LA Beer Festival

If you enjoy beer this is a must do, tickets are only 40 bucks online through eventbright (43 & change after taxes/​processing fees). The entire event was pretty smooth, I went to the 5−8pm shift, and took the metro red line train from the valley the 7^th street metro center station was only half a mile away from the venue. Showed up around 4:30 & got in line, the first part of the line was having your ID checked, then you had you tickets scanned, (paper ticket or on your phone) got your wrist band & mini mug, then we were at the gate waiting for them to open up at 5.
To the right of the gate to get in were all the food trucks (about 8 – 12 maybe more) that were open before the start time of the event so you could eat before hand. There were about 90 brewery’s there’s each with 2 – 4 different types of their beers. With all the vendors the lines didn’t get too long, by 6:30 the longest line took maybe 15 minutes at the most & by then if you were there when it opened at 5 you won’t mind waiting a little bit in between your next drink.
Therw was a giant stack of free water bottles for everyone, & a lot of porta potties near the entrance, toward the end of the day that line was 15 minutes too since everyone had to take a leak at the same time.
For only $ 40 I’m defiantly coming back next year & will hopefully be able to try some of the beers that I didn’t get a chance to check out this year.

Best time of my life. Me and my friends did the 5pm-​8pm and man I can’t wait to do this again. Food trucks were great. Found my new favorite beer, well for now, crabbies yummy! It was the first time I’ve ever been around so many drunk people and there was no negative vibes! We used the über discount for a ride home.
Thanks for this fantastic beer fest! And thank you über for the safe ride home!
Next year I will dress up but besides that I had a great time and won’t change anything about it! Well besides the photo booths. We kinds either forgot about them or something but next year I for sure need to do the photo booth!

Attended the 12−3p session yesterday. We took the blue line metro to avoid needing to drive. Arrived around 11:20, the line was long already but it started moving quickly as people got their tickets scanned. Lots of port o potties, a dozen food trucks. They opened the beer area at exactly 12. Everyone was cheering and off we went! They give out little beer mugs for tastings. They had about 75 beer vendors, pretty much walk around trying as many as you’d like. It was well organized, had a band and power 106 dj. Good vibes, no fights and it was so much fun. We are making this an annual tradition!

This review is for the 5 to 8pm session on Saturday, 4÷6÷2013.
Future beerfesters, do not drive. Parking is free, yes, but please don’t drive. Getting shitfaced is inevitable, even if you try to tell yourself you’re legit going to «taste» like a classy connoisseur. Who you are kidding, really? There were 80+ beer vendors this year, which clearly is A LOT of all-​you-​can-​drink beer. Yes, it will feel like a big drunk party (a frat party, if you will), but c’mon guys, it’s a BEER FEST. Leave your pretentiousness at the door, drink your face off and have a good time.
Other things you should know:
— Get there early. The line into Paramount Studios moves quickly once the place opens up, but once inside, you also have to wait in a parking lot that serves as the holding area prior to the beer sampling areas opening up.
— Make pretzel necklaces and be the envy of everyone there. Like this:
. Trust me. It will seem stupid and annoying while sober and in line, but once the beer starts flowing, these pretzels will be heaven sent. People will constantly stop you and ask where you got them. Hell, you could probably even make some cash selling a necklace if you choose to make more than one.
— Once the beer vendors open up and you get past the clusterfuck, make your way to the very back and start there, sampling your way back towards the entrance to avoid any more lines. Most people are so eager to start that they hit up the vendors closest to the entrance.
— Food trucks are at the entrance, not disbursed throughout the sampling areas.
— DO NOT CUT ANYONE IN THE PORTO POTTY LINES. You think you need to piss so bad, you might burst any second? Tough… so does everyone else. If you cut, you will probably have a mob on your ass. I saw two girls get their ass beat because they cut the line with no regard for anyone. You don’t f with a crowd of drunkies that need to pee! The porto potties are disbursed throughout the studios and there were many, just not enough to accommodate thousands of drunkies.
— Get your ticket early next year. This was a sold out event and for good reason. It was so. much. fun. that I’ve decided to make it an annual thing. At least until I’m pregnant, but even then… who knows.
Just kidding.

