Avoid The Crowds at These Sunday St. Patty's Craft Beer Parties
Thinking about heading downtown on Sunday for one of the many St. Patrick's Day parties that are filling the streets? Be sure to take the subway, because you certainly won't want to be driving home after kicking your day off with an Irish Car Bomb at 6 am. Then again, you may want to eschew the green beer and Guinness overflow in favor of someplace a little less raucous -- and with a better tap list. Here are five Luck of the Irish celebrations happening across town that feature some of the best craft beers in the West, and with at least a little less elbow jockeying at the bar.
The Escondite
You can head downtown for a pint without getting mixed up in the hordes of drunk revelers running to Casey's Irish Pub. Just cut over to The Escondite on Boyd Street, where they'll be churning out their signature burgers, as well as a few special plates of corned beef hash. You can also enjoy folksy music all day long, plus drink discounts on the familiar St. Patrick's Day labels. Or just head for one of the separate craft beer taps, always flowing with options from Alesmith, North Coast Brewing and more.
The Escondite, 410 Boyd St., downtown. Opens at 10:30am.
The Daily Pint
As one of the best craft beer bars in America, Santa Monica's The Daily Pint isn't about to go holiday-mad for St. Patrick's Day. Instead the beer haven will open politely at noon (none of this 6am nonsense) and serve up generous portions of corned beef sandwiches to go along with their multitude of taps. There will be some Irish-tinged karaoke, sure, and perhaps a whisky deal or two, but The Daily Pint is never far from their roots as a craft beer tap and cask home for Westsiders. you can expect an array of Ballast Point pints, as well as options from Bear Republic, Dogfish Head, Deschutes and more.
The Daily Pint, 2310 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. Opens at 12pm.
Story Tavern
Far from all the hootin and hollerin' happening over the hill, Burbank's Story Tavern is running a full weekend of all-inclusive fun. The Tavern is actually run by the 5th generation Irish American Slaught family, which means plenty of authentic eats beyond simple corned beef (think Irish stew), and a selection of Irish music to accompany revelers. The tavern also has a strict "No Green Beer!" policy, which means you can expect taps overflowing with Stone Brewing, Anchor Steam and Firestone Walker instead.
Story Tavern, 150 S. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank. Opens at 11:30am.
The Satellite
While traditionally a hipster haunt, The Satellite in Silver Lake actually has a decent bar with a nice selection of choice craft beers. If you're looking for the sort of holiday-inspired beer you can practically chew on, grab a pint of Yeti Imperial Stout from Denver's Great Divide Brewing, and enjoy the show. London Celtic punk band The Pogues couldn't make it to The Satellite, but the night will be a tribute to their hard-rocking roots, with full covers of two of their more prominent albums. Enjoy the music for $10 and the beer for even cheaper, instead of standing in line to grab a slimmed-down pint of green goop somewhere else.
The Satellite, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake. Opens at 8pm.
Proof Bakery
No, Atwater Village's insanely popular (and for good reason) Proof Bakery isn't turning into a dance hall destination overnight. Instead, the bakery is cooking up batches of traditional Irish goodies all Sunday long, using brews from nearby Eagle Rock Brewery to help give the baked goods a more beer-infused taste. There will be typical Irish soda bread and an assortment of cakes, all made in house using Eagle Rock's Solidarity, their "dark mild" stout that comes imbued with toffee and lots of malty chocolate. Not a bad way to start your Sunday.
Proof Bakery, 3156 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village. Opens at 8am.