Beer

In an old “Simpsons” episode, a beer company mascot comes to a local bar to offer a fabulous prize (beer) to whoever can answer a trivia question: What beverage, he asks, brewed since ancient times, is made from hops and grains? Homer knows, and it’s killing him because his jaws are wired shut. He watches in agony as two friends fail to come up with anything better than “ancient hop grain juice.” When the mascot reveals that the correct answer was beer, the barflies say they would never have gotten the right answer because, “That’s the kind of thing you just gotta know.

David Silva "All of me ... Why not take all of me?" the beautiful singer sang as we strolled in with big smiles on our faces. "Can't you see ... I'm not good without you?" It was an exciting time to be on the DreamWorks Animation campus, that Sunday evening before all the craziness. The Hanks/Spielberg war miniseries "Band of Brothers" was premiering on HBO that night, and all signs pointed to a major hit. As a thousand people gathered at the campus for Glendale's "Dreaming of Roses" fund-raiser, the creative energy in the air was so palpable you wanted to wrap yourself up in it and take it home with you. Also in the air were a thousand delicious smells, as restaurants and bakeries from throughout the area set out their creations for the guests to sample.

Time to shed light on dark Oktoberfest drunkfest I have lived in Montrose my whole life, 58 years in all. I love my community and the wonderful people who work in and around our charming shopping district. So, after spending so much of my life and time here, raising my family here and truly appreciating what Montrose has to offer, it pains me to write a complaint about a popular local event. I want to voice my opinion, perhaps a lone opinion, about Oktoberfest.

A 31-year-old man remained in Glendale police custody on Tuesday after allegedly driving his two young daughters unrestrained in car seats while under the influence of alcohol. The man, Juan Peralta, initially told officers he was trying to rush his children to the hospital. But in addition to the smell alcohol on his breath, police reported another incriminating tip: six Budweiser beer cans inside his youngest daughter's diaper bag. Peralta was stopped by police Friday when he allegedly failed to pull over after hitting a Volkswagen at about 1:07 p.m. on Brand Boulevard near California Avenue.

LA CRESCENTA — More than a half-dozen people in the Crescenta Valley were arrested last week in connection with drug-related offenses, Glendale police said. While the cluster of drug-related arrests was uncommon, drug issues, particularly among teens, have been a problem in the area, said North Command Lt. Ian Grimes. “It’s definitely something we are asking the officers to focus on,” Grimes said. In the latest arrest, police got a tip Saturday from a citizen who noticed two teens acting suspiciously at the restrooms in Glorietta Park on Verdugo Road, Grimes said.

They may have come for the beer and bratwurst, but visitors stayed to meet their neighbors and watch surrounding communities converge in Montrose during Saturday’s 30th annual Oktoberfest. “My favorite part is watching the people,” said Barbara Okamoto, who works at The Village Pub, a bar down the street from where Oktoberfest was held on Honolulu Avenue. Okamoto was working at a beer booth at the festival on Saturday afternoon, along with about 10 regular customers she had corralled to help her. “I just like meeting and seeing the people you haven’t seen,” said Rose Gamble, the administrative assistant for the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, which organizes Oktoberfest.

In many ways, the roughly 16-mile stretch between Burbank and San Gabriel is the cradle of craft beer civilization in L.A. County. It's where many of the first craft beer bars and bottle shops appeared in our area; it's home to the county's oldest craft brewery - Pasadena's Craftsman Brewing Company; and it continues to be an epicenter for L.A.-area craft beer culture to this day. So to help the residents of the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena areas...

The same old sights, vendors and rides revisited the neighborhood Saturday at the Adams Square Street Fair, which was canceled last year due to major construction. The annual event brought live music, food, carnival rides and games to 2,000 to 4,000 visitors a year for six years before being canceled in 2006, said Carol Cianfrini, who is on the Adams Square Merchants Assn. board of directors. "We had a lot of inquiries [last year] as to why we weren't doing it," Cianfrini said.

Honolulu Avenue met Bavaria on Saturday, as the 33rd annual Oktoberfest celebration drew thousands to the Montrose Shopping District to sip beer, sample bratwurst and enjoy live bands and carnival rides. Attendees characterized Oktoberfest, hosted by the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, as an annual homecoming where locals are likely to run into neighbors and old friends. "We call it our high school reunion. Everyone comes out," said volunteer Armine Akopyan, a 2005 graduate of Crescenta Valley High School.

Sarah Gallardo had bought lederhosen for herself and her husband, Jose Martinez, to sport at the 35th annual Oktoberfest in Montrose on Saturday, but he couldn't squeeze into the traditional German garb. Instead, Gallardo, from Pasadena, got Martinez a green hat with a feather and a German-style dress for herself. Their two young daughters wore costumes, too, as they rode carnival rides on Honolulu Avenue near Ocean View Boulevard. “He wanted us to go all decked out,” said Gallardo, one of tens of thousands expected at the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce event.