LAUREN LIVES

The Southbay is defined as the region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in the southwest corner of Los Angeles County. As residents of Redondo Beach, we can say that we live and work and explore in the Southbay. And as residents of the Southbay, I can tell you that I think it’s the best place to live if you’re thinking about moving to LA 😉

With easy access to multiple beaches, running and biking paths, great shopping, and even better food, the Southbay makes it kind of hard to leave. But there’s another huge factor that contributes to the Southbay Hip & Cool Factor – drumroll please – The ever-growing list of Local Breweries.

As pretty big beer fans, Alex and I – along with our friends and dogs – love making our way around to the different Breweries in our Southbay home, so I thought it would be fun to highlight some of our favorites here in a blog post, so that you can decide which Breweries’ vibe attracts your tribe, so to say 😉

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El Segundo Brewery:

This brewery is located on the main strip of Downtown El Segundo, across the street from Rock N Brews. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but once you descend the stairs, walk down the hallway, and turn the corner, you’ll be thrilled that you stopped by.

HIS LIKES: The best selection – in variety and taste – of IPA’s (Alex’s favorite kind of beer). Plus they have a cross-promotion with the famous retired pro wrestler, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and his beer is awesome. They always have hockey games playing on the tv’s…so that’s always a plus for a crazed hockey fan like Al 😉

HER LIKES: They get points for giving extremely large pours when you order the flight, and at a good price. The ambiance is very relaxing…I’m always a fan of string lights instead of harsh overhead lighting.

 

King Harbor Tasting Room:

Although we haven’t made it to the actual brewery yet (which is a sin, since it’s like 3 miles from our house!), we have frequented the tasting room, located on the Redondo Beach Pier.

HIS LIKES: Alex isn’t normally a chocolate or coffee-flavored beer guy, but they do it right here. The Swirly is our favorite, and sometimes we go here for non-traditional “coffee dates” 😉

HER LIKES: The location of this tasting room is prime. It’s right across from Stand Up Paddle Boarding, so it’s easy to go SUPing in the afternoon and then to grab a beer afterwards. The entire front is made up of clear garage doors, and they open them all the way up when the weather’s nice…which is pretty much all the time here anyway 😉

 

The Strand Brew Co:

With a new location on Dominguez Street, in Torrance, the Strand Brew Co focuses on handcrafted ales.

HER LIKES: This brewery is definitely the most spacious of them all. There are lots of small high top tables as well as long normal-height tables that you can reserve for large parties. I always like when breweries offer games like corn hole, which this one does! I also LOVE their bottle labels…as they feature the Southbay’s classic lifeguard stands on them in different colors.

HIS LIKES: Alex likes that this brewery is large and open…and that they usually feature a food truck there 😉

 

Three Weavers:

This fun brewery is located in Inglewood and gets pretty busy in the evenings! What’s great about this place, though, is that they have a large deck with tons of outdoor seating under some lights, which makes it a great summer hangout spot.

HIS LIKES: There’s ample parking at this place, and Al loves the outdoor seating. They have a good selection of games to play, like UNO, Jenga, Connect4, etc… and he especially likes that you can order TakeOut and eat it there! (Can you say pizza & brews??)

HER LIKES: I’ve always found the staff to be super friendly here; I love the lighting and overall atmosphere. They always have their “Core Beers” available, but they’re always mixing up their seasonal beers, which I think keeps it fresh.

 

Cosmic:

 This Brewery definitely wins in the individuality department. Decorated with an outer space theme, this place hosts a “Telescopes, Tacos, & Beer!” Night every other Friday.

HIS & HER LIKES: The best part about this place is definitely their Pouring System. Located on the back wall are multiple taps where you can pour your own beer with a scan card that they give to you when you come in. It tells you how much you’re spending and then you pay at the front before you leave! They also have a great Corn Hole set up in a side room with outdoor access, and they’re in walking distance to a number of other breweries, which makes A Brewery Tour a fantastic idea, if you ask me 😉

 

Monkish:

 This smaller tasting room, located in Torrance, is also walking distance from a number of other breweries. They offer everything from Belgian beers, to IPAs, to Sours, and every time we’ve been there, they’ve been pleasantly busy!

HIS & HER LIKES: The ambiance here is just a very warm and welcoming vibe. Every beer we’ve tried here as been great, and they keep water and pretzels out for you to sip and munch on to help prevent that nasty hangover in the morning 😉

 

Dudes Brewery:

This is probably the beer that we get the most often when we’re at the grocery store…maybe because they have fun large-sized cans like the psychedelic Bohemian Hopsody, or maybe because they’re just really tasty and also affordable.

HER LIKES: The beer is delicious and affordable. The place literally looks like a warehouse with a garage door from the outside, but it’s low key and relaxed inside. And you can bring your dogs, duh. There’s a free old-fashioned popcorn machine here, and I always appreciate when there’s something small to munch on for no charge. They also offer yoga on Saturday, and live music on Sundays.

HIS LIKES: Although this place is small, it’s very open, and has a Big Lebowski theme which is just awesome. Alex says this place has his favorite Citrus beers, and they have the best Groupon deals online.

 

Phantom Carriage:

I have to give full props to my neighbor, Leah, for finding this unique Brewery! We took her here on a Girls Night for her birthday in December…it’ a horror-themed brewery located in Gardena, and you really need to keep your eyes peeled for the sign, or else you might miss it! Alex hasn’t been here, so you’ll have to trust me on this one!

HER LIKES: This place is insanely unique. Who else has been to a horror-themed Brewery before?? The place is divided up into a couple of different rooms. In some rooms they show old horror movies on large TV’s or projectors, there are crazy decorations everywhere, and it’s pretty dark inside, obviously. I think what also sets this place apart from the rest (as if it needs anything else), is that they also serve their own food…and it’s good!! There’s also lots of seating throughout. Definitely go here if you’re looking for a new beer tasting experience!

 

HopSaint Brewing Company:

Located just on 190^th Street, about two miles from our apartment, this is one of our regular go-to spots because they play hockey games, and because they’re right next door to a bar that shows the UFC pay-per-views. It has a full-on kitchen and is more of a restaurant than a typical brewery. They feature a lot of beers from other breweries, as well as their own.

HIS LIKES: Alex likes the restaurant-like atmosphere of this place, because he can sit down, have a beer with his meal, and watch sports.

HER LIKES: The food here is really unique and delicious. I like that they offer a huge variety of beers, and that you can also order wine here if someone in your crew isn’t a beer drinker!

 

 

Absolution:

Offering Brewery Tours upon scheduling, Absolution Brewery and Tap Room is located among the others in Torrance. I actually have not been to this one, so you’ll have to take Alex’s word on it.

HIS LIKES: This place specializes in milkier stouts and sour beers, which aren’t Alex’s favorites, but friends who are into these flavors, really enjoy this place! It’s a cozy spot to hang with friends.

 

Smog City:

This is definitely an industrial-style brewery, located on Del Amo Blvd in Torrance. It’s not a huge place, but they jam a lot of seating inside. You can schedule tours here and the staff has always been great.

HIS & HER LIKES: Easy to get to, lots of parking, and good-tasting beer! This place isn’t flashy, but there’s something cool about just being surrounded by wooden barrels full of beer 😉

 

Our Next Stop: Los Angeles Ale Works, Hawthorne’s first Brewery and Tasting Room ! We’ve heard great things about this beer from friends who have had it at different events throughout LA, and we’re excited to check it out for ourselves!

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And there you have it! Al & Laur’s Guide to Southbay Breweries. Did we miss any?? Let us know! And hopefully we just helped you plan your next group outing Brewery Tour 😉

xoxo