Father's Day CollaBREWtive Brunch: Coffee, Beer, Food + Family

Six food stations and six beer stations filled the airy indoor space with skylights and a mezzanine. Picnic tables provided a relaxing base between refills. [Bernie Wire]

On June 16, Food GPS joined forces with Firestone Walker Brewing Co. to co-produce the first annual Father’s Day CollaBREWtive Brunch. The event took place at the Lot 613 event space in downtown L.A.’s Arts District. Six local breweries collaborated with six leading coffee roasters to create coffee-flavored beers just for the event and also poured beers from their core line-ups. Several of L.A.’s most talented chefs helmed six food booths. Arts of Tea’s fresh-brewed iced tea and craft soda were also available as non-alcoholic options. Seating was communal, with guests free to chart their own culinary adventure, at their own pace. Better yet, a portion of proceeds benefited Share Our Strength, an honorable organization that battles childhood hunger. Here are some of the highlights from the CollaBREWtive event.

The CollaBREWtive Brunch took place in Lot 613, an Arts District event space. [Bernie Wire]

Collaboration was key at the event. Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson and his family joined Eagle Rock Brewery co-owner Jeremy Raub and Firestone rep Catherine Dolan. [Bernie Wire]

Brynildson made sure to sample coffee beers from other breweries, including Jesse Houck from Golden Road Brewing. GRB teamed with Handsome Coffee Roasters on Mildly Handsome, a West Coast Mild featuring coffee from La Vega from Yilberto Guarnizo Osorio in Colombia, “which imparts cherry, cocoa, and a hint of vanilla.” [Bernie Wire]

Anders Nilbrink, who’s a key member of Firestone Walker Brewing Co.‘s L.A. event team, oversaw the company’s taps. For the brunch, Firestone Walker worked with Intelligentsia Coffee on ParabaJava, infusing powerhouse Parabola Imperial Stout with El Diablo espresso. [Bernie Wire]

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing worked with Portola Coffee Lab on System of a Stout, an Imperial Stout that first appeared at Dionicess X and includes “all the traditional ingredients of a savory cup of Armenian coffee: cardamom, molasses, coffee (of course), and brandy.” [Bernie Wire]

Cismontane Brewing Co. and Caffe Luxxe produced four versions of The Hopfee Continuum, a Belgian/American blonde brewed with (or without) Testa Rossa and Super Galena hops. [Bernie Wire]

Caffe Luxxe co-founder Gary Chau led his company’s brunch efforts.

Ladyface Ale Companie co-founder Cyrena Nouzille and brewmaster Dave Griffiths worked with LAMILL Coffee on Speed & Spurs, an “international co-production” starring caffeine-fueled Brazilian bombshell Samambaia Peaberry and famous Westerner Chesebro IPA, named for a 1928 Western featuring George Chesebro. [Bernie Wire]

Eagle Rock Brewery worked with Tierra Mia Coffee on Panama Pale, a rye IPA brewed with prized Geisha coffee from Panama. [Bernie Wire]

Raub made the rounds, sampling craft soda from Pipe Dream Brewery co-founder Brian Holter and Los Angeles Ale Works co-founder Kip Barnes. [Bernie Wire]

Food GPS beer editor and Beer Search Party founder Sean Inman volunteered at the Eagle Rock Brewery booth.

Sotto GM Caitlin Coyne joined co-owners Zach Pollack and Steve Samson in action. [Bernie Wire]

Pollack shuffled between Sotto’s outdoor prep tent and indoor table.

Sotto served spiced ricotta fritters with stonefruit, bitter honey and salsiccia mattinale.

Rivera chef John Sedlar’s team accented ranch eggs with chiles, tomatillos and tortilla strips. [Bernie Wire]

Events are great times for chefs to catch up, since they’re normally stuck in their own kitchens. Bestia’s Genevieve Gergis chatted with Cooks County’s Daniel Mattern.

Cooks County chefs Daniel Mattern and Roxana Jullapat collaborated on a buttermilk biscuit breakfast sandwich with house-made sausage.

Cooks County encouraged attendees with a fun blackboard that read: “Happy Father’s Day! Now Eat Up!” Done and done.

Zoe Nathan and Huckleberry delivered peach kouign amann turnovers with whipped cream; maple bacon biscuit sandwiches with butter, crispy bacon and maple syrup; and triple chocolate cupcakes.

Genevieve Gergis, Bestia co-owner and a talented pastry chef, served ice cream sandwiches.

I was happy to see good friend Randy Clemens, author of The Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, enjoying the brunch. [Bernie Wire]