The list of places to drink craft beer in Echo Park is growing faster than a horseshoe mustache on a bike messenger; even venerable dives have expanded their fundamentalist beer lists to include microbrews. Here’s a walking tour of the neighborhood’s newer additions, from east to west.
The Park: This small, seasonal bistro on the east end of Sunset offers three-course specials and a popular $5 burger night. There are just six bottles on the menu, but they’re eclectic, ranging from Scrimshaw Pilsner to Hitachino Nest Ginger Brew. 1400 Sunset Blvd., thepark1400sunset.com
Sunset Beer Co.: Sunset Beer, next door to a hair salon, has raised the bar for strip malls. This combo bottle shop/tasting room boasts a boggling craft beer selection and large, comfortable space for on-site pours. 1498 Sunset Blvd., Suite 3, 213.481.2337
Lot 1 Café: The corner of Sunset and Laveta Terrace is ground zero for the indie music/craft beer crowd. Lot 1 pours from a small, well-curated list; grab a Unibroue Blanche De Chambly and listen to the band bash it out in the performance space next door (the beer’s confined to the restaurant). 1533 W. Sunset Blvd., lot1cafe.com
Allston Yacht Club: There are no cleats to tie off your Chris-Craft outside this nice-for-the-neighborhood small plates restaurant, but there is Eagle Rock Revolution XPA and Craftsman Heavenly Hefe on tap, along with a solid bottle selection and an inventive cocktail menu. 1320 Echo Park Ave., allstonyachtclub.com
Red Hill: This long-in-the-making neo-American diner from Jason Michaud pays homage to Echo Park’s left-leaning history; its name’s a nod to the neighborhood’s Red Scare-era nickname. The new kid on the bloc pours from 10 taps that rotate craft classics to complement the farmers-market-sourced menu of veggie- and pasta-centric small plates. Come summer, the patio will fill with fellow travelers tippling away the long, hot afternoons. 1325 Echo Park Ave., redhillrestaurant.com
Masa of Echo Park: Masa serves up classic Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas and heady bistro fare. This always-packed restaurant and bakery was an early adopter of craft beer, serving Firestone Walker ales on tap since opening in 2004. 1800 W. Sunset Blvd., masaofechopark.com
El Prado: This Eastside craft pioneer is still going strong, and now has a boutique wine list to complement the beer, snacks and vinyl. 1805 W. Sunset Blvd., elpradobar.com
Mohawk Bend: Echo Park’s beer colossus towers over the scene like a benevolent, vegan-friendly Pasha. Mondays are $12 all-you-can-eat pizza night; Tuesdays, belly up for a pound of mussels, fries and a pint for $15. 2141 W. Sunset Blvd., mohawk.la
City Sip: City Sip may be the neighborhood Temple of the Grape, but alongside the regular tastings, “wine edjumacation” classes and some fine charcuterie, the popular wine bar has a small but surprisingly good beer list, focusing on California taps and Belgian bottles. 2150 W. Sunset Blvd., citysipla.com
1642 Beer and Wine: Hidden in a deco building a bottle-toss south of Sunset’s hipster carnival, 1642 is a darkly sophisticated, crepuscular safe house. It’s also the only place in the neighborhood you can listen to live jazz while sipping a Maui CoCoNut Porter. 1642 W. Temple St., 213.989.6836
§ October 13th, 2011§ Filed under News§ Tagged CaliforniaComments Off
The Bruery Head Brewer, Tyler King, talks The Bruery Oude Tart in this episode of New Brew Thursday. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about The Oude Tart as he and the NBT hosts taste the first two commercial […]
(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing has received label approval for its next Quingenti Millilitre Series release. Stone reported on its blog earlier this month that it will be doing something interesting with its next releases: 2010 Old Guardian Barley Wine […]
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(San Francisco, CA) — MateVeza has released Morpho Herbal Ale, an organic ale brewed with yerba mate, hibiscus flowers and bay leaves. A collaboration with Mill Valley Beerworks, MateVeza’s newest limited release is an ode to the Morpho butterfly of South America. With hints of tropical flora from hibiscus, the lemony herbal notes of bay leaves, and an earthy dry yerba mate finish, this ale is pure rainforest refreshment.
Morpho Herbal Ale is part of a new chapter in the lost art of unhopped ales called gruits that originated in the middle ages. Gruits rely on a mixture of herbs to provide the bitterness resulting in zero hop bitterness. Morpho Herbal Ale’s bitterness is provided entirely by the yerba mate and bay leaves, providing a completely new and refreshing take on the style.
