Los Angeles
I’m a native Angelino, and I joke that I moved away because there were no breweries (except the Anheuser-Busch plant in The Valley off The 405 that used to have its own amusement park). But a funny thing happened on the way to The Forum. (Oh, wait, the Lakers now play in the Staples Center and besides, they’re second-fiddle to the Clippers these days. Proof how much things changed in Tinseltown.) Los Angeles, despite having zero homegrown breweries as recently as autumn 2009 (save for the anomalous Bonaventure Brewing [404 S. Figueroa St. in Downtown] on the pool deck of its namesake hotel), is now home to 30 in the greater LA metro, counting the handful that are under construction. Many are associated alumni of Maltose Falcons, claiming to be the country’s oldest homebrew club (1974), meaning LA was ahead of the game in one respect.
Although the car/freeway culture makes it difficult to hit all the new spots, the upside is that residents in most areas now have a truly local brewery to visit or at least find on tap at the plethora of top-notch beer bars that helped spur the popularity of better beer such as Ryan Sweeney’s trifecta of his original Verdugo (3408 Verdugo Road in Glassell Park), trendy Surly Goat (7929 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood; SurlyGoat.com), and Belgian-leaning Little Bear (1855 Industrial St. in the downtown Arts District).
Let’s start with what I call the two-and-a-half juggernauts, all north of downtown and east of Hollywood. In December 2009, Jeremy Raub and his father, Steve, opened the oldest brewery, Eagle Rock Brewery (3056 Roswell St. in Eagle Rock). To use a landmark to give a sense of direction, it’s five miles from the Griffith Park Observatory, where you’ll find a bust of James Dean, who immortalized it in “Rebel Without a Cause.” Eagle Rock Brewery is deservedly becoming a staple among beer outlets with Solidarity, a black malt-forward mild ale that’s become its flagship, as well as Manifesto Witbier. The taproom, of, by and for the people, fills early and often, and a brewpub is under construction.
Three miles north is arguably LA’s best-known brewery, Golden Road (5410 W. San Fernando Road in Atwater Village), co-founded in 2011 by Tony Yanow, who deserves much of the credit for making LA a beer town, initially with his Tony’s Darts Away (1710 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank). TDA features up to 38 taps with drafts available from SoCal breweries, including Kinetic, in the high desert of Lancaster. (Here I’ll interject a sausage tangent. TDA is famous for its vegan sausages that even carnivores crave, but if you’re game for something meatier, Wurstküche [800 E. 3rd St. in the Arts District] slings sausages such as rattlesnake and rabbit—whether it’s rabbit-fed rattlesnake, I dunno—and frites paired with a slew of Belgian ales and German lagers.)
Back to Yanow’s empire: Next came the 72-tap shrine Mohawk Bend (2141 W. Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park) occupying a theater built in 1914. Here again, they pour mostly SoCal producers. For those unlikely to drive to Rancho Santa Margarita to visit Cismontane, look for the O.C. take on a Cal Common (steam beer) called The Citizen. Each of Yanow’s vaunted beer bars taps at least six Golden Road beers, all designed for enjoying in the California sun befitting the nouveau-LA lifestyle. The newest, 329 Lager, doesn’t celebrate some new mobile phone area code but rather the number of days of sunshine LA receives. While many have beachy-themed names, 2020 IPA honors the Greenway 2020 Project to connect 51 miles of the currently desiccated LA River. The fairly newly added pub features innovative Cali cuisine, both vegan and carnivorous, including jackfruit or shortrib tacos and deep-fried tofu or pulled pork Vietnamese-style banh mi sandwiches.
As for that “and-a-half,” credit must go to Craftsman (1260 Lincoln Ave. in Pasadena), since even though it’s in Pasadena, a 10-minute (to hour-long depending on traffic) drive from Golden Road, brewer Mark Jilg is still brewing strong nearly 20 years on. Jilg brews everything from a pre-Prohibition lager to a Triple with white sage to his infamous Cabernale (made with Cabernet grapes). Look for Craftsman at Italian restaurant Maximiliano (5930 York Blvd. in Highland Park) where the house beer is Craftsman’s 1903 Lager embellished with Italian herbs. And I know this is LA, but don’t skip the desserts here.
The other side, literally, of LA’s brewing culture is developing in the South Bay, particularly in industrial Torrance, 30 miles due south. The new and super-new breweries include the Belgian-leaning Monkish (20311 S. Western Ave.) where the brewers once added juniper, chocolate and coffee to their already malty, complex Anomaly Belgian Strong, and Absolution (2878 Columbia St.) melding “Old World styles and New World ingredients.” Breweries emblematic of LA include The Dudes Brewing (1840 W. 208th St.)—makers of the nutty, tasty Grandma’s Pecan because in a city full of transplants, why can’t non-regional pecans star in a local production?—and Smog City (1901 Del Amo Blvd.), brewers of L.A. Saison, smoggily described as hazy, deep-golden and dry. In LA fashion, this season-centric beer is available year-round. Smog City’s Groundwork Coffee Porter took home GABF gold to the Golden State. It’s a nod to LA’s early-adapter coffee scene and incorporates locally roasted fair-trade beans.
Across the 110 Freeway is Carson, home to the LA Galaxy soccer arena and a sizable Filipino community. Grabbing a bite at Tita Celia’s (621 W. Carson St.) is a must; try the Lechon Kawaii (tangy fried pork). A block away is Valerio’s Tropical Bakeshop (131 W. Carson St.), purveyors of the best doughnuts made with ube, an alarmingly purple yam. Beer-wise, expect great things from Phantom Carriage, which will specialize in barrel-aged sour beers.
Saving one of LA’s crowning jewels for last, Beachwood BBQ (210 E. 3rd St. in Long Beach) was great enough as a barbecue joint with one of the best tap boards going, but a couple of years ago added Beachwood Brewing (131½ Main St. in Seal Beach) seven miles down the bay. While local beer scribe Randy Clemens says Beachwood makes some of the best hoppy beers around, at the last GABF the brewers medaled with a blonde, three stouts and barrel-aged Full Malted Jacket strong ale, which earned them mid-sized brewpub of the year. In a town that takes its awards (and award shows) very seriously, it’s great to have an establishment that shows deference for the beer without any stuffy jibber-jabber but rather, in an insouciant setting.
This article appears in the July issue of All About Beer Magazine. Click here for a free trial of our next issue.
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