visiting beer

With so many planes, places, pleople, plints and pleasures, it's hard to squeeze in timely blog posts... so I'm backing up 3 months to Montreal's Benelux Brasserie Artisinale https://www.facebook.com/BrasserieArtisanaleBENELUX.

After some family & friend time in New Brunswick and some snowboarding & conference time in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, I had one brief evening in Montreal before my flight back to LA the next morning. Guillaume was my pour-guide to the beautiful brews of Benelux, including Gaia (blanche), Flimzie (blonde d'abbaye), Eponym (saison), Dub (double belge), and Cuda (IPA). That IPA was one of the loveliest grapefruitiest hopped IPAs I've ever enjoyed... and I'm not talking about a grapefruit-infused/flavored beer, I'm talking about that citrusy, grapefruity hop character. Many such brews entice at the nose then disappear on the palate, but Cuda followed the aromatic bouquet with a formidable hoppy bitterness all wrapped up in a velvety and slightly sweet blanket of malt ("lacing" just doesn't capture this protein structure!).

I practiced my preschool-level French with some union (theatre/event) lighting professionals. One of them in turn practiced his adolescent-level English with me, saying "you make me feel so comfortable, I could lay on you, like a couch". He told me "comfortable" has a different meaning in French. I wonder, is it the same for "lay on you"? Tell me this guy (below) does NOT look like Jim Croce!

The real Jim Croce (below)

As my Acadien french buddies used to say, "C'etait fun, la!" Salut Guillaume! A la prochaine!

I was sad to be missing Charleston's Brewvival (February 23, 2013), but craigslister Alyssa (below) was keen to snap up my tickets to this sold out craft beer festival. She and her boyfriend Jay (above) had a BLAST in this muddy mess and she sent me some great photos to prove it. These are some hardcore beer lovers!

Being cautious in relationships is like drinking bland beer to avoid the possibility of ever having a bad taste in your mouth. I’ve had my share of unpleasant gustatory experiences in the beer department, but I'll tell you one thing: my favorite beer moments didn't come from the “safe” taps!

Thanks for your beer blog post:  http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/02/04/vancouvers-best-craft-beer-taprooms-where-are-they/  

For farmers markets the answer lies in what's fresh, in-season and which crops were especially flavourful that season; it's quite similar with craft beer bars.

The best craft beer bars have a constantly evolving tap list, delighting and surprising their beer enthusiast customers with the latest creations of brewers near and far, be they interesting infusions, boozy barrel-aged blends, or simply a fresh take on a quintessential classic. The best beer bars also pay close attention to cleaning and maintenance of their tap lines, as well as the proper serving temperature and glassware. Most importantly, the best beer bars have knowledgeable and super friendly and welcoming bartenders who are excited about spreading the beer love around!

When I visit Vancouver, The Alibi Room is my home (thanks Nigel!) and I'm stoked to see more and more legit beer bars opening up like Bitter Tasting Room. The bartender serving us during my first visit was the epitome of craft beer bar awesomeness: he uses his superior knowledge about beer to spark excitement and promote exploration (not to "show off" or "one up" as is common in the world of beer-nerdery). Thanks Simon! Below: happy customers at Bitter Tasting Room in Vancouver, BC (27-Sep-2012)

If ever a profound message was packaged within pure cult-ish cheesiness, it was that within the movie "The Secret." According to the law of attraction, "what you think about, you bring about."  TRUTH! Case-in-point: One day, I visited my hairdresser Dessarae's new salon in Burbank, Parlor (http://www.hairsalonboutiqueburbank.com/). I was offered a complimentary craft beer: an Anchor Steam (San Francisco, CA) or a Hangar 24 Orange Wheat (Redlands CA). I think about beer. I am then offered beer... at my hair salon! Coincidence? I think not! As of a few days ago, they're chilling Old Rasputin (North Coast Brewing; Fort Bragg, CA), and - thanks to some less-mystical powers of suggestion - Point the Way IPA (Golden Road Brewing; Los Angeles, CA) & Sierra Nevada Pale (Chico, CA). They also offer wine, soda, juice, water, coffee and tea, which means some other customers must be thinking hard about those things...(I'm not sure why)?

Perhaps my 3-year long attraction to Tony's Darts Away (http://tonysda.com/) - a stellar craft beer bar just a few blocks down the road from Parlor - resulted in a telepathic energy field leading Dessarae to choose this location in the first place... or perhaps not. Either way, this neighborly proximity is the perfect excuse for Parlor's pretties to skip on down the road to taste what California brewers are crafting. (What better source of inspiration for future bar fridge candidates, right?!)

