American Craft Beer Week: Declare Your Parabola Independence

By Jenn Garbee Mon., May 17 2010 at 4:00 PM

Categories: Beer

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Behold: Craft Beer

Welcome to American Craft Beer Week, the "We Are The World" of good beer. Today through Sunday, we have an official excuse to celebrate this country's sudsy best by indulging in craft beer specials around town, signing the Declaration of Beer Independence, and toasting our hard-working congressmen and women (actually Colorado's Betsy Markey) for attaching a clear set of goals and ideals to our IPAs with House Resolution 1297:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week, as founded by the Brewers Association; recognizes the significant contributions of craft brewers to the economy of the United States; and encourages beer-lovers of the United States to celebrate American Craft Beer Week through events at microbreweries, brewpubs, and beer stores across the United States to appreciate the accomplishments of craft brewers.

Introduced in April (the first resolution creating the beer week was introduced in 2006), this year's resolution currently has sixty-two supporters, although only four are from California -- time to call your representative. In the meantime, you can show your support by hitting a few of the Los Angeles-area American Craft Beer Week events.

For a list of Los Angeles events beginning today through Sunday, you'll have to scroll through the California offerings on the American Craft Beer Week website (Warning: It may cause you to suddenly drive to San Diego where the tasting rooms at three of our favorite breweries are back open after that little law enforcement snafu a few weeks ago).

The list also has plenty of local happy hour deals, rotating keg specials, and several special releases, including Firestone Walker's Parabola, a Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout that clocks in at 13% ABV. A Firestone representative will be at The Surly Goat in West Hollywood on Tuesday night, and The Daily Pint in Santa Monica on Friday if you want to taste a pint of this chocolate-laced, oak-aged beer with your fellow beer-geeky Americans (otherwise you'll soon be able to find a handful of the limited-release 22-ounce bottles at select stores, but we highly recommend that freshly tapped keg). And besides, when else are you going to be able to use the excuse that you really do need to drink that crazy expensive beer? It's a congressional decree.