Pulpo Beer Co.

This place has been on my radar for some time as my experience with the original Barroco Arepa Bar in Lakewood was excellent, so my expectations for that quality to extend here--both food and beer-wise--were high.

From the outside, the building invites the cool kids in with Instagram worthy murals, which its interior vibe lives up to with gusto. That said, once your eyes turn away from the bombastic colors and décor, they may be quick to notice a slight dip in attention to detail when it comes to cleanliness, as some of the surfaces behind the bar could really use some elbow grease, and the beer glasses themselves have similar issues as well.

Despite being new, our bartender was attentive, prompt and helpful, though at no fault of their own the apparent beer selection was difficult to nail down. The posters displayed above the tap station only showed a few beers, half of which were no longer on draft, and while the paper beer menu we were then handed had a few more entries, some of those also weren't available. The list we finally were able to order from did consist of at least 10-12 selections, and was fairly varied. The beer was okay to good for the most part, though the hazy was anything but.

What I was most excited about was the food, and it didn't disappoint. Flavor profiles were explosive and ingredients were unique, so if I lived nearby I'd probably come back for food once a month. However, the intentional entanglement of two restaurants isn't really worthwhile for the servers or customers, particularly when you consider the kitchen cooks from both menus. It just comes across as trying to have an exclusive hipster option that the plebes don't know about, as if we're in downtown LA or something. For me, the confusion becomes a little more palpable when I approach it from the POV that it should be considered a brewery first, and a restaurant second, but I can see that everyone clearly has their own perception of the joint, particularly since from the outside it's primarily projected as Hola Tacos above all else.

 

Brewery sharing a building with 2 restaurants (what's not to like) on the eastern edge of town. Downstairs bar opposite the entrance on the left hand side seats about 20 with some table around the perimeter. Not sure what is upstairs, but there is a roof top patio. A dozen beers on tap, I enjoyed the Si Si IPA. I also enjoyed the delicious burrito very much. Personable bartender.