This event was fun but a lot of my friends didn’t enjoy what they said felt like a giant frat party. There were a lot of breweries here but for some reason it didn’t seem like they brought their best beers. I was at a Bevmo beer tasting event a few months ago and they brought the real stuff. This event had lots of sub par beers and a lot of lines.
I will consider coming again but I know some of my friends have already said they won’t be returning.
A Tip… a friend of mine bought two tickets and sold his extra for twice the price, thus he came to the event for free. This is what I might consider doing next year… hopefully it wont be a Coachella fail.

Went to the 12 – 3 session. So much better this time around. First they opened the doors earlier and scanned people in first. Once it turned 12:00 pm the flood gates opened and we were ready to try some new beers.
The new location was not as good as the previous location, but after last years debacle, I’m pretty sure Sony was NOT going to let them come back. Also– there were more than enough bathrooms– FINALLY! No waiting 30 minutes in line to pee = more time to drink!
Better job guys and looking forward to the next one.

(Attended 4÷07÷12 SA 5pm-​8pm): Two words that pair so beautifully together. Throw bacon in the mix, and you’ll really have the second-​coming of Sodom and Gomorrah on your hands!
In a rare moment these days, three of my best friends (still missing one, though) and I managed to get together for a day and throw back some short ones (I’ll explain this later) while music played around us, scantily-​clad women walked by us, and aroma of freshly-​cooked food wafted toward us, at this year’s L.A. Beer Festival held on the Paramount Studios lot.
As in the past, there were two sessions (afternoon and early evening), so we opted for the latter because one of us had to work earlier in the day. Admission was $ 40, while a percentage went towards the Noah’s Bark Animal Rescue. Admission got you entrance to nearly 80 beer vendors big and small, 20 food trucks, and 2 music acts (3 if you count the DJ). At check-​in, you were given a 4 fl oz sampling cup (I was curious so I measured it when I got home) and an entrance wristband. Once the gates opened, the stampede was on to get your drink on!
The game plan for us was to skip the vendors whom we’ve already tried and/​or familiar with. Makes sense, right? What’s the point? The whole idea is to sample and try new breweries. It’s not like they’re handing out full bottles or cans. Needless to say, some of the longest lines were for those such as Pabst, Newcastle, Blue Moon, Karl Strauss, Sam Adams, Pyramid, and Stella Artois, which you can find in most restaurants and bars. Freakin’ lemmings!
Anyway, luckily the closest booths inside the gate were small breweries none of us have heard of before, and the lines were going quickly, so in the first half hour, we drank seven samples each of all various kinds from light to dark, IPA, Pilsner, a Guinness-​and-​coffee-​tasting concoction (very tasty, though!), and something that tasted like rotting strawberries filtered through a sweaty gym sock of a person who may have had athlete’s foot! What the fuck was that?! Being a true Filipino, I couldn’t let it go to waste, so I pounded that one. Bad mistake; I needed to hit the food trucks to clear the cobwebs in my head after that one! Thankfully, my friends had the same sentiment!
There was a decent variety of food trucks, meaning there was something for everyone — burgers, desserts, rice plates, tacos, etc. I went to the one that took my credit card of choice (review on that food truck later). After we grubbed on one sorely needed grinds, we ventured back in to get our money’s worth. By the end of the three hour session, I think I vaguely recall having sampled over 25 breweries. Towards the end, I was just heading to whichever line was closest regardless if I’ve had them before (Pabst)…or already (went back for seconds at Belmont Brewing because I was just laboring there and there was hardly a line)! I did sample some gems and choked down some coals, but come on, you can’t expect me to remember which breweries they were, do you?! The only reason I remember Belmont Brewing is because I did go back for seconds!
The service… as long as the taps were working, it was all good to me. Most of the reps who worked the tables and taps appeared to have a fun time as all of us.
As for entertainment, I was only interested in catching some songs played by Black Crystal Wolf Kids, after missing some of their earlier local shows in the previous several months. They’re a fun indie-​rock cover band and the crowd was having a great time… but I’m sure the beer had nothing to do with it!
Parking was ample, as there was free parking in a nearby parking garage.
Overall, beer festivals are always great as I love to drink! The event was well-​organized and I didn’t see any problems. There were plenty of porto-​potties throughout. I only wished water was available besides buying them from the food trucks, of which many ran out during this later session. As long as no one was acting or did anything stupid, I don’t see this event going away. I saw total value as noted by the price I quoted above (total bill was $ 40, but in my case, it broke out to $ 1.60 per sample), but you end up knowing that you got to try a ton of different beers. The atmosphere was completely casual. And, there were several ATMs to pull cash out for the food trucks or if you wanted to buy some merchandise at a handful of booths. Otherwise, I bought my ticket online where they took my credit card of choice… AMEX!

