A few weeks back, I had the chance to hang out for a few days in California after a solid week of work and conference.  Can’t complain as the location was amazing…

We moved from Monarch Beach to Long Beach and started a weekend of beachtime, sunburns, and good beer!

First, a quick shot of the ocean.  I go to California twice a year for work and once for fun (usually) and I never get to spend any time at the ocean.  Definitely got my feel of sun (read: cold baths to soothe major sunburns) and salt air.

Once we settled into our hotel in Long Beach, we hit up Beachwood BBQ and Brewing.  We had some amazing food.  Too good to snap pictures and some great beer.  We wanted to check out the Blendery as well but we ran out of time.  Next time for sure!

Before we headed towards the airport, we made Sunday the beer tour day.  We started with lunch at the Anaheim Packing House, a favorite from my work trips.  I felt really silly when I realized that Anaheim Brewery was just on the other side of the parking lot.  This will definitely be a spot I will hit up on work trips.  Solid beer, great location, and really friendly staff.  The beer actually reminded me a lot of our trip to Dostal Alley.

The beertender at Anaheim Brewing sent us on to Noble Ale Works.  This was a busy spot on a soccer Sunday but we were able to get our drinks and sit in the brewhouse.  This menu was a bit more experimental but there were some real standouts.  As it turns out, my favorite beer was the “I love it!”.  Really clean IPA and super refreshing for a 90 degree day.

There are so many California breweries we didn’t seen on this trip but never fear, we will be back.  What is your favorite California brewery?