Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles is as smog and traffic filled as you’ve heard, but it is also a city with some of the best beer in the world and plenty of fun things to do!

LA Tips: 

• Rent a car. I don’t always recommend renting a car, and you may think I am crazy with what you have heard about LA traffic, but I do recommend it. The city is massive and very spread out so a car is the easiest way to get around. Plus, rideshares like Uber and Lyft are quite expensive in the LA area.

  • If you are planning to Uber/Lyft from the airport you will need to take a shuttle from the terminal. You can’t actually order your ride until you get into the pickup zone but there are cars waiting for riders there.

• Intentionally plan out your time. There are several cities within the Los Angeles area worth exploring—downtown, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, the beaches, and more—that are all spread out, so be sure to have a plan of attack for your visit.

• If you are in town on a Monday or Tuesday be prepared that a lot of businesses (especially breweries) are closed.

• Downtown LA and tourist sites like the Hollywood Walk of Fame are pretty run down—overall I found central LA to be quite dirty. It’s not quite the glitz and glam that movies make it out to be.

• San Diego is closer than you think! It is about two hours from one downtown to the other, but both cities are sprawling so much that you can easily traverse between the two! I highly recommend exploring San Diego while you’re in the LA area—check out all of my San Diego recommendations here!

• Doing a road trip? Check out my Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park guide here and my Las Vegas guide here!

Adventures & Ales Top Los Angeles Recommendations: 

• Monkish Brewing Co: Monkish is arguably one of the best breweries in the country. Their original taproom is located in Torrance, conveniently close to LAX if you are flying in/out of the city. They are best known for their New England IPAs which are absolutely spectacular, but their funky beers are delicious as well. They have a great patio space and food pop-ups Thursday-Sunday.

  • Monkish has a second location in Anaheim next to Farmer’s Park and the Anaheim Packing District. Parking can be a challenge here when the market is busy but it is worth it for their fantastic beers.

• Bottle Logic Brewing: A powerhouse brewery specializing in Stouts located in Anaheim. They have a nice patio, a large tap list, and phenomenal beers.

• Green Cheek Beer Co.: A top-notch brewery with locations in Costa Mesa and Orange. They have a wide array of beers to choose from, including a few guest taps, and they are best known for their Lagers. They also have a small food menu.

• Windsor Homebrew and Bottle Shop: A curated bottle shop and homebrew supply store with locations in Anaheim and Costa Mesa. Their bottle shop selection is incredible and the Anaheim location also has a selection of beers on tap that are hard to find and highly rated.

• Traveling with a group? AvantStay has some amazing larger homes for rent! Use my link here to save $250 off your booking!

• Highland Park Brewery: A fantastic brewery in downtown Los Angeles with a wide variety of beers and delicious food. Chill vibes, great beers.

• Kings Brewing: Located in Rancho Cucamonga, Kings is best known for their thicc Fruited Sours but they also highly value a good crisp Lager. They have a massive tap list and a friendly team.

• Homage Brewing: Homage has two locations—their original taproom is in downtown Pomona and they have a smaller secondary taproom in the Chinatown neighborhood of downtown LA. They are best known for their Saisons and Lambics which are top-notch.

• The Bruery: The Bruery is a highly awarded brewery creating uniquely delicious beers. Their main brewery and taproom is located in Placentia, right near Anaheim, Their second location, Bruery Terreux Tasting Room, is 5 minutes away in Anaheim proper. This location houses their Lambics and Wild Ales, but you can get those on tap at the main taproom as well.

Monkish Brewing

Los Angeles Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Griffith Park: A massive park with hiking, an observatory, access to the Hollywood Sign, a Greek Theater, the L.A. Zoo, tennis courts, a golf course, an equestrian center, and more!

  • I enjoyed the Glendale Peak Trail in Griffith Park that was 3.6 miles long and 67 flights up. It is quite exposed so be sure to bring lots of water. The trail can be popular but on a weekday morning I only saw a few folks. You get great views of the skyline, Hollywood Sign, and surrounding mountains.

• Hit the beach! Whether it is Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, or any of the smaller beaches in between, spend some time at the Pacific Ocean.

• Getting a picture of The Hollywood Sign: While in L.A. this is basically a must do, but it turns out it’s a bit harder than you would expect. You can go to the top of the park but then you are behind the letters and can’t actually read them, so I set out to take a photo from the front of the letters. As a heads up, Google says you can do this from “The Last House on Mulholland” but you cannot, they have closed the road. The entire Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood that is in front of the Hollywood Sign has signs up throughout it preventing parking and there are several roads closed because of tourists. I managed to snag a quick photo near 3389 Deronda Drive, but even that was technically not allowed.

