After closing up its Alpine Village storefront in 2010, Angel City Brewery rooted itself in an expansive, century-old John A. Roebling building, the former production site for suspension cables that made their way to the likes of the Brooklyn and Golden Gate bridges. The industrial space has a bare-bones, beer hall feel, with plenty of room to spread out among picnic tables beneath a renovated mezzanine. But the main focus is the well-lit bar with 12 coveted bar stools, clean copper taps and an Art Deco-inspired backdrop. The building's graffiti art is not to be overlooked: Above the entrance, a work of art from street artist JR's The Wrinkles of the City commissioned by MOCA and a Ronald Regan portrait by Shepard Fairey are on view. This is a city brewery to keep your eye on—just don’t let your beer trickle down in admiration.
Vitals
Good for: A beer-and-pretzel end to a lazy weekend stroll in DTLA. If you've never been behind the scenes at a brewery, sign up for a tour (check their website for times), where you’ll get to see and sniff malt, hops and aromatic components like dried orange peel.
The Scene: Nearby beer-loving residents in their 20s and 30s unwind post-work during weeknights and on weekends take advantage of the free board games—Jenga, Checkers, Monopoly—as well as a dog-friendly policy, so don’t be alarmed if a little bark comes with your beer. Locals also stop by to refill their 64-oz. growlers ($16 for the growler + fill and just $11 for a refill). Food trucks park out front quite frequently and come in droves for the brewery’s monthly Food Truck Haven series.
The playlist: Whatever the bartenders feel like playing sets the score for the background music, which accompanied by reverberating sounds of Arts District street-life makes for a chill vibe.
The bartender says: If the food trucks are a no show (which is rare), feel free to bring in sausages from nearby Würstkuche. Oh, and the slide is off limits, but drink your beer and imaging bundles of cable wire rolling down from 4th floor at top speeds, in days gone by.
Drink This: Currently seven craft beers are on tap, available in 8-ounce ($3) or 16-ounce pours ($6) or a flight of five 4.75 oz pours ($8). Our flight included the hoppy and bitter Angeleno IPA, the savory French Sip, the tart Berliner Weisse, the nutty and malty Amber and the White Night, which yielded a serious (and perplexing) espresso nose and coffee finish.