Mr. Rogers’ birthday and the first day of spring: We’re not sure what elicits a bigger reason to celebrate, so why not applaud both?

Check out our guide to finding the ideal spring beer, how asparagus signals the start of the season or take a look at the plethora of spring arts offerings ahead for L.A.!

h/t to pbsdigitalstudios

kraftastic replied to your photo: 

is that beer overall? i was under the impression that macro has been in decline but craft is exploding

You’re correct, craft beer is indeed on the rise! We were mostly talking mainstream beer brands in this post. Scroll a little down in the article and you’ll find these grafs:

But perhaps the biggest threat to mainstream brands is from craft or “micro” breweries that turn out beer honed by individual or a small group of brew masters in relatively small batches. It’s beer’s tie to the artisanal and slow-food movements, and it’s increasingly popular.

Of the 25 craft brewers that sell more than 100,000 barrels a year, each saw sales increase last year. Brewer D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. of Pottsville, Pa., was up 16.9%, and Samuel Adams owner Boston Beer Co. scored an estimated 8% increase in shipments.

Even the major companies are starting to turn out craft brews. Popular brand Blue Moon is made by MillerCoors, and at several Barney’s Beanery locations it now outsells two of the company’s mainstream labels, Miller Lite and Coors Light.

test reblogged from latimes

Beer brewers revise playbooks to win back lost customers: Beer sales have been hurt by changing tastes and the growing appeal of wine and liquor in recent years, with U.S. shipments down 1.4% last year.

Photo: Bartenders serve beer stored in a wall of ice at the Super Bowl Village in Indianapolis. Credit: Michael Conroy / Associated Press

Beer gardens growing in Southern California, with a twist: Although some follow German tradition, many of the establishments in the Los Angeles area have interpreted old-fashioned beer gardens through the prism of local diversity and hipness.

Photo: Michael Grossman of 38 Degrees Ale House & Grill in Alhambra serves up brews for the crowd at a temporary beer garden last spring in Burbank. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Scientists track a beer’s source to Patagonia: German lager yeast appears to have originated on southern Argentina’s beech trees, such as the one above. But how did it get to Europe 600 years ago?

Photo: Orange-colored galls on beech trees in the Patagonia region of Argentina have been found to harbor the yeast that makes lager beer possible. Credit: Diego Libkind

Like many American cities in the mid-twentieth century, Los Angeles once hosted its own regional breweries that supplied the city and its environs with light, affordable American pale lager. Before intense competition led to their decline, L.A’s own Eastside Lager and Brew 102 battled in local and regional markets with such national brands as Budweiser, Schlitz, and Miller.

(via katbeee and thesarahbennett)

test reblogged from katbeee

reblogged via laweekly:

Duff beer is real! Homer Simpson’s favorite libation is actually available for purchase, but only in South America — and nobody will talk about it. For more, read “Duff Beer from The Simpsons is Real.” 

test reblogged from laweekly

Since Eagle Rock Brewery opened in 2009, other craft breweries have followed, with another half-dozen, from the Antelope Valley to Long Beach, in the works.

Photo: Julian Shrago is part of the team opening Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Pabst headquarters is moving to Los Angeles.

Photo: Artist Jeremy Okai Davis holds a can of Pabst. Credit: Josh Reiss / For The Times

Craft beer makers in Mexico are up against two giant firms that dominate the market. But they persevere, even if bars and restaurants are unwilling to stock their brews.

Photo: Production of Cosaco beer is a drop in the bucket compared with that of U.S. microbreweries. Credit: Dominic Bracco / For The Times

Half and half of Guinness Draught and Harp Lager. Click through for the recipe. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!