My first visit to LA

dot.ca.gov
Also quickmaps.dot.ca.gov, will give you a google map of the state with incidents marked but it doesn't work very well on mobile

 

Thank you for the recs @dcgunman ! Unfortunately this isn’t as much of a beercation I’d like it to be, because of family in the area and few bucket list items of family I’m traveling with. So sightseeing in hollywood/Griffith observatory/Santa Monica/etc will be on the schedule somewhere. And yes, 3 nights in LA is all I have.

So I’m still believing dtla will be our best, centralized location(correct me if I’m wrong!) Highland Park, MT, Mikkeller, and now Mumfords seem do-able after an itinerary of day time activities in LA, spread out amongst the 3 nights I’m there. And I’m considering dedicating a full day to visit Monkish, Bottle Logic, and other breweries / bottle shops outside of dtla. What you think?

 

The DTLA run is good. Those 4 spots are doable. If you were to leave one out and hit 3, I would skip Mumford. Both MT and Mikkeller has food menu. Highland Park has food too but small selection. MT menu is vegan.
If your going to do Monkish I would also go to Beachwood in Long Beach before driving out to Bottle Logic. Beachwood has some amazing BBQ and beers. While at Bottle Logic your right next to the brand new Brewery X. Either hit up the X or drive over to Green Cheek. If you have no time to stop at Beachwood Long Beach you could always stop off their newest location in Garden Grove at Steelcraft (no BBQ). They have several food places to eat their as well. It’s just off the 22 freeway on the way to Bottle Logic.

 

Valley Beverage Company is a great store. It's my goto when in LA!

 

Thanks for the recs guys! Would anyone have any recs for things to do/places to eat around Anaheim? I’m considering checking out Beachwood on my way from Monkish to Bottle Logic, although I get burnt out on BBQ quick (from TX).. just curious what else is there to do out that way besides just Bottle Logic, beer-centric or not. I’ll keep that Steelcraft place in mind @dcgunman

And thank you for the store recommendation, I’ll definitely need some bottle shops to hit up .. plan on shipping stuff back home.

 

Yes, stop at Beachwood. Being from Texas, you'll probably be disappointed in the BBQ (it's North Carolina style). Get the smothered steak fries, nachos, and fried pickles instead.

 

Mr K's (for bottles & cans to go). Ask for mike and tell him dc sent you his way. Lots of goodies at K's. Anaheim? Karl Strauss for their food. A few good one off as far as beer. Ignore Nobles. Go straight to Bottle Logic, Brewery X or Green Cheek.

 

Hi... uh... ummm... *whispers* the gunman sent me.

 

Just pull a Costanza

"Gunman."
"What?"
"Gunman"
"What about him?"
"You do know Gunman"
"Yes"
"Well I'm mentioning his name"

 

If I was doing this trip, I would go from Monkish to the Beachwood tasting room in Huntington Beach (they have most everything you'd want to try) and, in between, go to one of the Vietnamese seafood places in Westminster (i.e., https://www.yelp.com/biz/bien-hen-restaurant-westminster-4), way better than Beachwood BBQ. I figure you are getting so many conflicting recommendations your head must be spinning.

 

My head is spinning lol, but I see Beachwood is getting the most recommendations here. I was looking for something other than BBQ/ american-fare, but I viewed their beer list and it does sound good. Probably will check it out.

Anybody have any recommendations for bottle shops in LA area besides Mr K's?

 

That's the only one you need in OC.

LA has more options but it depends what part of town you're in and I'm too lazy to scroll up, sorry.

 

I'll have a car, driving all the way from Oakland, down HWY1, staying in Santa Barbara. Then, going to Magic Mountain, and staying in DTLA or West Hollywood (haven't decided yet)

 

West Hollywood is great if you only plan on being in the immediate area, otherwise it can be hell to get back and forth to. DTLA is more centrally located if you plan on driving all over the place.

 

Echoing everything above, I would strongly suggest staying in DTLA unless there is a specific need to stay in West Hollywood. I'd also suggest just buying all your beer at Mr. K's because there isn't really a need to go anywhere else. He will have everything you want and more, and is probably the most honest shop around.

 

just skimmed through here and wondering why the Noble hate? I'm in Anaheim every Feb for a hockey tournament and always hit Noble and have been happy with it. Has it dropped off this year?

 

Stopping in when nearby makes sense. I think for many folks it used to be a destination that was worth a detour but not since Evan left and started Green Cheek in Orange a few years ago. Now Green Cheek is the detour worthy destination.

 

It's been pretty bad for about two years now.

 

finally made it out to Green Cheek last year and enjoyed it. Bruery and BL are usually the detour destinations for us when we're down. We were pretty stoked on Unsung as well

 

Noble was once the talk of OC if not SoCal. 1st year, FAIL. Year 2-6, Evan King Noble. Year 7ish-beyond, BUST. If your in town in February you may get lucky and check out Green Cheek #2. New digs in Costa Mesa. With food.
And I concur with Unsung. Great brewery stuck in corner next to some great bbq.