Busy Dojo, Playcation + Near Beer in Santa Ana

Craft Beer Los Angeles

Last week’s beer Homework assignment was to check out the new Dankness Dojo from Modern Times Beer that opened in Downtown Los Angeles. Well, I walked the walk and visited for myself. Twice.

You can’t miss the sign out front on Olive Street. Once inside, the décor certainly sets the mood. There is a coffee area right up front of the skinny space where you can pick-up cans of Modern Times cold brew coffee to-go, order up a pour over, or just buy beans for home use.

I would recommend reservations; the booths and tables were filled and the bar was jam-packed on a late Saturday afternoon and even early on a Sunday, the seating was limited. Bar seating is in the back and the skinniest part of the space. The menu board, in contradiction of the meticulous décor choices, seemed pedestrian and a bit hard to read unless you were up close. For a brand that is know for having three simple words on the can that denote the flavor profile of each beer, the menu seemed to be shoehorning words into a small menu board.

I had Havnor IPA on the first visit, which was fine as IPAs go, but didn’t have much zing to it. The L.A. brewed Fortunate Islands with grapefruit, though, had big citrus notes to it and really worked well with the hops. You can buy cans at the bar to-go as well as crowlers of beers that are not canned already or barrel-aged. Flights are also available (and come delivered in a cigar box).

It is still early times for the San Diego brewery’s foray into DTLA, but I expect that The Dankness Dojo will stay popular with hopheads and barrel-aged hunters.

The BEER OF THE WEEK comes to us from Portland, Oregon, and Hopworks Urban Brewery (aka HUB). The name of the beer is Playcation and it is one of these NE Hazy IPAs that the kids are into these days, but this one is quite different. There are absolute loads of pineapple in this pillowy soft IPA with very little bitter aftertaste. So much pineapple that my wife smelled it from across the room. But don’t let that tropical vibe fool you; this beer hits the 8.5% ABV mark.

Your weekly HOMEWORK is to be on the lookout for beer from a new Santa Ana brewery, and this one is even more unique than the décor at Modern Times. The brewery is Bravus and they are in the business of brewing “near beer.” The really low ABV beer. They have an IPA, Oatmeal Stout, and Red Ale in their line-up, and you can even order their beer from the comfort of your couch.

Find more of Sean Inman’s writing on his blog, Beer Search Party.

Address: 832 South Olive Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90014
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Sean Inman

Find more of Sean Inman's writing on his blog, Beer Search Party.

Blog Comments

We have to admit we’re loving the sound of the cigar box flights. What can we say? We appreciate an extra touch.

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