Looking at my calendar, I see I've been to quite a few spots in the last month - some for the first time, and some the umpteenth, some for the food only, but most for the beer too. In reverse order: The Oinkster (Eagle Rock), Kings Row Gastropub & Congregation Ale House (Pasadena), Ernie's Mexican Restaurant (North Hollywood & Eagle Rock), Simmzy's (Manhattan Beach), Little Dom's (Los Feliz), The Playground (Santa Ana in Orange County), Hollywood Tavern, Steingarten, Eagle Rock Brewery, Bottega Louie, Street, Village Idiot & Blue Palms (LA). *Hollywood or LA? See bottom of post for some boring local geographical factoids.

The Oinkster (www.theoinkster.com): Rotisserie chicken dipped in garlic aioli + fresh local beer on tap = pure goodness.

Kings Row Gastropub (www.kingsrowpub.com): Their (not actually a) poutine may not have the requisite fresh squeaky cheese curds to warrant the name, but it's truly delicious, so get it anyway! Speaking of squeaking, their bubble & squeak (below) was a delightful surprise, and the El Segundo Brewing Citra Pale Ale was the perfect accompaniment. 

Congregation Ale House (www.congregationalehouse.com) makes their own bread & pastries and it shows. My turkey burger & apple tart were remarkable!

My favorite Mexican-English American woman introduced me to Ernie's Mexican Restaurant (www.erniesnoho.com) and I became an instant fan! Yummy chicken chimichangas and fresh guac... not to be confused with fresh avocado or guacamole sauce; and not to be confused with any other Ernie's location because they are very, very different. Standard beers for a Mexican restaurant, which is to say you go there for the food.

Simmzy's in Manhattan Beach (www.simmzys.com) has too many good things to mention (tap list, food, consistently superior bartender service), so start with an omelette & beer brunch followed by a walk along "The Strand" (ocean promenade). If you're not a fan of waiting your turn, go to a less awesome spot.

Little Dom's (www.littledoms.com) was one of my first loves in LA, mostly for brunch (this is not a beer spot). Scrambled eggs bruschetta, blueberry ricotta pancakes, arugula parmesan salad... the list goes on. PS: If you see an actor there, try not to be one of those LA-holes that gawks, points or tweets their location.

The Playground (www.playgrounddtsa.com) was a first visit for me and I think they have a really good thing going (service, bottle list, food), so they should listen to their customers and cut back on the fricking salt already!

Village Idiot (www.villageidiotla.com) is one of my faves for at-bar-mosphere, and they always have a few good taps & food options. The chef is as flexible as concrete though; if you order soup or something spicy you will not get bread or a roll or a bun, even if you beg to pay for it! It throws off the inventory?! What?! (If this has changed, let me know...)

As for Blue Palms Brewhouse (www.bluepalmsbrewhouse.com) and Eagle Rock Brewery (www.eaglerockbrewery.com), me love you long time (since the beginning, in fact). Excellent beer and even excellenter people behind the bar. BP regulars love the truffle burger and ERB regulars love the food trucks. I unconditionally love both these kids. Happy 3rd birthday celebration this Saturday, ERB!

*Boring local geographical factoids

For the non-local readers (and some of the local ones too), regional references of Los Angeles can be confusing. Hollywood is not a city; it is a district within the City of Los Angeles, within Los Angeles County. Los Feliz is a neighborhood within the district of Hollywood. North Hollywood is a city, separate from the district of Hollywood and the City of Los Angeles. Eagle Rock is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles. Like North Hollywood, Pasadena and Manhattan Beach are also cities within Los Angeles County.

My Saturday slumber was not in sync with the (unbeknownst-to-me) noon closing time at the car rental office. Sadly, taxi fares from Charleston historic district to Westbrook Brewing Company in Mount Pleasant to Coast Brewing Company in North Charleston and back to downtown Charleston would have been over a hundred bucks.  This beer agenda was catching up with me, so I embraced the lazy and settled in for some Southern comfort food at the Hominy Grill (www.hominygrill.com).

Fried green tomatoes (above). Shrimp & grits (below).

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale (Athens, Georgia) and gingerbread stout cake with stout butter-cream. Holy food coma, Batman! 

  My host stopped on the way home from work to gather up three treasures [1) me, 2) pizza, 3) MIB3 movie rental] and the Saturday slumber continued over a Kasteel Donker (Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck; Ingelmunster, Belgium) and a Westbrook Vanilla Tree Dubbel (below).

On Sunday morning, I walked down to the Charleston Beer Exchange where Scott helped me load up my Arc’teryx daypack with souvebirs.  How does a 20 lb backpack of beer feel after 3 miles? A wee heavy.  <--nerdy beer pun

After our farewell dinner at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, I was left singing my travel soundtrack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiS49lOBE6M before finally wrapping up this Charleston adventure with a nightcap at Closed for Business. Bartender Robbie bestowed the fruits of a freshly tapped keg of Palmetto Ghost Rider upon me, whilst a trio of wacky bar stool neighbours (named Harry, Lissie, and um... Jack Black?) served up some seriously silly diversion.