Sang Yoon stepped up the beer game in L.A. with one of the city’s first “gastropub” (I hate that I just used that word). Their hamburger might be the best in the whole city. The beer selection isn’t too shabby either. Follow the rules.

The most consistent selection goes to 38 Degrees - there are always some interesting rotating beers you probably won’t find elsewhere in the L.A. area... Everyone knows about the great Asian restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley, just save some room and stop here afterwards.

Nowadays every hip neighborhood has a sausage spot with tasty beers. When I was in Williamsburg last weekend, there were literally 45 in a 2 block stretch. Tony’s Darts Away was ahead of that curve. The beer list concentrates almost entirely on California offerings. With over 250 breweries in this state, the selection is alway great. That way when some beer geek says, "drink local" you can say, "I do, bugger off."

On the flip side, Lucky Baldwin's specializes in Belgian beers. They have an annual (sometimes biannual) Belgian Beerfest in February with some truly amazing treats, definitely check that out.

In its short existence Golden Road Brewing has really taken over as L.A.’s flagship brewery. Their beers are pretty much everywhere now but at their best at their brewery which doubles as a huge open-air beer hall.

No LA beer bar list would be complete without Blue Palms. When it opened a few years ago, I was so happy that I could finally get a good beer in Hollywood. All of the taps rotate, so you never know what is going to be on tap, but that's a good thing. There's always a good range, so there's something for everyone. Try their Liar's Club Fuego Melt -- one of my favorite sandwiches in the city, just be prepared for some heat.

The same proprietors run Surly Goat and Little Bear, but it’s their original outpost in Eagle Rock that I like best. It's another spot with a constantly revolving series of taps. There's always a couple that you'll say, "I've been wanting to try this," even if you've never of heard of it. It is always easy to get someone to join me since there always a good looking bartender!

I always end up taking out-of-town guests here since it's on the Venice boardwalk and there's plenty of good day drinking to do. The same guy owns Kona Brewing in Hawaii which makes me think he pretty much has the best life ever. The beer selection is always legit and they have kombucha on tap, which I've never ordered but it makes me feel good knowing that it exists. 

The owner is a big, burly Scottish guy that looks like he's been in many feuds that end when the other person picks their teeth up from the ground, but he's super friendly and incredibly knowledgeable about beer.