Sunday 2nd of March 2008 12:53:22 PM

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Just before catching the plane back to New York, I searched BeerMapping.com for a possible brew pub where I could have a couple of pints and some dinner. I wanted to avoid the prefab-palace brewpub and find a place with some soul, a place where real people (as opposed to vacationing tourists) would gather to drink hand crafted beer. San Pedro Brewing Company appeared to fit the bill.

Located across from an enormous shipping port, San Pedro appears to be a developing community with a decent downtown area. The San Pedro brewing company is a few blocks off the shipping port and located in a brown brick building.

We entered the place and found a table not too far from the brewing system. The brewer was there making a batch of beer. The wait staff was attentive and we had our beers within minutes of sitting down (very important not to keep the thirsty beer writer waiting, especially if he's there to write a review for BeerMapping.com). I had the Red Ale and my friend had the Pale Ale. The Red Ale was the best beer we tried that night: malty and hoppy, it was an excellent accompaniment to the barbecue I ordered for dinner.

The interior of the place wasn't polished. It looked well-used and reminded me of a college pub (there may be a college nearby, I don't know). With wood floors and wood tables and the brown brick walls, it had a homey, warm ambiance. The bar itself was long and wide and on a Friday night was packed. I noted that in addition to their own brews, they had a number of guest beers (industrial stuff) on tap and in bottles.

A band was setting up not far from our table, but we had to catch our plane and couldn't stay for the live entertainment.

The next beer I had was the Chocolate Porter. It was a bit over attenuated and thus lacked body. The maltiness was skewed toward charred coffee flavors (presumedly from a generous addition of Black Patent malt in the recipe). I'm fairly certain there was some real chocolate or cocoa in the brew; there was that tell-tale lactose aftertaste in the finish.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the Hefeweizen.

Outdoor seating is available in an enclosed courtyard and it appears they allow smoking in the courtyard after 10 pm. The parking was a bit of an issue on a Friday night. We found a free spot on the street a few blocks away. There is valet parking for $3 if you want to go that way.