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Guide To The Vegan Beer & Food Festival in L.A.

(credit: Vegan Beer and Food Festival)

The 7th annual Vegan Beer & Food Festival returns on Saturday, June 18, 2016 to The Rose Bowl. The 21+ event showcases some of the top craft breweries across the nation as well as progressive restaurants serving a vegan cuisine. Guests will be able to enjoy tastings from over 90 breweries while enjoying over 60 eateries, food trucks and other vendors. If beer isn't your thing, don't fret as there will be kombucha, cider, cold brew and soda offerings as well. Along with admission, the event provides guests a limited edition Vegan Beer & Food Festival glass to enjoy pours of over 150 beers and other drinks.

L.A. Vegan Beer and Food Festival
The Rose Bowl
1001 Rose Bowl Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91103
www.veganbeerfest.com

Date: June 18, 2016

Tickets

Guests can choose between four options of tickets for the festival, although whatever option you choose, note that food is sold separately. The general admission ticket ($50) includes admission to the event, entry at 1PM, and unlimited beer sampling. Their No Beer All Cheer general admission ticket ($40) includes admission to event, unlimited kombucha, cold brew, and craft soda on draft sampling. The two VIP options include the No Beer All Cheer VIP ticket ($70), which gives you early admission to the event at 11am, unlimited kombucha, cold brew, and craft soda on draft sampling. For those looking to kick it up a notch, the VIP ticket ($100) which gives guests admission to the event, early 11am entry, exclusive and unlimited beer tasting and access to the VIP area.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.veganbeerfest.com

Featured Breweries

There will be over 90 top breweries participating in the event with over 150 beers offered, including different styles and special vegan varietals from producers. A few of the featured breweries include:
 

Cascade Brewing
939 SE Belmont St.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 265-8603
www.cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com

Cascade Brewing will be pouring four beers at the LA Vegan Beer Fest this year including Shrieking Violet, Manhattan NW, Apricot and Sang Royal. These beers are made without the use of animal-based fining agents often used by breweries to help clarify the beer.
 

Almanac Beer Co.
2443 Fillmore St. #380-7797
San Francisco, CA 94115
www.almanacbeer.com

Almanac Beer Co. focuses on farm-to-barrel brewing, selecting the best in locally sourced ingredients and blending them into beers inspired by the great brewing traditions of the world. Get excited by their Craft Pilsner, a crisp, dry-hopped lager that provides a West Coast twist on the traditional German style. The San Francisco IPA is intensely hoppy without overt bitterness, featuring explosive aromas of citrus, tropical fruit and dankness from a blend of Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Hallertau Blanc and El Dorado hops.
 

Bottle Logic
1072 N Armando St.
Anaheim, CA 92806
(714) 660-2537
www.bottlelogic.com

For the L.A Vegan Beer & Food Festival Bottle Logic will bringing back their back to back Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal winning American Dark Lager Lagerithm and a fresh batch of our West Coast IPA Recursion 9 with Simcoe and Mosaic hops. Both will pair perfectly with all the dishes served at the festival.
 
A - Kevin Pour
Noble Ale Works
1621 S Sinclair St.
Anaheim, CA 92806
(714) 634-2739
www.noblealeworks.com

Noble Ale Works is excited to be back at the L.A. Vegan Beer Festival with their Lead Brewer Brad Kominek and his favorite vegan/soulmate Bridget pouring two beers this year: Big Whig IPA, their interpretation of the recent evolution of the West Coast IPA and Tank Top, a perfectly crushable light beer for those warm, summertime vibes.
 

Allagash Brewing Company
www.allagash.com

For the first time at LAVBFF Allagash Brewing's Belgian-inspired beers will be poured. They will be featuring three selections: White, bottle-conditioned Belgian-style wheat beer, which is a complex balance of citrus and spice with a slightly cloudy appearance. Their Saison will also be on top, which is an interpretation of a classic Belgian farmhouse-style beer with peppery highlights, effervescent mouthfeel and a dry finish. Lastly, their Uncommon Crow, a dark Brettanomyces-fermented beer aged on blackberries deep and dark in color with a slightly tart finish will help to make the event even greater.
 

Three Weavers Brewing
1031 W Manchester Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 400-5830
www.threeweavers.la

Three Weavers Brewing will be representing their Inglewood brewery at the Vegan Beer & Food Festival with Expatriate, their bright, tropical fruit-forward West Coast IPA, and Cambria's Grapefruit Kolsch, their crisp Seafarer Kolsch with grapefruit zest, making for an extra refreshing beer.
 

The Lost Abbey
155 Mata Way Suite
104 San Marcos, CA 92069
(800) 918-6816
www.lostabbey.com

The Lost Abbey Brewing Company is located in San Marcos and specializes in producing Belgian-inspired beers, barrel-aged beers, and sours. At the LVBFF they will be serving two beers: Avant Garde, a farmhouse lager, light bodied with notes of fresh green apples and freshly baked bread and the Red Barn, Saison with ginger, orange peel, black pepper and grains of paradise.

Best Eats

The Herbivorous Butcher
www.theherbivorousbutcher.com

The Herbivorous Butcher will serve a chicken sandwich (akin to a Vegan Double Down): two pieces of fried chicken as the bun, made with bacon made wheat flour, garlic pepper havarti, homemade ranch, tomato, onion, and lettuce. The Minneapolis-based vegan shop, which serves small batch vegan meats and cheeses, will also offer footlong Korean and Cajun jerky for purchase.

