Angel City Brewery – Downtown Los Angeles

The City of Angels has its own downtown brewery, appropriately named Angel City Brewery. Located in the heart of the Arts District, the brewery is the only one in downtown LA, and arguably houses the only public tasting room that offers Vinyasa Flow Yoga every Sunday morning – plus a run and a beer.

Brewery owner Alan Newman is also the co-founder of Magic Hat Brewing Company in Vermont, as well as Concrete Beach Brewing in Miami. He started a brewing company, Alchemy & Science as the overall umbrella beneath which these local craft breweries fit. Through that company, Newman did more than just revamp this Los Angeles craft beer brewery. He also started Angel City’s well-regarded public house. With a rotating selection of Angel City beers on tap, downtown-focused community events from game nights to the aforementioned Yoga, and monthly neighborhood clean-ups, Newman has created a locals hangout as well as a craft beer leader. The brewery also offers an annual Heritage Festival, and a New Year’s Eve party. The May Heritage Festival is designed to “celebrate the many cultures” of downtown Los Angeles from Little Tokyo to Chinatown, and features live local bands, gallery-curated art, and local food trucks serving up cuisine from Korean to Mexican. Naturally, the event also includes a Beer Bazaar that includes featured cellared brews. Now in its third year, the festival represents the philosophy behind Angel City and owner Newman: to create an intimately city-centric environment, with beer and a social scene both geared toward what Angelenos crave.

Today, visitors can tour the brewery Thursday through Sunday, and enjoy the taste year-round brews plus seasonal and limited edition beers. Founded in 1997, Angel City was once located in Torrance, Calif., which is now a hotbed of craft micro-breweries in its own right. Relocating to downtown Los Angeles, the idea was always to provide a centrally located brewery that put Los Angeles on the craft beer map; the purchase of Angel City by Newman has accelerated the process.

Of course, none of the social events would be possible without stellar beers to back them up. Angel City’s popular, signature IPA is a delightfully hoppy, copper-colored beer with strong notes of grapefruit and honey, and a 6.1% ABV. Crafted with six different hops, including Citra and Galena, the flavor is robust and crisp. A second IPA is also offered: Social IPA is a light, sessionable ale with a citrus finish and aroma, and an ABV of 4.4% Wheat beer lovers are drawn to the West Coast Wheat, with its slightly tangy citrus and herbal notes, and 4.6% ABV. The Eureka, California-Style Wit is a Belgian white ale with a lot of flavors, including orange peel, lemon, and coriander. Crafted with light, slightly bitter Nelson Sauvin Hops, it features a 4.9% ABV.

A visit to the Tap Room brings other flavor opportunities like the Marilyn, a crisp, dry lager made from barley, oats, and corn. For a dark chocolate and coffee taste with a light body, the Schwarzbier sessionable brew is a solid choice. And then there’s the Sour Peach, a traditional Berliner Weisse, infused with peach puree for a sour, fruity beer served up in the summertime.

In short, from hop-rich IPAs to local celebrations, Angel City gives wings to the downtown Los Angeles craft beer scene.