The Surly Goat

OlieIPA

California

4.94/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Finally got a chance to go out to Hollywood this past night and visit this fine establishment...and I can say it was worth the drive.

A: Basically a toned down version of Verdugo; Leather seating, dim lighting, and a moderate volume of music playing in the background. Definitely a place to bring a date and/or hang with a few friends.

Q: Ordered a few beers, both IPA's, that were extremely fresh. Nothing to really complain about at all.

S: Prompt and polite. The bartender was great and I even had a chat with a guy who worked at both Verdugo and The Surly Goat. He was even nice enough to open up a bottle of "Hop in the Dark" and share among the customers.

S: 24-32 taps (roughly) of higher-end craft beer. Couldn't ask for much more.

F: Not sure if they serve food.

Overall: It's definitely a trip from Orange County, but well worth it. A must try. Cheers!

07-29-2010 21:53:33 | More by OlieIPA

PlinyTheKid

California

5/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I am pleased to say that Surly Goat is definitely my favourite spot in LA. I've been a usual patron at Verdugo Bar since May 2008, going every Thursday till this day, but the atmosphere at the Surly Goat is exeptional.

All the people working there are friendly, and they assure that you will walk out of the bar satisfied and pleased with all the beers you've had that night. Their tap selection is beyond great. From Blind Pig to BrewDog Tokio, the Surly Goat has gone all around the spectrum bringing beers that is definitely a "must try". Thanks to Ryan at Surly Goat and Verdugo Bar, he has provided some of the most exceptional beers.

They have a cellar menu, with all your favourite Russian Rivers, Lost Abbeys, and many, many more. What I love about it so much? If the price is right, you can endulge in older batches of all these beers.

If you want to enjoy the bar in a comfortable setting, the weekdays is right for you. It's not too packed, you meet fellow beer drinkers, and some good music playing in the background (of course you cannot exclude the usual Journey and Def Leppard tracks). Come in on a Saturday and you'll notice the place busier, but with a very fun vibe. Lots of disco, and patrons other than the superficial Hollywood crowd.

You'll definitely enjoy it!

07-14-2010 22:00:09 | More by PlinyTheKid

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

So, we walk in and sit down at the bar, and immediately noticed how beautiful the two women bartenders were, and how knowledgeable they were about beer. I remembered this line from a review I read here (a couple below mine) and turned to my friend and told him what it said: "hot chicks at the bar that know the difference between a porter and a stout." One of the "chicks" caught our conversation at the wrong time, totally misinterpreted and glared at me like I was some chauvinist pig or something...I couldn't get her attention the rest of the night to apologize and explain. Whateva, sista!

The other bartender couldn't have been nicer or more knowledgeable. I had a Rogue Mocha Porter (delicious) and a Ballast Point Three Sheets oaked-aged barleywine (outstanding), and my friend had a Scaldis and a Matilda. All from the tap...so you see the focus on quality there. Saw all kinds of other stuff on offer, on tap and in bottles, hardly a dud in sight. Impossible to not find a top-notch beer to enjoy, and the tap list regularly rotates too...

The atmosphere is dark, which I like, although parts of the room have an austere quality. As soon as you walk in the door, in front of you is the coziest area, kind of a den sort of vibe with tons of framed pictures of goats of various varieties...and then the bar immediately to the right (well-stocked with spirits as well), and then a long row of tables directly behind. Was a Thursday night about 10 pm, and there was a good crowd, but still plenty of elbow room. And don't look for a big sign outside, it's not there, just the street number...we drove by it a few times, looking more for the sign than the #. Totally kick-ass place, the Goat, I'll be back before I leave this town...

05-07-2010 13:47:58 | More by Metalmonk

WOTO97

California

4.09/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

All-in-all a great spot for a location in dire need of a solid beer bar. The bar actually reminded me of a Chicago bar, which is definitely a good thing: focus on hanging out with a great patio area. While there, I had a consecration, three sheets, idiot, and the craftsman saison. All were solid as expected. The service was great; the bartender was generous with tasters and friendly banter at the bar. Service lost some points for simply because the bartender working there didn't have a very solid beer knowledge. Aside from that, very friendly and diligent. I must also note I visited on a Sunday evening and the place was relatively empty. The selection was pretty good. Admittedly, Beachwood has a better selection of the hard to find stuff, but from the looks of this spot, the Goat is surely on its way to greatness. Definitely a fun spot and worth the trek if you are considering visiting.

