"How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb?”

That’s the question Jason Bernstein posed earlier this week when we sat down at the Golden State, the eatery-cum-craft-beer-bar he co-owns on Fairfax. I sipped my Stone Double Bastard Ale as he delivered the punchline:

“It’s a really esoteric number; you’ve probably never heard of it.”

The joke illustrates Bernstein’s point about the nascent subculture within the burgeoning craft beer community. Bernstein calls it the “hipster craft beer movement” -- a term he uses to describe those who spelunk craft beer’s extraordinary depths not to educate, but to alienate.

“The esoteric and the arcane are being overly-exalted,” Bernstein said.

He would know: the Golden State has garnered a reputation as a place to find rare and obscure beers -- many of which aren’t even listed on the menu. So a lot of those “hipsters” he’s talking about are people who flutter to his counter on a nightly basis, like moths to the proverbial flame.

But Bernstein rejects the idea that obscurity automatically equals value. Continue reading >>

Friday, 11.26: Weezer @ Gibson Ampthitheatre.

Take a time machine to 1996, as Weezer’s “Memories Tour” finds them playing their first two albums, “Weezer” and “Pinkerton” in their entirety on succesive dates. This is definitely a good idea, as they’ve never since come close to topping their early hard-rocking yet heartfelt work. Friday sees them chug through their locomotive self-titled debut, and the band will return on Saturday to perform their critically acclaimed and emotionally vulnerable sophomore album, “Pinkerton.”

Gibson Ampthitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza; 8:15 p.m; $27.50 - $106.25

Saturday, 11.27: Ok Go @ Club Nokia

These L.A.-via-Chicago indie rock transplants may be more well known for their creative DIY music videos, but their infectious pop hooks will get you moving. It’s fitting they would perform the same weekend as Weezer, as they’ve clearly cribbed the big guitars and catchy choruses formula, but their most recent album “Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky” has seen them vary their sound and receive a positive reception from critics.

Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd.; 8 p.m.; $19 - $21.50

-- Daniel Siegal

Also this weekend:

Friday

Dioses @ Roxy, 7:15 p.m.
Incan Abraham, Fatty Dearest @ Redwood, 9 p.m.
The Queers @ Troubadour, 8 p.m.
Gestapo Khazi, Tijuana Panthers @ the Smell, 8 p.m.
Bonobo, Tokimonsta @ Music Box at the Fonda, 8 p.m.
DJ Quik @ Key Club, 8 p.m.
Dawes, Moondoggies , The Romnay Rye @ El Rey, 8 p.m.
Pretty Lights @ the Wiltern, 8 p.m.
Soulfly @ House of Blues Sunset, 9 p.m.
Tower of Power @ the Canyon, 9 p.m.

Saturday

Doghouse Lords, Sassafrass, Brainspoon @ Redwood, 9 p.m.
Joe Gil @ Hotel Café, 9 p.m.
Lucero @ Troubadour, 8 p.m.
Atreyu, Blessthefall, Chiodos @ House of Blues Sunset, 6 p.m.
Dimmu Borgir @ Fox Theater, 7 p.m.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Breakestra @ El Rey. 8 p.m.
Weezer @ Gibson Ampitheatre, 8:15 p.m.

Sunday

Blue Shadows, RumbleKing @ Redwood, 9 p.m.
International Tennis Champions, Paulie Pesh @ Bootleg, 9 p.m.

Photo: Weezer poses in this undated publicity photo released on August 10, 2010.  Credit: Sean Murphy, Reuters

HOLIDAY GUIDE 2010: No longer must holiday functions be relegated to stale lodges that drip lame like bad hair from the '70s. Rejoice with cooler, more affordable and sometimes risqué options around Los Angeles.

CASA

Mario del Pero's Mexican restaurant in sunken California Plaza features big booths called casitas (little houses) that appear both inside and outdoors. One of the larger models is the Sueño Room, which accommodates 20 people, sports leather walls and a 42-inch flat screen. Looking for something more intimate? Consider the L.O.T.P. (Life of the Party), which seats nine. Food from chef Alex Moreno costs $28-$68 per person for options like crispy shrimp tacos or the carnitas “sandwich” called a mulita. It's an additional $25-$63 for the multi-booze drink package.

350 S. Grand Ave., Downtown; (213) 621-2249, www.casadowntown.com

First & Hope

Terry Brewer and Parker Martin's supper club resides in the shadow of Disney Hall and includes a back-room Art Deco caberet called the Fedora Room. An 18-inch stage holds seven musicians and adjoins a restored grand piano. The room holds 75 people for cocktails, 50 for sit-down dinner and 100 for standers. The room's equipped with an HD projection screen, surround sound, and they'll gladly provide champagne punches and vintage glassware, if that's your thing. Best yet: The room's shielded by soundproof glass, so don't be afraid to unleash a primal holiday scream. The Fedora costs $500 an hour from Monday to Wednesday, with a $4,000 minimum on Thursdays and Sundays, and a $6,000 minimum on Fridays and Saturdays.

