Brew and View
Get an inside look (and taste) at Skyscraper Brewing
Phillip Sutton sees himself as a counterrevolutionist to extreme beer making. At Skyscraper Brewing, he's not experimenting with lavender petals or candied ginger; he's just making handcrafted beer that doesn't hit you over the head.
Skyscraper has steadily grown alongside some of L.A.'s veteran microbreweries--the few we have--and you can find it on tap around town and at Whole Foods. But now you can personally visit the El Monte brewery's informal tasting room every Thursday through Saturday for free tastes and tours.
"Informal" means a card table set up near shiny fermenting tanks in a small brewery, but there are always three or four beers on tap and a bowl of pretzels for cleansing your palate.
Try the flagship Bulldozer Honeyweizen, a mild, slightly sweet wheat brew; Lug Nut Lager, a hoppy, balanced beer; and Sancha, a Mexican-style lager with a clean finish. Soon there will be the caramel-colored Backhoe Brown Ale, with a hint of chocolate and nut flavors.
If you want more of any of the beers, refills are $4, or you can buy a six-pack to take home for later. Want to see how it's made? Sutton gives tours of the brewery on the first Saturday of every month.
Skyscraper Brewing Company, 3229 Durfee Ave., El Monte; 626-575-0770 or skyscraperbrewing.com
