Craft Beer Power Rankings – LA Beer Week 2013 Edition
We take a break from our regularly scheduled Craft Beer Power Rankings to bring you the LA Beer Week 2013 Edition of CBPR. You see, just a few years ago there weren’t many breweries in LA, now there are new breweries opening up every day. Whether you are an out of towner coming to LA for a visit, or an IPA drinking local like myself, you now have some fresh and tasty options. You may notice all the beers ranked are hoppy delights. So? Raise a toast to LA, it’s one of the largest, fastest rising beer cultures in the world, and they now have beers they can be proud to call their own. Cheers!
5. Golden Road Brewing – Heal The Bay IPA – You may have heard that Golden Road Brewing acquired a very talented fresh ale brewer from Drake’s Brewing at the beginning of the year. Brewmaster Jesse undoubtedly changed the course of this brewery with one fine beer known as Heal The Bay IPA. It’s dry, crisp, hoppy, super aromatic, and amazingly drinkable. I think the last batch of the season is still floating around the LA area, so give it a try.
4. Smog City Hoptonic – Smog City Brewing has been a thing for a few years, but just recently got their own brewhouse here in LA. You could make an argument that Smog City has a ton of other beers just as good or better than Hoptonic, I’m sticking with the IPA theme here, and is the perfect example of how they nail their recipes to perfection. This is the first beer I grab from them so thats how this gets the nod.
3. Eagle Rock Populist – Probably the one beer on this list with the widest appeal as far as a West Coast IPAs goes. It’s got the beautiful nose, flavor and body, without the extreme sharpness that turns new craft beer drinkers off. You can find this in bottles and on draft all around Los Angeles, and proud to say it’s always fresh.
2. El Segundo Brewing Co. Grand Hill IPA – Almost two years ago, if you said the words El. Segundo, my immediate reaction would take my imagination to hellish Los Angeles International Airport. Tons of cars, planes and frantic business from around the world. Now when you say El Segundo, I think of El Segundo Brewing, the makers of some of the cleanest hoppy ales in Los Angeles. Recently, they topped their efforts with their latest IPA, Grand Hill, or as we tease, Grant Hill IPA. It’s hard for me to describe this other than it matches up with some of the best fresh hoppy ales I’ve tried from the award winning Pizza Port IPAs and Pales.
1. Beachwood BBQ & Brewing Melrose IPA – Or really any other thing Beachwood makes that ends in IPA. Co-Owner/Brewmaster Julian Shrago is a local treasure with his West Coast style of brewing. Every hoppy ale to come out of Beachwood BBQ & Brewing is world class, this one is just my favorite out of the bunch. Big nose, nice big bitterness, clean finish. It’s been bottled, and will be bottled again, I advise that you try it from the source whether you are a local or visiting from out of town.
