Like a quarterback with multiple wide receiver options, I have a few bottle (can) shoppes that I frequent including North Hollywood’s Hop Merchants. And they are having their 5th anniversary this soon…
Merchant Anniversary
Some Dry Goods Too
Stanley’s Wet Goods is part of the Los Angeles trend towards fancy grocery shops that every cool neighborhood has to have. SWG is on Venice a few short blocks off the confusing road patterns of downtown Culver City.
Big high ceilings houses what, to me, is a goodly sized wine selection. There are tinned fish cans because this is also de rigeur in L.A. now. A liquor selection that is better gin wise than bourbon and a smallish, kinda old look can collection for craft beer fans.
There is a nice sized bar area, inside and out and predominantly wine by the glass along with a food menu that is a little bigger than what I have seen at other shop and stop spots.
If you need a beer, draft is a better choice. Only five options but two are Radiant Beer Co. which are always solid.
The best option is the RTD cooler. Lots of great options from Ventura Spirits and Death & Co. and you could get a canned French 75 too.
Sean Suggests for April 2023
We are going to stick to SoCal but let the styles wander all over the place this month.
Ogopogo Outnumber the Downs Pilsner – 4.5% – A West Coast Pilsner brewed with Northern Pine Brewing.
Trademark Morning Drive Coffee Cream Ale – 5% – “light in body with an aromatic coffee punch.”
Societe Flashback Time IPA – 7.2% – “a virtual collision of juicy flavors and hoppy infatuation.”
Select 11
Slightly outpacing the Fast and Furious franchise is Select Beer Store in Redondo Beach. They will celebrate #11 in one week. And it might just be loud…
4th for the Merchants
You might want to be in North Hollywood on Saturday October 22nd. That is the date for the Hop Merchants 4th Anniversary Extravaganza!
The Bottle (can) Shop will have a special tap list, which will include a collaboration beer with their closest brewery, Lawless Brewing.
Taps at Stateside
I have made one visit to Stateside Crafts in Bixby Knolls but now they have the tap section of the shop open now, so maybe a second visit is in order.
Love the shiny silver taps!
The Sun is Setting
**unverified rumor alert**
It looks like, barring some late save, that Sunset Beer Co. will be forced out of their corner bottle shop and bar in Echo Park. Personally, “losing their lease” is both worded wrong and makes it a little too bloodless. And those who rally around the no gentrification cause should spend more energy here.
Back to beer. This shop has been my main go-to. I buy beer elsewhere but Sunset Beer Co. is where I can find the widest selection. I look forward to their weekly newsletter every Friday and usually have to fight the urge to just leave work and browse.
L.A. beer fans should send this iconic beer spot out on a high. Amp up your beer runs over the next couple months.
1st Visit – Stateside Crafts
Certain L.A. ‘burbs have beer everywhere. Torrance, DTLA, El Segundo has three and Long Beach has always been a player as well.
One aspect of a beer-y city are secondary spots like food pods and bottle shops. This is all prelude to an introduction to Stateside Crafts on Atlantic in north Long Beach.
Bottle shop and tasting room. Always good to have.
I headed south one Saturday to peek inside…
…and I found a lovely curated spot with pantry snack items on one side and in the middle with a cooler on the right side as you enter. Being mere blocks from Ambitious Ales and Liberation Brewing meant those were represented but not competing with them. I found a Crowns & Hops beer that I had not seen before along wit a Riip IPA but overall the selection was smaller than Hop Merchants, Talon and especially Sunset Beer which is my marker for SKUs.
But, if you are in the neighborhood, check it out. They certainly had a different choice than my regular haunts which is a good sign plus, snacks is a great thing to grab too.
On the Arroyo
The low gas light pops up on your car’s dashboard, you turn into a gas station to fill up and decide to get a snack too, when what do your beer eyes see? An eclectic selection of craft beers.
Yes, you should follow Arroyo Shell on Instagram. And you should visit as well. Is it an exhaustive selection like the standard bearer for LA, Sunset Beer? No. It covers three cold cases total, most of which seem dedicated to Bottle Logic Brewing. Making this Pasadena spot, near the Del Mar stop of the Gold Line, a de facto second tap room for the Anaheim brewery.
If you visit, expect IPA but that is secondary to stouts, smoothie beers and even craft seltzer. And don’t come looking for a sampling of LA beer, no. You are going to find Great Notion, Brewery X, Barrier, Drekker and frankly a a different curated list than in most places.
You can buy singles, they have holders at the ready and the prices are better than fair. I bought a Great Notion stout for under $7. Cheaper than gas.
Add Arroyo Shell to your beer buying stops.
Hollywood Bottles
Thanks to a certain virus, I don’t think I have been in Hollywood in over a year, but now there is a reason to visit…
…yup, Stout has created a bottle shop next to their Cahuenga Boulevard restaurant. I checked their online store and they have quite a few aged bottles to buy.