In the heart of Glendale, California you’ll find one of the West Coast’s most exciting new breweries: Golden Road (5410 West San Fernando Road). Less than a year old, this young and promising line of craft beers has been created to fill the void of quality microbrewing in Southern California.  According to Meg Gill, their President and Co-Founder, “there’s 200 breweries in Northern California and 70 in San Diego, but only a handful of breweries in L.A.”

So with a mission of bringing craft beer to the eclectic communities of Los Angeles, Golden Road has opened their very own brewpub and just recently started canning their own tasty line of IPAs. Their signature Point The Way American IPA is a medium-bodied, super sweet ale. With an ABV of 5.2%, it’s not incredibly strong, but it is flavorful and will last a while in your refrigerator thanks to its specially designed pint-sized can.

Golden Road also produces an impressive assortment of seasonal numbers, including their Burning Bush IPA. Clocking in at a staggering 8.0% ABV, this unique brew brings the citrusy bitterness of hops to compete with a smoky, rye aftertaste on the palate. The lingering complexity is surprisingly well-balanced and undeniably smooth. Their complete line of innovative ales, stouts and porters feature curious combinations of flavors and playful names, like Either Side Of The Hill–a zesty and floral strong ale whose name alludes to the geographic divide separating the Valley from the rest of Los Angeles proper.

The Golden Road website mentions a famous German proverb suggesting  that “the first beer calls for the third.” With a hopeful eye on the rapidly developing craft brew market of Los Angeles and beyond, you should certainly be calling for at least that many of their tasty suds sometime soon at your local watering hole.