located just south of pasadena in san gabriel, this little unassuming building happens to be the 9th best place in the nation to go have a beer. the stuffed sandwich has decent food, but most people go there for one reason, and one reason only - the massive selection of bottled beer.
the service can be slow, and the owner is often referred to as the beer nazi, but it is worth checking it out, simply for the experience. it is unlike any beer bar or restaurant i've ever been to.
one final thing - their bottled beer is served with a paper cup. bring your own glassware or pick something from their massive glassware selection to buy and take home.
12 comments:
I agree... check this place out once, but after that Ive never felt a need to go back. Theres so many awesome beers on tap around the southland that this place gets forgotten too easily. Unfortunately, Gordon Biersch in Pasadena is closing its doors now. Can you believe? No more **fresh** Marzen beer on a sunny afternoon with friends in the alley.
Yes, I have mixed emotions about Gordon Biersch. If it was a local private brewpub I'd be outraged, but it's a chain after all. It was a fun place to go for a pint and some decent food.
I'm a philistine. I drink my beer from the bottle. What's the best beer in the world Ben?
ratebeer.com indicates that the highest rated beer is Westvleteren Abt 12 - a Belgian ale brewed by Trappist monks. But in my humble opinion Three Floyd's Dreadnaught IPA, Dogfish Head's 90 Minute, or Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye, is the cream of the crop - but beer is like wine, it's all about personal preference.
And drinking beer from the bottle is fine if it's a massed produced lager from the big 3 - Coors, Miller, Budweiser. You don't really need to savor the aroma and flavor in those anyway.
All right, so now I know to decant the fine beer. (I am not a user of the poor substitutes you list above.)
I mean, the humble three. The others, I don't think I've ever had. But won't I sound impressive next time I order?
I think I've been to San Gabriel about three times in the 18 years I've lived here. I need to get out more...
A short 7 mile bike ride away!
Okay, this is funny. I used to live a few blocks away from this joint and at one point I'd read that it was in the top ten places to eat/drink in the city of San Gabriel (big whoop). So, we decided to try it one day. It was closed. Then about a month later we tried again, on a different day and time. It was closed. This happened a third time and so we quit trying. It's not like we were hoping to have lunch at 4am?! We got tired of being disappointed, a little angry that they were closed at prime time hours and we never bothered to get out of the car to check their actual hours.
They recently moved to a new location, and they are closed on Sunday and Monday. Both of these could have combined to make for a very inaccessible experience!
All you need is a packet of pellet hops, some liquid yeast, a can of cling peaches and a three gallon drum. Best brew in town.
PA, you are too funny!
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