The Pudding Truck
(213) 949-0366
www.thepuddingtruck.com

The LAVBFF will be the only time all year that The Pudding Truck will be serving all five of their vegan flavors: Chocolate Hazelnut, Key Lime Coconut, Brown Sugar Banana, Vanilla Almond, and Toasted Coconut Rice Pudding! They will also have all sorts of vegan toppings from fresh fruit to homemade chocolate sauce and even whipped coconut cream.

Tony's Darts Away
1710 W Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
(818) 253-1710
www.tonysda.com

Back by popular demand, Chef Caroline of Tony's Darts Away will sling her festival specialty, Asian Tater Tots. The delicious crunchy nuggets, which were created exclusively for the LAVBFF, are coated in a sweet and spicy sauce making them the perfect pairing for a local IPA.

Organix
1731 Colorado Blvd.
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
(323) 254-0284
www.organix-la.com

Organix will be serving three items along with a special item that will be a surprise and available just for LAVBFF. The Barbacoa Burrito is made of shredded "beef style" jackfruit slow cooked and marinated in house made authentic Baracoa sauce, Spanish rice, black beans, onions, bell peppers, avocado and salsa wrapped in a 14" flour tortilla; the Puerco is shredded "pork style" jackfruit slow cooked and marinated in house made bbq sauce, house made slaw and pickle on a ciabata bun. Or, opt for the Southern Belle, which is made of golden brown and crispy deep fried "chicken", mashed potatoes and gravy on a sesame bun.

Taqueria La Venganza
The Butchers Son

Taqueria La Venganza will be featuring vegan tamales and vegan versions of carnitas, carne asada and al pastor as well as other taqueria favorites. Along with these dishes they are featuring three regional mexican salsas that will provide different levels of heat and a flavor that complement each offering.

Donut Farm
2609 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 788-7549
www.pepplesdonuts.com

At this year's LA Vegan Beer & Food Festival, Donut Farm will be serving all of their cake and raised donuts including Salted Caramel, Lavender Earl Grey, Philz Coffee, Blueberry, Matcha Green Tea, Roasted Red Chili, Whiskey Tangerine Fig (WTF), Mexican Hot Chocolate, Lemon Poppy Seed, Coconut Whiteout, Seascape Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla Sprinkle and Raised Glaze.

Shojin
12406 W Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 390-0033
www.theshojin.com

This year, Shojin will be serving their most popular roll, their Dynamite Roll, a spicy tofu & avocado roll, with slightly torched spicy mayo served with a dynamite, as well as other favorites like their Crunchy Tiger, made with avocado wrapped pan-fried soy meat and asparagus roll served with crunchy rice paper, wasabi-mayo and sweet tamari sauce.

Upton's Naturals
www.uptonsnaturals.com

Vegan food purveyors Upton's Naturals, will be serving delicious Barbacoa Nachos for a real treat. The tortilla chips are topped with a vegan cheese sauce, Mexican pickles, Barbacoa-style young Jackfruit, and cilantro. This dish features Upton's Naturals unique Jackfruit meat alternatives and is based on a recipe served at the company's factory cafe, Upton's Breakroom, located in Chicago.

IMG_1365
Snackrilege
www.snackrilege.com

Snackrilege, the vegan sandwich company located in Portland will be serving their Notorious BLT sandwich comprised of house made seitan bacon, house infused balsamic mayo, lettuce, and Italian style salsa with fresh basil and white wine on a French roll. They will also be selling seitanic shirts and other gear.

Bling Bling Dumpling
(323) 308-0636
www.blingblingdumpling.com

Inspired by handmade street food in Taiwan, Bling Bling Dumpling serves fusion dim sum, addictive dipping sauces, fresh organic salads and sweet bites. At the LAVBFF they will be serving their handmade shiitake mushroom dumplings on a bed of mixed greens drizzled with their garlic sauce along with tofu, that will be deep fried with a hint of thai basil served with their crack sauce.

New To The Festival

New to the festival this year is the addition of a Cold Brew and Craft Soda tent providing guests skipping out on beer an area to discover small-batch producers dedicated to furthering the craft beverage industry. The extensive menu of cold brew coffees, which includes: Blue Bottle Coffee, Venice Cold Brew, Verve Coffee Roasters and more, is curated by applauded expert Evan Dohmann of Constellation Supply Co. to range in style and methodology featuring the brightest artisan roasters in specialty coffee, while the craft soda selection which includes: Cannonborough Beverage Company, Swamp Pop, Fentimans and more, is curated by Five Star Soda.

Featured Attractions

Along with musical performances by Sweet and Tender Hooligans, Sabrosa Purr, Rin Tin Tiger, Tall Walls and Black Crystal Wolf Kids, the event also will feature a novel "Pop Up" marketplace with local vendors selling everything from clothing to ceramics to craft goods to beauty and body items curated by Bare Bones Body and Non-Toxic Revolution.

For A Good Cause

This year's Vegan Beer & Food Festival will donate portions of proceeds to The Gentle Barn, a nonprofit dedicated to "teaching people kindness and compassion to animals, each other, and our planet." The nonprofit organization located just north of Los Angeles in Santa Clarita, California was founded by Ellie Laks in 1999 as a safe haven and place of recovery for abused farm animals. For more information visit: www.gentlebarn.org.

Jarone Ashkenazi is a freelance writer who covers: restaurants, bars, dating, relationships, sports and other lifestyle topics. View more work at www.jaroneashkenazi.com. Connect with him on Twitter at @JaroneAsh.
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