3 Hours of unlimited beer and a fleet of food trucks to top it off! It’s heaven…

4oz tiny cup?! What? That’s not enough to get me drunk?!
And I was wrong… 45 minutes into beerfest, and I was on my way of a giddy o’ time. The unlimited pours of beers in that 4oz cup def catches up to you.
LOVE this place ! Nice venue at sony studios, its big with lots of room to roam around, sit eat and drink with live bands & music playing. AND with more than 300 beer to try, I am a happy camper ! it gets crowded fast, but the lines for beer are only about 15 seconds or less.
I’d like to come back every year

Free photo booth
Great food trucks
Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin
First session is recommended over the second. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water.

So much fun!!!
We got there early and the line was already around the block, but it moved fast even before the clock struck 5. The crowd was packed into the food truck area as we awaited the actual opening. Once it did, we headed straight to the back, winding down the pathways of the Sony lot before we got to an area much less crowded, and filled with some of our favorites. Great idea — because more people arrived after we had our fill of those booths.
Then worked our way back to the front, where people had thinned because, frankly, most were line for the bathroom or couldn’t drink anymore. It’s important to ‘pace’ yourself and not down every pour you see! Be picky — to an extent. ;)
For a time of endless drinking, most people were well-​behaved. Everyone was there to basically have fun; I heard some college shoutouts, a few random hoorahs and yells, but no one was there to cause trouble. The cops, for the most part, stood around drinking coffee and laughing at festivalgoers’ daft antics.
I highly recommend taking a TAXI to the event. There were more than enough in the area after the festival for pickups.

Will never again pay that much money to attend a frat party. Overheard in line in the first hour–
brewery rep: «Which do you want?»
aforementioned frat rep: «Who cares; after awhile, you can’t tell the difference.»
I feel sorry for the breweries who put so much into their craft only to be insulted by people who attend simply to get as plastered as possible.
They clearly oversold the event and do not care about beer so much as they care about making money. Doubt things will change so I will spend my hard earned cash at the actual brewery or gastropub sans belligerence and excessive lines.

If you put me in an area with beer vendors, good weather, and my hoodrat friends, I’m gonna have a good time. Thank you Beerfest planning committee for making this happen.
Granted, the line situation was ridiculous. Waiting around the block (s) to get inside Sony Studios was not well managed. Three people to manage thousands in line? Yeah, not exactly what I would call a game plan.
I went to the 2010 event and did the second session. This year my friends and I decided to do the first session so they don’t run out of beer — yeah, it happened — and this was a good move on our part. I’m figuring the people who are most pissed are those who attended the second session. Plus, the beer vendors were much more spread out than last year, so there was less pushing and muttering under your breath. (I’m guessing the people most pissed off about this event were stuck in the front by the entrance and didn’t bother to venture to the back where the beer choices were better and plentiful)
Could I have done without the semi-​crappy cover band? Sure. Would the pre-​planning of more strategically placed restrooms helped? Hellz yeah! But all in all, I had a helluva time. Judging by the photos of the event, I can tell I made my $ 40 back — and then some!

