Long Beach / LA next week

When in Long Beach, absolutely must hit Beachwood BBQ, no exceptions! Amazing food, vibe, & beer. It's basically the whole package. Naja's Place in Redondo is not too far off either.

In LA there are far too many spots to name. Some of my usual hits are Barbara's at the Brewery, Far Bar, Verdugo Bar, Lucky Baldwins (3 different locations) & it goes on, cheers!

 

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in LB and Beachwood BBQ in SB. Congregational Ale House in LB on Mondays when Beachwood BBQ & Brewing is closed on Mondays. Or you can hit up Schooners at Sunset in Sunset Beach.

 

OP: What part of LA will you be visiting on the 9th and 10th?

 

To follow suit off the OP's post, my GF is going to be in Pasadena. Any solid beer stores out there to recommend to her? I would be looking for local options that don't make it out to Chicago. I don't believe RR distributes there but told her to look regardless. Any information or beer store recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

Next to LAX you got El Segundo Brewing on Main St and right across the street is Rock & Brews. For bottles hit up Whole Foods on Sepulveda (2 miles south of LAX). If your staying at a LAX hotel you got "Brewsters" at Four Points.

 

There are plenty of good craft beer options in/near Pasadena.

Beer bars:

• Lucky Baldwin's (primarily Belgian drafts and bottles; decent pub grub) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3539
• Lucky Baldwin's Trappiste Cafe (again, primarily Belgian drafts and bottles; decent pub grub) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25969
• Haven Gastropub (good food, usually a decent tap selection, pricy) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28920
• Congregation Ale House (usually a couple gems on draft, check their website) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27838
• Stone Company Store (nothing too rare on draft, but a good source for Stone bottles/swag if that's your thang) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30105

Beer bars near Pasadena (Glendale, Burbank):

• Tony's Darts Away in Burbank (all craft/draft/California; half the taps are IPAs) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22547
• Golden Road Brewing (comfortable taproom/restaurant; good food; their own beers have been bland but are improving; guest taps) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26932
• Eagle Rock Brewing (small taproom; not a crucial stop, but fairly convenient if you make it to Golden Road) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21651
• The Glendale Tap (in-between Golden Road and Eagle Rock; good tap variety, a current favorite place) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30313

Another point: If you're in Old Town Pasadena, you'll have convenient access to the Metro Gold Line subway, which opens up MANY options in Downtown LA (like Far Bar and Wurstkuche), Hollywood (Blue Palms), and even Long Beach (Beachwood BBQ & Brewing). If you're interested, I can send you some details/options.

Bottles:

• Whole Foods on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena has a huge selection and a section dedicated to locals. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18673/view=beerfly
• Red Carpet Wines in Glendale is a good bottle shop, and they have 6 taps so you might find something nice there. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8360
• Vendome Liquors in Toluca Lake has a huge selection with plenty of locals, and they seem to get things that down show up anywhere else. (Full disclosure: a lot of the beers are on shelves, not in coolers.) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3294

 

There are basically two places to hang in the LBC - Downtown and Belmont Shore... In Downtown, Beachwood and Congregation (next door to Beachwood) are pretty much it. Michaels (also next door to Beachwood) has a couple craft taps, but their pizza is amazing... In Belmont Shore, Simmzy's, Tavern on 2, and Quinn's are the only places specializing in craft beer. Out of those three I recommend Simmzy's the highest. If you are looking for a bottle shop go to Stearn's liquor. It has to be one of the best in So Cal.

Also, I'm sure you know this but Stone has a company store in Pasadena. And I second dcgunman on visiting El Segundo Brewery - Citra Pale Ale is an awesome hoppy pale, and Two 5 Left is a great dipa...

 

Beer Belly in Ktown purple line also. Golden Gopher is alright too.