With ever-increasing difficulty, it’s my job to bring you a monthly column regarding craft beer in the desert and throughout Southern California. The last part of that last sentence makes my job much easier than it would be if I were limited to discussing the Coachella Valley.
Another trip to the Los Angeles Beer Festival it is then!
If you’ve read my previous installments regarding this festival, you know my attendance is largely motivated by getting to see various friends I don’t often get to see in one place—but that is a bit unfair to the festival itself. It’s pretty damn good. Does it have the best breweries? A few of them. Is it in the greatest beer-festival location? It’s certainly not bad, but downtown L.A. isn’t the dreamiest of spots. Is it professionally run with ample facilities, music, food trucks and other vendor booths with a diverse group of people in attendance? Why yes, it is.
As is customary, we arrived a little early to the April 6 event and headed straight for the food-truck court. The beauty was that all five of us in the initial group (more joined later from elsewhere) were able to enjoy different kinds of food. I went to a delicatessen-style truck and had a corned beef on rye with mustard and sauerkraut, while I eyed the dumplings, the birria torta and the poutine being enjoyed around the table.
With a solid food base established, it was time to enter the festival proper.
Immediately, I spotted Sour Cellars. I devoted half of a column (they really deserve a whole one) to them a few months ago. I greeted co-owner Chintya, who remembered me from my visit; we chatted while I tried a brilliant sour golden ale with honey, and one with passionfruit. This was an excellent start.
Next, I was absolutely ecstatic to see Radiant Beer Co. and Everywhere Beer side by side. I had stopped in at Radiant on the way to Los Angeles, basically on a supply run for the weekend. This time, it was all pleasure. I went with a pour of Celebrate Anything, a hoppy pilsner with a dank and fruity quality that jumped out of the glass, but was easy to drink—just as any good, crisp, clean pilsner would be.
At Everywhere’s booth, I made a seemingly strange choice: I went with a seltzer. I have been to Everywhere before, and I have tried many of their beers, but my only visit included a taste of a seltzer that was so odd-sounding, yet so rich (yes, rich)—with the use of coconut cream, spices and fruits—that I was stunned. I usually find seltzers unsatisfying, with a vaguely fruity flavor that almost immediately leaves the palate. At the festival, Everywhere brought a seltzer inspired by the Mexican beverage of jamaica (pronounced ha-my-ca) that contained hibiscus and lime. It was very satisfying. Later, I tried a barrel-aged stout with flambeed bananas and maple syrup that they served with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkles. It was a truly decadent experience—and one that had me cleaning my beard thoroughly afterward.
After trying a couple of unremarkable beers from random breweries, some members of our group made it upstairs into the VIP area. This year, I was confronted with bottle pours of Abraxas. Perennial Artisan Ales from St. Louis makes this Mexican-chocolate-inspired barrel-aged stout once a year, and it is legendary in craft-beer circles. But as delicious as it was, it wasn’t even my favorite beer on that table.
That honor went to Le Seul from Une Annee out of Chicago. An American wild ale with passionfruit, it surprised me with its subtlety in a beer category that has seen many overbearing, acidic entries. I don’t know if I’ll ever see cans of theirs again, but I sure as shit hope I do.
Across from that table was another with cans mostly from Great Notion out of Oregon. Holiday Ledge Bier is their German-style pilsner, and it was just what I’d hoped for when I asked for a pour. Next to that was Rimske Pivo, a Czech-style pilsner. My eyes popped wide open after my first sip; I’d already tried a very good Czech pilsner the day before at Radiant’s tap room, but this one surpassed it. It ticked every single box. Soft malt body? Crisp? Lovely herbal, spicy hop notes and a balancing bitterness? Czech. (Sorry. The pull of the pun was too strong to resist.)
I’m getting short on space, meaning there are some beers I can’t fully get into here. Makku Rice Beer was a Korean makgeolli. I didn’t know what that was, so I researched a little and learned it is an unfiltered rice drink. I tried the coffee and the passionfruit varieties and loved both. They both resembled sake underneath it all, but they were very fun.
On Makku’s end of the festival, five Christian protesters stood outside of the chain-link fence and called us “perverts” and “fornicators” with their bullhorn. So we recruited someone in line with us (“Hell yeah, I was raised Catholic!” was his response to my request) to take a group photo as close to the protestors as security would allow. (See above.) This perfectly capped off the festival for us.
Will we return to the L.A. Beer Fest? I honestly don’t know. The festival is a solid seven on a scale of 10, but I suspect my friends and I could find fun at almost any get-together. But would I recommend it if you were in town and inclined toward beer festivals? Definitely.
Eat, drink and be merry—for tomorrow, we go back to work.