38 Degrees Ale House & Grill

t0rin0

California

4.4/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Visited multiple times since they opened.

This place fills up on Fridays and Saturdays so be prepared for that but if you can get a seat or if you go earlier in the day or on an off day it's comfortable, Lots of booths and lots of seats at the bar.

Lots of beers to choose from including a large number of CA made beers. The last time I went they had a number of Ballast Point beers on and a couple Eagle Rock beers. The time before that they had a half a dozen Coronado beers on.

The food is quite good but fancy (square plates with random stuff sprinkled around like on the cooking shows), sometimes I'd like to just have something simple and not the super ritzy stuff.

Clay is a really good guy and is doing a good job running the place. I will be back for sure.

03-20-2011 23:17:58 | More by t0rin0

pword9d8

California

4.47/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Beer, beer, beer. Went here recently for a friends bday and they hooked us up with some rare brews. Got to taste some victory at sea, oude tarte, 07 vertical epic and some citra dipa.

Food was good but nothing spectacular. The shining star here is the beer collection. They have TVs strewn across the place so I'm assuming you can watch your favorite sports here. The place can get quite crowded so make sure you call ahead and put yourself on the stand by seating list. You can also purchase bottles to go until 10pm.

12-20-2010 05:32:11 | More by pword9d8

tothebrim

California

4.63/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

What a place! I live far away outwork around the corner and this place is a great place to wait for traffic to die down, watch a game, hang with friends, take a meeting or even take the lady.

No, I don't work for them but I am a huge supporter of Clay and his business.

The tap list boasts some standards and some super rare stuff and he's always got something for everyone.

The food is amazing and the crowd is predictably solid. I never have trouble finding a seat but I've never seen it less than half full. It's really a remarkable place and I recommend it to anyone.

09-25-2010 20:05:30 | More by tothebrim

willbolk

California

4.41/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I like this place. Pretty contemporary styling, a number of plasmas spread around.

Taplist is very good, usually up to date on their website. They also have an iphone app.

Often have Pliny on tap, recently had Sculpin too. Had Parabola a while back also, they always have a terrific selection to choose from.

Prices are bordering on pricey, but I'll give them a "reasonable". They offer 4.5 oz tasters, starting at about $2.

Haven't eaten there, but reviews are mostly favorable.

You have to try at least once.

09-15-2010 06:24:15 | More by willbolk

teamizm

California

4.45/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

So I met Clay (the owner) at the Blue Palms 2nd Anniversary Party and decided to stop by after speaking to him.

A fairly large restaurant in "downtown" Alhambra (no idea Alhambra had a downtown). Parking is behind 38 Degrees. Kind of reminded me of a nicer, cooler looking BJs

Very nice tap list, about 18 beers on tap. Tokyo on tap! I don't know of any place off the top of my head that has Tokyo on tap. Other goodies include Sculpin, Pliny the Elder, and a few others.

The bottle list is actually really good as well - Older Viscosity, Red Poppy, and a few other gems. All bottle are available to go before 10p and they are priced actually quite well.

Food was pretty good as well.

Overall, great place and seems to be flying under the radar in LA.

08-19-2010 07:04:27 | More by teamizm

DoubleJ

California

4.68/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

It took almost 9 months since I was introduced to Clay (the owner) to get my butt to 38 Degrees, but you know, traffic on I-5 stinks. There, that's my excuse. I finally made the trip earlier this afternoon to Alhambra for food, beer, and hopefully some hospitality.

The interior is a little abstract with several TV's at the bar, a half-dozen "Hello, how are you?" taps displayed at the entrance, and wooden seating all around. Almost gastropub ambience, but with TV's. The bar is easy to get to from the enterance, which is in an "L" shape. There's also a seperate dining area away from the bar.

I reacquainted with Clay shorly after I sat at the bar. We talked for quite a bit thorughout, he recommeneded some beers he had, and he even gave me a tour of the cold box which stores his kegs and bottles. Oh, and the bartender was really cool as well, and nothing ever took too long to get.

Close to 40 beers on-tap, and an additional 100 bottles to choose from. A small selection are common and have mass appeal, but most cater to the beer geek. Beers on-tap included Ballast Point, Tokyo*, Urthel, DogFish Head, Tripel Karmeliet, Pliny the Elder, AleSmith, Lagunitas, Victory, Craftsman. The bottle lists includes other goodies as well, with a list that includes Supplication, Aventinus, The Bruery, Victory at Sea, Moylan's, and Sculpin. There are a number of different pieces of glassware used for the beers, pours were fresh and lovely, nothing served really cold (expect for draught Bud Light, according to Clay), but the way Clay explained and showed me how he handles his kegs convinced me that he really cares about the condition of the beer he serves. (7/14/11: And many future visits later, I concur).

