East of Los Angeles is a town called El Monte. Many Angelenos think little of El Monte because it’s hot, working-class and a little down-market -- worlds away from luxe Beverly Hills, enlightened Santa Monica, and edgy Venice. El Monte is perennially unhip. I beg to differ. Within the past 12 months, thanks to a Jonathan Gold LA Weekly piece on pho in El Monte, I’ve made the drive from the Westside to the Eastside to power eat through LA's Pho Town. Now I know that El Monte is truly a treasure trove of interesting food adventures.
Last week during spring break, I made my husband Rory and our friend Alec trek out to El Monte. I was looking for Quon Yick, a Chinese American noodle maker. (More on Quon Yick soon.) It was a hot afternoon and Alec had to crank up the air-con as we traversed the 10 freeway eastward away from downtown LA. After Quon Yick, we had an hour to kill before picking up Alec’s wife from work so I suggested we get a drink. Rory said that there must be a beer pub nearby as El Monte seemed like a beer drinking kind of place.
Alec whipped out his iPhone and found a listing for Skyscraper Brewing Company. We imagined a brewery pub place with snacks and a happy hour. Though it was only about 3 miles away, it took us 20 minutes to find it. It wasn’t GoogleMaps but rather the fact that Skyscraper is a functioning brewery, with little signage. In fact, it’s located near some tire and auto-repair shops in a funky part of El Monte. Skyscraper Brewing Company is a real beer factory.
The brewery’s website said that they had tastings from 5 to 8pm and when we walked up, we announced that we’d arrived to taste. We didn’t know what to expect. They were bottling beer and there wasn’t a counter or bar. Soon, a man in a Skyscraper shirt appeared and introduced himself as Phil. On the way into the brewery, I’d noticed a sign about a brewmaster’s named Phil. This was he but he demurred at being called the brewmaster, “I’m the janitor and owner. Want to taste some beer?”
Of course and we moved over to some spigots set into a wall. A friendly, sharp guy in his thirties (my guess), Phil let us taste these three beers:
Bulldozer Honeyweizen: An unfiltered wheat ale with great real honey qualities. I love hefeweizen with Asian food as it’s citrusy. The Bulldozer Honeyweizen combines honey and citrus.
Sancha: Totally cool Mexican-style beer with a sweet, corn quality. Phil said that Mexican beers are traditionally brewed with corn so he wanted to emulate that aspect. I wanted tortilla chips and salsa! Or maybe a zesty Thai or Lao larb with lots of lime juice. This would taste good with any Asian food because of the slight sweet aroma and flavor.
Lug Nut Lager: Phil described this as an Anchor Steam beer. I can’t stand the bitter quality of Anchor Steam but could drink Lug Nut with no complaints. It was round in flavor but definitely full-bodied. I’d have to drink Lug Nut with an earthy dish, maybe an Indonesian beef rendang or something with Chinese sweet bean sauce.
But before I can drink any Skyscraper beer, I have to find it! The brewery is a tiny, growing concern that started 5 years ago. Their beer is seasonal and made in limited production, though they will be expanding soon. Phil said that Whole Foods in Los Angeles carries Skyscraper.
When we checked the WH in Venice, they said that Phil comes in to check up on them but it’s hard to get his beer and keep it in stock. “It’s hard to satisfy Southern California’s thirst for beer. There is just not enough to go around,” the Whole Foods beer guy told us.
Skyscraper is a Southern California beer and I guess I’ll just have to trek to El Monte for it. At least along with the great pho shops, there’s also fantastic beer. El Monte, you’re my kind of food destination!
That said, Phil’s beer underscored the fact that beer comes in many flavors and weights. Microbreweries (even nanobreweries) are popping up everywhere so there is a lot to choose from.
Along with the beer tasting with my dad, it was quite the beer week. I suppose we’re just gearing up for warm weather to come! Or maybe it was just our version of Spring Break?!
If you’ve had Skyscraper, do weigh in. Or, is there a microbrewery that you like? It doesn’t need to be widely distributed. Drink local.
Nili says
A note on "steam" style beer, also know as California Common. This is a true California invention originating during the California gold rush. Brewers from the German lager beer tradition could not replicate their beers in California due to lack of refrigeration but they adapted, using lager yeast in the warmer temperatures and spawned a new style. Anchor brewing in San Francisco revived the style (although it is likely much better then the gold rush era beers were) with their Anchor Steam (a protected brand name). "Steam" or "Common" beers are now a fixture at California breweries and among home-brewers nation wide.
Jen says
It's nice to see posts like this outside of beer blog circles. I lived in LA until last year and I agree that Phil is a great guy and his beers go down easy.
I recommend you try The Bruery in Placentia. Their beers can get a little spendy, but it's really interesting stuff. They have a tasting room so you can try before you invest in a big bottle, are like Skyscraper are a bunch of nice folks. (Last 4th of July, the brewer/founder/owner personally grilled lunch for everyone at the tasting room). Craftsman Brewing out of Pasadena is also a fantastic local brewery, but they don't do bottles or tastings so you'll have to look for it on draft at places like Lucky Baldwins. If you're really looking for a beer education, stop by the bottle shop Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel and ask for advice...but the downside is you have to get food with your beer, which is painful with all the great food of San Gabriel nearby (the sandwiches are good, but not San Gabriel Chinese food good...) Also, Alcatraz in Orange makes good stuff despite the mall location. Jeez, I could probably go on...
Finally, I bought your cookbook recently, and it's awesome! 🙂
Andrea Nguyen says
@Nili -- Thanks for the low-down on steam style beer.
@Jen -- I'm not a beer geek, just a beer drinker. Love the tips on The Bruery in Placentia. I may be in Pasadena later this year so will definitely look up the spots you've listed; I like sandwiches -- how bad can they be. You totally know your beers, woman!
Absolutely love these tips. Greatly appreciate your adding your insights.
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Beer Club says
I love little micro-breweries like this, by the sounds of it, Phil is an a-typical micro-brewern - a top bloke with a genuine passion for his craft and the final product.
I enjoyed your beer and food recommendations.
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from work so I suggested we get a drink. Rory said that there must be a beer pub nearby as El Monte seemed like a beer drinking kind of place.
Alec whipped out his iPhone and found a listing for Skyscraper Brewing Company. We imagined a brewery pub place with snacks and a happy hour. Though it was only about 3 miles away, it took us 20 minutes to find it. It wasn’t GoogleMaps but rather the fact that Skyscraper is a functioning brewery
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Brewing Kit Paul says
Oh my, I love beers. Would love to try this sometime. Thanks for sharing.
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