What's the best Craft Brewery in LA?

[Theresa D]

What's the best craft brewery in Los Angeles? is Angel City Brewery good?

[Porthos]

Serious question. City? County? Greater Southern California Area?

[Porthos]

Question for members. Do you consider Karl Strauss to be a craft brewery, albiet one with brewery operations all over southern California?

[liuzhou]

I always have difficulties with 'craft' and 'artisan'. Do they have any legal definition in California or anywhere else?

 

I have even more difficulty with 'best', a completely subjective opinion.

[Toliver]

10 hours ago, Porthos said:

Question for members. Do you consider Karl Strauss to be a craft brewery, albiet one with brewery operations all over southern California?

I'd say "no". 

I think to be labelled "craft" you have to make your beer in quantities small enough that it's possible you could run out of it. I don't think Karl Strauss could qualify for that.

It's ironic that craft beers can become so successful that they expand and eventually become too large to be called "craft" beers any longer. I think Samuel Adams is a good illustration of this. 

[blue_dolphin]

On 9/21/2017 at 11:35 PM, liuzhou said:

I always have difficulties with 'craft' and 'artisan'. Do they have any legal definition in California or anywhere else?

I have even more difficulty with 'best', a completely subjective opinion.

 

The US brewers assoc does have a definition for an American craft brewery that it be small, independent and traditional, with specified standards for each of the 3 criteria.  

This past summer, the association launched a rather ugly seal that qualified brewers can use on their products. 

 

Sorry for the late response.  Not sure it helps the OP's request but my local fave is Ladyface. 

 

[liuzhou]

10 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

The US brewers assoc does have a definition for an American craft brewery that it be small, independent and traditional, with specified standards for each of the 3 criteria.  

This past summer, the association launched a rather ugly seal that qualified brewers can use on their products.

 

Ah. Good. But does it have any legal standing?

 

Does it prevent anyone making a beer, selling it as craft beer but not meeting the criteria and so using  the ugly seal?

[BrentKulman]

Highland Park Brewery.  I make a beeline for it whenever I am in the area.  Monkish is right up there as well.

[Porthos]

Hanger 24 in Redlands. Their chocolate porter is incredible. For a couple of years it was a weeknight "get together" spot with some of my ren faire friends.

 

Hanger 24

[FrogPrincesse]

On 9/21/2017 at 10:56 PM, Porthos said:

Question for members. Do you consider Karl Strauss to be a craft brewery, albiet one with brewery operations all over southern California?

I think it qualifies. It is the brewery that started the craft beer movement in San Diego, it's independent, and the quality is still there!

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/travel/san-diegos-thriving-craft-beer-scene.html

[BMan1113VR]

A bit late to this one.

By every industry definition, Karl Strauss is indeed a craft brewery. They are a regional sized (aka large) craft brewery with one large production facility in San Diego that produces the vast majority of their beer. All their brewpub locations (aka restaurants) have brewing equipment on site which produce a small amount of the beer on tap (one brewer usually brews at 2-3 of the pubs - at least that is the case for the LA/OC brewer).

 

As far as breweries in LA County, it really depends on what you are looking for, but some of the best beer producers would be Monkish (Torrance), Highland Park (Highland Park) and Beachwood (Long Beach). Firestone Walker's Propagator outpost in Venice is good too, but I'd consider Firestone Walker more of a Central Coast brewery than an LA Brewery.  Other good ones would include Mumford, Cellador, El Segundo, Smog City, Ladyface, ect.

 

Orange County also has quite a few very good breweries. I'd suggest Noble, Green Cheek, Bottle Logic and The Bruery/Bruery Terreux (disclaimer: I am biased about the last one).