All About Beer Magazine

Paige Reilly, who has earned the title of Beer Champion at Tony’s Darts Away (1710 W. Magnolia Blvd., tonysda.com) in Burbank, right near the NBC/Universal and Warner Bros. lots, helped devise a list of the best new beer ’n burger spots in all of LA. Refashioned into a stellar beer bar last year with the goal of achieving zero waste, Tony’s offers a beer menu that is naturally all draft and all California-brewed. Furthermore, it’s split into IPAs and non-IPAs since of the beers Tony and Paige think best to wash down their grilled sausages, a full dozen of the 30-plus offerings are gnarly, bodacious West Coast hop bombs.

This being LA, Tony’s is very vegan friendly and there’s a vegan beer brat, plus their most popular item is the “wheatloaf slider.” Reilly says the mini patties topped with house-made jalapeno ketchup, griddled onions and basil aioli will make you “never look at vegan food the same.” For pairing, Reilly recommends Atticus from the brand new Strand Brewery south along the coast in Torrance. Among the non-IPAs, try Solidarity, an English mild on nitro from Eagle Rock Brewing, which at one year is LA’s oldest craft brewery.

Before championing beer at Tony’s Darts Away, Reilly cut her teeth at Blue Palms Brewhouse(6124 Hollywood Blvd., bluepalmsbrewhouse.com) in Hollywood, two blocks from the stars of Humphrey Bogart, Jayne Mansfield and Alec Guinness. One of the first of the new wave of beer bars, this is the go-to watering hole for many of LA’s beer geeks and the tap list is always eclectic and fresh. It doesn’t hurt that they make a Truffle Burger with Kobe beef, gruyere, sautéed shrooms and truffle oil. Reilly proclaims it’s “insane” not to mention that it’s “the size of your face.” What also doesn’t hurt is that Blue Palms has its own proprietary IPA made for them by Firestone Walker, whose Union Jack IPA won gold two years running at the GABF.

Past the infamous Hollywood and Vine intersection that has recently been converted from seedy to touristy, Stout (1544 N. Cahuenga Blvd., stoutburgersandbeers.com), and clearly you can tell that they know what they’re peddling by just looking at their URL. Reilly’s fave is the Six Weeker, a hamburger with Camembert, fig jam, caramelized onions and arugula. Look for a golden ale or witbier to sip between bites. It’s also open until 4 a.m. even though all liquor sales end by 2, but for better late-night people watching, head to Canter’s Deli on Fairfax, which is open 24 hours.

Across the street but closing at 10 p.m. is the Golden State (426 N. Fairfax Ave., thegoldenstatecafe.com). As the name implies, everything is sourced from the Golden State, including bottled and draft beers. While the regular house burger is amazing, Reilly has the inside scoop―go on Thursdays at 5 p.m., when a limited amount of lamb burgers are relinquished. She calls them “perfection on a bun.” Once they run out, though, “that’s it and everyone cries. People go nuts. It’s like Pliny the Younger on the burger front.” Of course they have shakes and floats, and in lieu of using draft root beer, they love using North Coast’s Old Rasputin for beer floats.

LA is quite spread out. It just so happens that these hot spots are in Hollywood, one of the areas referred to as the Westside. But just as Tony’s Darts Away is east of the Hollywood Hills in the San Fernando Valley, another valley place is the one Reilly saves for last.

She calls Boneyard Bistro (13539 Ventura ., Sherman Oaks; boneyardbistro.com) a major mecca on account of the chef/owner’s incredible palate. With its staggering beer menu, both bottles and draft, it’s where you’re likely to find other area breweries such as the oldest, Craftsman from Pasadena, and the newest, Nibble Bit Tabby, based in downtown. While there’s a list of delectable burgers, Reilly gushes about the appetizer that’s “burger-esque.” Savory donuts stuffed with Kobe chili, cheddar, onions, pickles and mustard―“They blow your mind!” Having paid a visit myself, I made a burger bucket list just so I could scratch these semi-sliders off it.

The key to packing in all these burgers and beers is a good night’s rest. One option is to stay in the Hollywood or trendy West Hollywood area so everything’s closer. Sleep with the beautiful people, or at least where they come to lounge, at The Standard (8300 Sunset Blvd., standardhotels.com/hollywood) at the center of the Sunset Strip. Even if you stay in the budget rooms that start at $165 a night, you can still hang out by the rooftop pool, or splurge and see how amazing the view is from the $350 suites.