Category: Where to go…

bottle shops, pubs and breweries

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We’re Pouring – Part 2

Earlier this month, I posted about We’re Pouring opening in Glendale, a nice 10 minute walk from my home base.

Weel, last week, I spoke with John Sullivan the chief pizza maker and more importantly, the chooser of beer for this Glenoaks gastropub.

That interview will come in a few days on Food GPS, in a second trip, I saw lots of great beers to choose from. They had the new Fortem from Firestone Walker that has been pretty invisible in these parts. They had Quat Hands from Cellador and many more choices on the 30 taps. And he has some great kegs in the cooler, just waiting to get on tap.

Until you make your trip to Glendale, here is the full tap list on the day that I was there….

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Double the Taps

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day (or as I call it, stay at home night) Eagle Rock Brewery will have an additional 8 taps to their existing 8. For the non-math majors, that is 16 taps plus two beer engines for the occasional cask.

Even greater, is that because ERB has so many low ABV beers, you can try tasters of more beers! Plus it will make events like their upcoming Session Fest, all the better. Even greater-ish, it might mean that Solidarity makes its way on tap more often.

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1st Visit – Unsung Brewery

Trips to Orange County breweries are rare these days. Hard to pass by everything in L.A., even though I know I should.

Thanks to Firkfest, I was close enough to Unsung Brewing to make a quick visit to their taproom.

…and a very cool space it is. It will eventually be shared with a winery and a distillery so that all three beverage fans can mingle together by the old truck in what used to a transmission shop, or they can grab a seat in….

Inside is a clean, white look with giant green murals that showcase the comic book theme that you see in the decor around the fairly large space.

There was a wide range of beers on tap from hoppy to sour from their R&D beers and their standards. I had tasted both the pineapple sour(with mangoes at Firkfest and without at the taproom) as well as a chocolate, coffee and coconut porter that was nicely balanced without the coconut going too crazy. For a full glass, I went with the Anthia IPA. It was fine. IPA is such a crowded category that unless you fall on either side of the spectrum I don’t get too jazzed but that doesn’t mean that the beer might not sing to another person. I have also had the Naturia DIPA and found that to be a touch too harsh when it could be more soft or floral or citrusy.

I will come back though because I like the vibe and the outdoor space, and I have more beers to sample.

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Doghouse


I am of mixed mind on this craft beer hotel project from BrewDog that will be placed next door to their new Columbus, Ohio brewery and sour beer facility. Partially because I think it lets hotel chains off the hook for having mediocre to poor beer choices and if chains don’t improve then how will the majority of Americans who don’t have Ohio in their travel plans going to benefit.

Yes, there are hotels like the Four Points near LAX that have promoted craft beer, and yes, Stone will eventually have their own hotel in Escondido but if I go to a hotel in Solana Beach and they have a poolside bar with little to no local taps when there are close to a bajillion breweries in the San Diego area, well it seems like a drop in a bucket.

Now if they could franchise a chain or sign up with a boutique hotel with national presence, that would be different.

Not that I wouldn’t visit the Doghouse even though the in-shower fridge scares me because the other amenities do sound cool….
• Craft beer tap in every room serving IPA
• Hot tub filled with IPA in the luxury suite
• Craft beer spa with beer-based treatments and products
• In-shower fridge so guests can sip whilst they scrub
• Deluxe breakfasts, lunches and dinners, all infused and paired with artisanal craft beers

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Pouring in Glendale

Even suburban Glendale seems to be getting into the craft beer action. We’re Pouring is a craft beer bar and restaurant in a mostly quiet mixed use area of Glenoaks.

In checking out their beer list, I see a pretty ambitious list. With a good mix of SoCal and out of state breweries and some big names too.

I will update after visiting and seeing the place from the inside.

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1st Visit – A Duo in Culver City

Metro is a great way to get to certain beer locales across Los Angeles. Caveats being that the Blue Line ranges between uncomfortable to scary and the 90/91 bus back to Glendale runs every other day it seems.

