Getting drunk with Christina Perozzi

Perozzi, making beer safe for the ladies (Credit: Victor Rodionoff)

Until a few weeks ago, I hated beer. Hated it. Corona? Gag. Guinness? Barf. I couldn’t even stomach "good" beers like Newcastle and Chimay. Just the smell alone reminded of a frat party I wanted to ditch. Then I met beer sommelier Christina Perozzi and it was like the seas had parted. 

Perozzi is one of the city's only female sommeliers, and she’s certainly the most passionate about beer. She was the manager at Father's Office for several years and she also worked at The Otheroom, which is brimming with fancy beers. Last year she set out on her own to become a beer consultant and has since put together an incredible beer menu for Library Bar. She’s also obsessed with converting girls from cosmo sippers into beer drinkers.

Nevertheless, I was reluctant.

We met at Father's Office, where she eased me into our beer tasting with a glass of Lindemans Peche Lambic, a sweet fruity beer from Belgium that tastes a bit like homemade peach juice. I finished it in about three gulps; it was that good. 

Perozzi then set out to convert my palette one sip at a time. Next? A pint of Young's Oatmeal Stout, which almost tasted like a rich milkshake. Of all the "girly" drinks I like, this has got to be one of the best. It's ironic because dark beers are usually associated with dudes, but in fact the color of the beer says nothing of its strength, alcohol content or bitterness—you can blame hops for the bitterness and the malt for the alcohol content. All the color conveys is at what temperature the grains were roasted, like coffee.

After that, I sampled Craftsman's Triple White Sage, a strong Belgian-style brew that’s made in Pasadena. It tasted more like "real" beer, as did the lemongrass-tinged Great White brewed by Lost Coast, but to my surprise I liked them both.

I didn't enjoy everything I tasted, however. I still abhor the banana smell of Hefeweizen and I’d never order the Racer 5 India Pale Ale because it’s more bitter than my last break-up.

But I will tell you this: Perozzi converted me. Since we met last month, I’ve ordered a beer just about every time I’ve gone out and, aside from saving money by ordering suds instead of a cocktail, I actually like the taste!


Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.