After discovering their mutual appreciation for Stephen Harrod Buhner’s book “Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers,” MateVeza founder Jim Woods and Mill Valley Beerworks cofounder Justin Catalana discussed collaborating on a gruit with yerba mate. Catalana brought his experience brewing with bay leaves and Woods his experience brewing with yerba mate. After their first batch, Woods suggested hibiscus flowers for an added citric acid tartness and tropical aroma.
“In a craft beer climate dominated by ales that push the limits of hop bitterness, Morpho Herbal Ale is a rare creature,” said Jim Woods, founder and president MateVeza,“After receiving rave reviews of the beer’s unique melange of flavors from the customers of Mill Valley Beerworks, we knew we were on to something.”
Catalana and Woods decided to bottle their exotic creation and the Morpho butterfly was chosen as the perfect flag-bearer. Native toSouth America, where yerba mate is grown, the iridescent blue Morpho butterfly flutters through the rainforest in search of fermenting fruit. The beer’s tropical aroma and striking red color make it an apt expression of the Morpho butterfly’s beauty.
Morpho Herbal Ale was made possible by a loan from The Boston Beer Company’s new microloan program for craft brewers, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream. After he was unable to secure additional financing from traditional banks, Jim Woods applied for a Brewing the American Dream loan, and received the necessary working capital to undertake Morpho Herbal Ale project.
Morpho Herbal Ale will be available in 22-ounce bottles and draft in select locations throughout California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. For more information, sales information and high-res imagery visit www.mateveza.com.
About MateVeza:
MateVeza (Mate + Cerveza) markets and sells organic, naturally caffeinated beers brewed with yerba mate, the South American herbal tea. MateVeza’s award-winning beers, including Yerba Mate IPA, Black Lager, and new Morpho Herbal Ale are brewed and bottled in Ukiah, California by Mendocino Brewing Company. MateVeza is USDA certified organic by CCOF. More information about MateVeza is available at http://www.mateveza.com
About Mill Valley Beerworks:
Mill Valley Beerworks is a brewery and beer cafe located just north ofSan Francisco. The brewery specializes in creating a variety of unique botanical beers brewed with juniper, bay leaf, redwood tips and other unorthodox ingredients. Botanical beers as well as house-crafted adaptations of classic ales are featured alongside a large selection of imported and craft microbrews. For more information, visit: http://millvalleybeerworks.com
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(Davis, CA) – UC Davis, a world leader in brewing science and education, and Sudwerk Restaurant and Brewery of Davis have entered into a licensing agreement that will offer Aggie Lager on tap at Davis eateries and generate an estimated $25,000 a year for scholarships, campus officials announced.
Sudwerk is brewing the beer, which is currently on tap at its own restaurant, Hallmark Inn, The Davis Graduate, 3rd and U Café, Woodstock’s Pizza and Original Steve’s. UC Davis and Sudwerk are looking to put the lager at other Davis establishments too.
Under a one-year agreement, UC Davis has licensed the use of its name and athletics trademark for Aggie Lager to Sudwerk, which has a long association with the brewing programs and the Department of Athletics at UC Davis.
The agreement will provide the equivalent of one full year’s scholarship for an in-state student-athlete at UC Davis — support that interim Director of Athletics Nona Richardson said is critical to recruit and retain top players as the Aggies develop their program in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
In addition to raising funds for intercollegiate athletics, campus officials said the agreement will help to build awareness of the university in general and its world-class brewing programs.
“The Aggie Lager project is an innovative collaboration between campus and community that highlights a distinguished academic program through the broad portal of intercollegiate athletics,” said Cindy Spiro, senior associate athletics director for external affairs and resource development.
Teaching and research in brewing science have been integral components of the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology since 1958. Charlie Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, says hundreds of students have progressed from the undergraduate and master’s programs to senior technical positions in the brewing and brewing-supply industries in North America and beyond.
“Aggie Lager is an exceptional lager that shows off the brewing talents of our alumni and carries our name with pride,” Bamforth said. “I am delighted that the sales of beer will support sports on campus.
“In all my teachings I stress the role that beer can play as a worthy component of a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle when treated, as in all things, mindfully.”
UC Davis Extension, the continuing and professional education division of the university, also offers popular and respected brewing programs, including an eight-week Professional Brewers Certificate Program, an 18-week Master Brewers Program and short courses in home brewing.
