El Segundo Brewery

El Segundo Brewery is a lovely brewery with some big IPAs and unique brews on tap, conveniently located in El Segundo.

When Sonni sent me a text that she was meeting another friend at El Segundo Brewery and wanted to know if wanted to come as well, I was torn. It was a Sunday, mid afternoon in the summer and I knew beach traffic was going to be sanity challenging. But, what do you do when a friend from out of town comes to visit for the Taylor Swift concert that weekend and you have shiftable plans? You do what you have to do and make it work.

So, one rescheduled vet appointment for my dog later – and I was on my way to El Segundo Brewery.

Once I arrived, I easily found street parking. The backyard patio was vibrant and beautiful as I settled in. Getting to the bar, I looked over my choices.

Obviously, there was only one route to go: a flight.

So, I chose the following 5 beers on tap for my introductory flight.

• HAMMERLAND Double IPA, 8.6%
• GREETINGS FROM EL SEGUNDO Triple IPA, 11%
• GRAPEFRUIT RADLER Radler, 3.9%
• LOST IN THE MAIL Quadruple IPA, 13.2%
• NITRO NED Vanilla Stout on Nitro, 5.2%

All of them were outstanding choices. Each beer was right up my preference in hops, brew flavor and vibe. My favorites? The Grapefruit Radler, Lost in the Mail and Nitro Ned – with perhaps the Lost in the Mail being my favorite of all of them. I greatly appreciate a super hoppy IPA. The hoppier and stankier, the better. With Lost in the Mail, I loved the scent, taste structure and overall presence of the brew. It reminded me of my favorite beer out of Dogfish Head Brewery.

The conversation flowed and I was so, so happy to see Sonni. Plus, since my friend Hilary had mentioned she’d been at her favorite neighborhood brewery – San Fernando Brewing Co. – the night before, hanging out at El Segundo Brewery fit perfectly with my longing to be social and be out with friends based on her inspiration.

Before heading back to the Valley, I wanted to get something to eat. I stopped at L.A. Cheesesteaks, across the alley for catering. I ordered the FIESTA FRIES (Served with steak, grilled onions, cilantro, hot peppers. Fresh garlic & boss sauce) without the boss sauce, as that’s just flavored nacho cheese.

Honestly, it was delicious. I love loaded fries in general. However, I wish I would have eaten them and shared them at the table instead of hovering over them like a hungry gremlin in my car.

Overall, solid brewery, great non pretentious vibe with solid food truck choices.

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