LA Beer Fest at the Sony studios is probably one of the better «food events» for hoards of people that I’ve attended. And I’ve attended some pretty shitty events. Ones where you never really get in. And ones where they don’t bother to look at our ID beforehand and try to do that at the clusterf8ck entrance.
Though I was all the way at the back of the line (didn’t line up until like 20 mins before the event), the line moved relatively quickly. We got in with copious time to spare, so I’m not sure if something happened to the other guests or if they had a snafoo later on in the line with the tickets.
Anyhoo, even though there were hoards of people, lines for beer pours were relatively short. They make use of all the space and the even is pretty much a amusement park for beer.
And really. It’s a beer fest. Were you expecting the people to not be drunk? I am dumbfounded… it IS a huge frat party. With music, food, and unlimited beer if you can navigate your way and stop being pissed off … ahhaha.

Music and drunkards and beer, oh my! This event was the true beer enthusiast’s DREAM! I was surrounded by tent after tent after lager after stout of hoppy goodness and with so many to choose from, I couldn’t decide where to take my 4 oz. cup first. Naturally, I devised a well thought out strategy to try as many different beers as possible (i.e., try them all!!).
Yes, the line to check in was long for those of you who showed up at 5 p.m., but for the forward thinkers in my crew, 10 minutes start to finish. We got there about 20 minutes early, checked in with no problem, and moved over to the event line.
I loved the fact that it was on a studio lot. It was so much fun to walk around and see «police precincts» and «post offices» as we sipped (or guzzled) our beers. I really hope Beerfest is in the same place next year because it added such a fun element to the overall experience.
Another highlight, FOOD TRUCKS! All I have to say is Nomnom truck + World Fare truck + Sweet E’s table = a gastronome’s heaven!
Biggest downside had to be the bathroom lines at the end of the night, but I guess it’s to be expected when everyone there was drinking copious amounts of beer.
Loved it and can’t wait til next year :)

The one down side was the line to get in…
Got there ay 445p and didn’t get in till 6pm.
That is just a killer, not well organized or
atleast communicated on that side of the event.
After an hour of hoppin from stand to stand it got a
lot better. Very good mix of styles of beer and plenty to
drink.
$ 40.hmmm
Pricey for 3 hours –1 in line.
Next year???

My review while standing in line (via Unilocal mobile):
I’m writing this review as I stand in the will-​call line at the most UNORGANIZED event I have ever attended! It’s already over 30 minutes into the first session and hundreds of people are still in line. If I knew I was going to spend 45 minutes (got here at 12:45) in line and not drinking beer, I wouldn’t have wasted $ 40 on this event. Once I get my wristband, I’m going to consume as much beer as I can to get my money’s worth.
Words of advice to Drink Eat Play — get more organized because everyone is PISSED.
My review for the event once I was inside:
Once inside Sony Studios my friends and I raced to the first booth we could find and down a sample to calm us down from being annoyed and upset about the lack of organization. The first session was crowded, some booths more crowded than others. There were a lot of breweries which definitely did not disappoint. Kudos to Singha for having those bright yellow visors because they were everywhere. Good use of marketing! Although I am upset about losing approximately 45 minutes of beer tasting due to the horrible line, I got as many samples of beer as I could to get my money’s worth.
The other thing that bugged is the food trucks closed right at 4 as well while tons of people were in line and starving. I understand they had to clear the lot, but it would’ve taken awhile to clear it out and the food trucks are in the front. If other food trucks were smart, they should’ve parked outside Sony studios to feed all the hungry and inebriated patrons who didn’t get a chance to sample the food trucks inside the gates. However, I don’t know what the likelihood of being allowed to park there would be.
Later in the day, we drove by Sony before the second session was supposed to start and it looked like there was actually an organized line. I guess they did learn their lesson from the first session.