Jay Prahl, masterbrewer at Sudwerk and a UC Davis alumnus, describes Aggie Lager as “a rich golden lager, complex and artfully balanced and reminiscent of Bavaria’s most popular style — the Munchener helles or the Munich light lager.” The 100 percent malted beer is mildly hoppy, crisp and clean, he said.
The lager was first presented under the Aggie name nine years ago at the annual Aggie Auction fundraising event for Athletics, where cases of bottled lager continue to be offered for auction. Aggie Lager has also been poured at some small VIP events before or during halftime at football and basketball games.
UC Davis has a close association with Sudwerk, which has produced award-winning lagers sold in California, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. Prahl graduated from the Master Brewers Program in 1995 and is a guest speaker for Introduction to Brewing and Beer, the second-most popular course on the UC Davis campus. He and Sudwerk’s other brewers, who graduated from the same program, support the teaching of UC Davis Extension brewing courses, which are held in a classroom above the Sudwerk brewing facilities.
Although the association of a university’s name with beer is not unprecedented, it is also not without controversy at institutions that work to reduce high-risk drinking among their students.
“UC Davis is proud of its academic programs in and contributions to brewing, winemaking and viticulture,” Spiro said. “We are using the utmost care in the association of the university’s name with alcohol.”
Michelle Famula, executive director of Health and Wellness at UC Davis, says she appreciates the university’s long commitment to excellence in fermentation science, viticulture and enology. “I join the university community in the expectation of safe and responsible consumption of Aggie Lager and all alcohol products,” she added. “For those who choose to drink, UC Davis advocates that they do so legally and safely.”
UC Davis continues to promote its Safe Party Initiative, a collaboration with the city of Davis to reduce problems associated with drinking among college students and to support party safety. UC Davis’ Student Health and Counseling Services offers assessment and intervention services for alcohol, tobacco and other drug issues. The campus provides leadership to the community’s Davis Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Group.
UC Davis does not sell alcohol at regular concessions at its athletics facilities; the consumption of beer and wine is permitted in some designated tailgating areas before Aggie football games.
About UC Davis
For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 32,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget that exceeds $678 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
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(Hayward, CA) – Buffalo Bill’s Brewery issued a recall today for Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Cream Ale sold in six-pack bottles.
The recalled product was shipped between January and July 2011. The company has issued a nationwide recall for all Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Orange Blossom Cream Ale.
The product is being recalled because contents of several bottles have been found to be fermenting, which causes additional pressure in the bottle. This may lead to sudden popping of the cap or rupturing of the bottle, which could pose a hazard from breaking glass. Immediate and careful disposal of the product is warranted. People who have already consumed the product are not at risk of illness or bad effects. Consumers may receive a full refund for any unused product by calling toll free at 1-(855)-890-3290.
Buffalo Bill’s Brewery has taken corrective action to prevent future occurrences. The recall does not affect other bottled or draft products from Buffalo Bill’s Brewery. For more information, please call 1-(855)-890-3290.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Hayward, CA) – Buffalo Bill’s Brewery issued a recall today for Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Cream Ale sold in six-pack bottles.
The recalled product was shipped between January and July 2011. The company has issued a nationwide recall for all Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Orange Blossom Cream Ale.
The product is being recalled because contents of several bottles have been found to be fermenting, which causes additional pressure in the bottle. This may lead to sudden popping of the cap or rupturing of the bottle, which could pose a hazard from breaking glass. Immediate and careful disposal of the product is warranted. People who have already consumed the product are not at risk of illness or bad effects. Consumers may receive a full refund for any unused product by calling toll free at 1-(855)-890-3290.
Buffalo Bill’s Brewery has taken corrective action to prevent future occurrences. The recall does not affect other bottled or draft products from Buffalo Bill’s Brewery. For more information, please call 1-(855)-890-3290.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Portland, OR) – Fresh hop beer season is almost here.
Not one, not two, but three fresh hop beers from super regional breweries were approved this week. Fresh hop beers are a welcome addition to what is a fall season already jam-packed with traditional seasonals like pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest beers. Expect to start seeing them roll out early-mid September as some brewers are reporting having harvested their hops already.
Beer descriptions…
Deschutes Fresh Hop Mirror Pond Pale Ale
This noble, fresh hop version of our classic American Pale Ale arose from a single plot of heirloom Cascade hops, revived by our brewers from the original rootstock developed at Oregon State University, grown by Goshie Farms in Oregon. This very limited release is just for you. (Bond Street Series / 22 oz).
