L.A. Beer Week Craft Beer Festival At Union Station • the Hi-lo

The fifth annual L.A. Beer Week kicked off September 27 and filled the entire region with ten days of tastings, takeovers and special events celebrating the growing craft beer culture in Los Angeles. Each year, the week ends with a four-hour beer festival at Union Station where this time more than 70 local, regional and international breweries showed up to share with the masses.

I started the day Sunday by taking the Metro to Union Station where the event was held. I know there were a lot of people that took public transportation, and I think that this is the smartest way to go.

I was able to get in just a tad earlier than the crowd and took a quick picture of what looks like an empty courtyard that would soon be a full and bustling crowd. My first goal was to try some of the SoCal breweries that had been on my radar, but that I hadn’t been able to try yet. I started off with Smog City’s Weird Beer. And the name does say it all. Spicy and peppery, full of sweet malt notes and really just a very different beer all together. After a taster there, I headed off in what seemed like 5 directions at once. I tried a bit from Ohana, Ritual, Steelhead, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., and Brouwerij West, before heading out to some of the other better known names like The Bruery, Logsdon and Dogfish Head. Now mind you, the tasting glass was 4.5 oz. And while this may not seem like a lot, but when you are trying one to two beers at every station, that can add up quick. I normally asked for half-pours just so I could save a little more room for the next one.

After spending some time at the different stations, I went off to a few of the sessions organized by Paige J. Reilly of Mohawk Bend. The first was about getting a job in the beer industry, and the second was a full session of sour beers. Don’t ask me why, but for some reason while sitting in the beer jobs session, I wasn’t expecting that as soon as I took a seat, my glass was filled with a Firestone rarity from “Dr.” Bill Sysak’s personal collection, but I was nowhere near disappointed. The second session was a sour beer tasting with 11 different bottles. Some were familiar, but others, such as the Cuvee du Chateau were completely new. It was something that I will not forget anytime soon. One of my personal favorites was the Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge; my notes were simply: “So good, so sour.”

It is safe to say, after the four hours of craft beer wonder, I was feeling fairly done, but very glad I was able to make it to such a great event.

So, for next year, here are a few tips for those wanting to head out:

Pace yourself! I rushed into the tastings and well…that was not good. If you are planning on really tasting and trying as many beers as possible, ask for half-pours. While you’re not going to get as much to taste, you will save room for more beers later.
Water, Water, Water – Next year I am bringing in at least a large bottle of water in, or at least grabbing one at the festival. I didn’t start to recover until I was heading home, and that was a mistake.
Take the Metro – Why not? You can park for free at many of the Metro Stations. A one-way ticket was only $1.50, and after buy the TAP pass, the total round trip came out to $4.00, I mean, come on, how great is that?
Did I say water?
Bring friends! – What better way is there to enjoy a craft beer than with your friends? Also, they offer discount tickets to designated drivers.

And so we come to the end of another episode of Al the Brewer. Check out some of my pics from my time at Union Station below.

Before and After