Local

By Sally

Apr 24, 2010

4.16/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4

This review is for Biergarten LA:

I feel like I’m jumping the gun on this place because we only had one beer and didn’t eat anything, but I would like to get some awareness of the place into the beersphere. Just that it exists is a real good thing and it deserves some attention. They have about 24 taps with approximately a third American, a third German and a third Belgium with a Unibroue and Hobgoblin thrown in for good measure. All we had was a Racer 5 apiece–$6 for 18 oz., $11 for 38 oz. and $22 for a pitcher. Yay for pitchers! That seems pretty fair. Prices for the American and Germans are in that range give or take a dollar and the Belgians are around $1 an ounce. They had stuff like Delirium Tremens, Gouden Carolus, Triple Karmeliet, Spaten Pils and Optimator, Reissdorf Kolsch, Arrogant Bastard and Old Rasputin (18 oz. for $8), but also PBR and Blue Moon. It’s not astonsishing but it’s a good balance. They are trying to offer something for everyone and you can’t fault them for trying to cast a wide net–especially when they are offering PBR but trying to lead that sort of drinker to the next step by offering Kolsch, or Blue Moon drinkers to Allagash White or Chimay. I wish we had tried some food but that will have to wait until next time. It looks like they’re doing Korean fusion food. One of the dishes is Drunken Butt Chicken which turned out to be beer can chicken, ha ha. The menu said it needed reservations which turned out to mean it took an hour to prepare, so you should call before you get there to place your order. I saw one coming out of the kitchen and it looked really good and it’s $15 for a whole chicken. But we might try the tacos and the bartender is in love with the onion rings. Anyway, even tho the translation might not be quite there, the food and beer are and it is wonderful to see craft beer getting more mainstream and especially because they are reaching out to a more ethnic community. Good to see we’re all part of one big world of beer.