A complete guide to San Fernando Valley breweries

Founded by a team of friends who started out as most enterprising beer fans do—homebrewing—8one8 is now a Valley beer staple fermenting its own blonde and red ales, a porter, a tripel and more, with half their brews landing in high-ABV zones. The microbrewery may have begun in a Sylmar garage, but today it occupies its own Canoga Park nanobrewery that cooks up some solid Valley-proud beer with names paying homage to the SFV: the Valley Girl Blonde and the Matador Red (hey, CSUN), to name a couple. The 8one8 team doesn't have their own tasting room yet—they're working on it, OK?—but you can sign up for updates on it, and while you wait, check our their brews at a number of spots around town.

Putting out oak-aged ales in one of the prettiest tasting rooms in all the Valley, North Hills's Cellador is a brewery that's already establishing itself as one of the best beermakers in L.A. From the funky Firegold farmhouse ale to the tart, brown sour Walden, founders Kevin and Sara Osborne focus on sourcing fruit and fresh herbs from local and organic farms for their "farm-to-barrel" beer. 

This Chatsworth brewery serves up flavor-packed ales with a side of humor. Inspired by the Valley—and especially its history and surrounding wildlife—the brewery often takes part in community events and local collaborations. Looking for some heat? Seek out the Chubasco IPA made with serrano and árbol peppers, then cool things down with the Incident Isotope IPA, which mellows out with a hint of brown sugar. Stay tuned to their Instagram page for news on their freshly renovated tap room, set to reopen sometime soon. Until then, find them all over the Valley and beyond.

Planting a flag as Burbank's first independent brewery, Lincoln Beer Co. meticulously crafts well-balanced canned goods from within its custom 15-barrel system. Owners Patrick Dunn and Ryan Lipson are making waves with their unfiltered DIPA, the Dub Chub, but their other ales—be they creams, reds or IPAs—aren't far behind in terms of local favorites. Find them in almost every L.A. neighborhood, and be on the lookout for their Burbank tap room, which is set to open in fall or winter of 2017.

MacLeod Ale owners Alastair and Jennifer Boase know a thing or two about “real” ale. The small-batch beers at this Van Nuys brewery are made with imported English grains that get naturally carbonated, cask conditioned and served at cellar temperature straight from the casks in which they were fermented. In addition to serving some of the best cask beers in L.A., the brewery also offers a vast selection of draft and nitro beers. For local beer drinkers, MacLeod provides a taste of something different in a laid-back, friendly atmosphere. For British expats, it’s one of the few places in L.A. where you can get a proper pint. All are priced at a reasonable $7, with beer flights available for those who fancy a bit of everything. It's even kid- and dog-friendly, and you can almost always find a food truck parked there to soak up those suds. The Little Spree, a Yorkshire Pale Ale, is a good place to start your re-education.

This Agoura Hills microbrewery is nestled into an unsuspecting stripmall at the foot of Conejo Valley's Ladyface Mountain, just off Highway 101. Inside, country-pub charm gives way to French, Irish and German influence: an exposed ceiling, low hanging art nouveau light fixtures illuminate walls adorned with posters, and solid-wood tables and café chairs good for small groups and couples are scattered around a central communal table. Angelenos living in the West Valley can call on this place for a serious craft brew fix and French-country pub fare in a family-friendly environment. Start off with a few tastes of their flagship ales or a flight of eight brews, like the malty Dérailleur, an award-winning bière de garde.

Established in 2013, San Fernando Brewing Co. produces city-inspired names to quench the thirst of Valley dwellers and those willing to make the trek. Sample a Stoney Point Stout, Sonora Wheat, Wolfksill IPA, Royal Road Pale Ale or O'Melveny Red Ale in their spacious taproom (21 and over, guys) while snacking on free popcorn and pretzels. Oh, and if you feel like working while you booze—uh, who doesn't?— the brewery has WiFi. It's closed for half the week, with the staff shutting down public operations Monday through Wednesday to brew the beer you know and love, but if you need a growler fill or an order of bottled beer, the team will open up shop to let you in—just call ahead and ask.