L.A. Beerathon now less of a marathon, but there’s still beer
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In today’s Calendar, we profiled this Saturday’s L.A. Beerathon, an offshoot of a five-year-old New York event that promised partygoers a single prepaid ticket that would land them a mid-to-high-end beer at 26 downtown bars and restaurants. For beer nerds, it seemed like a Disney FastPass for booze, and a Saturday to be remembered (or, perhaps, very swiftly forgotten).
But a late-hour dispute with the California ABC over the definition of what constitutes a ‘free drink,’ has prompted a last-minute and radical change in the event. The organizers announced that refunds will be issued for every prepurchased $55 ticket, and eventgoers will no longer be able to show a pass and receive the allotted drink, effectively canceling the Beerathon as a structured event.
Organizers are still encouraging fans to travel the 26-stop downtown route and sample the wares (and several food and drink specials) at regular individual prices. Which means the event now just resembles our typical Saturday afternoon.
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Dear Mr. Gold: Dinner without a face
Make beer, eat sakura sushi, more
--August Brown
