Elizabeth Case
Four hours of unlimited four ounce pours from 70 of the world’s best craft brewers: the L.A. Beer Week festival at Union Station was a casual drinker’s hoppy heaven.
A jumble of booths welcomed drinkers to the culmination of 11 days of craft beer celebration that took place throughout Los Angeles’ bars and restaurants. Brewers proudly poured their hand-crafted beers, with big names like Sierra Nevada serving up drinks next to local L.A. brewers like Angel City and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing.
Their unifying goal? Bring good beer to the people.
And for the record, that’s our goal, too: bring good beer to you, the students. A joint venture of Daily Bruin editors Devin Kelly and Elizabeth Case, this bi-weekly column aims to bring the L.A. brewing scene to your doorstep.
We’re both novice beer drinkers. While in Portland, Ore. for the summer, Devin was introduced to the robust Oregon craft beer culture, attending events like the Oregon Brewers Festival in July. Elizabeth learned to love beer while studying abroad in Berlin, Germany, home of Oktoberfest, lederhosen and the original bierstein.
The pros tell us there’s never been a better time to start exploring.
“The American beer palate is just starting to nuance,” said Donavan Contreras, who works for Black Market Brewing Co. in Temecula, Calif. “People are starting to understand that there are tons of different styles and a ton of new business opportunities.”
As far as independent brewers go, California tops the list. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California has the most breweries of any state, and Los Angeles county alone is home to around 25 microbreweries, which produce more limited quantities of brew.
Elizabeth had the opportunity to attend the festival, where these hands-on brewers served a distinctly out-of-college crowd pours of their best craft. And these beers really are the best.
Take Beachwood BBQ and Brewing, located in Seal Beach and Long Beach, whose Foam Top cream ale won gold at the 2012 World Beer Cup.
While sipping on one of their dark coffee beers, System of a Stout, Elizabeth chatted with head chef and owner Gabe Gordon, a classically trained chef with a Santa Barbara surfer’s accent.
Gordon’s philosophy about craft beer is simple: it tastes, feels, sits and pairs with his barbecue better than the mass produced brews.
He’s well-aware that the craft beer scene is a hard one to break into for college students.
“A suitcase of Natty Light ““ it’s always going to be cheaper than the craft beer,” he said. “But as you grow, you’ll evolve your palate (so) drink what you like now.”
As we’re here to help expand your knowledge about beer and beer culture, the brewers are thrilled to help. All of the brewers Elizabeth talked to encouraged students to take advantage of any opportunity to enjoy a microbrew.
That was the real beauty of the festival: there was no sense of competition amongst the dozens of brewers. The owners, founders, buyers, promoters and customers shared in the revelry, happy to be surrounded by people who loved what they love.
We want the readers to contribute to this column as much as possible. If you’re out on the town tasting a new brew or exploring an off-the-beaten-path venue, tweet your thoughts or send Instagram photos by tagging DailyBrewin. Email Elizabeth and Devin at ecase@media.ucla.edu and dkelly@media.ucla.edu.