• Elysian Park: Another massive greenspace in the city! There is a good view of the skyline at Angel’s Point.

• Check out the Top of the World: I did the Top of the World via Canyon Acres Trail in Laguna Beach that led to a great viewpoint of the surrounding mountains, ocean, and city. You can also drive up to right below The Top of the World if that is more your style. For the hike it was short but steep—2.7 miles long and 70 flights up. It is very exposed so be sure to bring lots of water. Overall it took me just over an hour and was a great workout with great views.

Griffith Park

Other LA Things To Do:​​

• Radiant Beer Co.: Located in Anaheim, Radiant is a young brewery with vibrant branding and a nice patio. Their beers are solid and they were named 2021 GABF Small Brewery of the Year.

• The Camp: A cute development in Costa Mesa with a bunch of shops and restaurants to explore.

  • Slurpin’ Ramen Bar: A small ramen bar located near The Camp in Costa Mesa with delicious ramen and other appetizers and sides.

• Mumford Brewing: A solid brewery in downtown Los Angeles.

• Sandbox Brewing Company: Sandbox is a small spot known for their Fruited Sours. They are located in an industrial complex in Montclair.

Lake Tahoe, CA

Lake Tahoe is a gorgeous place to visit that I absolutely loved & highly recommend!

​Tahoe Tips: 

• Make South Tahoe your base! There are far more things to do in the South Tahoe area than any of the other spots you can stay around the lake.

• Tahoe is primarily a ski town and a lake town, so most folks choose to visit in the snowy months or June-August for the most lake usage.

• There are bike paths throughout the city and a trolley in town that you can utilize as well.

• Hop around the South Tahoe Beer Trail! I detail the breweries below, but this website has a handy map and information.

• There are a ton of great hikes in the Tahoe area, most are about 20 minutes from town. Many trails will either be closed or difficult to hike due to snow for a majority of the year, so be sure to check conditions ahead of time on websites like AllTrails. Also be bear aware! Tahoe is full of bears both in neighborhoods and on trails.

• Stateline, Nevada is directly adjacent to South Tahoe. This city is full of casinos and somewhat trashier vibes.

• Doing a Northern California trip? Check out my San Francisco recommendations here (update coming soon!) and my Yosemite National Park Guide here.

• Bend, Oregon has very similar vibes to Tahoe, so if you like one you’ll like the other. My Bend guide is linked here.

South Lake Brewing Company

Adventures & Ales Top Lake Tahoe Recommendations: 

• The Hangar: My absolute favorite stop in Tahoe! The Hangar is a beer bar and bottle shop with a fantastic beer selection. Their outside area is truly majestic. They also have frequent food pop-ups.

• DL Bliss State Park to Emerald Bay State Park via Rubicon Trail: This section of the lakeshore is incredibly beautiful. There are a couple of access points to the water as well. The route I took was 6.8 miles long, 62 flights up, and took about 3 hours.

  • While I do love this trail, I would highly recommend not actually doing the AllTrails route. This route has you park on the side of the road, walk down a very steep section, walk across the road, walk through a campsite, and then join the Rubicon Trail. This first stretch has zero views and is just unnecessary. Park at the Rubicon Trail access point, at DL Bliss State Park, or at Emerald Bay State Park.

• South Lake Brewing Company: A fun brewery with delicious beers and great branding. They have a nice beer garden on the side of the building and a small patio space out front. South Lake offers flights in the form of skis and snowboards which is adorable and their beers are arguably the best in Tahoe. Get Rad pizza is also based here for your food needs. South Lake will soon be opening a second taproom in the village neighborhood near Stateline.

• Stay at The Jeffrey Hotel: A super cute and very Tahoe-esque hotel. Enjoy contact-less check-in, a fireplace, a mini-kitchen, and a plethora of thoughtful touches. They also have a fantastic upper patio space with a firepit and chill vibes. The Jeffrey is within walking distance to a TON of different spots in The Village and Stateline.

• Secret Cove: This is a fun “secret beach” on the Nevada side of the lake. The water in insanely pretty here and I highly recommend a visit. It is a little difficult to access—you can park at Chimney Beach when that lot is open, but it is not year-round, so when it is closed you need to park on the side of the road. Depending on where you are able to get a spot it can be a very steep start down to the beach, so be prepared. It is about a half mile from the road to the beach. This is a nude beach, but early in the morning you can generally avoid anything too crazy if you want to.

• Dragonfly Bagel: A delicious bagel spot that also serves beer and wine at night with some New Orleans flair. Located directly next to Sidellis Brewing.

