We Angelenos are lucky to have our share of great dive bars, ex-pat pubs and neighborhood watering holes with good, affordable beer. But when it comes to ordering a first-rate pint (sorry, Sam Adams’ latest seasonal brew doesn’t count) at affordable prices in upscale haunts, Los Angeles has long been a few sips behind San Diego, Portland and Seattle.

Recently, a slew of bistros and restaurants have upped the ante with some interesting beers on tap and in the bottle – often for less than what a Budweiser will set you back at Dodger Stadium, even with the stadium’s recent price cut to .

Here are a few local restaurants pouring the good stuff for or less. If you know of any others, please comment!

BoHo, 6372 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323.465.8500, bohorestaurant.com
Next door to the ArcLight is BoHo, the just-opened gastropub from chef Andre Guerrero, who has on his staff a “beer sommelier” (new career, anyone?). Ryan Sweeney has put together a really interesting list, with more than a dozen at : cream ales, Russian imperial stouts and IPAs, many from such small producers as Ten Fidy Brewery in Lyons, Colorado. But our heart swells at the sight of beer from Lost Abbey, the San Marcos brewery with fantastic higher-alcohol Belgian/French-style hybrid ales with complex, almost wine-like flavor profiles and an appropriate bit of crazy California style. (By the way, Lost Abbey is a must-stop on your next drive to San Diego — it’s fun to hang out and taste among the wine barrels, in which the beer is aged for several months). In the meantime, you can get your fix at BoHo, where Lost Abbey’s Avant Garde is fittingly served in a goblet, for less than the price of two gallons of gas. Avant Garde, indeed.

BottleRock, 3847 Main St., Culver City, 310.836.9463; 1050 Flower St., Downtown, 213.747.1100, bottlerock.net
BottleRock may be better known for its wine, but it’s also got a great beer selection at both the Culver City and downtown locations. But you have to scour the menu carefully — you can easily spend or more on a hard-to-find specialty beer. At the Culver City location, you’ll spot a handful of interesting finds, but the real deal is Rush Hour (4:30 to 7 on weeknights), when you can score any of the beers on tap for to (normally to ). Downtown is about to start its own Rush Hour, but in the meantime, for you can taste Anderson Valley Hop Ottin’ India Pale Ale, or the same brewery’s Oatmeal Stout. Or if you’re a big Bear Republic fan, you can get the Healdsburg brewery’s Racer 5 IPA for the same price. North Coast’s Old Rasputin, a fantastically rich, 9%-alcohol imperial stout. Several light, summery German beers are also great deals.

Essex Public House, 6683 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.460.6608, essexhollywood.com This brand new Hollywood bistro has an interesting selection of 20 beers on tap from Christina Perozzi, L.A.’s self-described “Beer Chick,” who’s designed several beer menus lately (including Rustic Canyon and Laurel Tavern). Some of Perozzi’s list is well out of our beer comfort zone, like a bottle of Deus Brut des Flandres (granted, it’s 750ml of a gorgeous, champagne-like beer, but we’ll stick to our local Breuery boys’ Orchard White for that). But dig a little and you’ll find some interesting sips that just slide in at the mark. On tap, the Leffe Blonde and Victory Hip Hop Devil American IPA are both great this time of year. In bottles, check out Oskar Blues‘ Mama’s Little Yella Pils, which you’ll want to try if only for the fun of saying the name with a little attitude.

Fig, Fairmont Miramar Hotel, 101 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.576.7777,  figsantamonica.com
Maybe the newcomers to the Santa Monica restaurant scene haven’t heard what a pint at Ye Olde King’s Head will set you back, because around the corner at Fig, you can get a 12-ounce draft beer for — all the time. The rotating selection includes beers you rarely see lurking in luxury hotels: Brasserie Dupont Saison, Koningshoeven Quadrupel and a Schneiderweisse Hefe-Weizen. And we love that standard beers here, like Sam Adams and Amstel Light, actually cost a dollar more  than the typically more expensive brews.

So what’s the rub? The bar manager told us he has to keep certain stock beers available mainly for hotel guests, so he charges more for those but less for the good stuff that locals come looking for (nice concept, huh?). Judging by the price tag of a 750ml bottle (plenty for two to share) of Orchard White — a high-alcohol, citrusy, Belgian-style witbir from local L.A. brewhouse The Bruery – he’s not exaggerating. That same bottle will set you back from Wine Expo, the moderately priced retail store a little farther east in Santa Monica.

Riva, 312 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.451.7482, rivarestaurantla.com
The best thing going at Jason Travi’s trendy Santa Monica digs might be the beer to accompany his great pizzas. During the Monday-to-Friday happy hour (5 to 6:30) and nightly late-night specials (10 p.m. to midnight), you can sip one of the rotating beers on tap, most recently Stone Smoked Porter and Rare Vos (a Belgian-style amber ale from New York brewery Ommegang), for a whopping . Prices on pizzas and bar snacks are seriously slashed, too, which means an early dinner for two — with two rounds of beer — costs all of if your order carefully.

— Jenn Garbee

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