710 W. 1st St., Downtown; (213) 617-8555, www.firstandhope.com

More options after the jump >>

Apple offers discounts: The company is getting into the Black Friday spirit with (slim) price-drops on MacBooks and iPads, among other items. [Apple]

Black Friday lines: It's 2:45 a.m. Do you know where your future washer and dryer are? These shoppers did. [L.A. Times]

Black Eyed Peas to play Super Bowl halftime show: After years of classic rock, the Bowl will go modern once more. "They could've picked anybody," Will.i.am said. No comment. [Rolling Stone]

First Prince William and Kate Middleton book arrives: "William and Kate: A Royal Love Story" will hit shelves Friday. Let's hope it's not followed up with "A Royal Divorce." [Associated Press]

Celebs' favorite holiday traditions: Lauren Conrad: "Anything to do with food." After last night's pie extravaganza, we agree. [People]

Oxygen found on Saturn moon: The Cassini probe scooped up some oxygen from Rhea, the Saturn moon, the first direct contact with the element outside of Earth. The moon is likely too cold to contain water, and the possibility of "life as we know it," however. [Guardian]

-- David Greenwald

Photo: Apple CEO Steve Jobs presents a new iPod Shuffle on stage in San Francisco on Sept. 1, 2010. Credit: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Sure, there are plenty of options around town if you want to dance off your Thanksgiving meal to a throbbing techno beat, but if you'd rather wear out that awesome vintage dress you bought for the holidays, or if you just prefer a smoother sound, then head to Club Underground at the Echo. Just like Thanksgiving, Club Underground pays homage to our English predecessors, with DJs spinning the best in British indie, soul, twee and Madchester.

Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.; $5 before midnight, $8 after; www.attheecho.com

-- Daniel Siegal

It's Thanksgiving, time for you to take one night off from exploring all this city has to offer in order to slump around the familial dinner table in a gravy coma. Whether you're celebrating with family, friends or just pets, Thanksgiving is a time to spend with your nearest and dearest. Besides, pretty much everywhere you might want to go out to will be closed.

However, if you are inclined to go out today, we've got you covered.

-- Daniel Siegal

After Charlyne Yi told us in a previous cover story she'd be devoting most of her energies in the coming year to the band the Old Lumps (among her many musical projects), the group's new album has finally hit the Internet. It's the kind of edgy, quirky indie-pop you might expect to soundtrack the comedienne's latest adventures, influenced by the Pixies and girl-group classics alike.

Hear clips from the album, "Getting Intimate with the Old Lumps," and buy a copy on CD Baby.

-- David Greenwald

Photo: Charlyne Yi rehearses with her band the Old Lumps in September. Credit: Tim Berger for Brand X

Different toppings and icings offered to children at Wonderland Bakery in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Angelenos indulged their sweet tooth at the Wonderland Bakery in the Grove on Saturday, as this Newport Beach stronghold of sugar finally opened a store in the city. All photos by Cheryl A. Guerrero for Brand X.

More treats after the jump >>

This Black Friday, there's more to shop for than just TVs and clothing.  Of course you should still read our Black Friday Survival Guide if that's what you're looking for, but if you're an aspiring art collector and/or general appreciator of awesome stuff, you need to head out to La Luz de Jesus' Black Friday Art Sale.  La Luz de Jesus, the gallery known as a bastion of the Lowbrow art movement, will be selling works from luminaries of the pop surrealism movement like Robert Williams, the Clayton brothers, and Tim Biskup.  These pieces are all being sold off from private collections at this one day event, so it's a rare chance to skip the waiting list and get a piece from one of the artists.  Among the high price tags are some serious Black Friday bargains, and it's worth checking out -- even if you are just window shopping.

-- Daniel Siegal

Photo:A detail from the Clayton Brothers' "Topsy Turvy Times of Cockamamie Mumbo-Jumbo," which is not one of the pieces for sale. Credit: Fredrik Nilsen / Patrick Painter Inc.

Thanksgiving weekend means, for many of us, a long one -- all the better to see new movies. Here's what's stuffing theaters starting today.

"Love and Other Drugs": Gyllenhaal. Hathaway. Nudity. Romance. How can this movie possibly go wrong? We'll be first in line to find out.

"Tangled": Disney's new take on the classic story of Rapunzel, voiced here by Mandy Moore. How dude from "Chuck" (who voices leading man Flynn Rider) is going to save her is anyone's guess, but we assume she'll be letting down her hair.

"Burlesque": Cher. Xtina. The time-honored tale of a girl looking for stardom in the big city. How can this movie possibly go wrong? Don't ask Manohla Dargis.

"Faster": Dwayne Johnson stops making kids' movies and starts going all Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All in this revenge thriller.

"The King's Speech" (out Friday): Something something royalty something something British people something something awards season. Hey, Colin Firth!

-- David Greenwald

Photo: Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway share a moment in "Love and Other Drugs." Credit: 20th Century Fox/David James