Los Angeles is a sprawling and diverse city, one of the cultural capitals of our world, but until very recently, its beer culture was nearly nonexistent. Thankfully, the craft beer tidal wave has finally broke on the shores of Los Angeles, and the long-suffering beer desert is now inundated with great beer pouring at bars, beer-centered restaurants and some world-class breweries.
In true L.A. fashion, finding the best the city has to offer means looking in some unexpected areas and going beyond the shallow surface. The rewards for exploration are worth the trouble, and if you can’t find a personal guide to the best of the L.A.’s craft beer scene, then you can start with these recommendations. Leave your preconceived notions in the hotel — the beer in Los Angeles has gotten really good in recent years, and San Diego isn’t the only destination-worthy beer region in Southern California anymore.
Breweries
It was only a few years ago when the number of breweries in Los Angeles could be counted on one hand. Thankfully, Angelenos thirsty for local suds now have their choice from dozens of production breweries and brewpubs, some specializing in hop-bombs and others in funky wild ales. 
The South Bay Trifecta
The South Bay region of Southern California is an amalgamation of beach-side municipalities, blue-collar towns and ethnic enclaves that showcase the famous diversity of Los Angeles. The craft brewing industry has found a foothold in the industrial parks of cities like Torrance, Redondo Beach, and Carson. There’s a lot of brewing action in the South Bay, but three breweries in particular demonstrate some of the best the Los Angeles has to offer: Smog City Brewery, Monkish Brewing and Phantom Carriage.
Smog City Brewery is the largest of the three and the most traditional. They brew a handful of excellent IPAs (Hop Tonic and Amarilla Gorilla, particularly), a perfectly crisp and floral bohemian pilsner, and one of the best coffee porters out there. The brewery is packed with dozens of wine and spirit barrels where bold stouts get the bourbon barrel aging treatment and wine barrels sour and funkify saisons and other belgian ales. Smog City is also known for their small-batch experimentations that often feature foraged fruits and herbs, one-off cask preparations, or explorations into wine/beer hybrids; they may be the region’s most well-rounded brewery.
1. Smog City Brewing – 1901 Del Amo Boulevard #B, Torrance, CA 90501
Just a block away from Smog is Monkish Brewing, a distinctly different operation that turns a modern sensibility on some monastic brewing traditions. Owner and Brewmaster Henry Nguyen uses beer as a creative outlet and his Belgian-inspired brews range from hop-forward and drinkable pale ales to potent tripels infused with all manner of uncommon botanicals. Nguyen has tried everything from thyme (in the sadly retired Vigil dark wheat beer) to lotus seed (in Sunset Beer, a brett-spiked Belgian wit) to pistachio nuts (in the sublime Seme Della Vita, which also features vanilla beans). The secret to the beers is Nguyen’s restraint with these adulterants. Nothing is overpowering in a Monkish beer — every spice and botanical is in balance with the estery yeast and complex malt profiles.
2. Monkish Brewing – 20311 Western Avenue, Torrance, CA 9050
In Carson, just a few miles away from the Smog City-Monkish one-two punch, is one of the South Bay’s newest, and most exciting operations: Phantom Carriage. This “small batch beer endeavour” is part cafe, part brewery, and part barrel-filled blendery. The genre-defying brewery focuses on wood-aged sour ales and early offerings have shown tremendous promise. Named for a 1921 Swedish horror film, this nod to the dark and macabre carries through to the beer names (often paying homage to classic horror performers like Cushing and Rathbone) and the ambience. There’s even an on-premises screening room (though L.A. Galaxy MLS games are shown about as often as the spooky stuff — the team is headquartered in Carson). Supplementing the house-beers is a guest tap list and a bottle-fridge filled with old-world favorites and American craft classics alike.
3. Phantom Carriage – 18525 S Main St, Carson, CA 90248
Hop-Head Hot-Spot
Hoppy brews dominate tap lists in Los Angeles, and nearly every brewery in town has a delicious hoppy offering to help slake Angelenos’ never ending thirst for pungent brews. However, few L.A. breweries do hops as well as El Segundo Brewing Co. The trick is the brewery’s focus on teasing disparate flavor profiles from different hop varieties. They have IPAs that focus on the tropical hops, earthy hop flavors, and classic West Coast pine and citrus profiles. Don’t miss White Dog IPA — a wheat-based and tropical brew that’s a perfect match for L.A.’s balmy climate, or the equally intense Mayberry IPA that showcases the subtleties of Mosaic hops.
