I have another Instagram handle for L.A. craft beer fans to follow. @laaleworks_hermosa.
Los Angeles Ale Works will debut their 3rd location in Hermosa Beach in 2025. You can check out the announcement video HERE.
Working Towards Hermosa
Also Be on the Lookout For
Crowns & Hops has been busy with four! new beer selection out this month and Hermosa Beach Brewing has a three year anniversary beer for beer fans…
1st Visit – Hermosa Brewing
I took off on a Saturday morning and drove through the SoCal rain to Hermosa Beach within steps from the pier to the new Hermosa Brewing Company.
You can imagine that a beach adjacent location probably isn’t zoned for brewing beer and you would be correct. But the beers on offer are being brewed at much better locations than most L.A. gypsy brewers have used in the past.
Dave and Jorge, the home brewers behind this new brewery have dual brewing operations. One in Westlake Village at 14 Cannons and down south at Rouleur Brewing in the San Diego area. And it shows in the beers.
Hermosa Brewing
I sampled all but the two saisons and was impressed for a spot that has only been open for 8 weeks.
Both the Lost Sirena Mexican Lager and the Windmill German Pilsner were bright and tasty and all of the beers were crystal clear (minus one with “Hazy” in the title). That Hazy was probably my pick of the hop trio with the Out the Back DIPA being a close second.
And they even have food, not from a truck food. (Not that there is anything wrong with that) There are tacos, burgers and a tight menu of beer food that is great for the beers.
Currently, their Hermosa Avenue location is the only place to get the beers on draft as they build up inventory and contacts. No crowlers/growlers yet but this makes for a good trifecta of PCH pit stops that starts at Select Beer then heads to the King Harbor – Harborside and then to Hermosa Brewing.
Abigaile’s New List
The Brewery at Abigaile’s new brewmaster Paul Papantonio who has brewed in Colorado for Oskar Blues and San Diego for St. Archer has taken on the task of putting his stamp on the operation in Hermosa Beach. And for those planning a trip to the South Bay, here are some of the beers that you might see on tap with descriptions from the brewery….
§ Vienna Lager 4.6% ß Papantonio achieves an amber lager by using darker malts and more hops than the average amber lager
§ Midnight Mass Black IPA 5.6% ß made with roasted malt, this brew lies somewhere between an IPA and a pale ale
§ Palm Porter 6.5% ß made with lager yeast, Papantonio will experiment with one-off kegs of this beer combined with ingredients such as coffee and coconut
§ Jam Session Pilsner 4.8% ß the most recent addition to the lineup is a straightforward German pilsner
§ Punchbowl IPA 8% ß Papantonio uses an eclectic blend of unique hops (including Pacific and Wakatu hops from New Zealand) to create one of the most popular beers at Abigaile
There is also a special R+D (small batch beers) menu which will change but recently had the following on tap:
§ Doppio Cappuccino Porter 6.5%
§ Zest Fest Black IPA 5.6%
Abigaile’s
I am not a road rage kind of person but I do appreciate when the craft beer comes to me and I don’t have to drive from the 405 to the 10 to the 5 to the 91 to the 57 for a beer. Not that I won’t, mind you. So it is great to see that kegs from The Brewery at Abigaile are heading out of Hermosa Beach to the wider SoCal world.
The new California Craft Distributors will be handling the beer of brewmaster Brian Brewer and “for its distribution debut, The Brewery at Abigaile plans to offer something for every pallet and will start by bringing the following beers to the craft marketplace:
Amber Ale – A big Amber Ale with a satisfying caramel malt foundation. German Munich, along with British and Belgian Crystal malts all work together to add layers of sweet maltiness. Centennial and Liberty hops round out the palate. This beer is aged on a small amount of free-trade cocoa nibs to add a unique twist. 5.9% ABV, 26 IBUs
001 1st Anniversary DIPA – A hop lover’s dream, focused on hops. It starts with Magnum, Centennial, and Simcoe in the 120 minute boil, Simcoe, Centennial and Citra for the flavor and aroma hops, and is then dry-hopped two separate times with Simcoe, Centennial, Citra, Columbus, and Australian Galaxy. The finished hop profile is a mix of juicy, floral, citrus, peachy stone fruit, pine forest, and resin. 9.001% ABV, 100 IBUs
Abigaile
Hermosa Beach has another spot for beer, made in the South Bay too by a Stone Brewing alum no less.
Abigaile’s on Manhattan Avenue proudly pours the following brews:
Orange Blossom Blonde (orange blossom honey-dried orange blossoms) abv 4.7 /
West Coast Pale Ale abv 5.8
Imperial IPA (falconer’s flight dry hop) abv 8.4
Brown Sugar Porter (brown sugar, chocolate wheat malt) abv 6.8
Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Ale (honey, vanilla beans, charred oak) abv 10.2 / (10 oz)
All crafted by Brian Brewer who has done brewing stints not only at Stone but at Riverside Brewing as well and his philosophy for beer making is “Bring only the freshest, high quality ingredients to the process.”
Looks like I have yet another place to visit.
Game Changers
Why can’t a sports bar have craft beer? It’s a fair question and a matter of taste. I prefer the quiet and well lighted but some people want to watch March Madness AND have a great beer and they should not be deprived of both. Now I see quite a few beer lists for LA bars on a weekly basis and most beer spots that lean towards the “sporty” usually lean to far to the Bud side for my liking. But, if you are a beach person and like the glow of the TV, the list at GameChangers in Hermosa Beach might be for you.
It is now on my list of places to check out the next time that I am nearby.