A more pleasant ride is the Expo Line which I took for the first time on a recent Sunday. The goal was to stop in Culver City at two new spots for beer. Hi-Lo Liquor and The Cannibal L.A.

The latter is part of the Platform concept that is right across the street from the Culver City station. There is a little butcher shop / bottle shop in the corner of the wood dominated restaurant. Damn they have high prices. No beer from the wood plank tap handles was under $8. $15 for Bretta Rose. $10 for Power Plant. It was a good sign to see the Beachwood style beer regulator on the wall.

There were a wide variety of bottles to buy but I am concerned that they face the big windows that are great for watching the trains roll in but are letting in light too. The bottle and can prices rise with the rarity to a crazy (for me) $30 for a de Garde beer from Oregon. Would be cheaper to fly to the Oregon coast and buy it there.

I ordered a Modern Times Ice Pilsner along with a biscuit and bacon. It was a nice small brunch and fueled me for the short walk to my next stop, Hi-Lo Liquor.

This is a small square space with loads of artisanal treats. If I had a gift card, I could go nuts. Up on the back wall is a cooler of curated beer choices. (With unfortunately some macros on the far right taking up space). If this was in my neighborhood, I would be dropping in to check the new stuff all the time. They carry spirits and wine too.

I consider it a spot to pack a Hollywood Bowl picnic. Now if they would add some taps, I would stay even longer.

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1st Visit – Arrow Lodge


The 210 freeway can be as bad as the 405 can be on a bad day which can make it hard to venture past Pasadena. But there is good beer off the freeway and Arrow Lodge and their head brewer Amy Heller are crafting beer that should be noticed in L.A. proper.

Not to blow smoke. There were a couple beers that missed the mark. But the beers that hit did so strongly. Strictly Business, their take on the NE (hazy) style had good bite to it and left what I consider the trademark scuff on the palate. The well-named Arrowmatic may be just an IPA but their DIPA worked well. Solid aroma leading to a quaffable DIPA. MY favorite though was their take on a French Saison. (an item rarely seen). Oui Adelit was bright with lovely yeast notes throughout.

The Ol’ Salty Gose did taste like Sprite and the Milk Stout needed some sweetening like a sound track but for a three-month old brewery that is still adding equipment, this is a solid start. You won’t see this on tap much in Los Angeles but if it makes it easier. Alosta Brewing is within steps. You can kill two bier birds with one drive.

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1st Visit – Ballast Point Long Beach

The northernmost outpost of the Constellation backed Ballast Point Brewing has been out on the pier in Long Beach for quite awhile now. I finally lyfted out to the ocean to check out the menu and location.

And it is impressive. BP has maximized the amount of water view seating around three different bars on two levels. The calming peaceful water views are prime territory. You probably have to grab them when the brewery/restaurant opens the doors. At 2pm on a Saturday with not much in sports going on, there was nary a seat to be found, especially outside.

Next tip, from a one time visitor, is to station yourself at or near the Main bar. You will notice on the menu letters in front of the beer names. They designate where the beer is pouring. Notice all the “M”s? and not as many of the “U”s and “P”s.

So, you are now there early and at the main bar. What to order? Well, readers of this blog know of my issues with “fruited” beers which BP seems to love hard. But there are a good many choices and more exotic beers to choose from. I went with a Nitro Biere de Garde, Azote.  The style worked well with the nitro and made for an interesting beer that never got boring.  Tangential Entry a Nut Brown with rum chips would have been my second choice.  There was a gose and sours to choose from as well as a cask of Sculpin with a single hop addition.

It is a potent mix of maritime views and beer.

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Brewport


Looks like Mayberry by the Sea is adding more beer with the wine, kombucha and beer concept of Brewport Market. Not much info yet but a bare Facebook page and non-existent website but with two breweries in town plus the latino cuisine of Sausal and Americana cuisine of Rock n Brews. El Segundo is awash in beer and food.