Drink Read local. BEER PAPER local. beerpaperla.com /beerpaperla #beerpaperla @beerpaperla VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 7 | December 2018 | FREE! RAISING HELL(ER) Amy Heller, Head Brewer at Arrow Lodge Photo Credit: Dan Vigil Who the Hell is Amy Heller? One of my beer writer mantras has always been that word of mouth is fail-safe when it comes to new breweries. You can just sit back and wait for the reviews to pour in and, more often than not, they are all positive or, unfortunately, sometimes all negative. By Daniel Drennon (FULL COVER STORY ON PAGE 12) INSIDE WISHFUL DRINKING GAMECRAFT FOOD PAIRINGS BENNETT’S BEAT YAEGER SHOTS PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 16 PAGE 20 PAGE 2 DECEMBER 2018 | Beer Paper #beerpaperla BEER PAPER Beer Paper is dedicated to providing news, commentary and education for the craft beer communities of Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire and Ventura County. 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PAGE 4 DECEMBER 2018 | Beer Paper WISHFUL DRINKING SIBLING REVELRY MEET NOHO’S BREWS BROS by TOMM CARROLL It was somewhat apropos that the make sure we’re representing the place very afternoon Beer Paper sat down right, especially in the beginning…” over a couple brews with Joey and Billie Anderson to discuss their “…because we want to make sure latest venture, the new craft beer bar everyone who comes in here gets the and eatery Brews Brothers in North Brews Brothers experience — from the Hollywood, it happened to be Veterans brews brothers,” interjects Joey. (The Day. siblings have a penchant for finishing each other’s sentences.) “And when we After all, they are both veterans do hire some bartenders, we’re gonna of LA’s better beer scene, having spend a lot of time training them to served in the trenches as waiters and ensure that experience continues on, bartenders at Hollywood’s proto-craft even when we’re not behind the bar.” beer restaurant, the now defunct Lucky Devils on Hollywood Boulevard, when Speaking of which, the Brews Brothers it opened in March 2006 — yes, before bar boasts 42 taps, three of which are Blue Palms, and even pre-dating nitro, two dedicated to cider and one Verdugo bar. for kombucha. A beer engine for cask Joey and Billie Anderson All Photos Courtesy of Brews Brothers ales should be coming soon. Wine is complex food or beverages out there,” including Belgium and the UK, that How far back was that, in craft beer also available, but no hard liquor. qualifies Joey. “We sell more sours was part of the inspiration for the terms? “Stone’s beers were huge back here than any other craft beer bar I’ve Andersons to open Brews Brothers. then,” Joey recalls. And Pasadena’s “The focus of our beer list is very ever been with. I can’t believe how “When we started travelling the world, Craftsman was the only local brewery similar to Stout’s because, obviously, many people come in and ask, ‘Do we went to all these breweries, started with beer on Lucky’s taps. “The their beer program is our beer you have any sours on tap?’ And I say, meeting the brewers, and learning delivery driver for Craftsman was program,” Joey explains with a smile. ‘Yeah, we have 10 of them.” all this history,” Billie reveals. “It’s a Bob Kunz, now of Highland Park “We’ve just expanded upon it. At Stout, there’s only 30 taps, mostly rabbit hole we went down…” Brewery,” Billie points out, putting The siblings are clearly in their focused on American and Belgian things into perspective. element here. “We’ve been doing the “…and given our positions as beer strong ales. Here, we have the capacity on-premise side of craft beer for so buyers,” Joey picks up the story Heretofore best known as the siblings to add a couple more German-style long — picking and buying great beers without missing a beat, “when we went who look like twins (but aren’t; Joey beers and lagers, as well as a lot of — that we wanted to keep it going,” to breweries and beer bars, we’d get is 20 months older) that work and run specialty beers.” elaborates Billie. “There’s a need a different viewpoint than the average the beer program and festivals at the for someone to curate all the great consumer. We got to meet the owners Stout Burgers & Beers franchises in “We get some rare beers in here, beers out there; otherwise how else and the brewers who are 6th, 7th, LA, the Andersons have finally made and already the response has been will people find them to drink except 8th generation, hear their stories, and good on their oft-talked-about plan amazing,” attests Billie. The most to go to the respective breweries witness that real passion instead of just to open their own place — and have popular styles with the clientele so far? themselves? It makes sense for us to visiting the facility and drinking the taken their self-deemed moniker, the “Yes, the hazy IPAs are selling like open a place like this, where we can beer. That’s been extremely influential Brews Brothers, as its name. Located crazy, of course,” he replies, “but sours still teach people about the beer and for us.” smack-dab in the middle of the too, surprisingly…” make it available to them.” NoHo Arts District, on the corner of “…and for good reason; well-made Their other, earlier influence was Lankershim Blvd. and Hartsook St., sour beers are some of the most In fact, it was travel to beer countries, homebrewing, which awakened the the spacious venue quietly soft-opened brothers’ interest in and appreciation of (but has been packed nonetheless) in beer, as well as their consideration of a early October, and celebrated its grand future in it. This began about the time opening in mid-November. they moved on from Lucky Devils in 2009 to help open the original Stout “Even Thursdays started to get really in Hollywood. According to Billie, busy since our soft opening, which is “We’ve been at Stout for a long time, surprising considering we’ve done zero nine years…” promotion and no marketing, with the exception of a few Instagram posts,” “…nine years ago today [Veterans reports Joey, 39. “We wanted to open Day],” Joey clarifies, adding, “Alex quietly, do it right and make sure that [Kagianaris] and the other owners are our staff and kitchen are comfortable.” fine with us opening Brews Brothers; they’re entrepreneurs themselves…” Adds Billie, 37, “We’re the only bartenders right now! We want to Alejandro Ramos, Billie Anderson, Elsa Anderson, Joey Anderson and Anita Curran “…and we’ve been there so long, and Beer Paper | DECEMBER 2018 PAGE 5 they’ve treated us so well, we didn’t With exposed brick outer walls and really want to just up and leave,” reclaimed wood all over, the place Billie offers, completing his thought. sports a high arched ceiling with Besides, the newly minted publicans exposed rafters, and a mezzanine can use the extra cash to aid them overlooking the bar that is used for in getting their larger-than-planned office space and will host rare bottle (5,100-plus-square-feet) emporium up shares. And there’s plenty of room and running. on the floor for games, including two pool tables, foosball, table shuffleboard “We had been looking for locations on and many board games. “The ideas and off for a few years,” Joey confides. kept growing as we were building the “When I first visited this place, I place,” explains Joey. “The games literally got one foot in the front door came about because we had so much and said, ‘This is Blues Brothers!’ I space…” called Billie immediately: ‘We have to look at this place!’” “…and we don’t charge for any of the games,” Billie is quick to add. “Our “It was Victory Martial Arts studio,” customers really love that.” says Billie. “The facility was initially built as a mechanic shop in the 1920s, Also to come in the next few months which it was for some 50, 60 years.