While IPAs still dominate the craft beer world, summer brings on lighter, crisper brews to cool down drinkers. Locally, Karl Strauss Brewing Company across from Anaheim Stadium is pouring out their Great American Beer Festival bronze-winning Liquid A/C, English Summer Ale (5% ABV)—super-refreshing, with a full flavor profile. If you still need to get hoppy, try the Mosaic Session IPA (5.5% ABV), another GABF bronze winner, with all the enjoyment of a hoppy IPA without the heavy alcohol! And treat yourself to Let’s Get Busy Oyster Stout (5.5% ABV), which isn’t heavy at all. There’s mucho chocolate with a hint of the brine from the oysters brewed in the beer. Enjoy the summer brews, visit during Thursday Cask Night, gorge on Karl Strauss’ Duck Fat Pretzel Bites, and Go Angels!
But for summer, I also wanted to highlight an outside-OC spot: the venerable Angel City Brewery in downtown LA’s Arts District in DTLA. Last Friday, they introduced their first beer in cans—BOOM. Sunbather Single Hop Pale Ale Sour (4.2% ABV) is the first in this series, and they used Citra hops for Batch1. It’s smooth with a slight tang from the citrus, and is lighter than Gatorade. And they also just bottled a Double IPA (8.6% ABV)—daycation at Angel City, night cap at Karl Strauss!
Karl Strauss Brewing Co., 2390 E. Orangewood Ave., Ste. 100, Anaheim (714) 940-1772; www.karlstrauss.com. Angel City Brewery, 216 Alameda St., Los Angeles, (213) 622-1261; angelcitybrewery.com
