the BEAT of the week: LA Craft Beer Crawl.

We wrote about the LA Craft Beer Crawl when it first got started in 2010, and now in its third year, it's still going strong. You can still expect those great craft beer picks by The Beer Chicks (Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune) and from breweries near and far, like Green Flash, Duvel, Smog City, Bootlegger's, Eagle Rock, and more. This year, they've even added intimate seminars taught by leaders in the beer community, where you can taste exclusive beers (and whiskeys!) and learn all you can about them.


The event doesn't happen until Aug. 18, but you're advised to get your tickets ($54 for general admission, $74 for VIP) soon -- the event will sell out beforehand. Four hours of crawling, with unlimited pours -- what better way to spend your Saturday?


The LA Craft Beer Crawl will take place on Aug. 18 and will span over seven bars in downtown Los Angeles, beginning at 613 S Grand Ave.

-- Chau Tu

Do It. Spend NYE in downtown L.A.

Spending New Year's Eve right in the thick of it all -- right in the middle of downtown -- is always a reliable choice, and this year, you've even got the excuse of a great bar crawl to take you all the way to midnight and beyond.

213 Nightlife, the owners of the bars that have basically revived the downtown nightlife scene all by themselves -- Broadway Bar, Golden Gopher, Casey's, Seven Grand, Cole's, etc. -- are holding NYE Downtown L.A., where crawlers can experience open bars at all eight of their downtown properties. Yes, open bar. (Obviously mostly applies for well drinks/beers on tap...fancier stuff is sure to still cost you if you so desire it). Plus, there'll be entertainment at most of the places, including a live performance by Gram Rabbit at Casey's.

Just can't get any better, right? It's downtown, it's New Year's Eve, we all need a drink from this past year, it's a bar crawl featuring the best bars in downtown (and arguably the city!), and hell, even the Metro is free all night (which you should definitely take advantage of if you take part in this). The night might cost you a pretty penny at $119 (but rumor has it that if you enter the code "blogdowntown" you'll get $20 off!), but that's how NYE in L.A. usually goes. And it's open bar -- as if I needed to remind you. Buy your tickets here. And be safe out there while celebrating!

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: 213 Nightlife

Do It. LA Craft Beer Crawl.

The name says it all. If you've been craving for some lovely beers to ride you in on the autumn season -- thanks Lauren! -- then what better way to do it than a good ole fashioned beer crawl?

And this isn't just a crack-open-a-can affair here. For one, the LA Craft Beer Crawl happening this weekend will be taking place at the bars of the 213 Ventures, a.k.a. some of downtown's best -- like Seven Grand, Golden Gopher, Broadway Bar and Cana Rum Bar. Expect some class and a whole lot of attention on the brew. And speaking of the brew, there'll be over fifty craft beers represented, all chosen carefully by The Beer Chicks (they seem to know what they're talking about). And to drown it all down will be food from trucks specially picked by LA Weekly's food critic Jonathan Gold.

Tickets are on sale now for $49, which includes a 6 oz. tasting glass, unlimited tastings across all the seven bars and an after-party at Casey's with live music. A $60 VIP ticket will get you some exclusive beer cocktails and a chance to hang out with Gold himself. And while your ticket may be getting you down and dirty, some of the proceeds from it won't -- the money will help out Heal the Bay. So drink on!

The LA Craft Beer Crawl takes place this Saturday from 3pm-8pm in downtown.

-- Chau Tu

Eat Out. Las Perlas.

Las Perlas Mezcal and Tequila Bar, 213 Downtown LA Nightlife's latest venture, will have its soft opening tonight, Tuesday March 9. The place hasn't opened and already has a Yelp page, so that should tell you something about it's soon-to-be popularity among the downtown crowd.

Las Perlas is located at 107 E. 6th St. (6th and Main) in downtown Los Angeles.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Las Perlas via Daily Candy