Beer and Baseball – Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California

There are a few things in my life that I am truly passionate about.  One of them is obviously good beer.  But another one of my obsessions is baseball.  The Los Angeles Angels won their first (and only) World Series Championship in 2002, only a couple years after I moved into the area, and I have been absolutely glued to the sport ever since.  Growing up in Salt Lake I never really had much reason to get behind a baseball team, but now that I’m located smack-dab in the middle of three MLB teams (and within a reasonable drive of a half dozen minor league teams), I can’t seem to get enough of the game.

When I travel for work I generally prioritize whatever free time I have with baseball before beer.  Beer doesn’t have an off-season, and is generally a little easier to fit into a short evening, so if I have the potential to get into a baseball game there’s no question where I’m headed.  Thus far I have visited twenty of the thirty Major League stadiums, and a little more than a dozen minor league parks. 

When I say that I put baseball before beer, I guess the next logical question is why not do both?  I’d sure like to, but it’s not always as easy as you’d think.  Baseball stadiums are generally flooded with BudMillerCoors, and good beer can be hard to find for a choosey palate.  In fact, I just read a headline late last week that informed me that Wrigley Field in Chicago has signed an exclusivity contract with Anheuser-Busch.  So what’s a choosey beer nerd to do?

Well, the good news is that great beer is out there; it’s just not always easy to find.  That idea was the genesis of this post (and hopefully an eventual feature on this blog).  Where can I find craft beer in my favorite ballpark?  I’d be happy to tell you, starting with my beloved Halos. 

September 5^th, 2013

Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays

I regret to report that Angel Stadium in Anaheim is near the bottom-end of baseball stadiums that offer good craft beer.  There are decent pints available, and for a relatively reasonable price (see this post for details on that), but you kind of have to look for them.  Like most ballparks, Budweiser, Miller, and Coors are lurking around ever corner.  There are, in fact, major sections dedicated to the celebration of all things industrial lager.  Examples include the “Bud Light Patio” in right field, the “Coors Light Cold Zone” in center field, and the “Budweiser Music Garden” out by Gate 1.  Almost every concession stand pours these beers, and their craft beer knock-offs like Blue Moon, Third Shift Amber, and ShockTop.  Fizzy Mexican lagers like Pacifico, Corona, and Modelo also flow freely throughout the stands. 

So where is the good beer?  I’ll start at the lower levels of the stadium and work my way up.  The biggest haven is “Draft Pick” on the Field Level by Gate 2.  Here you can find Bootlegger’s Palomino Pale, Goose Island’s India Pale Ale, Firestone Walker's DBA, New Belgium's Fat Tire, and Hangar 24's Orange Wheat.  They also pour Shock Top, Kona’s Longboard Island Lager, Stella Artois, Heineken, Newcastle Brown, Third Shift, and Blue Moon.  Prices here, and throughout most of the park, range from $10 to $12.75 depending on your desired size.

Keep walking around the Field Level toward section 130 and you’ll find a little Goose Island bar that sells their India Pale Ale and 312.  This is where my first pint of the evening came from.  India Pale Ale may not be the greatest IPA on the market, but it was great fuel as I continued my hunt.

The rest of the craft beer I could find on the Field Level was hidden in various concession stands.  The “Grand Slam” by section 133 has DBA.  “Famous Fries” by section 128 offers Kona Longboard.  There’s also a “Craft Beer Destination” booth by section 125 that pours Leinenkugel and the decidedly un-craft Third Shift and Blue Moon.

It’s also worth noting that there are restaurants called “Melissa’s Fresh for You” in both the 1^st and 3^rd base food courts.  Apparently they offer healthy food options and gluten-free beer, but I have actually never seen these eateries open so I can neither confirm nor deny this claim.

The only other spot to mention on the Field Level is the “Diamond Club”.  This is a full-service restaurant and bar located directly behind home plate.  Only fans in sections F114 through F122 have access to this area.  This did not include me, but from what I understand they serve both Bootlegger’s and Hangar 24 in there.

Head up the ramp and now you’re in the Field Terrace Level.  This is where most of the concession stands are, but the craft beer options start becoming limited.  There is a Leinenkugel kiosk near section 228 that was serving their Summer Shandy.  There is also a Blue Moon kiosk right next door at section 229 if that’s what you’re in the mood for.  The “Nicky Enzo’s Pizza” near section 240 sells DBA, as does the “Grand Slam” by section 204.  The Budweiser stand near section 236 offers tall-boy cans of Beck’s. 

If you enter the right field seating section, and climb the stairs to the open area under the main scoreboard, there is a “Taste the Best of Belgium” kiosk that has apparently been abandoned.  This is a bummer since they were advertising Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Stella, but I guess light attendance this tough season has shut down some of the lower volume stands. 

I guess I should probably mention that there are two varieties of Blue Moon pouring in the center field “Coors Light Zone”.  One is their everyday Belgian White, and the other is a seasonal.  For this game they were serving their Harvest Pumpkin.  This is among my least favorite of the Blue Moon beers, so at this point I jogged back to the “Draft Pick” for a Palomino Pale.

Security on the Club Level is about as tight as it is on the field, so I did not get a chance to see what they have to offer in there.  I have heard that there is Bootlegger’s and Hangar 24 are somewhere beyond the velvet curtain, but I can’t verify that.  The one thing I can confirm is that I saw a Redd’s Apple Ale sponsored bar on my way up to the View Level.  I didn’t see this beer/cider available anywhere else in the stadium.

I guess the assumption is that if you are sitting in the $12 View Level seats, you can’t afford good beer.  I only found craft beer in one spot up top, and that was in the “Broken Bat Pub” near section 513.  They had DBA in large format bottles.  That’s it, so if you’re slumming it up top, you’re going to have to take a hike for quality refreshment.

Thus ended my hunt.  I still had about half a pint of Palomino Pale and the game had just started, so my daughter and I took our seats.  It was a great evening for baseball and the Halos even treated us to a victory.  All in all, it was a beautiful night.

Final Score

TB - 2
LAA – 6

After the Game…

Angel Stadium isn’t wedged into a high traffic, downtown area, so there isn’t much within walking distance.  But here are a couple options…

Noble Ale Works (0.6 miles from Angel Stadium)

1621 S Sinclair St.
Suite B
Anaheim, CA
Young Orange County brewery with a small taproom. 

JTSchmid’s Restaurant and Brewery (0.7 miles from Angel Stadium)

2610 E Katella Ave.

Anaheim, CA

Good food and a handful of decent house beers.  You can also park your car here, but the ballpark has plenty of parking for a reasonable price.

Lopez& Lefty’s Sports Cantina (1.2 miles from Angel Stadium)

1759 South Claudina Way

Anaheim, CA

Sports bar with a bunch of tap handles.  A number of them actually feature pretty good beer.

 

-Matt