4. El Segundo Brewing Co – 140 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
Maybe the Best Brewpub in America
Beachwood Brewing and BBQ in Long Beach has earned a reputation among beer geeks as one of the highlights of brewing on the west coast, and the judges at the Great American Beer Festival have named them “Brewpub of the Year” two years running, as well as bestowing a half-dozen medals on individual beers. The food is smokey ‘que with a west coast flair, and the brews are bold, clean, and plentiful. You’ll be tempted to order a glass from the list of AAA-tier guest taps, but the house brews never disappoint. Even styles that normally get no respect from beer-lovers are executed with panache and respect. Hops of Brixton is a delicately balanced ESB, Tart Simpson a bracing Berliner Weisse with a subtle hint of funk, and Foam Top will change your mind about the relevance of the American cream ale style in the modern craft beer milieu. They also make some of the best IPAs in Los Angeles (if not the State). You can’t lose.
5. Beachwood BBQ – 210 East 3rd Street, Long Beach, CA
The Cutting Edge
When Highland Park Brewery opened in the rapidly gentrifying L.A. neighborhood of the same name, many beer-fans wrote off the operation as just another homebrewer trying to turn pro on a makeshift brewhouse. But veteran of the L.A. craft industry Bob Kunz has surprised everyone with the quality brews he’s created in his tiny, 500-square foot brewery shoehorned into the back of a hip bar. From complex hoppy ales like Party IPA (which is also infused with Spanish cedar) to refreshing table beers featuring foraged botanicals (Yard Beer) to the funky stuff like Lazy Susan (a tart wheat ale made with 300 pounds of local peaches and nectarines) or Uncontrollable (an all-lactobacillus beer that was fermented in the warmth of the bar’s parking lot to give the heat-loving bacteria some extra energy), Highland Park Brewery demonstrates a remarkable breadth of offerings for such a humble operation. It didn’t take long for word of the great beers to get out of the neighborhood, and now HPB draws beer fans from across Los Angeles. The team hopes to open an ancillary tasting room by the end of 2015.
6. Highland Park Brewery / The Hermosillo – 5125 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90042
The “Real” Niche Brewery
Los Angeles has breweries that cover a lot of niches. There are big production breweries catering to the mass market and small IPA-focused operations and neighborhood spots with a loyal following, and in 2014 MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. opened in the Valley suburb of Van Nuys to bring UK-style “real ale” to the L.A. market. The small brewhouse is focused on turning out traditional British styles conditioned and served from casks in the traditional manner. It sounds like a risky move, but the brewery has found a fervent fan-base, and Brewmaster Andy Black has managed to make classic styles like ordinary bitters, small stouts, and drinkable Scottish ales exciting for the L.A.’s beer lovers. Nearly all of MacLeod’s brews are under 5% alcohol (some are well under that), and they’re served up in the taproom in generous 20-ounce Imperial pints at a balmy 54-degrees. Expect darts, dogs, and bagpipe music when you visit.
7. MacLeod Ales – 14741 Calvert Street, Van Nuys, CA 91411
Bars / Restaurants
Long before craft breweries began to open throughout Los Angeles, it was intrepid restaurateurs and bar-owners who held the flag for craft beer. These five are a great place to start, but there are many other world-class beer bars in L.A. to explore.
Blue Palms Brewhouse
You might be tempted to write-off the Hollywood neighborhood as a filthy tourist trap with no compelling destinations, but you’d be missing out on one of the best craft beer spots in the city. Blue Palms sits at the end of the Walk of Fame, across the street from the historic Pantages Theater, and it offers great pub food that is almost as good as the 24-deep tap list projected on screens around the bar. Owner Brian Lenzo was an early proponent of craft beer in Los Angeles, and he gets loving treatment from brewery reps the world over — and that means fresh kegs of some great brews you don’t often see. Don’t miss the reserve bottle list when you visit (or the great happy hour).
8. Blue Palms Brewhouse – 6124 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Library Alehouse
Way across town, in Santa Monica just a few blocks from the beach, is Library Ale House — another craft bar with a deep tap list and great menu. Ironically, beer bars with outdoor seating are rare in L.A., but Library has a spacious patio in the back to post up with your pints. The bar also hosts many events, special tappings, and beer dinners coordinated by their Certified Cicerone® General Manager, who is always striving to elevate craft beer further in Los Angeles.
9. Library Alehouse – 2911 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Mohawk Bend
Built into an old 30s-era vaudeville theater in the hip Echo Park neighborhood, Mohawk Bend is a gastropub that spotlights California beers, wines, and spirits with a menu that skews heavily towards the vegetarian (though there’s plenty for omnivores too). The seasonal cocktails are well designed and the atmosphere is balanced between homey and hip, but it is the 72 California craft beers on tap behind the long bar that are the real draw. Lots of IPAs are on offer, and local breweries are well represented (including 10 or more from taps dedicated to Mohawk’s sister operation: Golden Road Brewery). Order like a local with a pint of Wolf Among Weeds from GRB and a plate of the buffalo cauliflower.
