Verdugo

As the rain recedes and sunny days intrude, it becomes lighter beer season in Los Angeles and one that is out again now from Lincoln Beer Co. should be on your radar, Verdugo Pilsner named after the mountain backdrop for Burbank where the brewery is located.

Books, beer and Burbank

Trustworthy Brewing is the meeting place for the newly formed Burbank Books & Brews bookclub.  It was organized by a Trustworthy bartender too.  

The second Thursday of every month out on the back patio will be the reserved space and the books have been Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q, Sutanto in November and on Thursday, December 14th the book is The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara A. Davis.  If those choices interest you, check it out.

Ink is Dry

Inkwell Tavern is in a space that has turned over a few times now on San Fernando Boulevard blocks before downtown Burbank proper but I hope this one lasts a little longer especially if the cocktails themselves are as good as the literary names.  And it is a good long list of cocktails too.  Oh, and they do have a decent+ craft beer list too.

1st Visit – Eagle Rock – The Landing

RIP to the Empire Tavern, gone too soon, a victim of the Covid scourge. But now the space in Burbank has been reborn as The Landing.

It is a cross of a specialty market, bottle shop and Eagle Rock Brewery. Multiple taps of Eagle Rock beer with a couple guests as well as wine.

The space is warm and bright with bright colors on the wall. And it has the same welcoming vibe as the OG Eagle Rock taproom.

When you are done shopping at Ikea or you find yourself in upper Burbank, you should drop in.

Tony is 13, the Darts, Who Knows

I do not follow hashtags but if they are still a thing, then #TDA13 will probably start trending at midnight as we transition from May 19th to 20th.

The event is the 13th anniversary of Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank where crowds gather to be the first to have a midnight beer, this year brewed by Beachwood Brewing.

Then over the weekend there will be hourly special tappings of fun beers that will get beer geeks frothing.

I haven’t seen a midnight in a bit but I am tempted.

Burbank In-Cider

I used to be in Burbank five days a a week.  But now I am WFH so I totally missed that Story Tavern now has The Ciderworks next door.

They have some interesting combos such as cherry/blueberry, pineapple, ginger/lemongrass, strawberry/orange that use fruit fruit from the owner’s home as well. 

If you need a cider break, might be a place to check.

The Landing

A month or so back, I teased that Eagle Rock Brewery was expanding to a location in Burbank.  That location has a name and logo now…

…it also has a bit more information about it.  You will obviously be able to buy Eagle Rock beer but there will be wine and other goodies on sale as well.

Opening date is not set but I will certainly 1st Visit report on it.

1st Visit – Brews Brothers / Burbank

What once was the Burbank Simmzy’s is now the Burbank brewpub for Brews Brothers.

I have visited the original Brews Brothers and liked the space and the beer selection but now they have their own beer. The space is still the same. A bit clunky and cramped and dark with a sound system that sounds better outside than in. The brewing system is shoehorned in with not great access for when the staff had an empty keg that they had to hoist over a little wall.

I went Belgian with my choices a blonde that came in at a whopping 8.5% which seems more a Tripel to me as well as a Belgian IPA, another biggie at 8.25%.

Both were good, not great. The blonde fared better than the IPA which was quite a muddy color in the glass and not exhibiting much of a hop presence. I avoided the beer named Butt Chin since I believe that you should not name a beer with the word butt.

Prices are a bit high. Maybe there is a Burbank surcharge in there. But the place was hopping (pun intended) for a Wednesday. I think I prefer the NoHo branch a bit better.