Lady-bro.com

by Jen Goldberg

Hi, I’m Jen Goldberg. If you are a time traveler from the year 2000, no I am not related to the wrestler Bill Goldberg. If you are a time traveler from the year 2000 who works in my high school administration office, no I am not the Jen Goldberg who skipped class last week, she is, to quote my assistant principal, the “bad” Jen Goldberg, I am “the other Jen Goldberg, the good Jen Goldberg.”

Each week here on Lady-Bro, I’ll serve as your cultural goal keeper–blocking out the bullshit and letting through the best in stuff you can eat, stuff you can buy, and stuff you can do.

Think Goop if Gwyneth Paltrow had massive student loan debt and spent a lot of time drinking alone in her apartment on the east side of LA.

Got it? Good. Let’s get started…

Magic Hat #9

#9 is the “Not Quite Pale Ale” from Vermont-based micro Magic Hat Brewing Company. The beer is crisp, slightly hoppy, and with 5.1 ABV you can drink a lot of them before getting uncomfortably drunk with your mom at her Super Bowl party. 

The beer has been one of my favorites for years, a New England staple that has just recently become available on the West Coast. In fact, after a limited time of it only being available as a rotating tap at the Short Stop in Echo Park and the Yard House at LA Live, the beer is now available in select liquor stores and supermarkets, including the 24-hour Vons on Sunset in Silver Lake.

The beer has light apricot undertones making it refreshing enough for a summer BBQ but full enough for a chilly night. It’s flavorful, but not so heavy that you can’t still chow down on fatty snacks while drinking it. I’ve found it pairs particularly well with guacamole and prying questions about why you’re not putting more effort into your graduate school work.

A pint bottle is selling at Vons this week for $2.49. Generally I’d prefer a draft, but the bottles have the advantage of a fortune printed under every cap. My first from Sunday said “Paul is watching you.” Paul just happens to be my husband’s name, so that afforded my family a good 10 minutes of conversation about just how creeped out we all were. You can find more locations that sell #9 in your area on Magic Hat’s Website.

Cons: For now at least, they are only selling the full pint bottles so you have to drink the whole thing before it goes flat, or do that thing where you remove the cap carefully so you can replace it and put it back in the fridge between glasses.

Pros: For now at least, they are only selling the full pint bottles so you get to drink the whole thing before it goes flat.

Bottom Line: $2.49/bottle this week at Vons. Get it while it’s cold.