across the week, including cask beer festivals, a battle of the bands, some Oktoberfest shenanigans downtown and lots of one-off beers.
Some events are ticketed in advance, others are come-as-you-are, so check out the events calendar for more information. Better yet, the below list of the ten best things you can expect from this year's LA Beer Week.
· One Hell of a Kick-Off Festival: Chinatown continues to sizzle with their latest food festival on Saturday the 20th, the LA Brewers Beer Week Kick-Off. General admission ticket holders get unlimited pours from 40 breweries.
· Beer and Cheese Pairings: All week long, the Venice location of Wurstküche has curated a cheese pairing to match with their ample brew selection. Plates cost $20 each, with cheese by way of the new Wheel House Cheese Shop.
· Mystery Beer Taps at Stone Pasadena: Escondido's own Stone Brewing Co. will be tapping two different mystery beers at their Pasadena location beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday the 20th.
· A Beer Belly x Modern Times Collaboration Brunch: Koreatown's Beer Belly is helping to cure the hangover blues on Sunday the 21st with coffee-tinged beer from Modern Times, plus cold brew on tap.
· Oktoberfest at Angel City: Beer-mug races, sauerkraut eating competitions and Angel City's own Oktoberfest beer will be flowing all day on Sunday the 21st, with 10% of proceeds benefiting the Downtown Women's Center.
· Real Ale Fest at MacLeod's: Casked, or 'real' beers are aged slowly and in small quantities, letting their flavor profiles change over time. Celebrate one-off casked creations from Smog City, El Segundo, King Harbor, Ladyface, Beachwood and more on Tuesday the 23rd at 7 p.m.
· Beer from Nerd Hero Will Wheaton: Wheaton is a prior collaborator with Stone Brewing, and he'll be on hand to debut the latest iteration of his w00tstout, along with a number of other collaboration beers from the Stone line on Wednesday the 24th.
· Firkin Fest: Yes, Lancaster is a haul, but Kinetic Brewing has long been a major reason to make the drive. On Friday the 26th, Kinetic and Bravery Brewing will face off for small barrel beer supremacy with Firkin Fest, which celebrates the conditioned beer phenomenon.
A Glendale Tap Block Party: On Sunday the 28th, Torrance neighbors Smog City and Monkish Brewing are taking their streetside party north to Glendale Tap for a block party that involves rare kegs from both brew houses.
· The Oinkster Eagle Rock's Eight Year Anniversary: Right at the end of beer week is the original Oinkster's eight year anniversary, so expect the return of famous one-off burgers, special surprises and lots of impressive beer on Sunday the 28th.
· All Craft Beer Coverage [~ELA~]
· 15 Great Places to Drink Craft Beer in LA, Spring 2014 [~ELA~]
