Brix 42

I'm discovering the joys of happy hour. Well, re-discovering. Some happy hours in my youth were not...dignified. I've, uh, forgotten them.

When I read about restaurant and brewery Brix 42 on Ben Wideman's the sky is big in pasadena, I decided to try it. Ben is Pasadena's resident beer expert. He knows every brewer within miles, proving that just because a man's a seminarian doesn't mean he's a party pooper. If Ben recommends a place, you know the beer is good.

When Andrew Pratt, Brix42's manager, found me nosing around the brewing tanks, I told him I'd heard about the place through another blogger. "Oh, you mean Ben?" he said. Then he gave me a tour.

I liked Brix42. The calamari was succulent, the French fries were practically a meal, and one of my friends had a beef and potato dish that I'm going back for.

But the real reason you go to Brix 42 is the beer. They brew five different beers right there. Of course I ordered the sampler.
I liked all of these beers. They're tasty and distinctive, not to mention pretty.

By the way, when Ben posted about Brix 42 at the end of April he was concerned because it wasn't crowded. But don't worry, Ben, the place is catching on. There was a good happy hour crowd the night we were there. People were having a dignified, good time that they will likely remember.