The perfect ales to go with 30 Southern California trails

Want to try the ultimate Los Angeles ale trail? Do it downtown. While L.A. County as a whole has nearly 100 registered breweries, a 5.8-square-mile block enclosed by four freeways has 11, making it perhaps the densest beer-friendly spot in the city. Visit a quality quartet on this 3.75-mile urban drink and dawdle that also takes you to local landmarks, cultural communities and multiple murals.

Start at Boomtown Brewery, the newest alehouse of the bunch but one of the biggest, which has ample parking. The enormous taproom has tons of space to enjoy games (darts and pool and shuffleboard, oh my!) and brews. Then head south to 1st Street, taking it northwest through Little Tokyo, home to many boutique shops, famously delicious eateries (such as Daikokuya for ramen and Fugetsu-Do for mochi), a museum and a charming plaza.

Continue to L.A.’s City Hall (with an awesome observation deck, open Mondays to Fridays) and up through Grand Park, a 12-acre park with drought-tolerant gardens, an interpretive tree walk, and a court of flags (plus great views of City Hall). Head left on Grand Avenue and pass the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Broad to California Plaza, where you’ll find the historic Angels Flight Railway that lets you off at bustling Grand Central Market. Golden Road has a space here to enjoy some craft beer with a snack.

Then continue past the Bradbury Building and east on 3rd Street to find Mumford Brewing, the first of three upcoming brewery stops (just south of 3rd Street off Omar Street), a friendly family-owned spot known for juicy IPAs. Get back onto 3rd and into Little Tokyo to find one of L.A.’s best-known craft giants, Angel City Brewery, housed in a massive renovated warehouse. The beers are as unique as the space, which has games and tons of local art (and often live music).

East from Angel City on Traction Avenue you will find your last stop, Arts District Brewing Co., which is indeed surrounded by many murals, such as a beautiful elephant, a portrait of the artist Ai Weiwei and the mural-de-force, “Bloom.” Arts District Brewing is also an expansive space, often with 20-plus house-made offerings on tap. Grab a pint and play some Skeeball to end your brew-tiful day.