LA Brewers Beer Week Kick-Off

Let’s get the bad out of the way up front. The bathroom to crowd ratio was way off. 8 porta-​potties for this beer event was not enough. Beer=pee. First visit wasn’t so bad but at it’s worst the line seemed 100 people deep. At this point my friend’s idea to buy Starry Kitchen chicken wings in exchange for entry to the bar bathroom was a good one. Many people did this. You also need to train your workers to install the toilet paper in the porta-​potties. Towards the end of the event there were rolls of paper on the floor & thrown about. The security did a fine job regulating the line & kept it moving later.
Now for the good. It’s an outdoor beer festival in L.A. The Chinatown location was perfect since we were able to take the train. Although by the looks of the crowd, you may have already outgrown the space. The tickets with the tasting glass was a good idea. Although it was an unlimited tasting event, the tickets somehow psychologically made you pace yourself. Last years event had a few unfortunate casualties that we witnessed (Girls Gone Wild).
We were first greeted by Andrew from Ohana pouring this year’s Unity beer, a collaboration beer that he had a hand in. We found a bench to relax on, our base camp but they were few and far between. Perhaps more chairs & tables next time. There were 24 L.A. County Brewers Guild breweries & 25 breweries from abroad. Each of them were pouring between 2 – 6 types of beer. A lot to choose from. It’s just not possible to try them all. Between my husband & friends, we were able to try quite a bit. A rinse station/​dump bucket at every brewery would have been helpful. We were familiar with most of the breweries in attendance but I was happy to finally be able to try Pacific Plate Brewing Co.‘s Horchata Stout. It didn’t disappoint. My husband’s favorites were the Craftsman Oktoberfest, Bootlegger’s Brewery’s Knuckle Sandwich & Smog City Brewing Co.‘s «Wierd» beer. The local breweries that we visit on a regular basis are always on point but our livers can only take so much. After Beer Week is over we will need to go on a cleanse.
The music and the food & beer panel was a nice addition. By the way, Ting, if you need any R & D volunteers for your food & beer pairings, I’m here for you. We will continue to support our local breweries & Craft Beer!
Cheers!