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

Eat Out. Seven Grand [Thirsty Thursdays!].

Downtown just keeps getting better and better. A very cool whiskey bar, Seven Grand is located centrally in the downtown Los Angeles area.

Very swanky with deep blue and green Burberry print floors, dark leather couches, classy brass fixtures on the walls, and rich wood furniture, this place is perfect to unwind after work with a stiff drink, or is certainly enough reason to justify coming into the downtown area.

The entrance is inconspicuous, and visitors have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the bar. There's also a nice outdoors patio area, where visitors can enjoy their drink with a cool breeze outside.

With nearly 300 different types of whiskey, there's no shortage of choice, and the beer selection here, while far more limited, is still spot on.

On any night in Los Angeles, this place is a great destination, but be warned: There is a strictly enforced dress code, so don't show up in shorts and flip flops, even if it is LA.

Seven Grand is located at the intersection of Seventh Street and Grand Avenue.

-- Lauren Williams