Stone Brewing Tap Room - Pasadena

"Your parents in Maine can probably buy Stone beer at their local package store. But just because it’s a nationwide operation, doesn’t mean you’re not still getting excellent quality beer from Stone’s outpost in Pasadena. And because of their size, this brewery can experiment a little bit, with one-off barrels of some truly funky stuff - like oak-smoked barleywine aged in bourbon barrels, or a Berliner weisse with peanut butter and strawberry. If you’re not looking to get weird, get the dependable Go-To or Delicious IPAs for something more traditional. Order online for pick-up or delivery." - brett keating

"This is really just a retail shop that happens to have a bunch of bar seats, an excellent patio and one of the best beer selections in LA. They’re all from Stone Brewing and many of them are only available at this location. Since people are mostly here to fill growlers or buy IPA-scented candles, it’s always super low-key, and a very pleasant place to get work done." - brett keating

"Stone is the largest independently owned brewery in Southern California - you just wouldn’t know it from their tiny Pasadena location. It’s a retail shop in a strip mall that does growler fills and beers by the glass, but in terms of selection and consistency, it’s among the best places in town to drink beer. They do $12 growler fills of their excellent flagship beers, and always have a unique selection of one-off experimental batches that are some of the best (and funkiest) beers you’ll ever have, like a sour that’s aged in tequila barrels with strawberry, or a high-alcohol oatmeal stout with chili peppers in it. They even age their kegs, so if you’re lucky, sometimes you’ll find a 6-year-old bourbon barrel barleywine that’s 18% ABV." - Brant Cox, Brett Keating

"This is really just a retail shop that happens to have a bunch of bar seats, an excellent patio and one of the best beer selections in LA. They’re all from Stone Brewing and many of them are only available at this location. Since people are mostly here to fill growlers or buy IPA-scented candles, it’s always super low-key, and a very pleasant place to get work done." - Brett Keating