Photo By: Brad Japhe

On Sunday, April 1st, Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood, CA celebrated their reopening in style with more than thirty rare and extremely limited beers on draft.  The event kicked off early, at 11:30 in the morning, when about fifty lucky drinkers were let into the bar thirty minutes ahead of the general public as a special reward for ordering their tickets before anyone else.  The line of early-birds, almost a block in length, had waited just for the opportunity to enjoy the world’s most precious double IPA, from Russian River Brewing Company: the notorious Pliny the Younger.  At an hour of the day when many people would find themselves at church, these dedicated beer lovers devoted themselves instead to a beer which has developed its very own religious following.

But Pliny was just the tip of the iceberg at this very special occasion.  Also on tap in the Henry Fonda Lobby—specifically converted into a taproom for the day—was bourbon barrel aged imperial stout from New Holland Brewing, fittingly entitled, ‘Dragon’s Milk.’  Lost Abbey‘s own barrel aged Deliverance, and my personal favorite, Founder’s Breakfast Stout, with the flavors of oats, chocolate and coffee magically dancing magically on the tongue, were also on offer.  The educated nature of the folks on hand was evidenced by the fact that, rather than just crowding around the significantly hyped Pliny, the attendees were interested in trying all kinds of beer, most of which are virtually never found in this part of the country.  So diligent were the crowds to taste it all, that the Younger keg didn’t kick until well into the afternoon—highly unusual for a beer that can often be gone within minutes of being tapped.

An enticing array of small bites were passed around throughout the day, including a cornucopia of smoked sausages and other savory appetizers which can regularly be found on the Blue Palms menu.  You could also regularly find many smiling faces amongst this satisfied crowd of beer lovers, delighted, one and all, by the return of the neighborhood’s most consistently exceptional brewhouse.

A few of the limited-releases still remain on draft as of today.  I highly recommend Moylan’s Hop Craic—a Quadruple IPA bursting with hops, and Ballast Point‘s lip-puckering sour, Ingrid’s 1 in 8.  An up-to-the-second taplist is always available on their website.

Photo By: Brad Japhe