Marion S.
Yelp
What if I told you one of the best beers in the city would be found under an overpass? That's exactly where Brewyard Beer Company is...well, I guess that's the entrance to their driveway. Forget blink and you'll miss it, this is buried treasure in a city full of gold.
Brewyard Beer Company is a warehouse located somewhere on the border of Glendale and Burbank. For all intents and purposes, it's just a warehouse where they make beer. In theory, there should be nothing special about a warehouse with stills and crates full of hops and other things to make beer with, but Brewyard manages to create its own inviting style. There's a long wood bar...tables and stools...an old timey truck that probably doesn't work anymore? When the sun sets though, the warm lights give the place a nice glow and there's nothing better than sitting around with some friends having a pint or two.
Of course, you don't just come here for the ambiance...you come for the beers and their unique beers are some of the best in a city full of craft breweries. Their best beers feature Filipino flavors now just making their way into the mainstream.
The Kalinga is such a delightful beer, especially on a warm summer day. It's a pilsner, but features calamansi...think of a lime and a tangerine citrus that looks like a miniature, round kumquat. There's a refreshing tartness to the beer that makes it perfect to eat with whatever food truck is there that night.
Ube is another flavor that's making it's way to more and more things now and their Ube Macapuno Delight and Ube Wan IPA are amazing uses of it. If I had a complaint, the beers don't have that comical purple tint you see now on the shelves of Trader Joe's and other bakeries utilizing the purple yam.
The Ube Macapuno Delight is their take on a dark lager...chocolatey, coconut notes and the ube gives it a creamy, vanilla like taste. It's not a beer I typically enjoy, but there's a time and place for it. I don't really care for IPAs either, but the Ube Wan is the beer you're looking for. The ube notes balance out the hoppiness of the IPA, which makes it surprisingly drinkable for those who aren't fans of IPAs.
The owners of the brewery are of Filipino and Japanese descent and now feature some really good Japanese beers as well. The Kanpai Krush is a delicious rice lager...think Bud Light, but you know...good. If you don't like a fruity beer like the Kalinga, then this is the one to drink on a warm day or the perfect beer to mix into tempuras or beer batters.
My favorite beers of theirs was out of rotation the last time I went, but if Morning Joe is on tap, do yourself a favor get it. It's a blonde lager mixed with coffee. It looks like a typical beer, but smells and tastes like a delicious brewed cup of coffee. The Marooned at Sea is another favorite of mine to get...think of a fizzy jamaica/hibiscus tea brewed with sea salt water. When you drink it, it tastes like you're enjoying a refreshing beverage on a misty beach.
If you walk up and aren't a fan of the beers I mentioned, feel free to ask whoever's behind the bar for their opinion. Every time I've come here they've been nothing but friendly and knowledgeable of all the beers they have on tap. Just about everything is available as a flight so you can taste everything and decide on getting something else later.
If there's one knock I have on the place, it's their parking situation. The neighborhood is kind of sketchy, especially at night. They share a parking lot with a couple other warehouses so parking is restricted during the day...at night, I don't think anyone really cares, but be careful when walking to your car if you happen to park on the street. There's not a lot of street lights and there's weird people lurking around.
There's a lot of places in LA to get craft beer, but theirs aren't only tasty, they're also unique.
