Caroline Pardilla

How To Win the 4th Annual LA Beer Week Bucket List Challenge

— by Caroline on Crack

Stone Brewing Co's Greg Koch by Caroline on Crack

Stone Brewing Co’s Greg Koch leading the craft beer call to arms at last year’s LABW kickoff party in Naja’s.

The 4th Annual LA Beer Week kicks off tomorrow, running through September 30, and it’s filled with so much awesomeness — a flurry of bar crawls, tap takeovers, beer-paired dinners, special beer releases — that it can be a bit overwhelming. So, where to begin? Well, for this year, the organizers have decided to have a little fun and have created an LA Beer Week Bucket List to help guide you through the events.

To start, print out an LA Beer Week Bucket List and then try to collect four special stickers by doing beery things like visiting a local brewery, checking out an LABW event, attending a beer class/tasting/demo and tasting one of many special edition beers. Those who successfully fill up their bucket list card and bring it to the LA Beer Week Festival at LABW’s end will not only be entered into a drawing for free BAM (Beer Art Music) Fest tickets but will also receive a bottle of Eagle Rock Brewery Unity, the official LABW beer! The ERB Unity 2012 is a play on a traditional Berliner Weisse with rye and red and green prickly pear. Prickly pear is the theme for many of the LABW special beers this year.

Anyhoo, in case you’re still trying to decide which beer events to check out, here are a few of the challenges that stood out to me. Happy beering!

Get To Know Your Local Breweries

Check Out Some Super 4th Annual LA Beer Week Events

LABW Opening Day Pasadena Town Takeover w/ Stone Brewing at Stone Company Store Pasadena: Yes, a Stone Brewing store is opening up in Pasadena! Attend the preview with Stone co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner and nosh on bites from World Bistro & Gardens.

Craft for Crap at Beer Belly: Got a fridge full of Bud Light? Bring in the bottles to Beer Belly where they will gladly take your crap beer and replace it with some fine craft beer for a penny!

Food GPS Beer Float Showdown at Golden Road Brewing: At this year’s showdown competitors vying for best beer float include: 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). Who are you rooting for?

LA to Orange County Brewery Tour: This craft beer tour starts and ends at Golden Road then travels to Noble Ale Works, Old Orange Brewery and the Bruery, spending an hour at each stop. No charge to jump on the tour but you need to reserve at Pat[at]lacraftbeertours.

Learn More About Craft Beer

Cellaring Beer with Bill Sysak at Lucky Baldwin Trappiste 9/20: If you’re starting to really get into beer and are amassing a collection at home, you might want to check this class out. “Dr. Bill” of Stone World Bistro will go over things like what’s the best beer-storing temperature and how to know when’s the perfect time to crack that stored beer. The lesson plan will also include tastings of five different vintages including Stone Old Guardian Barleywine and Stone Imperial Russian Stout.

Beer University: Saisons with Drew Beechum at Steingarten LA 9/25: Learn all about the history and brewing method of Saison farmhouse ales by saison expert and author Drew Beechum. The featured beers will be paired with five food courses. Reservations: www.itsmyseat.com.

Taste Rare, Special Beers