05-05-2010 19:48:05 | More by WOTO97

HopHeadLouie

California

4.94/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

The Surly Goat is the best beer bar in LA hands down! And It is not because of the comfortable laid back atmosphere or the world class tap line up. It is not because of the awesome Goat head watching over you or the hot chicks at the bar that know the difference between a porter and a stout. It has nothing to do with the awesome walk in beer cellar adorned with gleaming bottles of Utopias and other rare goodies. It's not the VIP goat room or even the free Pacman. It's the best beer bar In LA because of the vision and commitment of the Goat owners Ryan and Brandon. It is evident in every square inch of that place, this is a beer geeks beer bar! Created by beer geeks for beer geeks in the name of beer, one nation under beer indivisible and justice for brew!

With The Verdugo Bar, Ryan and Brandon broke the stranglehold of pretentious beer bars and brought gold standards like Pliny the Elder to the comfortable neighborhood bar where you could regularly imbibe in mind blowing "how did you get that" beers. A good eighty percent of the soft opening weeks Goat line up were beers that not only exceeded that category but were beers that you would have made an event out of. Pliny the Younger, Sculpin, Rasputin XII, just to name a few.

The Goat is not only a welcome addition to the LA beer scene, it has also just raised the bar for the entire LA beer community.

03-04-2010 01:27:26 | More by HopHeadLouie

ndinh

California

3.6/5  rDev -20.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

this place needs a little bit more time to find its stride and get organized. The bar is centrally located so it'll do well for sure. We went the first Friday after opening week and it was jam packed. The bartenders were nice but were scrambling to pour and sometimes the wait was a bit too long. Unfortunately, this is not only a beer bar but a full bar so you have the people ordering their mixed crap so bartenders tend to take longer to shuffle through customers. The beer list was good but not well organized. The board list didn't match the menu so we weren't sure what was available. Strange thing....I asked a bartender for Doggy Claws and she said they were out. My friend asked another bartender a couple of minutes later and she got a pour. Huh? There was also a cask on the board and when I asked, the bartender said they don't have a cask.

02-23-2010 20:18:05 | More by ndinh

dksl16

California

4.2/5  rDev -7.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | $$$

Let me preface this by saying that I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of The Surly Goat since the day I heard it was coming to my area. There is nothing comparable in terms of beer selection around We/Ho and Fairfax and it's certainly a welcome addition to the neighborhood. It does, however have its share of problems.

BEER: En par with Verdugo (equally amazing selection, maybe a little pricier)

ATMOSPHERE: The bar setup is similar to that of Verdugo, but the seating area is a lot larger. Unfortunately the place is just missing that something extra. With no food, no "activities" except for a Pac-Man machine, and with TVs exclusively showing cult films, Surly Goat is a hard sell for non-beer geeks. Mixed service (sometimes you get friendly and knowledgeable, sometimes you don't) doesn't help matters.

If you're looking for a night of great beers in a relaxed atmosphere, this is the place. Unfortunately, in terms of the complete bar-going experience, it fails to rise to the level of Verdugo and Blue Palms. I'd place Surly Goat a distant 3rd in the LA beer scene.

02-21-2010 03:39:22 | More by dksl16

callmescraps

Massachusetts

4.64/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I guess I get to be the first to review this place. Frankly, I'm kind of honored.

Atmosphere- It's a very classy-looking place with a stone bar, new leather in the booths and on the stools, with lots of goat-themed beer art and vintage posters on the walls. It's a dark and cozy. They keep the volume on the music tolerable so you can hear companions talk. So far it's been heavily beer-geeky since it's just opened, and because they tapped PtY a couple of days later, but there seem to have been plenty of folks just trying out a new place. It's got a nice vibe.

Quality- Very good. The tap list is all-killer, no-filler. It's probably bordering on a 5, especially with all the great bottles. I'll be re-considering this score as the place develops.

Service- Has been really excellent. Very nice (and easy on the eyes) bartenders. Some folks are still learning their beer, but I've seen them make quality recommendations to several customers. Frankly, with such a great tap list it's hard to go wrong. The guys that run the place are just awesome. Will sit down and have a beer with you, shoot the breeze, and just maybe open up a special bottle or two to share. They are really passionate about beer, and really care about sharing that passion.

Selection- Once again it's all quality stuff. The bottles they have are awesome, but hopefully they'll be adding some more in the future. They've done a good job so far with keeping several different styles on so there is something for every palate.

I have to say, opening this place right in my neighborhood is one of the best things to happen in a long time. The LA beer scene is really blowing up. And these guys are leading the charge. Oh, and they made me even happier when they tapped their PtY keg without much fanfare. That meant that regular folks off the street got to actually try the super-hyped beverage. Most of them seemed to really like it to boot. It was awesome to be able to actually savor that beer in peace, in a mellow environment, surrounded by friendly folks. Just as beer was meant to be enjoyed.

02-12-2010 17:33:29 | More by callmescraps