10. Mohawk Bend – 2141 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Beer Belly
This craft beer destination in the middle of L.A.’s infamous Koreatown is best-known for the heart-stopping fare that’s been profiled on several cable TV food shows, but owner Jimmy Han has always put the beer first. There may only be twelve taps, but the brews on-offer are always well thought out and varied (with a heavy skew towards local producers). Bring your appetite for treats like the Death By Duck — shoestring fries tossed in duck fat and topped with shredded duck confit.
11. Beer Belly – 532 Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020
The Surly Goat
Owner Ryan Sweeney has built a mini empire of craft beer venues spread across greater Los Angeles, but the most quirky is undoubtedly this dive-y joint in West Hollywood — a neighborhood known for its nightlife and alternative lifestyles. The ‘Goat doesn’t serve food, but there is a full bar, a DJ booth, and a Super Street Fighter cabinet next to the patio. The crowd changes day-by-day, but the tap list is always filled with excellent local brews and delicious imports (and one of the best bottle lists in Los Angeles). Every night is a culture-clash, but that’s half the fun when you belly up to this local favorite.
12. The Surly Goat – 929 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Beer Tour
Encompassing over 30,000 square miles, the Greater Los Angeles Area (we just say “the Southland”) is undoubtedly a tough metropolis to explore — especially if it’s your aim to drink beer at every place you stop. That’s where the beer bus comes in, and the LA Beer Hop offers public and private tours that take craft hounds to three or four destinations in an afternoon. It’s a great way to get a guided look at what Los Angeles has to offer.
LA Beer Hop – [email protected] – (323) 928-2113
Retail
It isn’t hard to find bottles and cans of craft beer in L.A. — it seems that every corner liquor store and bodega now stocks craft brews — but there are a handful of craft-focused retail establishments that add a bar and lounge to the retail experience.
Sunset Beer Co.
L.A. natives know that some of The Southland’s best dining treasures are found in unassuming strip malls, and this bar/bottleshop in Echo Park carries on the tradition for craft beer. One room is filled with bottles organized loosely by region (and all sold by-the-bottle), while the other room has a 12-tap bar and comfy seating (you can also open any retail bottles in the lounge for a nominal “corkage” fee). Regulars stop in and grab a pint to sip while they shop the thousands of bottles.
13. Sunset Beer Co. – 1498 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Select Beer Store
The South Bay’s answer to Sunset Beer, Select Beer offers beer-to-go or pints to stay as well, and like Sunset Beer you’re welcome to bring in food from the nearby restaurants to enjoy with your brews.
14. Select Beer Store – 1613 South Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Some Standout Brews You Need to Try
Apart from the individual brews mentioned in the brewery recommendations above, keep you eyes out for some of these great L.A. beers.
Solidarity
Eagle Rock Brewery
This “black mild” predates the resurgence of the session-beer craze by a few years, and the deceptively light-in-body dark beer manages to be both flavorful and refreshing. It’s packed with malt flavor, and at under 4% alcohol, it’s a beer built for extended sessions. Grab a growler to go from the brewery’s Glassell Park tasting room. The brewery’s Populist IPA is also worth sampling.
1903 Lager
Craftsman Brewery
This Pasadena brewery has been making their flagship pre-prohibition style lager for over 10 years — an eternity when it comes to L.A. beer — and the light and subtly hopped brew fits perfectly with the warm afternoons in Los Angeles. Craftsman also regularly releases a parade of “complicated” wild and sour ales that defy classification.
Blind Ambition
Ladyface Alehouse
This rich and fruity Belgian dubbel can be found at the Ladyface brewpub in the foothills north of Malibu, or at many draft accounts around town. It is complex, fantastic with food, and worth seeking out. The brewpub also makes a wonderful grisette — a rare style similar to a saison — that is refreshing and tart. A perfect followup to an afternoon hiking the trails near the brewery.
329 Days of Sun Lager
Golden Road Brewing
The easy-drinking helles-like golden lager from one of L.A.’s biggest, most ambitious breweries, 329 may not sound like an exciting beer, but its drinkability belies a complexity in flavor. A lot of research and development went into the beer, and you can taste it in the subtle twang of acidulated malt and the floral notes of German hops. This is a beer that craft lovers and macro adherents can both agree on. 