• South of North Brewing Company: A fun brewery housed at the Base Camp Hotel with a fantastic outdoor space. They have a full food menu with delicious sandwiches and snacks. They have live music every night, fire pits and are super dog friendly. South of North exudes chill vibes, their beer is solid and they also have several guest taps.

• Eagle Lake Trail: This a great hike to an absolutely stunning lake back in the woods. This trailhead is in a popular area near Eagle Falls and Emerald Bay, so start early. You will also get to see Upper Eagle Falls at the start of this trail. Overall this hike took just over an hour, was 2.5 miles long, and 36 flights up.

• Cold Water Brewery & Grill: A delightful woman-owned, food-focused brewery. Their food menu rotates seasonally and is the perfect spot for dinner after a day of adventuring. They have a large and diverse tap list as well. In the summer they open an adjacent taproom, The Runoff, to allow for more service and seating outside.

• The Idle Hour: A cute wine bar right on the lake. You can choose between a glass of wine, a tasting or a bottle. They also have a small food menu. This is the perfect spot to catch the sunset and beautiful views of the lake.

• Sidellis Brewing: Sidellis is a barrel aging and sour-focused brewery, but they always have a variety of beers on tap that can please anyone’s palate. Their kitchen serves up a simple but delicious menu to accompany their brews. There is also a nice back patio space. Their flight boards are shaped like Lake Tahoe, and their Stouts are particularly delicious!

Eagle Lake

Lake Tahoe Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: 

• El Dorado Beach: A large public beach with restrooms, a snack shack, picnic tables, and kayak and stand-up paddle board rentals. The water is extremely clear and stays shallow for quite a long distance out into the lake.

• Inspiration Point: A nice viewpoint to stop at while you’re around the trails. There is a box for a $5 fee based on the honor system. I highly recommend going early, I was the only one there at 8am and there were cars backed up trying to get into the parking lot all afternoon long. There are restrooms and nice informational signs here as well.

• Cascade Falls Trail: This is a pretty easy trail that was 2.5 miles, 28 flights up, and took just over an hour to complete. It is essentially a straight line from the trailhead in the campground to the waterfall. There are great views of Cascade Lake nearly the entire hike. There isn’t a great viewpoint for the waterfall itself since you end at the top of it, but it is still a nice hike overall.

• Lakeside Beach: Another nice beach with restrooms, a snack shack, and a playground. This is a great spot to catch the sunset, but bring bug spray. There are fees to enter from Memorial Day to Labor Day when a gate attendant is present.

• Fallen Leaf Lake Trail: There are multiple access points to the Fallen Leaf Lake Trail, so you can choose where you’d like to jump in. The trailhead is inside a campground, but you can keep to the left to drive along the road with the trail. If you follow the AllTrails route it is 3.6 miles and mostly flat. The water here is gorgeous (like everywhere in Tahoe!) and there are views of Mount Tallac.

The Jeffrey

Other Lake Tahoe Things To Do:​​​

• Kings Beach: The public beach for North Tahoe. There are kayak and stand-up paddle board rentals on this end of the lake as well.

  • JavaHut: A solid coffee shop right along Kings Beach.

• Cuppa: A cute bookstore, café and coworking space. The staff here is super friendly and the pastries are great—I’d skip the bagel though.

• Monkey Rock Trail: This is a nice 2.7 mile long, 22 flight up hike to Monkey Rock—which actually looks exactly like a monkey. It takes just about an hour and has great panoramic views from the Nevada side of the lake. You do have to pay to park at the trailhead, they will 100% give you a ticket if you don’t.

• Alibi Ale Works: An average brewery with a full food menu. They have 3 locations in the area: the Brewery & Barrel House in Incline Village, NV, Incline Public House in Incline Village, NV and Truckee Public House in the city of Truckee.

• Free Bird: A cafe with two locations in town with coffee, smoothies, and a small food menu.

• Lake Tahoe AleWorX at the Y: A self-pour beer bar and pizza restaurant offering mostly local brews. They have a great shared outdoor space with the neighboring businesses.

  • Lake Tahoe AleWorX Stateline: This is the Nevada location for AleWorX with more self-pour taps, a full bar, and a food menu.

• Revive Coffee and Wine: A cool spot with a nice outdoor space, but be aware that their hours are not always accurate.

• Stateline Brewery & Restaurant: A very mediocre brewery with below average beers and below average service. Highly recommend that you skip this basement spot. Also to note if you do choose to visit, it is called Stateline but it is actually in California, not in Stateline, NV.

The Bay Area, CA

I absolutely Love the Bay Area—it is stunningly gorgeous, there are tons of great breweries, and the hiking is incredible!

The Bay Area Tips: 

• This area is massive. San Francisco itself is a huge city that takes several days to explore, and you can spend several days exploring the areas to the south side of the bay and several more exploring the north.

