Watch CBS News

Guide To East L.A. And San Gabriel Breweries

homage
(credit: Matthew X. Garcia)

Way back in 1976, the late Sam Samaniego and his wife Marlene opened Stuffed Sandwich, the San Gabriel landmark that introduced locals to some of the best beers from around the world. Over the ensuing decades, Stuffed Sandwich remained a singular oasis in the craft beer desert that was east Los Angeles. Forty years later, that sad state of sudsy affairs has finally changed. Due to (somewhat) relaxed city laws and increasingly rabid interest in craft beer, the area is now home to some of the best and most innovative breweries in Los Angeles. Sam would certainly be proud.

Eagle Rock Brewery
(credit: Vanessa Y./yelp)

Eagle Rock Brewery
3056 Roswell St.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
(323) 257-7866
www.eaglerockbrewery.com

It's fitting that Eagle Rock named one of its flagship beers Revolution as the brewery was one of the forefathers of the recent Los Angeles craft beer revolution. Seven years ago Eagle Rock became the first microbrewery to open operations in Los Angeles in over sixty years. And yes, we are sober. Sixty years is not a typo. Since then Eagle Rock has focused on brewing an impressive selection of high quality traditional beer styles including the easy drinking Solidarity black mild and Yearling, a mouth puckering flanders red ale. Thankfully, the brewery continues to expand its brand, opening the Eagle Rock Public House brewpub and canning some of their most popular offerings. Eagle Rock Brewery is clearly making its mark as an LA institution.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset
Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Homage Brewing
281 S. Thomas St. #101
Pomona, CA 91766
www.homagebrewing.com

Only a few months old, this sleek new brewery co-founded by husband and wife team Matt and Lauren Ochoa has already established itself as a welcome addition to the downtown Pomona scene. Located next to the Glass House and Fox Theater, Homage has been packing in crowds of concert-goers and locals, thirsty for musical-inspired beers like the chocolaty Unknown Pleasures stout and the Discovery golden strong ale, brewed in their five barrel brewhouse. While Homage is definitely worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood a special visit is in order whenever Chat Flou, Homage's stellar peach sour which achieved cult status as a homebrew, is available.

WolfPack2  - Golden Road Brewery brewing -verified
(credit: Golden Road Brewery)

Golden Road Brewing
5410 W. San Fernando Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(213) 373-4677
www.goldenroad.la

Golden Road opened with a bang in 2011 and hasn't looked back. Five years later, it's become the most visible craft brewery in Los Angeles, thanks in part to its 2015 acquisition by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Despite its big beer ties, Golden Road continues to churn out better-than-average beers, including a particularly impressive roster of IPAs ranging from the mellow 4.5% abv Wolf Pup Session IPA to the monstrous Wolf Mother triple IPA which sports an impressive 11.2 % abv. Its flagship pub in Atwater Village remains one of the best spots to grab a beer in the city and recent expansions into downtown Los Angeles and Anaheim have proved to be equally successful.

ohana-andrew-luthi
(credit: Andrew Luthi )

Ohana Brewing Company
7 S. 1st St.
Alhamabra, CA 91801
(626) 282-2337
www.ohanabrew.com

It took several years to get Ohana Brewing up and running but it was certainly worth the wait. This seven barrel brewery owned by 28-year-old wunderkind Andrew Luthi, continues to wow locals with quality suds courtesy of former-homebrewer Eric McLaughlin. While Ohana has limited distribution to bars and restaurants across Los Angeles and Orange County, the best place to sample their beers is the brewery's tasting room in Alhambra (if there's not much room to drink on-site, grab a growler to go). Standouts include a Peach Green Tea IPA and the Saison Noir, a dark farmhouse ale which earned a silver medal at the World Beer Cup.

Progress Brewing
(credit: Alex R./yelp)

Progress Brewing
1822 Chico Ave.
South El Monte, CA 91733
(626) 552-9603

It's no wonder Progress continues to grow as South El Monte's first microbrewery has been a hit from day one. While standards such as kolsch, Belgian tripel, and amber ale are all top notch, it's the breweries experimental offerings like the Axolotl, an oatmeal IPA which is as easy to drink as it is difficult to pronounce, that set it apart from the rest of the pack. Progress also houses one of the best barrel programs in the city with a variety stouts and sours aged for several months in everything from chardonnay, brandy, and French oak barrels. Expansion can't come soon enough.

highland-park-brewery-sarah-gardner
(credit: Sarah Gardner)

Highland Park Brewery
5125 York Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90042
(323) 739-6459
www.hpb.la

The secret is out. A rabid local cult following has led to national attention for this popular brewery based out of Highland Park's Hermosillo bar. It's hard to wrong with any of Highland Park Brewery's eclectic offerings which include fruit-forward barrel aged saisons, luscious stouts, and juicy west coast style IPAs. Of course, the best selection of Highland Park's beers can be found at the Hermosillo, which also offers a limited selection of growler fills and, on occasion, cans of HPB's stellar IPAs including Hello, LA and the mosaic-centric double IPA One UP. HPB also offers limited online bottle sales (pickups are at Hermosillo) although popular favorites like Raised Eyebrows, a red wine barrel aged sour brewed passion fruit and guava plucked from a tree in the brewery's parking lot, sell out quickly.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.