First time in LA. Need beer advice

But the Old Spaghetti Factory, tho. You can eat inside a cable car!

 

My choices:

Two Breweries - non hazy / pastry stout focused

• Smog City
• Firestone Propagator

West Coast IPA Focused - El Segundo Brewing Company
Stouts (non pastry) - Firestone Propagator
Lagers - Modern Times - I really like the lagers they've been making, for the past year or so.
Pale Ales - Like the style but have not been drinking many around town lately, so I'll skip the recommendation.

 

For those styles, Id go to Highland Park in Chinatown, Firestone Walker Propagator and El Segundo. Beachwood also, but LB is far.

 

Not necessarily breweries but I think they should still be mentioned:

Hermosillo in Highland Park (somewhat unoffical first location for Highland Park Brewery)
Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood
Naja's Place in Redondo Beach

Also I feel like OP has already come and gone on his trip by now.

 

Select Beer Store in Redondo Beach as well

 

I'm going to be in LA mid-April for a couple nights with my wife and 2 kids, so wanted to check in here for some possible brewery/restaurant/beer store options. We are staying in the Beverly Grove area at The Orlando Hotel, with the main reason to go to Universal Studios. From my research, it looks like a bit of a brewery desert in that immediate area, but I see things like Firestone Walker Propogator about 35 minutes away over in Venice Beach, as well as things like Highland Park/Modern Times/Mumford about 35-40 minutes the other way towards downtown. I see Monkish is even a bit further away than the ones I mentioned before. Am I missing some decent brewery spots that might be closer?

Also - are there any solid craft beer bar/restaurants that would be good in the area to grab some lunch/dinner at (and OK for families)? And any craft beer stores if I want to shop for some stuff to go?

 

that is a brewery deadzone for sure. Firestone Venice would be a good option to eat at if you planned on going to the beach. Modern Times / Highland Park Chinatown also both have food and allow kids. Highland Park Brewery in Highland Park doesn't allow kids just as a heads up

Beer Belly is not terribly far away
Father's Office in Culver City too

 

Don't think father's office allows kids.

Farther end of things, but Long Beach Beachwood added skeeball and old arcades recently.

 

Best local to-go options:
Vendome Beverly Hills
Whole Foods (3rd/Fairfax)
Melrose Wine & Spirits

 

Not sure if it is kid friendly, but Son of a Gun is next to the Orlando. I would highly recommend eating there. Get the peel and eat shrimp and the chicken sandwich.

 

Is Alpine Nelson typically tough to find around town? Buddy told me to try it while out I’m in LA and curious on availability.

 

I wouldn’t waste your time. Alpine Nelson is no longer alpine Nelson. So many better beers out there.

 

I dont know man....ever since Tim left Vendome it hasnt been the same....

 

Trust me, I miss the glory days with Long. But it's still the best spot in the neighborhood.

 

There is a Karl Strauss at universal city walk, beers and food are pretty good. Might be a good lunch/dinner spot while at universal.

 

I second this. Good food, reasonably good taps for what its worth otherwise you could go to firestone walker in venice should you want a joyride. Just a thought.

 

I figured the wife and kids would like a trip over to Santa Monica / Venice, and I’ve always wanted to visit FW, so that makes perfect sense to me.

 

near your hotel, I like Golden State Burgers on Fairfax near Beverly, they have several craft beers on draft, it's one of the best burgers in town, they also serve Scoops ice cream, one of the best ice cream makers in town. And if any of your kids are sneakerheads, Fairfax is ground zero for trendy sneaker stores

If you're able to drive east towards Downtown/Echo Park, I've also taken the wife and kid to Mohawk Bend (Echo Park), Barbara's at the Brewery (north of Chinatown), and Far Bar (Little Tokyo), for meals at family-friendly places with good beer selection, Barbara's being the most interesting beer selection out of that group

 

Thanks for the Golden Sate recommendation- we ended up there today after hitting Universal Studios on our way back to the hotel. Good burger and some solid local beers...that’s all I’m looking for!

No sneakers for us. Our kids are too young for some of the stores we saw there with shoes (my 8 year old would love getting more shoes though). As my wife noted, the less amount of product you see in the store, the more expensive you know it’s going to be.

 

If you're in the ktown area definitely go to Southland. Great taps, and arguably best curated bottle/can selection in town. Not the biggest, but better curated than basically anyone.