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Charley Koontz: Crafty Celebrity Stories
Actor Charley Koontz joins The Beer Connoisseur for the next installment of the Crafty Celebrity Stories series, which features the best tales of ale, and more, from leading actors, celebrities and persons of interest.
Koontz can next be seen in the NBC show This Is Us, airing in October.
Beer drinkers like to laugh. What’s the funniest drinking story you can share with us?
When I was in college getting my degree in Theater some friends and I would sneak in to the theater at night with all manner of beers and other adult beverages and play around with the props and costumes and do scenes we were working on. On a few occasions the Public Safety campus security guards would burst in with their flashlights because they heard people in the theater screaming or laughing. So, more than once we had to immediately scatter out of the theater in whatever egyptian headgear or cape we happen to be wearing and run into the night. It wasn't the most graceful image but we never got busted!
Who's the coolest person you've had a beer with?
During the filming of CSI:Cyber Ted Danson, James Van Der Beek and I went out to lunch downtown in between scenes and that was a pretty surreal experience. Those two guys really command a room. It did feel a bit like being in a fishbowl with the whole restaurant watching us, but after a couple beers it was right back to hanging out, telling dirty jokes and just having a great time.
What are a few of your favorite craft beers and why?
During the filming of CSI:Cyber Ted Danson, James Van Der Beek and I went out to lunch downtown in between scenes and that was a pretty surreal experience. Those two guys really command a room. It did feel a bit like being in a fishbowl with the whole restaurant watching us, but after a couple beers it was right back to hanging out, telling dirty jokes and just having a great time.
Do you have a favorite (craft) brewery or breweries and why?
My girlfriend Emily is actually from Phoenix and she introduced me to Sonoran Brewing when I would go and visit her. It's pretty incredible. My favorite beer of theirs is the White Chocolate Ale. It has a little kick of chocolate in the aftertaste, and with a little bit of root beer you've got a pretty delicious beer in your hands.
Have you attended any beer events or festivals that you particularly enjoyed? What made them stand out?
Well I live in Hollywood, so of course I'm going to hit up the Hollywood Beer and Music Festival. All the local breweries have sample glasses and tents and I can't imagine anything better from a summer afternoon! What I really love to do to learn the local brews is hop on a beer bus tour. My friend Hal Mooney runs a beer bus called the LA Beer Hop that takes you around town to three or four breweries in different parts of the region. I highly recommend any beer enthusiasts living in or visiting LA to hit him up and take a tour!
What projects do you have brewing?
Always brewing, always percolating! But the next thing you'll be able to catch me on is This Is Us in October. It's a great show, with a really fun and talented cast and if you're not addicted to it yet it's only a matter of time!