Today’s beer tidings are cut right in half. Why? Because L.A. Beer Week is taking shape and planning needs to be done! But a new brewery opening is momentous in its own right and needs to be celebrated first.

Pacific Plate Brewing’s new Taproom is now shaking. Right at the end of August, the Monrovia brewery threw open its doors to the public. Back in February, in this Brew & You column, I wrote that they “should open their doors in mid-May.” Well, the craft beer clock runs a little slower, but it was worth the wait.

I sampled four of their beers that first day of business as a steady stream of friends, family and beer lovers found the front door.

My top two were the Agave Wheat and Mango IPA. Both were light and bright and had a zing to them. The mango and hop combination worked surprisingly well and the agave added a sweet note to a cereal forward wheat beer.

Copa del Oro, a Belgian Pale, had a lovely hefeweizen and Cider taste. Lastly, the Horchata beer had a swirling spice mixture that added a new note to the base stout beer.

If you want to catch the next wave of L.A. brewing, then a visit to this taproom is a must.

L.A. Beer Week is fast approaching. And now is the time to start plotting your course around our freeways to the best events of the week. Hopefully, you’ve already bought tickets for the Opening Gala. That’s right. The Union Station festival will start the week instead of being the finale.

Here are four other choices to add to your L.A. Beer Week to-do list. Viva #LABW5.

Brewers Karaoke Championships at Melody Lounge

Thursday September 19th 2013 8:00 pm-12:00 am

If you prefer your brewers singing rather than mashing in a new beer then the Melody Lounge is the place to be. You can watch your favorite local beer celebrities sing and drink their beer.

Port/Lost Abbey Tap Takeover with Tomme Arthur at Mohawk Bend

Monday September 23rd 2013 starting at 6pm

We are thrilled to host a tap takeover for Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey during L.A. Beer Week! Join us as we pour a selection of tried and true favorites as well as very rare specialties.

Port & Lost Abbey’s Tomme Arthur is coming up from San Diego county for this special event. Come meet him and learn more about these two fine craft beer producers.

Beers range from $6-$6.50; Flights range from $10-12

Craftsman Beer Dinner at Maximiliano

Wednesday September 25th 2013 5:00 pm-10:00 pm

Enjoy a multi-course prix fixe menu featuring beautifully crafted dishes by Chef Andre Guerrero, carefully created to pair with a unique selection of rare Craftsman brews.

Walker’s Wild Ride

Saturday, September 28th 2013 starting at 2pm

David and Sour Jim’s unruly trek in a ’55 Land Rover to LA with 4 rare sour beers happens Saturday, September 28. On board the “designated transporter of Sours” will be a collection of specialty Firestone Barrelworks Beers. A blind drawing the day of will determine the beer to be poured at each location.

Here are the truck’s scheduled stops:
Daily Pint @2pm
Surly Goat @330pm
Blue Palms Brewhouse @5pm
Mohawk Bend @7pm

If you came to any of the stops last year you know you won’t want to miss this event!!

To get more information on these four events or to check out the whole schedule HERE.  This year there are maps, you can sort and filter the list, all to make your L.A. Beer Week easier.

Find more of Sean Inman’s writing on his blog, Beer Search Party.