A Monk’s Tasting Room

Brewery Los Angeles

The Monkish brewhouse produces some of L.A.'s best Belgian-style beers.

“Torrance” and “craft beer scene” will need to join your vocabulary, and quick. Strand Brewing has been serving up great beers to the South Bay and beyond and now Monkish Brewing has entered the fray.

Monkish has an origin story familiar to craft beer geeks. A trip to Europe and a discovery of Scottish and Belgian ales. The inevitable leap to home brewing and then the big gamble to go professional.

Henry and Adriana Nguyen started the brewery ball rolling back in April of last year and in little under a year have a nice line-up of beers that you can sample in their well-appointed tasting room off Western in Torrance.

Depending on availability, you might see Oblate and its notes of vanilla and some pepper on tap. Or you could find the Belgian single, Crux. Their dubbel with rosehips (Rosa’s Hips). And in the near and farther future a tripel and a beer made with chocolate and oats. All unique but share the quality of being very restrained. The flavors of honey and elderflower are there but they don’t smack you about the palate.

A tour around their facilities shows a monk statue near a kettle and room for more tanks and equipment amongst the logo’d kegs. A lot of the work on the brewery was done by the duo, as well as by friends and family. Even the logo was done by Henry.

Right now you can find Monkish in the South Bay area at places like Select Beer, Hot’s Kitchen, Rock n Brews, Library Alehouse and Naja’s and in time in more places across the Southland. Or you could visit the taproom, try a beer and take home a growler.

The Beer of the Week is Maui Brewing La Perouse Belgian witbier. It is brewed with “wheat and European Pilsner malts, spiced with coriander and fresh local Mandarin oranges” according to the brewery and is named after a famous surfing near the town of Wailea. Like the beers of Monkish, it is light with a hint of the spice and fruit underneath and delightful on a summer day.

Your Homework this week is to brave the traffic of the 110 or 405 and visit the Torrance tap room of Strand Brewing They are celebrating the recent opening of their taproom with two days of great beers on Saturday from 12-8 and Sunday 12-6.

The Strand taps will be pouring the Beach House Amber, 24th Street Pale Ale, Atticus IPA and the just released White Sand Double IPA w/ Summit. And they will also be featuring 3 cask brews throughout the weekend.

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

Address: 20311 S Western Avenue, Torrance, CA 90501
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Sean Inman

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

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