Tucked away in downtown Los Angeles, bordered by Little Tokyo and rows of warehouses, an old-style beer hall keeps its doors wide open to invite travelers and locals to enjoy privately made craft brews.
Founded in a lofted warehouse that once housed the steel cables that support the Golden Gate Bridge, the Angel City Brewing Company started up in 1997 as a very modest operation, but it expended over the years to include a professional craft brewing space, expansive bar (for the brewery’s craft beer only), a lab for taste experimentation and a beer-centric gift shop.
During business hours, Angel City throws open its big warehouse doors. That entrance is large enough to get a truck through and makes for an airy, friendly atmosphere in the Public House. The joint has the feel of a big German indoor/outdoor beer hall, making it a popular hangout for downtown’s younger crowd and an anchor for the slowly resurrecting downtown LA scene.
According to Angel City Master Brewer Jon Carpenter, all the Public House’s beers are made onsite, including seasonal offerings and menu staples. Angel City Pilsner, Angel City IPA, Social IPA, Angel City West Coast Wheat and Eureka Wit are always available, while you’ll find Oktobrer Fest Lager and Winter Vanilla Porter as the weather cools.
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Carpenter also brews limited edition offerings like Imperial and Tart Cherry. Finally, Angel City takes a few pages out of a distillery’s book and prepares unique, barrel aged brews, Dark Rye Lager and Funky Wit.
Of that entire selection, a private tasting quickly established the floral IPAs and the light, refreshing Pilsner as favorites — with the IPAs serving as the breweries top sellers.
Angel City does not sell food — just its craft beers. Carpenter reported that there are so many permits required for a brewery to serve food, and local Los Angeles government is so intrusive with regulations, that it’s too great a pain in the backside to establishing the Public House as a restaurant. Of course, that makes perfect sense to anyone living in the always struggling LA economy. It’s the city authority’s job to make like difficult for every successful business it finds. But, I digress.
The Angel City property includes an event space and stage in the warehouse’s back stretch, and the brewery uses that for themed events like St. Patrick’s Day or New Year’s Eve. It was the latter that gave birth to my favorite surprise from this downtown beer hall.
Through pure brewing alchemy, Carpenter and company managed to prepare a blend of beer and champagne for New Year’s toasting. The result sounds awful, but its light, crisp and sweet with just enough of a beer aftertaste to make that the base over the champagne.
Sadly, since it’s difficult to brew and requires extreme cold to keep it carbonated in its barrel’s, the literal champagne of beers was a very limited batch. Still, locals should hustle downtown next New Year’s Eve for a unique, homespun flavor.
