You know the craft beer movement has invaded the American heartland when even sports palaces, those bastions of Bud, offer artisanal brews fit for fussy millennials. Anaheim’s Angel Stadium now sells suds for even the most discerning palate, though its wine list still leaves room for improvement. (If you want great wine with your sports experience, try a French soccer stadium.)
At Draft Pick near Gate 2 you’ll find 24 taps, and when I visited recently they were all flowing but one – pretty impressive for a quiet night when the second game of a double header against Denver drew a small crowd. The choice was impressive, too. Some standouts: Angel City Wheat, Firestone Easy Jack IPA, Rough Draft Ale, Karl Strauss’ Red Trolley Ale, Point the Way IPA from L.A.’s Golden Road Brewing, and something from Stone’s irresistible Arrogant Bastard line. There’s even gluten-free beer. Prices for a bomber (22 ounces) are $11.75 to $13. There’s a new second Draft Picks location: Outfield behind the rocks on the terrace level.
Want something a little less fancy? Nearby at the Broken Bat pub (not a pub but a concession stand, with two locations, one outside and one inside, next to Smoke Ring BBQ in Section 107) you can find large cans of Corona, Modelo, Goose IPA, 805, Corona Extra, Saint Archer Blonde Ale, Redds Ale, Point the Way IPA, 329 Lager and Blue Moon. Most are $11.75.
If wine is more your speed, you’ll like the “A” Wine Cellar in section 111, which opened at the beginning of the Angels’ season and really classes up the place. When you buy a bottle they give you two wine glasses and a carafe, made of plastic but looking like the real thing (the bartender told me everybody asks the same thing: “How does a bottle of wine fit into that tiny carafe?” It’s an optical illusion; the carafe actually holds more than 26 ounces).
The wine selection is better than it has to be. Some selections are from the Great American Wine Company and Woodwork wines, both controlled by industry giant Diageo, but you’ll find some high-end California wines, too, such as Far Niente Chardonnay ($150 a bottle) and Opus One ($255). If you don’t feel like skipping dinner to buy some wine, there are a few palatable bottles in the $25-$40 range, as well as 10 by-the-glass choices for $10-$11. California dominates, though you’ll find selections from Washington, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, France and Italy, too.
Throughout the field level and especially on the terrace level you’ll find a plethora of beer concession stands selling a single company’s product: Blue Moon, Golden Road, Firestone Walker. They weren’t crowded on Tuesday, though the line at Draft Pick can get a little long. Purchases on Wednesday were complicated by a complete breakdown in the stadium’s network of ATMs. Cash cards were not accepted. It was cash, or occasionally credit cards, everywhere, which really bit into business.
At the Shock Top Brew Pub (everyone still calls it by its former name, the Knothole), what I enjoy most is the magnificent view from right field club level. As for the wheat beer the place is now named after, keep in mind that it’s made by a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch; it is not a craft beer by any stretch of the imagination. It’s pleasant, especially if you like a simple summer quaffer with refreshing citrus and coriander notes, but it doesn’t hold a candle to a good craft brew.
I was curious about L.A.’s Point the Way IPA so I tried a bomber of the stuff. It’s a bit like its city of origin: pleasant and polite but a little shallow and bland. Good enough for a date at the baseball game, I suppose. Go for Arrogant Bastard instead – if only to give yourself an excuse to say the name all night long.
Good Libations 