Some of my longtime friends who live in Southern California (with whom I’ve adventured before) lit the beacon for us all to meet up in Los Angeles—Torrance, specifically—and do some brewery-hopping for some much-needed camaraderie.
We all decided to start at Smog City Brewing. We could have started at either of the next two places we ended up, but we went with our stomachs—AGL Craft Meats was serving up barbecued meats there, and beer + BBQ = no-brainer.
I began with Smog City’s Czech golden lager. I’ve found myself reaching for lagers more and more of late, and it was a perfect choice on a 72° sunny day. It was crisp with a bready, slightly doughy malt flavor, easy drinking, and a great companion to my brisket plate. My opinion of Smog City went way up on my last visit for a reason: They make great beer…