Steingarten beer cocktail.
The 3rd Annual LA Beer Week kicks off this coming Monday with a beer-intensive party at Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach (which you can still buy or win tickets for by the way). What follows after that is 14 days of beerlicious events. Take your pick: a musical beer crawl, a 12-course beer paired dinner, a beer float showdown or a brewery opening. Only the truly ambitious will attempt them all.
Here’s a calendar of events for your consideration. Which events are you going to hit up?
Monday, October 10
Naja’s Place Official LA Beer Week Kickoff with Stone Brewing Co.: 40+ Stone Brewing Co beers, including vintage and special releases. (Redondo Beach, Session A: 3-7pm, Session B: 8pm-12am)
Tuesday, October 11
Musical Beer Crawl: A night of craft beers and live music along Echo Park’s Sunset Blvd. Some of LA’s finest beer and music establishments will have discounts, deals and surprises just for crawlers with the FREE print-at-home Musical Beer Crawl Passport. (Echo Park)
Breakfast for Dinner Pairing: Beachwood BBQ & Brewing will be collaborating with L.A.’s Eagle Rock Brewery for a “Breakfast for Dinner” event featuring five courses. (Long Beach, 6-9pm)
Wednesday, October 12
Firestone Walker Deconstructed: The Avalon Theater is hosting Home Brew Chef Sean Z. Paxton, who will be preparing pairings for each of the eight beers that were blended into the much-anticipated Firestone Walker XV Anniversary Ale. By the way, to score a 15% discount, enter the code “AHA” at checkout. (Hollywood, 7pm)
Thursday, October 13
3rd Annual Uptown Whittier Pub Crawl: 10 different Uptown Whittier establishments celebrate beer culture by hosting a unique beer and cuisine pairing at each stop! (Whittier, 5-11pm)
Karl Strauss Reverse Tap Takeover: Karl Strauss turns its taps over to four of LA’s hottest breweries. Enjoy locally brewed craft beer and small plate pairings, and bump elbows with the brewers. (Universal City, 5-9pm)
Boneyard Bistro & The Bruery’s Epic 12-Course Dinner: The title says it all. The menu backs it up. (Sherman Oaks, 7pm)
Friday, October 14
Dogfish Head Night at Naja’s Place: Close to 20 Dogfish Head beers (the most ever poured in L.A.), including some very rare treats. (Redondo Beach, 8pm)
Saturday, October 15
4th Annual Verdugo Bar Oktoberfest: Traditional German and local breweries pouring their German-style beers; authentic sausages, pretzels, and other delights. (Glassell Park, 1-7pm)
3rd Annual LA Beer Float Showdown: Five top chefs are collaborating with five top California breweries to develop imaginative beer floats. Every attendee is a judge, voting on flavor, originality, and presentation. 25% of event proceeds will go to Share Our Strength. (Eagle Rock, 1-4pm)
Factory Gastrobar Oktoberfest: The Factory will be pouring 7 of the greatest American-made Oktoberfest brews, and cranking out German specialties like bratwurst and schnitzel. (Long Beach, 3pm-12am)
Sunday, October 16
Golden Road Brewing Grand Opening Festival: Meet Brewmaster Jon Carpenter, tour the huge facility and try the beers behind L.A.’s newest craft brewery. Specialty beers from local breweries will be poured and food trucks will be serving up eats. (Los Angeles/Glendale, 2-7pm)
Flights of fancy.
Monday, October 17
4th Annual Beachwood BBQ Molecular Gastronomy Dinner with The Bruery: A six-course beer pairing dinner of epic proportions. (Seal Beach, 6pm)
Public School 612’s Belgian Beer 101: Professor Trevor Mortensen returns to educate on brewing and techniques that go back to the Middle Ages. Six beers and snacks. (Downtown LA, 7:30pm)
Tuesday, October 18
Lucky Baldwin’s Exclusive Pub Tour: A hop-on/hop-off bus pub tour, taking you to all three Lucky Baldwin’s pubs. (Pasadena, 6:30pm-12am)
3rd Annual Autumn Avery Brewing Dinner: A 5-course beer pairing dinner, inspired by the flavors of fall, at The Bottle Room. (Whittier, 7:30pm)
Wednesday, October 19
Ladyface Ale Companie Brewmaster’s Dinner: Five gourmet courses paired with Ladyface ales. Hosted by Proprietor Cyrena Nouzille, Brewmaster David Griffiths, and Chef Adam Fritz. (Agoura Hills, 6pm)
Mohawk Bend / Stone Brewing “Riddle Me This”: A night of festive beers that you have to earn by solving the associated riddle. Also, Mohawk’s food menu will feature Stone Farms produce delivered fresh that day! (Echo Park, 6-10pm)
Thursday, October 20
Big Crawl in Little Tokyo: Pub crawl spanning 9 bars, featuring 9 breweries, and 18+ Stone Brewing tap handles at Far Bar. (Little Tokyo, 5pm-12am)
Friday, October 21
Dionicess IX: Steingarten LA hosts this 5-course beer cocktail menu, showcasing the brilliance of Matt Biancaniello (of Library Bar), Dave Watrous, Gev Kazanchyan, with paired bites by cookbook author Randy Clemens. All proceeds benefit Real Medicine Foundation. (West Los Angeles, 7pm)
Saturday, October 22
Surly Goat Oktoberfest: Featuring beers from Weihenstephan, the world’s longest running brewery. (Founded in 1040!) More details TBA. (Santa Monica)
Sunday, October 23
LA Beer Week Festival: Closing out LA Beer Week in style at Union Station, this event features over 70 breweries pouring a wide array of their beers, gourmet food trucks, educational sessions, and much more. (Downtown Los Angeles, 12-4pm)
Extra Credit
And these weren’t on the official LA Beer Week calendar but these are some must-do events.
18th Street Arts’ Beer Art & Music Festival: If you want to get a jump on the beer drinking, check out this Beer Music & Art Festival in Santa Monica, benefiting 18th Street Arts on Sunday, October 9. Tickets are $35 and you get to party it up with 20 craft breweries (Golden Road, TAPS, Ladyface Ale, Eagle Rock Brewery), four bands, three galleries, open artist studios, an artist market, and gourmet food trucks! (Santa Monica, 1-6pm)
Farm to Table Dinner Featuring Craftsman Brewing Company: Wednesday, October 19,the Langham in Pasadena hosts a “farm to table” dinner where five courses will be paired with beer from Pasadena’s own Craftsman Brewing Company. Throughout the dinner Chef Schuster and Craftsman brewer Mark Jilg will explain each pairing. Dinner is $95 a person. Reservations: (626) 585-6218. (Pasadena, 6:30pm)