Whoever thinks that beer, in all its glory, doesn’t deserve a reputable stance in today’s eating and drinking culture, better think twice. Craft beer isn’t a passing fad or a current trend; it’s here to stay. Micro breweries, small batch producers, and beer aficionados are bringing on the hops with a vengeance. Next Saturday on August 18th, the third annual Craft Beer Crawl is taking place. This is an awesome opportunity to sample beers from over a dozen different craft brewers, as well as beer cocktails and other delightful beer-licious offerings.

The event is a collaboration between the Beer Chicks and Cedd Moses of 213 Ventures. Beer Chicks Hallie Beaune and Christina Perozzi, authors of “The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer”, know a good brew and live by their motto: “Beer is good.” They taste, write, and talk about it prophetically on their website. 213 Ventures manages a myriad of restaurants and bars downtown, including Caña Rum Bar, Seven Grand, Las Perlas, Coles, and others.

The beer pub crawl will move along downtown Los Angeles, hitting seven different libation-slinging venues, pouring exclusive brews at every stop. Food trucks will be camped out along the route, so tasty eats are inevitable. In addition, a portion of all proceeds goes to Heal the Bay, a great organization and a nice perk.

You do have to pick up tickets to attend. The early admission tickets are already sold out, but general admission tickets are going for $54. That’s not bad at all, considering what’s in store. A wristband gets you access to unlimited (yes, you heard that correctly: unlimited) pours from 3 to 7 p.m. at every crawl stop. However, don’t overdo it, folks; you don’t want to be that guy who literally crawls into your cab.

For $10 to $15 more, you can purchase special add-on tickets, which are a new perk this year. Offers include getting a designated driver (talking to you, beer-crawling guy) or attending several seminars, like the Beer Chicks Picks, Whisky and Beer, Brewers Gone Sour, and Viva la Birra Italiana. Sure to be a fun time, and if you play your cards right, it can be deliciously educational. Who said tastings were reserved only for the wine enthusiasts? Embrace your beer geekdom!

Pickup your tickets now, through eventbrite, you can find them at http://lacraftbeercrawl2012.eventbrite.com. Also go to 213 Nightlife’s website, to get more details about specific breweries and other goings on.

Seven bars in downtown LA | 613 S Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90017
Saturday, August 18, 2012 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (PDT)