There are few things in life better than a cold beer on a hot day. And if that’s what you’re after, Torrance is your place. Torrance has quite the beer scene and is the home to some top-rated breweries.
Grab an Uber or Lyft, and check out the following 3 breweries, all within walking/stumbling distance.
WALKING TOUR:
Get dropped off at Strand Brewing Co and then walk to Smog City and Monkish. From there, you should be ready to get back on an Uber or Lyft and head on home! DON’T drive- these beers pack a punch. 🙂
THE STRAND
This place opened in 2009 and used to be a tiny 3,5000 square feet, that the 2 owners struggled to keep afloat. Their committment and tanacity paid off, amd they are now in a huge 36,000 sq feet location.
Both the inside and outside are nice and really spacious. The eclectic paintings on the wall and in the small art room in the back are fun to look at. It’s very laid back and both kid and dog-friendly. Check out their 24th St Pale Ale for starters.
SMOG CITY BREWING
The Smog City Torrance Brewery and Tap Room is FUN. Great vibe, friendly staff, delicious beer.
And, lots of women power here. In an industry that is very male-dominated, over half of their leadership team is women. One of the 2 co-founders is a woman.
Their 10th Anniversary is a fave, as isthe Strange Times Triple IPA. Yep, a triple. This one is 9.2 and will sneak up on you FAST! They have 3 and 6 oz pours, which makes it really easy to taste a lot of their options.
They are dedicated to envirtomental factors and are 1% For The Planet, which means that 1% of their gross sales goes to non-profits.
MONKISH
Monkish started with only Belgian-style beers. They used to have a sign on their door that said “No IPAs’. they changed their tune in 2016, when owner Henry Nguyen served their first IPA on April Fools Day. It sold out in a hour. And by the way, that First Things First was a collaboration with Other Half Brewing and was a New England I PA- a hazy. And there started the LA craze for hazys.
They did a really nice job with their outdoor area – it is definitely a fun place to spend your afternoon.
This place gets packed, so plan accordingly.
The beertender at Strand chatted with us for a while about other breweries to visit. One of his recommendations was HopSaint, which we would have loved to visit, but it wasn’t within walking distance so we skipped it. When he was recommending it, a guy standing in line behind us chimed in to confirm that it’s great, and to let us know that they also have delicious BBQ. Noted for next time.
What are your must-sees in the Redondo/Torrance area? Comment below!