Homage’s beers have peppered our “Best Of” lists over the years, from “ The 20 Best Beers to Drink in Summer 2021” to “ The 20 Best Beers We Drank in 2020.” This is a true gem that’s worth the drive. While it’s one of the most family-friendly breweries in the area, if you need some purely adult fare, Brouwerij West is also a live music venue that frequently caters to local artists and the 21+ only crowd. The fermentation process of kombucha produces similar bacteria and yeast strains used in beer and wine making that really contribute to flavour and complexity but without the alcohol. These flavours can be enhanced and manipulated with flowers like hops and botanical extracts to create something totally unique that is full flavoured but doesn’t have to go through the de-alcoholisation process which often strips taste and mouthfeel from drinks. For me, kombucha is one of those very unique drinks that can trigger all of the taste receptors on your tongue – sweet, sour, salty, bitter & umami – something quite rare outside of food, and a very satisfying experience.

You’ll be glad former gypsy brewer Brian Mercer and his partners found this space in 2016, because it’s one of the most unique locations that any Los Angeles brewery has to offer. But you’ll be even happier when you taste what Mercer and co. are brewing. If you do visit, you’ll find yourself in a gorgeous garden space with soft sand gulfs, wooden benches, and firepits. On the beer side, the styles trend Belgian with a witbier, “dangerously smooth” tripel (their words not ours), and a saison with fresh basil. You can also find a Belgian-style dark, schwarzbier, West Coast-ish IPA, red ale, American pale ale, and Mexican-style lager.Benny Boy just lends itself well for inviting a bunch of friends or family out for a night. With both cider and beer on tap, everyone can drink their favorites and the warm, charming space means you never really want to leave.

According to the Los Angeles Brewers Guild, there are 95 breweries and 111 designated destinations producing more than 5,000 unique beers in 4,751 square miles. 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 (don’t get us started on the whole comparing L.A. to New York City). South Western Avenue, Torrance | (310) 295-2157 Photography courtesy of Monkish Brewing Company | The Hop Review Kombucha is known primarily as a health tonic and has stretched effectively into soft drink alternatives. I believe it will now grow extensively in the no and low alcoholic drinks area as an exciting alcohol alternative…

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Benny Boy Brewing, founded by life partners Ben Farber and Chelsey Rosetter, holds the title of LA’s first brewery and cidery. Pomona is about as far east as you can drive and still be in Los Angeles County. Many city dwellers will scoff at you for trying to visit Pomona. Don’t listen to them — Homage is worth the drive, creating some of the most inventive brews in the region. Funk Yeah was one of the most fascinating beers we’ve had in a while. And we named Illuminaire, a Lambic Geuze, one of the “ 20 Best Beers We Drank in 2020.” Though they’re best known for their dedication to IPAs—they execute both West Coast ( Hello, LA) and hazy styles ( DDH More) very well—don’t sleep on their funky, experimental saisons and farmhouse ales. And they make a pretty great pilsner that we like to drink in the shower. Adnams is an amazing local business who are widely respected for the quality and taste of their beers and spirits as well as placing huge importance on their ethical and environmental responsibilities. We would like to think we also have the same values, albeit operating on a much smaller scale and as a non-alcoholic brewery. We believe that sharing knowledge and expertise from our different drinks categories will result in something very special.

Bonus brewery note: Parking is a little iffy here, but if you’ve managed to secure a safe spot, you might want to stay there all day; you’ll also be in walking distance of Smog City Brewing Co., Cosmic Brewery, and The Dudes’ Brewing Company. And if you’re really ambitious (and need to get your steps in), visit Strand and Yorkshire Square. For those who have yet to be converted, can you explain the process of brewing Kombucha and what it is? With its unique blends and DIY ethos that fully fit the music-and-fashion roots of its owners, Matthew and Lauren Garcia, Homage focuses on experimental, blended takes on barrel-aged varieties, saisons, and lagers. The brewery also has a deep love for dank hops and adjunct-laced stouts. Oh and we almost forgot to mention that Matt now makes natural wine! Los Angeles is huge—like, really huge. The city itself extends as far north as the Angeles National Forest, west to the Pacific Ocean, south to Long Beach and east—well, actually it doesn’t go that far east. Regardless, that is a lot of space in Southern California for a brewery to set up shop. Yet, for years, L.A. was considered a second-rate beer option to San Diego’s overwhelming number of breweries. Think complex but highly drinkable takes on Belgian-style beers and pilsners—such as Time Scoop and the aforementioned Popfuji. But also highly desirable hazy IPAs like Picnic Lightning and West Coast IPAs like Bounce.But if you want to truly drink in Benny Boy, go for the Snakebite—half beer and half cider in a glass. It’s a pretty perfect poetic representation of the brewery, if we do say so ourselves. And we’ve never seen the two paired together in one place. So when we hear about a taproom that brews both beer and cider, well, our ears perk up. We know foraging inspired a lot of your flavours, is there an ingredient that is perfect to find in Suffolk? First and foremost, know you’re going to need a car. And with that vehicle we suggest a very nice designated driver whom you can hand a kombucha to keep them satisfied, because we didn’t limit ourselves to Los Angeles city proper with this list.

Though they have a strong stout game, you’re going here for Monkish’s IPAs and pale ales, which frequently push one hop variety until they move on to their next favorite. For instance, we thank the beer gods for beers like Glamoro, an all-Citra double dry hopped DIPA. Or Life Is Foggier, a DDH IPA with Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Galaxy. I started L.A Brewery after falling in love with kombucha on a trip to the States 11 years ago. I loved the idea that the fermentation process could be manipulated to create different flavours and unique taste experiences - anything from a champagne to a beer to a cider. I started homebrewing and selling to a few independent cafes and restaurants in East London, this was still at a time when kombucha and fermented drinks were relatively unheard of in the U.K. I spent about 3 years obsessing over the science of fermentation, incorporating seasonal ingredients and foraged fruits and flowers into my drinks to complement and enhance the kombucha. This led me to write a book on the subject, and subsequently meet my business partners before launching L.A Brewery in 2017. And the beers churning out of this Highland Park spot have put it on the map with Southern California heavyweights such as Pizza Port, Homage, and Mumford.