L.A.'s Craft Beer Revolution Has Golden State's Jason Bernstein Raising His Pint Glass

If I were at a restaurant drinking a glass of wine, and I learned the best bottle on the list cost $1,000, it wouldn't really surprise me. Without grumbling about diminishing returns, I would enjoy my present glass.

But what if you were sitting next to me nursing a $3 pint of Coors Light and I said, "OK. Do you want to try one of the best beers in the world instead for $6?" and handed you a pint of Firestone Union Jack?

PHOTO BY TED SOQUI

The craft beer movement has taken L.A. by storm, and it hasn't peaked yet, says Jason Bernstein.

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Golden State Cafe

426 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Category: Restaurant > Italian

Region: Melrose/ Beverly/ Fairfax

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You'd probably agree that, if this locally brewed Firestone IPA was indeed substantially better than the Coors, the extra $3 is an economically responsible indulgence. After all, if a decent bottle of wine costs $20, that 1985 DRC Romanee Conti is 750 times more expensive. If "excellence" doesn't represent an onerous expenditure, it resonates — an argument I've used to explain both my love for Langer's pastrami and my skepticism toward IKEA furniture.

So now that great beer is being made in our town, and the average guy knows the difference between an IPA and a porter, has the craft beer movement peaked in L.A.? Not at all. The most important change taking place now is the movement of beer from the barroom to the dining room. Diners are learning how beer seamlessly pairs with food, complementing flavors and aroma.

I hate getting into the "which is better" argument when it comes to beer and wine with food, but I will say that beer has a lot more play in the interaction of body and astringency than wine, simply because wine is made from the fermentation of one component (grapes) whereas beer has a bittering component (hops) added to its fermented component (grain). As such, for dynamically flavored cuisines like Thai, Mexican and Korean, the mutable astringency of beer has an easier time locking step.

As the beer revolution continues, look for more restaurants to feature beer lists alongside their wine lists. The American craft beer movement has been associated with big, brash, bold beers, but just as unruly teenagers invariably grow into responsible adults, our craft brewers will offer subtler and more urbane beers (alongside their wild, experimental ones). We are in a golden era of development and refinement, and to that, I raise my pint glass.

Bernstein is co-owner of the Golden State, described in these pages as "an ale-intensive Fairfax gastropub" and named one of L.A. Weekly's 99 Essential Restaurants.