West LA Beer Company – Swanzey, NH – New England Beer Buddy

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By New England Beer Buddy Beer Beer To Go Blog Breweries Craft Beer Craft Brewery New England Brewery New Hampshire Brewery Taproom August 18, 2024

NOTE: WEST LA BEER COMANY HAS CLOSED OCTOBER 2024

The southwest corner of New Hampshire, particularly the Monadnock region, has become quite a hotbed of brewery growth. Keene, in particular, is home to two of New England’s most well known beer makers. One can certainly (and, in my case, DID) plan a full day of brewery touring in not only just that specific college town but in neighboring towns as well.

At my first stop in Keene, I was told I *must* try West LA Beer Company. That their beers were fantastic, it was a cool taproom and the staff were “super cool.” It was probably the most spot on recommendations I’ve ever had.

Located in the neighboring town of Swanzey, the first question anyone would ask is “Why is a brewery in New Hampshire named after a city on the other side of the country?”

Well, it’s simple. It isn’t.

This acronym for “LA” stems from the breweries location near the Lower Ashuelot river. For a quick geography lesson, the land around the Asheulot River in the 1800s was very popular with European settlers for it’s rich farming soil. The section of the river in Keene was Upper Ashuelot and the section in Swanzy was, well, the opposite. So there you have it.

The brewery itself was opened in 2019, just around Halloween, by co-founders Eric Johnson, David Smith and Ryan Gale. Everyone knows what happened a few months later so for West LA Beer Company to have survived and still operating is a tribute in itself.

Located on West Swanzey Road (Route 10), the drive to the brewery has quite the “outside of town” New England vibe to it. When pulling in, at least from the right hand side of Route 10, it appears the brewery may share space with a barber shop! Although it would be a creative twist, that is not the case. Although they are in a shared structure, West LA Beer Company definitely stands out while giving you an “old country store” appearance.

The West LA Beer Company brewhouse and taproom share the same space. Walking in you can see the equipment tucked behind a spacious, quaint taproom. The best description I can give the taproom is “cozy” Very relaxed, great seating and just an overall comfortable atmosphere. I got there early so I pretty much had the run of the taproom myself and Tristan, my beer-tender, was definitely one of those “super cool” people I was referred to. Gave me a quick history of the brewery, showed me around the taproom and gave his honest opinion about each of the beers that were on my list to try.

To say the least West LA Beer Company have come up with some very unique and creative ways of naming their beers. As there were so many beers at once that peeked my interest, I had to grab a flight of drafts in order to responsibly check off my list.

The Polish AF Grodziskie was the first up. With only a 3% abv it did have a pretty light golden body but had enough smoke to hide it.

For something different, next up was the Trail Map Smoked Pineapple Wheat ale. Imagine taking pineapple fresh off a grill and placing it in a beer. Wheat ale was the perfect style to do this in and it was amazing.

Going with a dark beer next, I got the Pillars of Creation Stout. Nothing fancy here, just a great version of the roasty, chocolaty American version of stout you know and love.

Finally…oh man…had to get this on name alone. Patrick Swanzey American Pale Ale. Not just a tribute to an entertainment icon but a flavorful mosaic hopped brew with terrific lime finish I enjoyed the beer so much (as well as remembering a ton of Patrick Swayze movie quotes from over the years) I had to bring a can home. Not just so I could have another pour but to show off the fantastic can art!

Speaking of, the can art for West LA Beer Company is nothing short of amazing. The brewery utilizes many talented local Artists to present their skills on the cans you take home to-go.

Along with utilizing the Patrick Swanzey (I can’t help it…I LOVE saying that name over and over) in a mixed 4 pack to-go, I also picked up a few others that were not available on draft at the time.

Weird Fishes New England IPA with Citra, Mosaic and Riwaka,
L.F.O.D. New England IPA with Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy, Strata and Mosaic
Monster Crush sour with blackberry and strawberry

Along with the great beer and excellent taproom, West LA Beer Company also has an incredible patio adjacent to the left side of the building. A quaint backyard feel with a wooden fence and picnic tables, the patio offers a great seat on a warm day as well as having a small stage area to host live music. Check out their Events Calendar to see which bands are coming soon.

The patio itself is Dog Friendly but our four legged friends are not allowed inside the taproom.

No food made onsite but West LA Beer Company does host various food trucks.

Although I had an ambitious itinerary and stopped at many breweries during my Modadnock regional tour, I certainly would have kicked myself if I hadn’t stopped in to West LA Beer Company. It was everything that was recommended to me and I would certainly make another visit.

If ever in the Keene area and looking for a place to unwind, I couldn’t imagine a better spot in the area to have a beer and do so.

Oh. And one more time…

…Patrick Swanzey!