Welcome back to L.A. Taco’s column, “Dr. Beer Butch,” where Professor Hidalgo examines L.A.’s craft beer scene using her background in academia, LGBTQ, and [real] eastside L.A. culture. For our third story, she shows us all how to responsibly celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Los Angeles at home while still supporting the local breweries that we all love.
[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]t’s a beautiful St. Patrick’s Day morning in L.A.
Bars, restaurants, and craft breweries all over town, festooned in kitschy green decorations for the occasion, should be pouring pints of Guinness, Harp, or green Bud Light alongside platters of stew, corned beef, or Irish nachos, this being L.A. and all.
‘Tis also usually the season for craft breweries to show off their own versions of classic Irish style stouts and red ales and serve them up just in time for Paddy’s Day until the kegs blow. But instead of pouring their Bulldog Dry Irish Stout to revelers from Long Beach to Garden Grove, Beachwood Brewing is telling customers they will be open for limited hours this week for beer to go only.
Instead of tapping another fresh keg of Captain Fox Irish Red Ale for Paddy’s Day partygoers, Frogtown Brewing will close and offer beer for pick up or delivery only within a five-mile radius of their taproom.
Instead of serving glasses of O’Malley’s at the brewery, Indie Brewing Co. is offering their Irish stout to-go in four-packs of cans for curbside pickup. “We have decided it was in the best interest for everyone that the tasting room be open for to-go beer only,” said the Indie Brewing Company in a message posted on their Instagram page within hours of the state- and city-wide announcements to close all bars, restaurants, wineries, and breweries due to COVID-19.
Welcome to St. Paddy’s Day in the time of coronavirus. While it’s probably a blessing for most people that crowds of drunk folks won’t be congregating or barhopping today, packing bars and partaking in “Kiss Me I’m Irish” saliva swapping, not so for our independent local craft breweries. To have to close their doors and literally curb their service on one of the high holy days of beer drinking does no one in craft beer any good.
So now, rather than tell you where to go drink the best locally brewed Irish style stouts and reds for the occasion, I can only tell you where you can find them for drive-by growler fills and can pick-ups for your stay-at-home Paddy’s Day party.
Some craft breweries around Los Angeles city and county are closed temporarily until further notice. These include Arts District Brewing Company and Imperial Western, home of some of the best Irish style stouts and reds in town. Others will be open for limited hours only, serving a few styles already pre-canned or filling up crowlers and growlers to go only. Many local breweries will offer curbside pickup of call-in orders. If we gotta work from home, we have to party from home too.
Here’s a list of local breweries that are open in some way and that you can continue to support during this trying time, for St. Paddy’s Day until further notice. Because beer menus change and to-go availability differ across the craft beer scene, it’s best to call each brewery or check their Instagram for the most up-to-date information before going to get your cerveza.
This list is not exhaustive, so if you’re a local craft brewery that’s open for beer pickups and want us to know about you, drop us a line in the comment section and let us know how we can buy your beer!
- Indie Brewing Co., beer-to-go only from 12-7 PM, call for pick up at (323) 354-4285
- Beachwood Brewing, beer-to-go this week for limited hours, call Long Beach (562) 436-4020; Huntington Beach (714) 375-0949; and Garden Grove (714) 462-9710 for information
- Frogtown Brewery, to-go beer sales only, order online at https://frogtownbrewery. square.site
- Whittier Brewing Co., crowlers and cans to go from 3-8 PM. Tuesday through Sunday
- Progress Brewing, crowler and growler fills only from 4-8 PM. Free containers with the purchase of beer.
- Smog City Brewing, to-go sales of crowlers, growlers, and bottles from 12-8 PM every day
- Ohana Brewing Company, growler fills and curbside pick-up available. Call (626) 282-2337 for orders.
- Boomtown Brewery: To-go beers from our brewery dock from 10 AM to 7 PM daily (credit card only.)⠀⠀⠀⠀
Closed until further notice:
- Brewjería Company
- Arts District Brewing Company
- Imperial Western Beer Company
- Border X Brewing
- Three Weavers Brewing Company
- Angry Horse Brewing
- Feathered Serpent Brewery