New Belgium Fresh Hop IPA
Fresh picking for some lip lickings, this beauty of a beer boasts a fresh crop of Cascade, Centennial and Amarillo hops. We’re talking from vine to brew within 24 hours fresh. Citrusy, soft fruit tones. Fresh hop IPA. (Lips of Faith Series / 22 oz).
Sierra Nevada Homegrown Ale
Here in the sun-drenched fields of California’s North Valley, the black soil is rich with promise. In winter, rows of barley seed are laid in the freshly tilled dirt. In spring, trellises are set for hops. From our fields comes a remarkable homegrown ale, made with organic wet hops and barley grown at our brewery here in Chico and one of the few estate-made ales produced anywhere in the world!
This Estate Ale is rish with the flavors of the valley – featuring hops with earthy, grapefruit-like flavors and layered spicy aromas and barley with mild sweetness and smooth, toasted flavors. Together, these crops grow alongside the brewery to make a truly unique brew. (2011 edition / 750ml).
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A collaboration between Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux, Ovila Abbey Quad brings the centuries-old monastery brewing tradition to America.
Ovila Abbey Quad is rich and complex with layers of flavor including notes of intense dark fruits, and caramel-like maltiness. Rich and complex, this ale should be shared among friends in the true spirit of the season.
A portion of proceeds from this ale goes toward the restoration of the historic Santa Maria de Ovila chapter house on the grounds of the Abbey of New Clairvaux. This medieval building stood for nearly eight centuries in Spain. William Randolph Hearst purchased the monastery in 1931 and planned to use the stones for a castle even grander than his famous San Simeon. Although Hearst’s plans crumbled, these historic stones will rise again in a California Cistercian abbey.
Others…
Laurelwood Stingy Pumpkin Ale
Steamworks Quince Anos Barleywine Ale (15th Anniversary) Shiner Holiday Cheer (24 oz) Cascade Lakes Slippery Slope Ale
Pismo Bolina Brown Ale
Pismo Roadster Red Ale
Pismo Pale Ale
Pismo Bootlegger Blonde Ale
Pismo India Pale Ale
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(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. has released its newest beer, commemorating a decade and a half of brewing excellence with the Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA.
The name—besides being a mild-yet-necessary chore for dutiful writers, dedicated retailers and enthusiastic publicans to write out in its entirety—is Stone Brewing President & co-founder Steve Wagner’s chuckling jab at those looking to lay territorial claim to the Black IPA style.
“There’s this small faction of people that seems to think it can call Black IPAs ‘Cascadian Dark Ales,’ historical accuracy be damned,” Wagner explains. “So, we thought we’d lightheartedly lay claim to our own style, dubbing it ‘Escondidian,’ both as an homage to our hometown of Escondido, CA and as a gentle ribbing to those Black IPA fans worshipping a false Cascadian idol.”
And while this point of contention may only be of import to 0.01% of craft beer fans, what is important is how the beer looks, smells, and ultimately tastes. “Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA pours thick and opaque, with a deep brown head of foam,” boasts Brewmaster Mitch Steele. ”Intense herbal and piney hops are followed by roasted malt notes redolent of coffee, anise, and cocoa, all coming together to form one of the darkest, hoppiest and most colossal beers we’ve ever brewed.”
“To those confused few still sipping a Black IPA by any other name, I hear your argument… that Black India Pale Ale is a bit oxymoronic on the surface,” adds Wagner. “But as an English Major, I can firmly stand behind the term Black IPA. At its core, language is all about one thing: conveying meaning. And there’s no doubt what Black IPA means: an IPA that’s black. Elementary, my dear Watson!”
Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA
Availability: 22oz bottles, on draft, and a limited number of 3L bottles.
Vital stats: 10.8% abv, 100 IBUs
Malt bill: Pale Malt, Cara-Bohemian, Carafa III Special, and Chocolate Malt
Hops bill: Columbus (bittering), Citra (flavor/aroma). Dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Pacific Jade.
Stone Brewing Co. was founded in 1996 by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch in North County San Diego, CA. It is the 14th largest craft brewery in the United States and has been named “All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine - TWICE! A recently announced $26.6M expansion plan (that includes a hotel among other lofty ventures) is underway, as are developments to become the first American craft brewery to open a brewhouse in Europe. Visit stonebrew.com for more information.
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