• While you are in San Francisco be sure to soak in all the architecture! Everywhere you look there is unique and beautiful buildings

• While you are in San Francisco always carry a rain jacket! Even if there is no rain in the forecast it still happens all the time, and the fog makes things generally damp.

• Avoid driving if you are just staying in San Francisco itself. The city is known for car break-ins and parking is really a nightmare.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations for San Francisco:​

• Mission Dolores Park: A perfectly placed park that provides fantastic views of the skyline in the heart of the Mission District​​. This is the perfect spot for a picnic and the park is also very dog friendly.

• Hike! I started at Fort Point and followed the coastal trail. There are amazing views of the bridge, hang out at Baker Beach (heads up this is a nude beach), and then you can do the Land's End section as well that takes you around the peninsula down to Golden Gate Park. This trail on AllTrails is similar to what I did but I did it in the opposite direction & went further down the coast to Golden Gate Park.

• Cellarmaker Brewing: Arguably the best brewery in SF! They have two locations—the original taproom and their House of Pizza which has phenomenal Detroit-style pizzas with their beers. HOP is quite small so try to visit during an off time or you will need to wait for a table.

• The Rare Barrel: A fantastic brewery in Berkeley specializing in Sour Barrel Aged beers. They also have their own IPA and Lager subsidiary, Hello Friend.

• Toronado: One of the top beer bars in the country! They have an insane tap list and 40 taps. This spot is cash only and has dive bar vibes.

• Holy Water: A religious-themed craft beer and cocktail bar. They have a great tap list and chill vibes. Located in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

• Barebottle Brewing Co.: A great brewery with a wide variety of beers, but specializing in IPAs. They have a large taproom with games and a nice little beer garden. As a forewarning if you go the flight route they are quite expensive, but the beers are great.

• Breakfast Little: A cute spot for delicious breakfast in The Mission. They have breakfast burritos, tots, coffees, and more.  

• The Monk’s Kettle: A tavern in the heart of The Mission with a top-notch tap list and tasty food. Overall a cool spot with fun vibes.

Tartine Bakery in Mission Dolores Park

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting in San Francisco: ​

• Tartine Bakery: Located in The Mission & worth the wait. Amazing breakfast and baked goods. Pro tip—grab some baked goods and walk over to Mission Dolores Park. 

• The Golden Gate Bridge: Duh. It's stunning. But also don’t be surprised if it is hidden in the fog.

• Muir Woods: A national monument in the Redwoods! This is an extremely popular spot since it is close to San Francisco and easily accessible. It is $15 to enter unless you have a National Park Pass and you are required to book your parking ahead of time, or you can also book a seat on the shuttle. Learn more about both here. This area is very lush and there are a variety of hikes/walks you can choose from to explore.

  • I did the Fern Creek, Lost and Canopy Trail which was 5.1 miles and 69 flights up to the top of the Redwoods. The AllTrails map is not quite accurate so just follow the signage on the trail. If you’d rather just have a nice flat and easy walk you can do that at the base of the Redwoods as well.

• Ferry Building Market: A cute indoor market where the ferry stop is. Fort Point Brewing has a little mini tap room here as well

• Clairon Alley: Social justice murals line the alley

• Ghirardelli Square: So touristy. But also chocolate, so it's worth it. San Francisco Brewing is here as well.

• Fisherman's Wharf: So touristy. See the sea lions, but then escape!

• Crane Cove Park: A nice green space on the water right near the Chase Center.

Holy Water

Other things to do in San Francisco: ​​

• Original Pattern Brewing: A hazy IPA focused brewery in Oakland. The also partner with Good To Eat for dumplings onsite.

• Magnolia Brewing: A solid brewery on Haight Street with a full food menu and restaurant style set-up.

• Almanac Beer Co.: A popular brewery in Alameda known for Barrel Aged Stouts and Wild Ales. They have a large outdoor space and are super dog friendly.

• Faction Brewing: Another brewery just down the road from Almanac that has views of the San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge. They are part of Spirits Alley with distilleries and wineries surrounding them, so you could make a day of bopping between businesses.

• Southern Pacific Brewing: A popular brewery with a large space, full food menu, and solid beers.

• The Page: A fun dive bar in the Lower Haight neighborhood.

• Standard Deviant Brewing: A solid brewery in The Mission with an outdoor patio and several TVs for sports.

• Harmonic Brewing: Another brewery option. Located in an industrial area with frequent food pop-ups and average beers.

• Laughing Monk Brewing: A solid brewery in an industrial area with food pop-ups and games. Their tap list mainly focused on IPAs and easy drinking beers.

• Barrel Head Brewery: Solid beers and yummy pretzels, what more could you ask for? 

