Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
If you have saved money for years and can afford a ticket to Disneyland and the churros then you should head to California Adventure because La Bodega Brewing has two beers pouring at that park.
And if you find other California breweries pouring, send some love their way too.
You walk past the windows of La Bodega Brewing in Whittier, seeing the fermenters and other brewing equipment but then you enter and if you are slow like me, you might be confused, is it a butcher? Then you might not take the neon hint of what is the password or lack of entrance before being carefully led in by one of the many kind staff to the easy speakeasy behind the cooler door.
Inside is one of the swankiest environs for a brewery that I have been into. Blue lights, movie house ceilings, low light. Prohibition vibe.
And lagers. Mexican, dark, regular plus a blonde ale. The Mala Suerte was a solid start, the Pale Ale was dialed in. Bright and citrus. The Hazlitt Hazy was a little letdown from the first two. Creamy and hoppy but lacking a dominant flavor. Toma, the Double IPA was in between. Better than the hazy but dull compared to the pale. I wish I had gone for the three lagers and the pale for the taster tray.
Plus food that is steakhouse meets LA plus Fosselman’s ice cream makes this brewery more of a special night out
Poet Gardens, the home of the Whittier Brewing Co. won’t be the city’s only brewery for long as a 2nd brewery has gained approval from the Whittier Planning Commission.
The brewery is La Bodega, owned by Erik and Raul Tapia. They plan to operate a brewery, as well as a retail store to sell beer and wine alongside a restaurant in a former optometrist’s office.
Abraham Mercado, a friend of the owners will be the brewmaster and the hope is for a 2020 opening.
