Lucky Baldwin’s Trappiste Celebrates First Anniversary in East Pasadena Feb. 6

Trappiste is the 3rd in a Succesful Line of Popular Pubs

-Photo by Terry Miller
It has been a tough year for business across the United States. However, for Lucky Baldwin’s it has been bittersweet as the business has grown steadily but recently lost co-owner David Farnworth to ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Farnworth was nothing short of a beer guru, if you will. He knew his craft and traveled far and wide to find the preeminent beers and ales, many of which happen to be Belgian, for his customers’ somewhat discriminating palates.

Under the ownership of British subjects David Farnworth and Peggy Simonian, Lucky Baldwin’s poured their very first pint July 1, 1996 in Old Pasadena. It wasn’t long before word got around that there was a agreeable “English Pub” in Pasadena complete with character and a feel of that which one would find in the UK.
Business partners Farnworth and Simonian, who met while working for the British Tourist Authority in Los Angeles, knew they were on to something and something big with Lucky Baldwins. The place kept growing and accordingly they offered an ever increasing selection of fine wines and beers as well a menu of darn good British grub.

Farnworth approached the beer business much like a wine connoisseur, without the pompous stance so often associated with wine aficionados and sommeliers.

Farnworth had a great sense of humour, abeit a bit dry as many of us Brits, but there was no pretense. This is the legacy he has left. Humor, knowledge and hand crafted beers you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

It is easy to see why Lucky Baldwin’s customers get into Belgian beer. “The flavors are so different,” Farnworth told us a few months prior to his passing. “They’re fascinating. And a lot of them are high in alcohol like Alesmith old Knumbskull” – that’s actually the name of one of Farnworth’s favorite selections.

Now the hugely popular East Colorado location has completed its first year in business and by all accounts, the place is here to stay. Owner Peggy Simonian said she was very pleased that the neighborhood has given the pub such a warm welcome. “We have received a fantastic welcome from the neighborhood.” Simonian told Beacon Media.

Store Manager Ben Miller has helped keep the pub running smoothly with some of the difficult transitions this past year and has established a remarkably informed, friendly and fun crew of young men and women which seems to flow as smoothly as some of the most elegant ales they serve.

Friendliness, extensive knowledge of the beers as well as darn good pub food make this truly a impressive neighborhood pub according to local resident Dave Peterson who said that “satisfying the needs of a neigborhood as well as an area ” is what Lucky Baldwin’s has done.
Like any faithful British pub, Lucky Baldwin’s offers a friendly family environment and is frequented by locals and visitors alike. A full kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner makes Lucky Baldwins a perfect place to have a traditional British meal.
Boasting 65 beers on tap and countless others in the bottles, Lucky Baldwins is celebrating its third incarnation’s one year anniversary with a big party the day after Super Bowl Sunday. On Monday Feb 6 at 6pm they’ll kick off the one year soiree. There will also be a toast at 7pm.
There will be beer and food specials to be sure but stop by and see why this place has become one of the most popular pubs in Pasadena.
It’s interesting to note that Lucky Baldwin’s has been serving fine Peet’s Coffees for years and now, the sterile corporate coffee conglomorate Starbucks wants to serve beer and wine. I guess Lucky Baldwin’s was always one step ahead of the competition. They always knew that the after 2PM crowd might want a little more than a triple Latte,extra hot foam, nonfat, extra caramel.
The interesting thing to note with Lucky Baldwin’s is that it really is a neighborhood pub where you can bring the kids for some wonderful food, watch a game or as in the case on Tuesday, watch the import issues like the State of the Union.
It’s not just a pub. Lucky Baldwin’s is a friendly, neighborhood experience.

Lucky Baldwin’s Trappiste is located at 1770 E Colorado Blvd in Pasadena. For more details visit their website: www.luckybaldwins.com. Plato was quoted as saying “He was a wise man who invented beer” – We concur, in spades.
-Photo by Terry Miller

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