A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.
This week, we jump entirely across the country from our nation's right coast to our nation's left coast landing at Father's Office in Santa Monica, California.
You might be familiar with this L.A. area gastropub for their near legendary Office Burger. (I swear I walked in one afternoon and saw Brooke Shields sitting at the bar eating one quietly by herself.) The "pub food" is superb -- gourmet even by gourmet pub food standards -- but as Father's Office clearly claims on their website: "Our focus is craft beer and its pairing with food."
How do you pull off such a feat? Have 36 taps of seasonally selected beer flowing at all times backed up with a few solid bottled selections (not listed here, of course!) and a few hand-picked wines to appease those who are too snobby even to be beer snobs.
For a bar that is so shamelessly aimed at upmarket tastes, FO is surprisingly down-to-earth (with helpful and friendly bartenders) and cozy (often to the point of being cramped). A new larger location (opened earlier in 2008) in Culver City will hopefully take some of the pressure off the the Santa Monica spot and spread burger and beer love to more of city.
After the jump, see what 36 selections Father's Office is currently offering.
Broken down into groups of "Malty," "Hoppy," "Yeasty / Spicy," and "Fruity / Herbaceous" respectively, here is the list:
- Alaskan Brewing Amber (Juneau, Alaska)
- Alaskan Smoked Porter (Juneau, Alaska)
- AleSmith Anvil ESB (San Diego, California)
- Anchor Christmas 2008 (San Francisco, California)
- Anchor Steam (San Francisco, California)
- Anderson Valley Winter Solstice (Boonville, California)
- Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter (San Diego, California)
- Deschutes Black Butte Porter (Bend, Oregon)
- Maredsous "8" (Breendonk, Belgium)
- Moylans Dragoons Dry Irish Stout (Novato, CA)
- Old Speckled Hen (Suffolk, England)
- Ommegang Abbey Ale (Cooperstown, NY)
- Oskar Blues Old Chub Scottish Ale (Lyons, Colorado)
- Russian River Brewing Perdition (Santa Rosa, California)
- AleSmith Winter Yulesmith (San Diego, California)
- Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA (Healdsburg, California)
- Craftsman 1903 Prohibition Lager (Pasadena, California)
- Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (Bend, Oregon)
- Green Flash West Coast IPA (Vista, California)
- North Coast Red Seal (Ft. Bragg, California)
- North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout (Ft. Bragg, California)
- Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale (Lyons, Colorado)
- Russian River Brewing Pliny the Elder Double IPA (Santa Rosa, California)
- Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard (San Diego, California)
- Victory Prima Pils (Downington, Pennsylvania)
- Allagash White (Portland, Maine)
- Gouden Carolus Triple (Mechelen, Belgium)
- New Belgium Abbey Grand Cru (Fort Collins, Colorado)
- Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison (Cooperstown, New York)
- Russian River Brewing Damnation (Santa Rosa, California)
- Unibroue Maudite (Chambly, Quebec)
- Craftsman Cabernale (Pasadena, California)
- Craftsman Hefeweizen (Pasadena, California)
- Lindeman's Peche Lambic (Vlezenbeek, Belgium)
- Lost Coast Brewing Great White Ale (Eureka, California)
- Woodchuck Dark and Dry Apple Cider (Proctorsville, Vermont)
Father's Office is located at 1018 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, CA. www.fathersoffice.com.
[Photo Credit: fathersoffice.com]
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