What To Drink, Eat And Do During L.A. Beer Week

Folks, the 7th annual L.A. Beer Week is almost here, and we have the details on what to eat, drink and do at this over weeklong festival. There are plenty of beer-centric events scattered throughout our city from June 20 to June 28 to keep you beer enthusiasts busy.

L.A. Beer Week has a ton of events planned, from tap takeovers to food-and-beer pairings, and charity events. We picked out some of the events we're most looking forward to (and you can see the entire list here).

Saturday, June 20: Kickoff Party

We spoke to the folks behind L.A. Beer Week about what special brews we should keep an eye out for during their kickoff party from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the south lawn of Exposition Park. This is basically a beer-tasting event with over 75 participating breweries and 200 types of beer, cider and home-brewed soda. There will be food trucks and live music, too. So, you know, wear your stretchy pants.

Here are the beers to look out for at the kickoff party:

*Beachwood BBQ & Brewing's "System of a Stout": imperial stout with coffee
*Golden Road Brewing's "Saison Citron": Meyer lemon saison
*Smog City Brewing's "Cuddlebug": peach-apricot sour ale
*Three Weavers Brewing's "Return of Sassy": rye IPA (a special collaboration with Arts District Brewing opening up in downtown L.A. soon)
*Ballast Point Brewing's "Victory at Sea with Coconut": imperial stout with coconut
*Allagash Brewing's "Midnight Brett": sour/wild ale

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Cousins Maine Lobster (Photo via Facebook
Here are some food items to check out at the kickoff party:

They'll have some food truck favorites like the Grilled Cheese Truck making an appearance, but also keep an eye out for lobster rolls from Cousins Maine Lobster and BrewWings' chicken wings made with local craft beer.

L.A. Beer Week folks will also be handing out complimentary home-brewed, non-alcoholic sodas and KIND bars to keep you going through the day.

General admission tickets for the kickoff party cost $45, and that gets you your own special glass and 15 drink tickets, which allow for 4-5 ounce pours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (VIP ticket-holders get to go in earlier at noon, but those tickets are all sold out.) And if you're planning on doing a ton of drinking, which seems very likely, keep in mind that instead of driving, you can take the Metro. Exposition Park is just a short walk away from the Metro Expo Line stop at Expo Park/USC Station.

Sunday, June 21: L.A. Beer Week Hangover Brunch

Little Tokyo's Far Bar has you covered when it comes to curing that next-day hangover after the kickoff party. They'll be serving a special brunch menu that day, along with craft-beer Micheladas and bloody Marys—you know, for hair-of-the-dog purposes. Event starts at 10 a.m.

Sunday, June 21: Eagle Rock's Public House's "Clash of the Burger Titans"

This might be something perfect for Father's Day because, sure, dads love beer and burgers. Over at Eagle Rock's Public House, burger masters The Oinkster and Grill Em All will both be taking over the space and throwing down on flipping those patties. Eagle Rock Brewery will also be releasing a special beer that day. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. No reservations required. It's first come, first serve.

Sunday, June 21: Beer and Bacon with Three Weavers Brewing Company

This is exactly what you think it is, an event geared towards beer and bacon lovers. Three Weavers is hosting this event at Highland Park's The York bar and restaurant starting at 11 a.m. Three Weavers will be bringing along with them their Watermelon Saison, Sassy Rye IPA, Ghost-Faced Ale, and Southbender on nitro. No tickets are required—you'll just have to show up and pay as you drink.

Monday, June 22: Angel City Brewery's "Ale Academy: Beer and Cheese"

We dig beer-and-cheese pairings, and wouldn't mind learning more about the basics when it comes to our favorite food combinations. Downtown L.A.'s Angel City is throwing a lil' shindig and tasting event with Vagabond Cheese Company so you can get your learn on. The event runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m, and tickets are $25.

Alternatively, if you're a vegan and still want to partake in beer-and-cheese pairings, Golden Road Brewery will be doing their own event on June 22 at their Atwater Village location from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. They'll be giving out free samples of Follow Your Heart's vegan cheese to go along with the brewery's IPAs, stouts and ales that you can buy. They'll also have karaoke and corn hole in the mix.

Tuesday, June 23: Eagle Rock Brewery's "Battle of the Bands"

Folks from different SoCal breweries—from the likes of Noble Aleworks to Golden Road Brewery—will be rocking it out with their battle of the bands competition at the Echoplex in Echo Park at 6 p.m. You'll also get to vote for your favorite brewery band. Tickets are $11 pre-sale online and $13 at the door.

Wednesday, June 24: "Meeting of the Guilds" at Naja's Place in Redondo Beach

Beer enthusiasts get to mingle with the beer communities from Los Angeles Brewers Guild, San Francisco Brewers Guild and San Diego Brewers Guild at this "Meeting of the Guilds" event at Naja's Place in Redondo Beach. It's free to get in, and the breweries from the guilds will also have their special brews on tap that you can sample (you just have to pay for your pours) and then vote on the best ones so one of the brewers can take home the Golden Keg prize.

Wednesday, June 24: The Hermosillo and Highland Park Brewery's "Sour Beer Night"

Over at the Hermosillo, they'll be hosting a night celebrating sour beer with brews from Highland Park Brewery (HPB) as well as bottles from other breweries. They have some choice sour beers on their tentative list for the night, including HPB's passionfruit and guava beer and a barrel-fermented tart saison, among others. The event starts at 5 p.m. You won't need a ticket to get in, but you'll just have to pay for your beers.

Saturday, June 27: Smog City Brewing's "Rarest of the Rare"

It's been awhile since Smog City Brewing has thrown their "Rarest of the Rare" event. From noon to 8 p.m., they'll be hosting three bars at their Torrance location, tapping some of their rarest beers—from bourbon barrel-aged to sour beers and experimental beers—for the first time in two years. No tickets are required to get into this event.