I started things off with a pint of Black Marline with cocoa nibs. Yum. Round two was a Urthel Saissonière (poured in an Urthel glass) which Clay recommended. Then my chicken mac n' cheese came out...good stuff. And for dessert, a 4½ ounce pour of BrewDog Tokyo*.

38 Degrees is close to what I expected; a great spot for drinking craft beer, eating great food, and a very likeable owner. I may live almost an hour away, but I'll be back for sure.

04-19-2010 05:51:04 | More by DoubleJ

womencantsail

California

4.36/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

I finally was able to make it out to Alhambra for the Ballast Point night yesterday evening.

The bar/restaurant has a pretty nice vibe going on. Dimly lit, like you would expect with plenty of seating both at booths and raised tables, and of course the bar.

The service was very friendly and quick, which is always a nice thing to have. The beers came quick and the staff was knowledgeable about what they are selling.

The tap list is fairly eclectic, but on this particular evening a large portion was covered by Ballast Point beers (seeing as that was the theme of the night). Some nice selections from other local breweries like Craftsman and Eagle Rock, as well as a great mix of west coast craft beers and imports.

The bottle list is quite large as well and they offer bottles to go, which is a nice thing that I wish more bars would do. And they have more than your standard fare (FW13, Sang Rouge, Consecration, Exponential Hoppiness, to name a few).

I didn't get a chance to try any of the food, but it looked and smelled wonderful.

The prices were perhaps a touch high for some of the beers, but overall not too bad.

04-15-2010 18:14:07 | More by womencantsail

snpub540

California

4.22/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

I remember when this place was the horrible CA Brewing Co. it looks a whole lot nicer inside with the tanks missing and getting rid of the outdoor patio.

Went in with a friend my daughter and a friend of mine with his kids. Was surprised that they had a children's menu and even brought some little puzzle game for the kids to keep entertained. That was a big plus.

Selection was great. I was alittle bummed that they didn't have the Sculpin from Ballast Point that I really wanted to try, but they had some great choices. Ended up choosing the Mongo DIPA from Port, and a small taster of a Dupont Brew. They had 2 flights which were both Belgium themed. Bottle list was also very well rounded.

Food was pretty good. Definately thought my sliders were a little over cooked but I don't really like anything well-done. Definately a place I will have to check out again when I have some more free time.

01-21-2010 01:11:36 | More by snpub540

OlieIPA

California

4.45/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Visited this place on 12/30/09 with a few friends.

A: It kind of reminded me of a Yard House in many ways. A lot of TV's showing sports, nice seating, good food, and dim lighting. The two things that I enjoyed more though was the lower volume music (could actually hear the person in front of me) and incredible selection of beer on tap.

Q: "Pretty good" would probably be my one phrase answer. The food was something you would find in a nicer restaurant and since there were no off flavors in any of our beers...I assume the lines to be fairly clean.

S: Not too bad...food came out in a timely fashion...as did the beers. The only complaint I had was the somewhat lack of craft beer knowledge our waiter had and the fact my flight came out slightly wrong. I ordered a flight of Dugana, High Tide, Ten Fidy and Sculpin. Instead, my Ten Fidy came out as Hop Rod Rye. This wasn't a big deal to me...mostly because everyone else at the table got flights and that wasn't really fair to the waiter.

S: I would guess 30 to 40 quality craft brews to choose from and a great bottle list. I give them an A+! Oh yeah...they do flights and even half pours.

F: Food was great! I ordered a Turkey Burger with sweet potato fries...and man...it was good. The quality and preparation of the food is very similar to Haven's Gastro Pub out in Orange.

Overall: I'm glad to another place like this in the LA area. Cheers!

01-05-2010 02:44:11 | More by OlieIPA

HopHeadLouie

California

4.53/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Took me a while to get out to 38, but it was well worth the effort to travel to the not so distant far off land of Alhambra. Located in the heart of downtown Alhambra (or at least I am assuming it is the heart as indicated by the number of chain restaurants versus the lack of street parking) 38 Degrees sets it self apart by offering a more than solid craft beer list, great food, good service and a pleasant atmosphere.

I had a tasty pork cutlet smothered in bacon gravy sitting on a mountain of mashed potatoes that I paired with a Hop Wallop and a High Tide. I followed that up with a Santa's Little Helper and a brioche bread pudding coved in caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. Seriously good! All of it! I knew that the beer would be good, but I was pleasantly surprised that the food was excellent as well.

With the new wave of burger bar/beer joints springing up all over town it is nice to find one where all the elements actually work. The beer selection is geek level, the food is top notch, the service is friendly and the space is comfortable. Very impressed!

12-14-2009 19:35:38 | More by HopHeadLouie