For now, East Los Angeles' newest brewery is still hiding in a quiet Montebello garage, where Gayle Michel, Luis Michel and Nathan Sewell have been crafting beers and writing business plans for the last few years.

But if all goes according to plan, Angry Horse Brewing will be moving its tiny one-barrel system into a storefront on Whittier Blvd. this summer, opening by fall a much-needed production brewery and taproom in the craft beer desert east of downtown L.A.

With the support of the City of Montebello and help from a County loan program geared towards small businesses, Angry Horse hopes to soon become an integral member of the Eastside community, not only by bringing their award-winning homebrew recipes to the masses, but also giving back through philanthropic efforts and donations to a local horse rescue.]

Nathan Sewell, Gayle Michel and Luis Michel of Montebello's Angry Horse Brewing.; Credit: Angry Horse Brewing

Nathan Sewell, Gayle Michel and Luis Michel of Montebello's Angry Horse Brewing.; Credit: Angry Horse Brewing

Luis Michel, who was born and raised in East L.A., and his wife Gayle are already active in the local homebrew community and currently serve as vice president and treasurer, respectively, of the Yeastside Brewers. Sewell, the recipe guru, first connected with the Michels at a beer-lovers meetup at their house and has been the brain behind some of Angry Horse's newer brews, like the Burnt Shirt English Brown and the citrusy East L.A. IPA.

Angry Horse's first public beer release was the Unite Pale Ale, a beer brewed with female Yeastside members in honor of International Women's Collaboration Brew Day in March. Taking advantage of a new California liquor law that allow homebrewers to donate beer for sale if the proceeds are for charity, the final beer was tapped at City Tavern Culver City in April with the event raising money for the Pink Boots Society.

Last month, Sewell and the Michels launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise funds for the next phase of Angry Horse. In order to help the small brewery grow from a one-barrel garage operation to a ten-barrel production brewery in the heart of Montebello, the Angry Horse crew is seeking $40,000 from investors to help pay for everything from keg washers and brite tanks to interior build-out and spent-grain transportation to a local horse ranch.

They are even launching a Community Supported Agriculture-style program where loyal customers can pay an annual fee in exchange for monthly growler fills and other perks.

If and when Angry Horse opens, they'll join South El Monte's Progress Brewing as one of only two production breweries to reside in the 562 bandlands between downtown L.A. and the Inland Empire. And as a second-generation Mexican-American, Luis Michel will also be adding to L.A.'s growing community of Latino brewers, which is more robust here than anywhere in the nation. 

Click here to contribute to Angry Horse Brewing's IndieGoGo campaign before it ends June 26.

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