Where To Drink A Pint In Los Angeles

This bar isn’t trying to be cutesy, it is SMALL. But if you enjoy feeling like your in your best friend’s living room back in Boston, then this is a good place to go. They’ve got a fair amount of beers on tap, although there isn’t anything too obscure here (if you’re a beer connoisseur you’ll have to resign yourself to some Blue Moon or Fat Tire).

This rollicking Irish bar has pool and pub quizzes, so there’s usually some good times going on. Since Irish Times is tried-and-true to its roots, you’ll find brews like Boddingtons, Guinness, Newcastle, and Bass here. If you’re looking for something from your favorite microbrewery in Oregon, do not come here.

Okay, I will admit this is THE closest you will get to being at a college frat party without actually being at a college frat party. But they do have a pretty large beer selection. Although I’m usually a draught girl, I ended up getting a bottle of SLO Blueberry Ale last time I was here, which was pretty good. On a side note, this place has a menu that rivals the Cheesecake Factory. They have a portion of the menu solely dedicated to potato skins! THEY HAVE 45 DIFFERENT VARIATIONS ON POTATO SKINS. Does anyone else find that slightly disturbing/fascinating?

The infamous burger aside, Father’s Office has an excellent selection of beer on tap. While ordering food here is a no brainer (burger and sweet potato fries!!!) ordering a beer is sort of an agonizing decision. They have a pretty big selection and everything sounds pretty good— not to mention they usually have specials. The last time I was here I think I managed to annoy the bartender with my indecision regarding my choice of beer (I ended up going with one of the white ales, which was totally delicious). But hey, if I’m paying that much money for beers and burgers I’m going to retain the right to be indecisive.

The 3rd Stop is Beverly Hills’ version of the ale house. When I first went here I was expecting the place to be a little bit of a dive, so I was a little surprised when this place was far from being a dive. Nonetheless I have come to like this place, (it used to be my neighborhood bar), and I love the fact they have such random beers on tap (unlike a certain neighboring bar….cough….St. Nicks…cough, cough.) Last time I was there I got the Purple Haze, but it left me wishing I had gotten the Frambozenbier. The stuff tastes like raspberry juice. I’m also a fan of the Old Rasputin.

The first time I went to this Downtown bar I fell in love with it. It was swanky without being too pretentious, and more importantly they have a great selection of craft beers. They have beers to suit all kinds of palates here, even if you’re inclined to sweeter brews like myself (oh, how I love that Floris Apple Ale).

If you’re in college or grad school (or want to pretend like you are), then you should include Brew Co. on your pub crawl. This place tends to be frequented by grad students, so you don’t have to worry about annoying freshmen who managed to get into the place with bad fake IDs. They don’t have a super impressive selection here, but they do carry Arrogant Bastard, for which I give them props.

I LOVE this place. The food is great, the beer list is long, and the atmosphere is laid-back and warm. The outside patio is the perfect place to enjoy a couple beers (I’m big fan of the Lost Coast) and some buffalo wings. You can also get dinner here (they have a pretty extensive and adventurous menu for being an ale house) or you can just gorge on the free tortilla chips.

This somewhat divey spot is a winner in my mind, due to the fact that they have an awesome selection of beer on tap, and wait for it….shuffleboard! Plus, they also have pool and foosball. But back to the beer. This place has dozens of brews on tap from all over the world, so if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool beer drinker you won’t be disappointed.

This Hollywood pub isn’t terribly pub-like (meaning that it’s kind of a scene here), but I do have to give them props for having a pretty nice patio, if you can manage to squeeze in there that is (weekends can get pretty crowded over here). They have Pyramid Hef on tap which makes me forgive them for attracting so many Hollywood types.

This chain restaurant is pretty freaking ridiculous. They have more beer than you could ever drink in a lifetime. I think my favorite part about this place is the fact that they’ll make you a float using chocolate stout instead of root beer. I know that’s probably heresy to the purists out there, but what can I say, I’m a sucker for ice cream.

Like the Yard House, Naja’s has a ridiculous amount of beer. But I have to say, given the choice I’d choose Naja’s over Yard House. Naja’s seems to focus more on microbrews than Yard House, which I find more appealing, plus Naja’s carries Lobotomy Bock!