As I mentioned in my last post, my boyfriend and I went to Beachwood BBQ to try Alesmith's Evil Dead Red but missed it by 5 minutes. Feeling responsible, as I was slow to get out of class and to order, I began my quest to find Evil Dead Red before its season was over and it would disappear until next year. Luckily while I googled insistently, I began to unravel the secret of Long Beach: there are a lot of beer enthusiasts here. Through yelp and a random site for a group called the Long Beach Hop Heads, I came across listings for several bars, breweries, etc. that would potentially have Evil Dead Red. I looked at several websites for places, ignoring (for now) those that only served their own brews and keeping track of those that had a variety on tap. From there I began to make phone calls. I asked not only if the location currently had Evil Dead Red, but also if they knew that it would be served in the upcoming weeks. Finally, after talking to almost a dozen places, I found my answer. There is a wine bar in Sunset Beach called Brix. Despite their website being awfully outdated and empty, their tap listing from 2009 was comprised of breweries and beers that was similar to that of Beachwood BBQ. Hoping for a small miracle, I called their number. The bar's manager answered the phone and unlike some of the other people I had spoken to, he had heard of Alesmith's Evil Dead Red. He had heard of it and he had it waiting in his bar. He was kind enough to ask me when I wanted to come in and told me that he would make sure it was tapped in time for me to try it. After hanging up with him I was so ecstatic that I literally began to jump up and down around my room. (I felt bad for the person who used to live below me. I tend to jump when I get excited, but I doubt I'm the reason he moved.) Luckily it was a Thursday, a weekend, so I knew I would be able to talk my boyfriend into going out for a drink and surprise him with my find. Brix, as I stated, is primarily a wine bar, so when we entered the first door, my boyfriend and I felt very out of place. Classy music, fancy attire, this was not a place for 21-year-old college students. Fortunately, another door lead us to the beer section, which was our perfect fit. Above the bar there were chalkboards with the names and prices of the different beers available. Brix is pricier than the other places we usually go to, but finding Evil Dead Red called for a special occasion. Evil Dead Red was not even listed on the boards as it was so freshly tapped, special for us, so to be sure I asked if it was available just before ordering. Because the prices were high and it was not a happy hour, I only ordered a side of sweet potato fries to share and our two pints of Evil Dead Red. As I describe it, Evil Dead Red is the perfect balance between the Ambers/Browns/malty goodness that I gravitate toward and the bitter IPAs that my boyfriend loves. That being said, it may not be a good choice for those of you who are working up toward the bittery brews, but I found it to be a great reward to all of my searching. I have even included a picture of the empty pint glass with all of its lace. I hope that this posting can be some kind of hope to those in search of a specific brew. Just keep calling around and you may just find what you are looking for.
Drink Responsibly!
- The Brewnette
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