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Liquid Tuesday: Schnapps Secrets & A Laurel Canyon Wine Party

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Does schnapps in America get a bad rap? Perhaps. Often remembered fondly for its ability to be easily stolen from your parents liquor cabinet without anyone noticing, the liqueur enjoys a much more tasteful recognition overseas. Well, all that may be about to change this week at Beverly Hills' BierBeisl. Plus, San Diego is boozin' up their fair, some ritzy folks want to drink wine with you in the Laurel Canyon hills, and some not-so-ritzy folks want to ply your smiles with free weekend BBQ.

On Thursday, the upscale BierBeisl crowd is welcoming in Hans Reisetbauer, one of the foremost liqueur distillers in the world. He'll be pairing fruity brandies with your dinner, discussing the finer points of schnapps and handing out a few hand-crafted barrel-aged single malt whiskeys. If the $65 price point doesn't even make you hiccup, consider doubling to put yourself into a seat at the home of Pace Restaurant chef Sandy Gendel. The restaurant, known for their all organic and locally sourced menu, is teaming up with Gendel and Roccafiore organic wines for a four-course dinner. It's sure to be an intimate evening with very serious discussions about organic vines and wine vintages.

If you're willing to make the drive, the San Diego County fair (yee haw!) has yet again put together their International Beer Festival on the same grounds. There are tasting sessions throughout the weekend, with some priced to include a fair ticket as well. Once inside, the pours from 140 breweries and 300 or so additional entrants are free -- minus the time you spend standing in line, that is. If you'd rather stay in town on Friday, downtown's Buzz Wine Beer Shop is hosting the Brouwerij IJ brewery. The Netherlanders are taking over the taps for one night, and showing off some of their old-world style beers.

If you drink enough at Buzz, you might just end up booking a hotel and spending the weekend downtown. If that's the case, make your way over to the Golden Gopher on Sunday afternoon for free BBQ with the purchase of any Hangar 24 craft beer. The Gopher is a much beloved downtown drink spot and Hangar 24 continues to grow its reputation as one of Southern California's best breweries. Be advised, though: With so many other great drink possibilities happening this week, you may not even make it to Sunday.

Photo by jan-peter for Flickr.

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