Los Angeles Advice

LA has some good stuff if youre willing to look around and travel a bit. Surly Goat has good things, Blue Palms in Hollywood is awesome. LA has good beer, just have to do a little work to find it.

 

Highland Park is making the best beer in the area by quite a margin, I think. Better than Beachwood by a lot, though many will jump at my throat for saying that! Everything they do is stupendous, and if you're into brett-sour stuff and IPAs you're in for a treat. They are carrying an imperial coffee kona stout right now in bottles that almost knocked me off my chair how good it was. Phantom Carriage is also excellent if you're into the sour stuff, and the bar is gorgeous. For general bars in the LA area, nothing beats Sunset Beer Company, as it is also a great shop and the ambiance is cool. I hate Mohawk Bend, personally. Blue Palms, Stout Burgers and Beers, and Surly Goat, all pour very good stuff. Steingarten and Father's Office in the West Side; and Verdugo and Tony's Darts Away are all great beer places.

For bottles, Sunset Beer Company (everyone knows everything), Vendome in Bev Hills (ask for Long), K&L Wines in Vine (small selection, but very well curated), Wally's in Westwood (ask for Perry), Buzz in downtown (it's gotten a lot better in prices, and they have a tap list and you can uncork for a fee; def best beer place in downtown), Ramirez (most of the staff doesn't really know much; I don't think it's worth the hike personally)...

Highland Park is really special though, so I would make it a priority. If you can get to Orange County somehow, the Bruery and Noble Ale Works (their IPAs are among the best in the country, imo) are amazing.

 

Wait, what? @the_trystero can you confirm this?

 

Highland Park Brewery is better than at least 9, probably 10, of those.

 

Who would you rank above them? Beachwood or El Segundo are great, but I don't think they can match the amazing stuff HP is putting out. I'm seriously amazed at how good they are.

 

Uncontrollable, Sun Soaked, Pfraim Spaceship, 1UP, Nebraska w/ Brett, the imperial stout (whose name eludes me), Lazy Susan... those beers are, for me, up there with the VERY best Barrelworks puts out, and on par with Sante Adairius, Anchorage, HF... they are THAT good!

 

Ah, no, Griffith J Griffith is great and I have a feeling the BA version is going to be spectacular but there is no Kona in it. I'd have to check my notes to see what I roasted for GJG but I think it was an El Salvador.

 

Just leaving wiggle room for Beachwood, El Segundo, and Smog City. Don't want to get into any internetz dick size arguments any more, too old for that shit.

 

I can invalidate that. No Kona.

 

Sorry, it was Kore! I got confused.

 

I'm interested to see how Cherry ****z is this weekend. I can't say I hold them in the same regard you do in terms of comparisons to Barrelworks and SARA and such but I do think they are on the right track.

 

Beachwood and Smog City go above HPB for now. I'd put El Segundo as equal to HPB only because El Segundo brews less (solid) variety. If this was purely based on IPAs, El Segundo would have to be up with Beachwood...

 

Uh. Woah that some love. I opened an uncontrollable and I'd say it's nowhere near the quality of barrel works, let alone Sara or any of the other really great sour producers.

Have a huge sour tasting coming up next week with some real big bottles, will slip in some cherry **** to see what ppl think, but based on my experience with uncontrollable it might end up at the bottom of the list, hope not

 

I really like that beer man.

 

I notice that when people ask for downtown recommendations people rarely mention Far Bar or Little Bear, is it that people are afraid of the east side of downtown?

 

Hipsters and Asians are scary people are probably just thinking of downtown proper.

 

Far Bar used to get mentioned plenty but has seemed like a shell of its former self the past couple of years.

As for Little Bear, well, we miss you too much and the wounds are still too fresh.

 

saying Highland Park is as good or better than Barrelworks is flattering, but pretty severe hyperbole. I love Highland Park Brewery. They are my local. They've already put out some excellent offerings and I'm excited to see what they'll do in the future. But they've got a ways to go before they are considered in the same echelon as Firestone Walker.

I guess that's what makes the world an interesting place. Not everyone agrees. Personally I would never recommend Buzz in Downtown to anyone. Uncorking overpriced bottles for a fee does not make it more appealing either. And their draft prices are ridiculous

 

HPB is awesome, Beachwood is awesome, El Segundo and Smog City have been solid. I'm just happy we are getting better local beer options out here in LA.

 

The hyperbole does more damage than good, IMO. It raises expectations and if those expectations aren't met (which is usually the case with hyperbolic claims), the brand gets tarnished.