• Noe Bagel: A nice spot for a bagel in the heart of the Noe neighborhood. Pop up the street to Bernie’s Coffee for a drink to pair with your bagel.

• ThirstyBear Brewery: Organic beers and a large space!

• 21st Amendment Brewing: Solid beers that are largely distributed around the country

Humble Sea Brewing

Santa Cruz County Recommendations:

• Santa Cruz is an adorable little beach town full of great breweries, wineries, and restaurants.

• Sante Adairius Rustic Ales: SARA is one of the top breweries in the world and has two locations—their original taproom in Capitola and The Portal in Santa Cruz. They specialize in Rustic Ales, so be sure to try their Saisons. In Capitola they are located at the end of an industrial road with a quaint little taproom and outdoor patio. The Portal has a small patio out front and larger taproom inside. Here they partner with Bookies Pizza for Detroit-style pies and be sure to ask what Private Press Brewing bottles they have for onsite consumption as well.

• Humble Sea Brewing Company: This fantastic brewery has three locations: Santa Cruz—Located right in the heart of downtown, this is their main taproom and brewery. It is a cute spot with killer beers and they have Fonda Felix empanadas. Pacifica—This taproom is right next to the beach and has a full food menu and a great outdoor space. The Tavern—Located in Felton and has a full food menu and cocktails as well.

• Natural Bridges State Park: This is a nice beach with a very cool rock formation. If you are staying longer than 20 minutes you have to pay for parking, or you can park on the nearby street and walk over.

• Woodhouse Brewing & Blending: A nice brewery in Santa Cruz with an IPA-heavy tap list. This is a popular spot with frequent live music and food trucks. They have a nice outdoor space as well.

• Discretion Brewing: A solid brewery in Soquel with a wide variety of beers and a full food menu from Sugo Italian Kitchen onsite.

• Firefly Coffee House: A nice little spot in Santa Cruz for coffee and bagels.

• Beer Thirty: A bottle shop and beer bar in Soquel. It is a cute spot with mostly local draft beers but they are quite pricey.

• Santa Cruz also has a large boardwalk and amusement park along the beach which are quite touristy.

Big Sur Recommendations:

• Explore this gorgeous coast and do some hiking along the way! Be sure to start your day early because the parking at each viewpoint fills up quickly.

• Don’t miss: Rocky Creek Bridge, Castle Rock Viewpoint and Bixby Creek Bridge. There are a ton of different viewpoints along the road, so just pull over whenever you want to check it out!

• For the hiking in Big Sur there is a $10 admission fee that is good at all of the state parks in the area for the day.

• Partington Cove: This hike has nice views of 2 different coves, make sure you check out both. There is not a fee here, you just park along the road. This is a short and quick trail at just 1.3 miles long, 24 flights up, and about 25 minutes.

• McWay Falls: It is about .7 of a mile from the parking lot to the Falls viewpoint and back. There is also a longer trail but it was closed for maintenance while I was there. The $10 entrance fee also applies here. McWay Falls is a small waterfall that you are viewing from high up, but the bay view is very pretty.

• Pfieffer Big Sur State Park: There are several trails here after you pay the $10 entrance fee. The Valley View Overlook trail and the connection to Pfeiffer Falls is a nice hike. From the parking lot take the River Trail past the visitor center to the trailhead. Prepare for lots of stairs and quite a bit of incline as you are gaining 500ft of elevation in less than a mile. From the summit there is a nice view of the surrounding valley out to the ocean. Pfeiffer Falls is a small waterfall but it is still nice and it is an easy add-on to make the trail a loop. Overall it was 2.6 miles, 48 flights up, and took just about an hour.

The Lone Cyprus on the 17-Mile Drive

The Monterey Peninsula Recommendations:

• Carmel Beach: A beautiful beach with incredibly white sand in Carmel-By-The-Sea

• 17-mile Drive: You guessed it, a 17-mile drive around the edge of the Pebble Beach peninsula. It is $11.25 to drive it or if you spend $35 at a Pebble Beach restaurant it is reimbursed. There are a ton of different viewpoints along the drive and they give you a map at the entrance. Some of my favorites were the Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point, the Lone Cyprus, and Seal Beach.

• Wander Monterey—this cute little beach town is quite fancy.

• Alvarado Street Brewing: Alvarado Street has two locations—one in downtown Monterey and one in Carmel-By-The-Sea. Their Monterey taproom has a front and back patio space, full food menu, and restaurant-style vibes. Yeast of Eden is their Wild Ale subsidiary so occasionally they have one of those beers on draft and bottles available.

