September 20-30: LA Beer Week

LA Beer Week is back for its fourth edition, taking place at bars, restaurants, bottle shops and breweries throughout Los Angeles and Orange County from September 20-30. The 11-day annual celebration of local beer culture features tastings, seminars, and beer pairing dinners that craft beer aficionados and newbies alike will enjoy. LA Beer Week culminates with the LA Beer Week Festival at Union Station on Sunday, September 30th.

In addition to one-offs, there are special events taking place throughout the entirety of LA Beer Week, including craft beer cocktails at Bar | Kitchen, barrel-aged beer pairings at City Tavern, and the Lucky Baldwins 16th Anniversary Celebration, featuring rare and vintage beers from Stone Brewing Co.

Other events will take place over the course of several days, such as homebrewing demonstrations at Wurstküche Venice (Sept. 20, 23, 27) and the Tony’s Darts Away IPA Festival in Burbank (Sept. 23-28). Sadie Kitchen & Lounge will be offering special menu pairings and cocktails made with Lost Coast Brewery beers on selected nights, Sept. 20-22 and Sept. 25-29. RSVP to Sadie via (323) 467-0200.

After the jump, a few highlights from LA Beer Week’s jam-packed schedule. For detailed information on all of the events taking place throughout the city, please visit the LA Beer Week calendar of events. You can also get social with LA Beer Week on Facebook and Twitter (official hashtag: #LABW).

September 20: Dogfish Head Invades Little Tokyo
To kick off LA Beer Week, Little Tokyo’s Far Bar will be pouring a dozen of the famed Delaware brewery’s beers, including some very rare and hard-to-get selections. In addition, Far Bar will be doing a special beer infusion with an “organoleptic hop transducer module,” aka Randall the Enamel Animal. They had me at “Godzilla movies on the screen all night.”

Dogfish Head Invades Little Tokyo
Thursday, September 20, 2012
6pm

Far Bar
347 E 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-9990
farbarla.com

Mia Sarazen | Photo courtesy of The Churchill

September 23: Beauty of the Barrel
On Sunday, September 23rd, Brew Something LA presents Beauty of the Barrel, taking place at The Victorian in Santa Monica. Beauty of the Barrel features ten breweries pouring barrel-aged beer, along with four distilleries pouring barrel-aged spirits. Four bartenders will create four craft cocktails, each featuring a barrel-aged spirit and a barrel-aged beer.

Featured Breweries and Beers

• Hangar 24: Hammerhead and Another Beer TBD
• Meantime: Old College Naval Porter
• Bockor: Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
• Drake’s: One Bourbon, One Scotch, Oh Dear!
• The Bruery: Sans Pagiae
• Eagle Rock: Equinox
• New Belgium: Tart Lychee
• Firestone Walker: Sticky Monkey
• Ballast Point: Bourbon Victory at Sea and Barrel-Aged Three Sheets Barleywine
• Ladyface: Trebuchet and Possibly Another Beer

Featured Bartenders with Spirits and Beers

• Mia Sarazen: Casa Noble Reposado and Eagle Rock Equinox
• Alex Straus: Atlantico Reserva Rum and Ballast Point Bourbon Victory at Sea
• Brad Twigg: Buffalo Trace and Hangar 24 Hammerhead
• Luke Wederbrook: Bols Genever and Ladyface Trebuchet

Presale tickets are $40 and capacity is limited to 125 attendees. Attendees will receive a 4 ounce pour of every barrel-aged beer not featured in a cocktail, a full serving of each available cocktail, and unlimited pours of core brewery product (while they last).

Net proceeds benefit the Virginia Avenue Project, which provides free after- and in-school programs, using the Arts in conjunction with long-term, one-on-one mentoring to give children the skills to make creative, courageous, and authentic life choices.

Beauty of the Barrel
Sunday, September 23, 2012
4-8pm
21 and over
$40 online tickets: beautyofthebarrel.brownpapertickets.com

The Victorian
2640 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
thevictorian.com

September 29: L.A. Beer Float Showdown 4
On Saturday, September 29th, Food GPS founder Josh Lurie presents the fourth annual L.A. Beer Float Showdown, taking place at Golden Road Brewing in Atwater Village. Five teams of top LA chefs and local breweries will collaborate to create the ultimate beer float, and every attendee gets to taste and cast a vote for their favorite. This year’s line-up includes:

• Eagle Rock Brewery + Andre Guerrero & Jan Purdy (The Oinkster / Maximiliano)
• Strand Brewing + Christian Page (Short Order) & Hourie Sahakian (Short Cake)
• El Segundo Brewing Co. + Shiho Yoshikawa (Sweet Rose Creamery)
• Golden Road Brewing + Josh Graves & Paul Sanguinetti (Ray’s and Stark Bar / C+M)
• Beachwood BBQ and Brewing + Tony DiSalvo & Chris Crary (Whist)

General Admission tickets are $35 per person, including five floats, and a savory treat from Golden Road Brewing. $45 VIP tickets entitle attendees to all of the above, plus early entry at 1pm, a special Golden Road beer, and a glass to keep.

Best of all, 10% of proceeds benefit The Pablove Foundation, a local organization that funds pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music and arts programs.

L.A. Beer Float Showdown 4
Saturday, September 29, 2012
2-5pm
General Admission ticket: $35; VIP ticket: $45
Online tickets: labeerfloatshowdown.eventbrite.com
Proceeds benefit The Pablove Foundation

Golden Road Brewing
5430 West San Fernando Road
Los Angeles, CA 90039
goldenroad.la

September 30: LA Beer Week Festival
LA Beer Week culminates with the fourth annual LA Beer Week Festival, taking place on Sunday, September 30th at historic Union Station in downtown LA. The closing festivities will feature over 70 local, regional, national, and international craft and artisan breweries, pouring a wide array of their beers, including a special few available only for LA Beer Week.

The Festival will take place in the patio areas adjacent to Union Station and inside the legendary Fred Harvey Restaurant, where a show bar will feature some special presentations during the event. To help soak up the suds, some of LA’s top food trucks will be on hand, offering a wide range of tasty bites for purchase.

Presale tickets are $50, which includes entry and unlimited beer pours. Proceeds benefit The Spero Foundation, The LA Brewers Guild, and the Glassell Park Recreation Center.

4th Annual LA Beer Week Festival
Sunday, September 30, 2012
12-4pm
Tickets: $50
Presale tickets: www.itsmyseat.com/LABeerWeek
Proceeds benefit the Spero Foundation, LA Brewers Guild, and the Glassell Park Recreation Center

Union Station
800 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012