Los Angeles is huge – as anyone who lives here knows – with the city extending as far north as the Angeles National Forest, west to the Pacific Ocean, south to Long Beach, and east (well, in actuality, it doesn’t stretch that far east). The county does go quite far inland, however, comprising over 4,700 square miles of Southern California, and that’s a lot of space for a brewery to set up shop in.
For years, L.A. was considered a second-rate beer option to San Diego’s overwhelming number of breweries, but that’s far from the case now. According to the Los Angeles Brewers Guild, there are 93 breweries and 101 designated destinations producing more than 5,000 unique beers, six of which took home medals at GABF. While that’s still not as many as San Diego, it is plenty to choose from, leaving craft beer drinkers here with one less thing to defend (and don’t get us started on the whole “L.A. versus New York City” thing).
The following represents our picks for the top local brewery spots around Woodland Hills.
Tarantula Hill Brewing Co., located at 244 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks, brings a quality craft beer and artisan food experience to the Woodland Hills area and is considered a brewery established by locals, for locals. Headed by brewmaster Mike Richmond and lead brewer Dante Tomei, Tarantula Hill offers a number of specialty craft beers including the Thousand Oaks IPA, Thousand Oaks Blonde Ale, Liquid Candy Hazy IPA, Saaah Bro? IPA, Potrero Pale Ale, Paradise Falls IPA, Gettin’ Zesty With It IPA, Sleep Now in the Haze – Hazy IPA, Blood Orange Jack WIT, 4S3 Helus Golden Ale, The Grade Imperial Stout, Batch 002 DIPA, and even a Build-a-Case option.
8one8 Brewing, located at 8953 De Soto Avenue in Canoga Park, traces its roots back to the discovery of a new bar, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, all of which came together to rock the Southern California craft brew scene. Formed in 2014, 8one8 first released its beer to the local market in November of 2015 and now offers a myriad of refreshing, fan-favorite selections including the (818) MICHE con Valley Girl Blonde Ale, Mr. Miyagi’s Hot and Hard Seltzer, No Reservations Hard Seltzer, (818) Hard Seltzer, Machete Mexican Lager, and many more.
The Local Peasant, located at 22901 Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills (but with a secondary location in Sherman Oaks), is the brainchild of Mario Guddemi, Salvatore Aurora, and Karl Makinen, realized as a local American gastropub offering chef-driven comfort food and locally sourced beer, wine, produce, and handcrafted cocktails made by expert bartenders. When it comes to killer craft beers, there really isn’t any other spot that does it like The Local Peasant, offering up a comprehensive menu that includes such favorites as the TLP House Blonde, Modern Times Ice Pilsner, Stone Buenaveza Mexican-Style Lager, Avery White Rascal Whitbier, Pizza Port Chronic Amber, Fremont Lush IPA, Boochcraft Grapefruit Kombucha Beer, and Anthem Cider.
14 Cannons, located at 31125 Via Colinas #907 in Westlake Village, traces its roots back to the owner and builder Marshall Haraden, its name taken from the 1776 tyrant-killing ship Tyrannicide. The Tyrannicide boasted 14 cannon brigantine onboard and battled tyrants during the American Revolutionary War, but the name is not only part of the brewery with a story to tell; from the beautiful copper top bar to the tables, chairs, and hand-crafted wood hanging on the walls, 14 Cannons was constructed with recycled aged elements that lend a charm all its own. Here you will find a production brewery and showroom, spotlighting the industry’s leading vendors while yielding beer by an award-winning brewer. And, when it comes to beers, the brewery is second to none in the Woodland Hills area, offering delicious lagers, ales, hoppies, barrel-aged beverages, and more.
Twisted Oak Tavern and Brewery, with two locations in Agoura Hills and Camarillo, was voted Best Beer Bar in California, a nod to brewmaster Roger Bott, who has been brewing beer for over 20 years. A massive beer menu offers everything an enthusiast could possibly want, including all manner of hops, ales, blonde ales, stouts, and more. Happy hour runs from 3 pm to 6 pm daily, and a plethora of happy hour drinks – from house wine and margaritas to Moscow Mules and Cosmopolitans – are only $5. All draft beers are also $2 off during happy hour.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., located at 30770 Russell Ranch Road Suites E and F in Westlake Village but with locations throughout California, prides itself on offering balanced, great quality craft beer with a variety of styles to choose from for every palate. The brewing process here involves mashing, milling, recirculation, lautering and sparging, boiling and whirlpooling, cooling, fermentation, conditioning, filtration, and carbonation, all of which results in beers that are out of this world.
To be honest, you’re going to need a car to explore the breweries we showcased above, and with that vehicle a very nice designated driver whom you can hand a kombucha to keep him or her satisfied – because we didn’t limit ourselves to Los Angeles city proper with this list. The way we see it, these are the best breweries in the Woodland Hills region, so buckle up and pack enough layers to get you from the beach through those cool California nights.
You’ve got some drinking and exploring to do.
No Comment