Where to go in Pasadena

i wouldnt say best, but one of the better places to drink beer is at lucky baldwin's trappiste, which isn't too far from you. possibly another place is in alhambra @ 38degrees (a bit pricy though). Theres also a stone tap room off of del mar which also has an amazing sushi restaurant right next door and pizza place in the same plaza. additionally, would say that highland park brewery is only about 15 mins away from you, great food / beer. and then, DTLA (30 mins), which has mumford, arts district etc might be a fun place to bar hop if you're interested in that. if you wanted to eat a nice place, Union (italian) and Osawa (japanese) in old town pasadena are great options. 50/50 slaters sometimes has a decent selection on tap. and try lucky boy's breakfast burrito if you have the chance.

as for hitting other breweries, not sure how much time you have, but if you go to bottlelogic (40min to an hour away), you're better off hitting BL, noble, green cheek and bruery all in one drive. and if you have all day, then drive over to monkish, fsw which is on the otherside of LA.

 

whatever you do... you HAVE to go to Pasadena sandwich company and get the "trust the cook" sandwhich.

 

Just so you are aware, Bottlelogic is not close to Pasadena especially with traffic. I am not saying not to go, but be prepared to drive at least 45 minutes. I can’t helo you on the LA side but I can give you pointers on the OC side lol

 

If you must go to Bottle Logic then take the MetroLink train from Union Station (DTLA) to Anaheim Station. Take Uber from there to get to BL, Green Cheek & Noble (hop skip and jump away from station), and the Bruery. That’s all in one day. The MetroLink runs a weekend special > all day Sat or Sun $10 per person. Any MetroLink to anywhere > RT. Take Uber back to Anaheim Station for train back to Union Station.

 

Go Sooners!

 

Moved from out of state to Pasadena a couple of months ago and admittedly have been a little disappointed with the beer within Pasadena itself, but there always tends to be a few unique offerings on draft at Congregation Ale House. Mission Wine and Liquor on Washington and Craft Beer Cellar in Eagle Rock are close and have a decent selection of bottles. I would highly recommend not spending too much time in Pasadena and going with the above advice to make a drive either to DTLA or OC for the breweries. IMO the OC breweries are heads and shoulders above the DTLA ones and worth the extra effort. Also hoping Modern Times DTLA will be open by the time you're here. Enjoy your stay!

 

If you do decide to to Bottlelogic, just like dcgunnman suggested, Bottlelogic, Green Cheek, Nobles are within 15 minutes of one another. On a side note, you can take the “La Palma Beer Trail” and hit up Asylum, Bruery Terreux, Hopparzi, American Ale Works, Bottlelogic, Stereo. Personally, I’d stick with Green Cheek, Nobel and Bottlelogic

 

You can also go to Glendale which is the next city over and hit up Glendale Tap. 52 beers on tap and always a great selection regardless of what you are in the mood for

 

I would think that Highland Park would be on the short list. . .

 

I've been a Pasadena local for almost 4 years now. I'd suggest these.

In Pasadena...
-Harlowe's French Dip (AMAZING Food & good beer. Great priced)
-Congregation Alehouse (Good brews & bites)
-Gus BBQ (Another one of my favorite spots. Great food & great rotating selection of beers)
-Stone Brewing Company Store & Taproom

Not too far of a commute outside of Pasadena...
-38 Degrees Alhambra (Great food and a killer selection of 38 rotating beers)
-Matt Denny's Alehouse Arcadia (Great beer list & good food)
-The Glendale Tap (52 of some of the best taps you'll find in LA)
-The Hermosillo/Highland Park Brewery (one of the best breweries in LA and great food)
-Modern Times The Dankness Dojo (should be open by the time you are out here)

 

to the above I'll add your hotel is a 3-4 block walk from Mt. Lowe Brewing, not what I would call beercation-worthy but a solid neighborhood brewery

your hotel is also a 3-4 block walk to the Arcadia Gold Line light rail station, from there it's a few stops to the Del Mar Station, where you could have a pretty good pre-post Rose Bowl pub crawl going from Stone to Congregation to Lucky Baldwin's (unofficial taproom of Craftsman Brewing) to Slater's 50-50 and then getting back on Gold Line at the Memorial Park/Old Town station

side tip: if you're a good walker, for the Rose Bowl I would take the Gold Line to Memorial Park station and then walk it to the Rose Bowl, or take shuttle from Old Town to the Rose Bowl and walk it back

the Whole Foods at Rosemead and Foothill, about 2 miles from the hotel, has a good selection of SoCal/California beer but for more rare selections I would try Craft Beer Cellars in Eagle Rock

if you drive south on Santa Anita Avenue about 20 minutes to South El Monte there is Progress Brewing, in my view the most underrated LA County brewery

5 miles to the east in Azusa is the LA brewery/taproom of Lagunitas Brewing

if you're short on time your best bet within 30 minutes of hotel is Highland Park Brewing

 

Bumping this. Looking for a bottle shop recommendation. I think on brewery / bar I’m doing some combo of Highland Park, Modern Times DTLA, 38 Degrees Alhambra. I’m kind of lost on a shop though. There’s a BevMo and Total Wine I see but anything better? I’m staying in south Pasadena. Thanks guys!

 

Vinotera on Lake has some variety, nothing super rare, but more than the two you list. They have an Insta account that shows some of the new stuff they get.

The Stone store at the Del Mar station sometimes has some bottles you don't usually see but nobody talks about Stone. But it is close enough to South Pas to be a no brainer just to check out.

 

Everson Royce is mostly a wine store, but they have a small but pretty decent selection of beer.

 

Moved from South Pasadena a few months ago. Theres a tiny shop on Huntington called Ocean Liquor that would randomly get pretty great beers, worth a shot

 

I would skip 38 Degrees personally. go to Sunset Beer Company for beer, then head downtown and hit Modern Times, Mikkeller, and Highland Park Brewery Chinatown

 

Whole Foods on Arroyo has a pretty solid selection. Again, nothing usually on the rare side, but worth a stop if you are in the area.

 

Whole Foods selection has really gone downhill ever since the acquisition. I don’t even bother checking that aisle anymore

 

Flying to Pasadena in a few weeks for a conference. My co-workers are not alcohol enthusiasts so trying to limit my time to 1-2 places. Any package stores that also have store picks/single barrels of bourbon? The airbnb is close to Pat's liquor and the conference is at the Sheraton so anything thereabouts.

Also appreciate any intel on tacos and dispensaries. Weedmaps is telling me Undefeated25 is the best.

Mahalo.