Top 5 California Taphouse/Breweries

LA is up and coming with new and great breweries that easily compete with San Diego Breweries. Not to say anything negative about SD, because I love Stone and the others. Here are local favorites, all of which were winners at GABF and featured on a TV show about beer. The following are in order from South to North.

1.) Beechwood BBQ
2.) Eagle Rock Brewery and/or Golden Road (near each other)
3.) LadyFace Restaurant and Brewery

For Los Angeles, start in Long Beach at Beechwood BBQ, which won best micro brew (or something like that) at GABF. Then head north on 405 and take a right on 101 and go to local favorite Eagle Rock Brewery in Eagle Rock. If you can't get into Eagle Rock, go to Golden Road just south of Eagle Rock. If you have time, get back on the 101 north to Agoura Hills and stop at LadyFace Restaurant and Brewery.

Cheers,

 

OP,

It also depends on when you are coming to know if you can get Alpine. Distribution will be greatly expanded by April or so and should be easier to find across the state. I know Oregon should be getting it by the middle of April.

 

Pretty much what he said, unless you are coming in the next 2 weeks in which case I personally might just go spend a whole day at Kern River drowning myself in Citra instead of Firestone Walker. Then proceed to up to Capitola.

 

NorCal person here

Bear Republic, Lagunitas and Russian River are all inside of 30 minutes from each other near Santa Rosa. All are completely worth hitting up that area for. An hour from there without traffic is Heretic in Fairfield. Heretic makes awesome beers, and at the taproom you can find a lot of stuff you can't get anywhere else.

Cellarmaker in SF is really damn good.

If you find yourself in San Jose, Hermitage makes some really damn good beers, especially in the single hop IPA category.

I'll leave the SoCal recommendations to people who know that area better than I.

 

Save some time for Sacramento. We have an incredible amount of breweries and beer bars. Plenty of good stops on the way from the Bay Area as well.

 

Beer dudes. He said from LA up to Sacramento area. Not Alpine to Sac. Yes it would be nice to find some Alpine bottles while your in LA. But in reality it is very hard to find bottles here in LA/OC area. Not impossible. Occasionally places will get a case in. And it's a one bottle limit. And gone the day it gets in. So you would need some luck. Or maybe you could set up a trade with someone before coming out. Any particular Alpine your looking for?
As for which brewery to hit up in LA/OC area. I would put Beachwood BBQ n Brewing in Long Beach as a must stop. Melrose bottles just released today. Depending on when you come out here a good chance they will be all gone. Again, maybe a trade is in order while it's still fresh. Other must see brewery's, NobleAle/Bruery/Bottle Logic are all in the same area. Not far from Beachwood is Smog City/Monkish/Phantom Carraige(new)-all in the same area.
Don't forget Knee Deep not far from Sacremento.

 

Knee Deep is definitely a good Sacramento option as you are finishing off your trip ... and you might as well drive the extra 45-60min to Truckee and go to 50/50.

 

Here's 3. Beachwood long beach, FW-barrelworks Buelton, and Alpine .

 

Hmmmm, I wouldn't miss Beachwood BBQ, Firestone Walker, Sante Adairius, Cellarmaker, Lagunitas, and Russian River.

 

If you're going up to Sacramento and take CA-99 this corridor has some legit spots to go:

Bakersfield: Lengthwise, Kern River (45 minutes east), Imbibe Wine & Spirits

Visalia: Pita Kabob Gastropub Downtown. Great Mediterranean food and bottle shares are welcomed (my hang out spot).

Kingsburg: Roadhouse 99. Awesome burgers and the owner, Adrian, is a big craft beer geek.

Fresno: Tioga Sequoia Brewery (weekends the beer garden is open), Das Bierhaus, Spokeasy.

Turlock: Dust Bowl Brewery, 10 East Taphouse

 

Also forgot to mention House of Pendragon in Clovis, a suburb in Fresno.

 

I think @j2tharome15 is the only person here who actually gave stops on this guy's route... a +1 to House of Pendragon

 

Beachwood BBQ in Long beach for sure, great beers and great food.
Firestone in either Buellton or Paso Robles.
Sante Adairius in Capitola
Rare Barrel In Berzerkly
Russian River in Santa Rosa

Thats what I'd do

 

Perhaps a more specific subject title would have made it more clear. A lot of people might just be responding to the thread title and ignoring the details. LOL

 

agree with this. any visit to LA breweries has to include Beachwood and the Torrence breweries

 

So far in this thread of a guy asking for the top 5 (or "the best places to visit from LA to NorCal") breweries in CA, I see Bootleggers, Phantom, and 3rd Street Aleworks given shout outs? Wow/Yikes.

 

I'm not going to say that these breweries are never worth a stop, but If I'm coming from out of state and want to hit a very limited amount of the BEST breweries, not one of these would be on my radar. Even Kern. If I were going to be in these area's specifically and needed to find something, then yes, for sure. But If I'm arranging a trip to get myself to the best places possible....well... not one of these area's or breweries gets a visit. Maybe that's just me..

 

Not to mention that he never actually stated his route. Just an origin and destination...

 

With that logic you could send the guy to anywhere as long as he ends up in Sacramento. I assumed, maybe incorrectly, he would be taking a more direct route between the two locations.