Where To Find Beer at the LA County Fair 2018 Complete Guide

With 52 Stations Pouring Several Different Brands, Annual Los Angeles Event Is Somewhat Like a Brewfest

Being from the South, going to county fairs is part of the regional culture. But here in Southern California, it seems as somewhat of an afterthought. Well, for someone who lives at the beach anyway.

But when I got wind of the LA County Fair (Aug. 31-Sept 23, 2018) and heard about the size of the thing – nearly a quarter of a million people go when it opens on Labor Day Weekend alone – I thought it was something that perhaps I should consider attending. Then I found out about the beer.

Beer? I had always thought of county fairs as places for old-school carnival rides, odd types of fried food that can only be exciting for the likes of Mike & Molly and the occasional visit to check in on a few farm animals (don’t see too many of those in the city). I had never really considered it as a beer event.

 

Yet the LA County Fair not only has beer, it has a lot of it. In fact, there are a whopping 52 stations at the LA Pomona Fairgrounds that sell beer!

Even given the fact that the fairgrounds encompasses a pretty big area, that’s an impressive number of places to buy beer. One could easily make a pleasant day or night by cruising from one station to the other, soaking in the atmosphere, playing a few of those silly carnival games, catching some of the free shows that take place on the streets and go having your picture taken with the Budweiser Clydesdales.

 

The first thing that presents itself upon entering the grounds is the largest of them all, so naturally it was my first thirst-quenching stop on a warm day. With dozens of different brands – Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top and Widmer, just to name a few – one could treat the fair like a brew festival by sampling them all.

The places that serve the beer are as varied as the beers that are served. There’s a bar called the Longboard Bar, a pub inside an air-conditioned building (a nice place to cool down and get off the feet for a while), covered areas with tables and even something of a beer garden. But I most often found myself at the smaller pouring stations located around the rides and games. A steady steam of people would stop by for a cold one, making it easy to strike up conversations; it was like sitting in an actual bar, quite a comfortable feeling for the Bar Blogger.

 

At one of these places, I thought I might have to be pryed away from the barstool with a crowbar, for the bartender was a gorgeous girl named Danielle, so stunning she could have just as easily been hanging with Hef. She delicately poured me a few Stellas and we chatted about various things, me eventually leaving before I popped out a marriage proposal.

Danielle is reason enough for single guys to go to the LA County Fair! And, to be fair to the ladies, there are dozens of male bartenders pouring beer, as well.

In addition to all these beer booths and bars, there’s good beer-enhanced activities such as concerts and even a Demolition Derby.

Besides its many other fine attributes, beer provides something else quite beneficial at the LA County Fair for single people. It makes it much more tolerable to walk amongst all those stroller-pushing parents; some of those strollers are the size of small Cadillacs.

Beer prices are a more-than-reasonable $8 for a 20-ounce domestic draft and $9 for a premium choice (22-ounce souvenir glasses are $10 and $11, respectively).

For details on the LA County Fair, click here.