The LA Beerathon is for the brave, the strong, the weak, and the meek. This year after five consecutive Beerathons in New York City the knock-down-drag-out course will be organized in Los Angeles. Do you have what it takes to conquer 26 beers at 26 different bars?

Pick up a ticket for $55 and be greeted with a map of the city identifying 26 different locations in Downtown LA that each has a 12oz pour of craft beer with your name on it. Assuming that you’ll still be able to identify your name by the end of the night. Enjoy beers from Black Sheep Brewery, Eagle Rock, and Black Market Brewing Co. to name a few.

So far the venues have been kept top secret but promise to include some of LA’s best bars, breweries and even more anticipated are the more unusual venues like a movie theater, rooftop pool and music video release party with more than one DJ along the trail. Slurry requests for “California Love” will surely ensue. If that happens be sure to pour one for Pac.

The full list of venues will be revealed in the coming weeks via twitter so while you’re in “training” for the LA Beerathon keep one hand on your pint glass and the other on your smart-phone. The event comes with a bold proclamation that “The LA Beerathon is the greatest day of your life.” This may or may not be true depending on your track record and your level of dedication to a life filled with fine beverage events of the highest order.

One thing is for certain: You’ll leave with some great memories, or none at all.

LA Beerathon - March 31, 2012

12:00 noon – 1:00 am
Tickets $55 - 26 beers at 26 venues
http://labeerathon.com/

In mid-March, Mutineer Magazine packed up and headed to King Estate Winery in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley for a creative team retreat of the highest order. Here’s a behind the scenes look into Mutineer Magazine, as well as a look at some of the characters that make up Mutineer.

Thanks to our most gracious hosts King Estate Winery, and videographer Rachelle Hacmac for putting up with us long enough to make this video!

It’s no secret that Mutineer Magazine is powered by Red Bull. We’re big fans. While we don’t watch our calories, for those that do and for those who love energy drinks, there is a solution: Red Bull Total Zero. I can’t tell you too much about it at this point, minus the obvious zero calories. Stay tuned for more information.

Also worth noting, Thai billionaire and Red Bull founder Chaleo Yoovidhya died March 17 at a hospital in Bangkok.

Don Julio González-Frausto Estrada, founder of Don Julio Tequila, passed away yesterday in Mexico. Don Julio began distilling tequila in 1942 with his La Primavera distillery. In 1985 he celebrated his 60th birthday and his sons gave him the gift of a tequila bearing his name and Don Julio Tequila was born.

From the Don Julio Tequila Facebook:

Don Julio González Estrada, creator and founder of Tequila Don Julio passed away yesterday in his native Mexico. Our most sincere condolences go out to his family and friends as we have lost a great friend and mentor. It is an honor that each one of our bottles carries the name of the man who dedicated his life to one of Mexico’s greatest icons: tequila. His values and philosophy will always thrive in the fabric of our brand. Out of respect to his legacy and pioneering spirit, we will be taking some time to reflect on this great visionary.

Rest In Peace old friend.

Immersed in a veritable wonderland of craft beer and indie music, the good citizens of Portlandia are blessed with more beer festivals than you can put a bird on and are surrounded by a seemingly bottomless pool of musical artists. The first annual Malt Ball will capitalize on these valuable resources and bring the two together for a day long celebration fueled by barley, hops, and Marshall half stacks.  The band line up for this beer/music festival is rife with budding heroes of the Portland music scene and most interestingly, the featured breweries are incorporating their music into their specialty beers.

Not only are the brewhouses offering a special release for the event, but each has collaborated with one of the performers to pair their beer with the band’s music. The Oregon Brewers Guild and The Portland Mercury, “PDX’s most awesome weekly”, present a unique opportunity to try your hand at pairing music and fine beverage. See for yourself if that Eisbock pairs best with punk, folk or orchestral synth and discover why, for some reason, that Blonde Ale tastes perfect when listening to doom metal progressive rock.

The Malt Ball 2012

Saturday, March 24 at the Bossanova Ballroom (722 E Burnside)
$20 presale tickets and $25 at the door.

