Opening Day at Angel Stadium

Opening day of MLB is one of my most favorite days of the year, right after my birthday and Christmas.  This week, I was able to return to one of my most favorite places on Earth, besides San Diego and Disneyland, Angel Stadium. Going to games at the Big A with my friends is one of my most favorite things to do, besides of course visiting new breweries.

For the past three (!) years, I've written about the craft beer available at the stadium on my blog.  It's been amazing to see new and familiar breweries each season at the stadium. Going to the Angels home opener is always fun for me, because I love baseball but it's also great to have a chance to check out the newest craft beer options at the stadium.

Before heading to any game at the stadium, I first stop off at one of my favorite local breweries, Noble Ale Works, which is located just north of Angel Stadium.  Enjoying a beer at Noble Ale Works before walking over to the game is a fantastic way to support a local brewery before supporting my local baseball team.  Going to Noble before a game is also a great way to save a few bucks on parking and save some money for purchasing beer at the stadium.

On busy days at Noble Ale Works, the Express Bar is open, where the line is usually shorter.

As it has been for the past few years, the location at Angel Stadium with the widest variety of beer is also closest to the entrance of the stadium.  Located near Gate 2, Draft Pick once again has the largest variety of beer choices in the stadium.  

  
Breweries at Draft Pick include:

Karl Strauss Brewing
Elysian Brewing
Left Coast Brewing
Golden Road Brewing
Hangar 24
Ace Hard Cider
Kona Brewing
Rough Draft
Firestone Walker
Angel City Brewery
Redd's
Ballast Point Brewing
Saint Archer
Magic Hat
New Belgium Brewing
Speakeasy
Stone Brewing

Domestic Draft prices are $4.50 for a small and $9.50 for a large, while Premium beers are $11 for a small and $14 for a large.

Two stand alone carts, which first debuted last season are again on the 200 level of the stadium.  The smaller of the two carts has Firestone Walker options and is located near section 204.  The larger stand is located near the Left Field Pavilion, not far from section 256.  The new larger stand has most of the same beers available at the Draft Pick stand as well as a few macro selections and ciders.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this season Angel Stadium offers free wi-fi throughout the stadium.  This makes it far easier to keep in touch with friends throughout the game, and of course post essential social media updates.

While Angel Stadium has boasted about having the lowest cost per ounce of beer in the MLB in the past, their price of beers has increased again this season.  For $14, you are able to enjoy 24 ounces of craft beer, which equates to $0.58 per ounce versus $0.39 per ounce for macro styles of beer.  While the price per ounce is nearly double the average of $0.31-$0.37 per ounce from nearby breweries, the price is still fairly reasonable for a sports venue.

While the previous two seasons saw an increase in the number of craft breweries having their beers available at Angel Stadium, this season actually has seen a decrease.  The average consumer may not notice, but many of the breweries in the past season that were previously craft breweries are no longer craft.  I'm glad that one of my favorite local breweries, Left Coast Brewery, has continued to have a presence at Angel Stadium.

Left Coast Brewery's Trestles IPA