• Fieldwork Brewing Company: Fieldwork has a ton of different taprooms around the Bay Area, so be sure to check out at least one while you are in the area. Their Monterey spot is an outdoor beer garden with a huge tap list and a wide variety of beers. The service was exceptional and West Coast IPAs were great.

• Point Lobos is just south of the Monterey Peninsula and has several different hiking trails. Parking can be absolutely insane—go early because the parking lot and surrounding road fill up quickly.

Watsonville Recommendations:

• Fruition Brewing: A great brewery in Watsonville! They have a front patio space, restaurant onsite specializing in oysters, and impressive beers.

• Beer Mule: A bottle shop and beer bar in Watsonville. A cool spot with great beers and frequent food pop-ups.

Iron Horse Vineyards

Sonoma County Recommendations:

• When you drive into Sonoma County there are wineries and sheep everywhere—the views are great!

• Russian River Brewing: One of the best breweries in the world! They are located in downtown Santa Rosa and make insanely good, award winning beer. It is a popular spot for both locals and tourists so expect it to be busy. I recommend doing a flight to try a variety of their beers—you can do their California style beers, Belgian inspired beers, the full tap list, or build your own. They also have a full food menu. The beer for both onsite and to-go is quite cheap which is delightful coming from such a world class brewery.

• Stay at Cambria Hotel Sonoma Wine Country: I loved my stay at this new and budget friendly hotel in the heart of wine country. It was 1 mile off the highway, 10 minutes from Russian River, and had great amenities. They have an outdoor pool, workout room, fire pits outside, and a great bar and restaurant inside.

• Check out the wineries! Obviously Sonoma County and Napa Valley are best known for their wine so be sure to check it out. There are wineries everywhere in the region and most require reservations in advance and have limited hours, most spots are generally 10am-3pm.

  • Iron Horse Vineyards is where I chose to visit because they have a great view and are known for their sparkling wines. The tasting was $30 for 5 pours and takes about 1 hour. It is a nice set-up with super nice staff members and lovely views.

The Best Breweries in Southern California

Southern California is full of fantastic breweries, including some of the top breweries in the world! It can be overwhelming to plan a beer trip to this area just because there are simply so many breweries and a lot of those breweries also have multiple taprooms. For full guides to this area, check out my San Diego beer and travel guide here and my Los Angeles guide here.

In ranking order, here are the best breweries in Southern California:

Monkish Brewing Co: Torrance and Anaheim

Monkish is arguably one of the best breweries in the country. Their original taproom is located in Torrance, conveniently close to LAX if you are flying in/out of the city. They are best known for their New England IPAs which are absolutely spectacular, but their funky beers are delicious as well. Monkish has a second location in Anaheim next to Farmer’s Park and the Anaheim Packing District.

Bottle Logic Brewing: Anaheim

Bottle Logic is a powerhouse brewery specializing in Stouts. They have a nice patio, a large tap list, and phenomenal beers in Anaheim.

Pure Project: San Diego Area

Pure Project is easily the best brewery in the San Diego area. They have several locations to check out—Vista, Miramar, Balboa Park, Carlsbad and North Park. Their “Murky” IPAs, Stouts, Sours and Lagers are all superb.

Homage Brewing: Pomona and downtown Los Angeles

Homage is best known for their Saisons and Lambics, which are top-notch. Homage has two locations—their original taproom is in downtown Pomona and they have a smaller secondary taproom in the Chinatown neighborhood of downtown LA.

Green Cheek Beer Co.: Costa Mesa and Orange

A stellar brewery with a wide array of beers to choose from, including a few guest taps. They are best known for their Lagers and IPAs and have taprooms in Costa Mesa and Orange.

Highland Park Brewery: Downtown Los Angeles

Highland Park is a fantastic brewery in downtown Los Angeles with a wide variety of beers and delicious food. They have great beers and chill vibes.

Kings Brewing: Rancho Cucamonga

Kings is best known for their thiccc Fruited Sours but they also highly value a good crisp Lager. They have a massive tap list and a friendly team, located in Rancho Cucamonga.

North Park Beer Co.: San Diego

North Park does all styles of beer well! West Coast IPAs, Hazy IPAs, Lagers, Stouts—they are all fantastic. Their taproom in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego has chill vibes.

Burgeon Beer Company: Carlsbad

Burgeon is a great brewery with a wide variety of beers to choose from. Each style is executed well and their taproom is a fun place to hang out.

The Bruery: Placentia & Anaheim

The Bruery is a highly awarded brewery creating uniquely delicious beers. Their main brewery and taproom is located in Placentia, right near Anaheim. Their second location, Bruery Terreux Tasting Room, is 5 minutes away in Anaheim proper. This location houses their Lambics and Wild Ales, but you can get those on tap at the main taproom as well.

