Santa Monica Brew Works | Santa Monica, CA
Beer Trip: Santa Monica Brew Works in Santa Monica, California
While visiting our good friend Cody in Santa Monica, he knew just the place to take us while in town - we started at Santa Monica Brew Works, which is Santa Monica’s first and only brewery!
View of the parking lot converted into outdoor seating. Quite busy on a Saturday afternoon!
The Brewery
COVID-19 has certainly changed the way that Santa Monica Brew Works operates, as proof of vaccination is required if you’re interested in sitting indoors. If you’re in Santa Monica, though, outside is where you want to be! The indoor space is large and the pre-existing parking lot has been repurposed to an outdoor space by “fencing” it in by standing pallets up around the perimeter. The outdoor space was filled with tables, some even reserved for birthday parties and other events. Although it was a busy Saturday afternoon, we didn’t have any issue finding somewhere to sit. Palm trees are abundant in the area, giving it a true coastal feel.
Large, beautiful indoor space with great views of the tanks… pretty empty when we visited!
A cloudy day was still beautiful out with palm trees aplenty!
The Beer
Saying that Santa Monica Brew Works brews every kind of beer imaginable is not an overstatement - we had to count the number of choices available and could hardly believe it (27, in case you were wondering)! With IPAs, pale ales, browns, sours, and stouts to choose from, if you can’t find a beer that you like here then you are likely not a beer person. A couple of their flagship beers like the Citrus Witbier and Inclined IPA can actually be found in Kansas from time to time.
Huge menu to choose from, both for those who love beer and those who don’t!
Obviously it would have taken several visits over multiple days to try everything on their menu, but what we did try was all top notch. The flavors in their brews are noticeable, yet aren’t overpowering. One beer that really stood out was the Cucumber Kolsch, which was light yet packed the perfect cucumber punch.
Food & Merch
With tons of people present, it’s great that Santa Monica Brew Works can support two food trucks onsite at once - and they rotate them daily. Their bar also offers wine, cold brew coffee, and a couple of teas for the non-beer drinkers in your life.
The indoor area was sparse because of the COVID precautions, but we still noted multiple t-shirts and glassware in the merchandise section.
Fun artwork throughout
One of the brews we sampled
All smiles at Santa Monica Brew Works!