1−4pm session. Unbelievably HORRID. The check in was a joke. Really — it occurred to NONE of you to go rent some ropes to make organized lines, get some markers and posterboard to makes signs such as A-​C, D-​G etc. to let people know where to stand to check in? It was packed, hot and had no organization, I’ve never seen anything so amatuerish in my life. I’ve worked in music for years and if anybody dared to run a concert that way, there would be riots.
So after waiting 40 minutes and not finding anybody with authority to refund our money etc., my husband found a back-​way to get our mugs and wrist bands. Across the street we go.
The vendors were perfectly nice, but again, the lines. People in this town (I’m a native so don’t start w/​me) seem to think they are entitled to cut in front of you, make a new line from the side etc. Sony is a great place, but not for this kind of event.
This is the 2^nd beer event we’ve been to in Los Angeles and they are a joke. I suggest before anybody attempts another one, they first go to the microbrew fest in Portland in July and learn how to do it right.

Awesome.
My review is for the 2010 5−8pm session.
Of course, there are so many kinks that could be worked out, but with age, I could see this young festival growing into itself. I’ve also recently learned that every situation is what you make it. I went with a positive outlook, and I had a blast.
First I’d like to tackle the price. $ 40 for a taster cup (which surprisingly contained more then 10 gulps, or maybe my mouth is small haha) It does seem a little pricey right? And it is, but! If they charged any less, I’m sorry to say they might have a attracted a less ‘classy’ crowd. I know that sounds terrible, but it’s true. It could easily turn into frat party, and I don’t think that’s really the spirit of a true beer festival. You’re there to taste, if you get drunk (which you can trust me), then so be it.
Yes so having said that, the crowds were awesome, everyone was chill, I didn’t see anyone get aggressive, or anyone being a nuisance. All the micro brewers, and mega brewers were also in a good mood, I could imagine getting grumpy by the second session. But everyone seemed genuinely happy.
I love the location. I can take the bus there and back from my house, which I did. Because it’s set up along the twisty alleys of a Sony backlots, it makes for a very different and interesting festival atmosphere.
This festival isn’t perfect.
–I wasn’t particularly impressed with the selection. But they maybe able to attract more brewers as time goes on, and reputation builds.
–The bathroom situation is always going to a be a nightmare at these kinds of things.
–Food trucks, pricey, on top of the $ 40 charge. But it’s LA I wouldn’t expect less.
–Some booths ran out about an hour before 8pm. Maybe this was on purpose, or maybe they should bring enough.
NEXT YEAR TIPS:
I will definitely be getting there early. We did get there early, around 4:30, and there was no line for wristband sign-​ups, but as time went on it grew, and so did the line to get in. YOU WANT to get there early, so you can get in and start your drinking. PLUS you are first in line to get free stuff that various booths might run out of. DEFINITELY take public transit, or arrange for rides. There are cops everywhere, and if you try you can get drunk, and drunk driving is just wrong.

The 1^st annual beer festival and I think Los Angeles pulled it off. For $ 40 you were given a 4-​oz beer stein and access to 10s of different breweries brews. A variety of companies were there repping their brews from local to commonplace, everything from Karl Strauss to Reaper Ale to Heineken to San Miguel. In fact, there were so many options, I didn’t get to try them all. I was drunk by the 10^th tasting. I am so disappointed in myself. Weak!
Having the festival at Sony Studios was a great choice. I enjoyed drinking in front of a fake police station and seeing all of the old movie posters. The crowd seemed to be in high spirits (pun not intended) and beer aficianados were clearly in their element.
The food situation could use improvement. There were only two options for food and the lines were loooong. You can’t ply people with unlimited alcohol and not provide plentiful munchie options. The lines moved quickly at least.