Breweries in Los Angeles
At the end of a touristy day, what chills out the weary traveler better than a nice cold beer? Los Angeles’s dry heat can parch even the most hydrated traveler, and it’s a sure bet that your hotel bar has a reasonable selection. But beer deserves to be the star of the show, instead of merely capping off a busy day focusing on other adventures. Sure, your room’s mini-bar may be convenient (and at only 10 times the regular price!), but for a lover of lager, go to the source. Hop on over to one of L.A.’s many brewpubs.
The Blue Palms Brewhouse features a fun-loving menu, which offers standard bar food and sandwiches, but also strays into more offerings designed to bring a smile to your face, including a lobster salad sandwich, for those who like their shellfish slumming, and gourmet Spaghettios, featuring homemade pasta and Kobe meatballs. The delights of the menu are merely the frame, however, designed to highlight the artwork that is the beers they brew. The tap list rotates daily, so check with your server what is available the day you visit. If you are looking for a brew with a little punch, try the Big Sky Cherry Golden. I’m not usually one for beers with a fruity flavor, but the 11% Alcohol by Volume makes you forget – well, pretty much everything – pretty quickly. The Big Sky All Souls will also have you seeing ghosts. For a drink that’s less treacherous, but sacrifices nothing in the way of flavor, try the Chuck Norris Roundhouse IPA. It’s only 6.5% Alcohol By Volume, but you still sound like the toughest guy in the room ordering it.
The Bonaventure Brewing Company is an oasis in the urban desert of downtown. An energetic patio atmosphere, award winning beers, and extremely reasonable prices (for parking, too!) make this a destination all its own. Lovingly crafted mainstays like the Pale Ale and the Strawberry Blonde are offered alongside a rotating selection of seasonal beers and guest recipes. And if you want to see how the beers are made, Head Brewer David Blackwell offers tours of the facility. Call ahead to make sure he’s available. Don’t forget to get your parking validated, but make sure someone else drives.
The Eagle Rock Brewery is the first brewery to set up shop in Los Angeles in over sixty years, and they don’t bother with the kitchen. For Eagle Rock, it’s all about the beer. Their brews have names like Populist and Solidarity Black Mild, so in addition to flavor and strength, which name you choose may say just as much about you as it does about the beers themselves. Just because they don’t serve food doesn’t mean Eagle Rock doesn’t maintain a festive atmosphere. Their tap room encourages patrons to bring in their own food, and L.A.’s trendy food trucks haven’t turned a blind eye. They set up camp right outside in an effort to capture the crowd looking for something to wash down with all those yummy suds.