Collaboration beers from:

10 Barrel Brewing
Breakside Brewery
Burnside Brewing
Coalition Brewing
Full Sail Brewing
McMenamins
Ninkasi Brewing
and more…

For more event and ticket information visit portlandmercury.com/maltball

Gotta get ya FREAKER SAMPLES! from freakerusa on Vimeo

Freakers are a simple enough product. Each is an ultra stretchy beverage coozy that will easily cover your favorite beer bottle, that magnum of Châteauneuf-du-Pape you’ve been saving, or even your daily 40 oz to freedom. Freakers come in all manner of colorful patterns and are brought to you by an illustrious crew of creatives; designers, internet-gurus and filmmakers.

What might first appear as a goofy kickstarter company that makes little beverage products, is the display of an authentic albeit bizarre modern retelling of the American Dream. Like all successful brands, FreakerUSA isn’t just selling a product, they’re giving you an official invitation to take part in a new lifestyle and theirs is chock full of freaky delights. It seems they have found a way, without the use of VooDoo mind you, to infuse life into a fine beverage sweater.

Find it hard to believe? Take a closer look and discover how they send hand written notes to their customers and organize grilled cheese parties across the country as part of their marketing efforts. They weave the Freaker so artfully and seamlessly in and out of everything they do, that it’s hard to see the lines between the product, the life and the profile of Freaker-culture.

Blah Blah freaker. Blah Blah fits. Blah blah anything.

Los Angeles and its surrounding cities and suburbs are a bastion of international culinary treasures. Some of the hubs include Artesia for Indian food, the San Gabriel Valley for Chinese, Montebello for Armenian, and Westminster for Vietnamese.

What you might’ve noticed is that a new, hybrid international cuisine has also become hot here. Japanese Peruvian food – a meld of traditional tastes from the Eastern, island nation and the South American fishing-industry-powerhouse.

While the combination might appear unusual at first, the two countries share a long history, beginning in 1873, which is when Peru established diplomatic relations with Japan (Chinese-Peruvians celebrate an even older tie). Sweeping political changes, a fragile economy and the first Sino-Japanese war chased many workers from their homeland and into the arms of a welcoming job market in Peru. Along with a strong work ethic, the Japanese immigrants also brought over recipes from across the Pacific – recipes that aligned perfectly with Peru’s thriving fishing industry and the rice dishes brought over by the Spanish, some three hundred years prior.

As the Japanese presence in Peru increased, so did the influence of Japanese cuisine, which was termed “Nikkei cusine” in the restaurants and cafes that began popping up across the country. Traditional dishes like ceviche, (commonly regarded as the national dish of Peru), adopted characteristics from newly-introduced cooking styles, changing the age-old Incan method to a faster, fresher Japanese-inspired preparation.

Naturally, as these culinary mergers gained popularity across Peru, they were also packed into baskets and carried around the world. In the process, chefs have experimented with and elevated the style; most notable of these is Nobu Matsuhisa, who opened his world-famous Matsuhisa restaurant in 1987.

Read on to learn about this and the other game-changing Japanese-Peruvian restaurants that are totally en fuego in LA at the moment.

Continue Reading »

An extremely rare bottle of Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky, sold at auction last night for a record-breaking $94,000, in celebration of its 125th anniversary. The bottle of Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve, one of only 11 bottles in the world, shattered the record for the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold at auction. The evening, held on New York’s Liberty Island, was hosted by famed actor and environmentalist Adrian Grenier, with proceeds benefitting SHFT Initiatives, the charitable arm of SHFT, which was founded by Mr. Grenier to promote sustainability issues through the intersection of commerce, art & design, and communication.

The event was co-hosted by Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman who travelled from Scotland to oversee this auspicious occasion and kick off the brand’s year-long 125th Anniversary celebration.

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William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s fourth largest blended Scotch Grant’s® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and Milagro® Tequila.

Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the USA with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Stolichnaya Vodka, Grant’s, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson’s Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Lillet, Art In The Age, The Knot and BOLS cordials. The company has offices in New York City (sales and marketing) and Edison, NJ (bottling and warehouse facilities). For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.

SOURCE William Grant & Sons, Ltd.