The Lost Abbey: San Diego Area

The Lost Abbey is a Belgian brewery with four tasting rooms in the San Diego area—The Main Tasting Room in San Marcos, The Church in downtown San Diego, The Sanctuary in San Marcos, and The Confessional in Cardiff-By-The-Sea. They focus on Belgian-style Ales and barrel aged beers.

What are your top breweries in southern california? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

May 2022

May was a month of bottle shares and an 11 day Northern California road trip, so there was a ton of good beer consumed and new breweries visited. Check out my top beers of the past month, in no particular order:

The Maison from de Garde Brewing in Tillamook, OR at The Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco, CA

The Maison is a Spontaneous Wild Ale aged in oak barrels and blended for 3+ years. de Garde is definitely one of my favorite breweries in the country so finding them on tap in San Francisco was a treat! The Monk’s Kettle was a fantastic beer bar with great food, I highly recommend checking them out in the Mission District.

Coeur de Cuvée (Blend #8) from Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, MO

Coeur de Cuvée is a series of blends of wine barrel fermented and aged Saisons from Side Project. This eighth release contains select barrels of a Chablis-inspired Saison which was then refermented on Michigan pears before being blended in a Bière de Coupage style and conditioned for an extended period of time in bottle. This was another fantastic beer from Side Project, who never seems to disappoint.

10,000 Steps (Batch 2) from Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz, CA at Holy Water in San Francisco, CA

10,000 Steps Batch 2 is a blend of barrel aged Imperial Stout and Barleywine brewed with maple syrup and conditioned on cacao nibs and vanilla beans. Private Press is a sought after brewery with no taproom and limited releases in the Bay Area. Seeing them on tap at Holy Water was a delight! Holy Water is a chill beer bar in the Bernal Heights neighborhood with fantastic beers.

Supplication at Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA

Supplication is a Brown Ale aged in Pinot Noir wine barrels for one year with sour cherries, brettanomyces yeast and lactobacillus and pedioccus bacteria. Visiting Russian River was definitely a huge goal of mine so I was pumped to make it out to Santa Rosa. I tried 8 beers at Russian River and was truly surprised to find that Supplication was my favorite.

Everything at Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola and Santa Cruz, CA

I visited both Sante Adairius locations while in Northern California—the OG taproom in Capitola and The Portal in Santa Cruz. I was insanely impressed with every single beer that I had:

Queen of the Season Foudre aged Saison; Wisdom is Learned Barrel Aged Saison with peaches; The Gift of Comfort Barrel aged Blonde ale with rose hips and Meyer Lemon; Landscapes #3 Oak aged Saison dry hopped with Kohia Nelson; Anais House Saison; Cellarman Oak aged Saison in collaboration with Triple Rock; Tomorrow, Today IPA with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic

Everything at Moksa Brewing in Rocklin, CA

Visiting Moksa was also extremely exciting for me, so it was tough not to drink the entire menu as I loved everything. My two favorites at Moksa were Smells Like C.R.E.A.M. Spirit, an Imperial Stout with port barrel aged maple syrup, vanilla beans and coffee in collaboration with @mikerphonebrewing and One Million Blueberries Imperial Sour Ale with blueberries and vanilla.

Hypnotized Minds Volume 2 Collaboration beer from Xul Beer Co. in Knoxville, TN, BlackStack Brewing in St. Paul, MN and Orchestrated Minds Brewing in Fort Lauderdale, FL at Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC

Hypnotized Minds is a Double Dry Hopped Triple IPA with Azacca, Citra & Simcoe hops. In celebration of CLT Beer Week Resident Culture hosted a tap takeover with a few guest taps, one of which was this fantastic Xul, BlackStack, Orchestrated Minds juice bomb!

Home Sour Home 2022 at The Rare Barrel in Berkeley, CA

Home Sour Home 2022 is a Golden Sour aged in oak barrels with peach, cinnamon and vanilla bean. Everything at The Rare Barrel was superb, but Home Sour Home was particularly delicious! This beer has a great balance of tartness and sweetness, making it easy drinking and phenomenal.

Schmoojee Hydra collaboration brew from Imprint Beer Co. in Hartfield, PA and Mortalis Brewing in Avon, NY

Schmoojee Hydra is a heavily fruited sour with mango, pineapple, passionfruit, banana, coconut and marshmallow. Mortalis and Imprint are two of the best in the game for Fruited Sours so it is no surprise that this was delicious. It was light and refreshing while also being thiccc and fruity at the same time.

Check back next month for my top beers of June 2022!
Cheers —ALexis

January 2022

January brought a plethora of fantastic beers—from bottle shares, to a Charleston trip, to a Southern California trip visiting some of the top breweries in the country, there was no shortage of delicious brews. In no particular order, here are the best beers I had in January 2022:

Everything at Monkish Brewing in Torrance and Anaheim, CA

Is this cheating? Yes. Too bad. Everything Monkish brews is incredibly delicious and I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to visit both of their taprooms on my SoCal trip! I had the following beers and I would recommend them all:

• Conscience Be Free: Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe

• Foggier Window: Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Galaxy

• Sticky Traffic: Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy

• Biggie Biggie Biggie: Triple IPA with Galaxy and El Dorado

• One Tree: Triple IPA with Strata and Idaho 7

• M 9.5: Saison aged in oak barrels for 18 months and conditioned on spent Blenheim apricots

Nelson!!! (It’s What We Like Here!) at Green Cheek Beer Co. in Costa Mesa, CA

Nelson!!! (It’s What We Like Here!) is a West Coast IPA with hand selected—you guessed it—Nelson Sauvin hops from Freestyle Farm in New Zealand. I generally always choose a Hazy IPA over a West Coast IPA but I decided to branch out while on the West Coast because that’s where they are done best. This was easily the best West Coast IPA I’ve ever had. Shout out to Green Cheek for truly crushing the game.

Luxurious Luxury Volume 10 Collab from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA and Evil Twin BRewing in New York, NY

Luxurious Luxury Volume 10 is a Pastry Sour with blackberry, pear, marshmallow and vanilla salt. This latest installment in The Veil and Evil Twin’s collaboration series was absolutely epic. The flavors were exploding and I thoroughly enjoyed every sip.

Double Lightning at Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC

Double Lightning is a Hazy Double IPA with Citra, Mosaic and Galaxy hops. This is the double version of their Flagship Beer, Lightning Drops. I was incredibly impressed with the quality of Double Lightning and look forward to hopefully seeing more of it released.

Study Break, Intrepid Orchid (2022), and Memory Systems at Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA

Bottle Logic crushes the Stout game so I of course ordered each one they had on the menu when I visited and they were all delicious!

• Study Break: Imperial Stout with lactose, caramel malts, cacao nibs and peanuts

• Intrepid Orchid 2022: Bourbon Barrel-Aged English Style Vanilla Barleywine with Madagascar vanilla

• Memory Systems 2022: Bourbon Barrel Aged Cinnamon Bun Stout—Imperial Stout aged in a braid of Old Fitzgerald, Heaven Hill, and Elijah Craig barrels and conditioned with a four-day marshmallow steep and a recirculation through Madagascar vanilla beans, Vietnamese cinnamon, and cassia bark

Tomorrow Today from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola, CA and La Ruche from Side Project Brewing in St. Louis, MO

Tomorrow Today is a West Coast IPA with Simcoe, Citra, and Mosaic hops. Sante Adairius has long been on my list of breweries I’d love to try so I was absolutely stoked to get to taste some of the draft beer while in SoCal.

La Ruche is a Saison fermented using a blend of local microflora and a traditional Saison yeast. Orange Blossom honey was added for refermentation in a Missouri Oak Foedre and then it was aged to maturity before being naturally conditioned in the bottle. Side Project is always a top-notch brewery and this beer was exceptional.

I enjoyed both of these at Windsor Homebrew Supply in Anaheim. They have a killer tap list and bottle/can selection alongside their homebrew supplies.

Eternal Forever at Pure Brewing in San Diego, CA

Eternal Forever is a blend of Single and Double Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stouts with Cacao & Wild Thai Banana. Pure released this in celebration of their 6th Anniversary and I luckily was in town for the release. I actually had this beer twice while I was in San Diego, at Pure Balboa Park and at Pure Carlsbad, because it was just so good. The banana flavor was epic.

Fros’e Sour Blackberry Puff at Kings Brewing Company in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Pictured left, this is a Fros'e with blackberry, blueberry, cherry, grape, double vanilla & double marshmallow. Kings is best known for their thiccc Fruited Sours and this brew was the best of the three I had on tap. The fruit combination was fantastic!

Rosé de Gambrinus from Cantillon in Brussels, Belgium

This is a blend of Lambics and raspberries from the famed Cantillon in Belgium. Every brew they create is great and this was a light, fruity, and tart sipper.

Pliny The Elder from Russian River Brewing Company in Russian River, CA

Pliny the Elder is a Double West Coast IPA with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops. This is probably the best known West Coast IPA in the country and deemed a classic. I’ve had Pliny several times before but I couldn’t pass up the chance to have it on draft on the West Coast at Mostra Coffee’s 4s location. It is always delightful—clean, crisp, and delicious.

Check back next month to see what my top beers of February will be! CHeers —ALexis