After two years of building and brewing, MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. in Van Nuys finally opened its doors to the public for a grand celebration on June 22. The 2,500-square-foot building is located on a side street (among auto body shops) and houses a seven-barrel production brewery and tasting room (you sip where they work) that exclusively focuses on traditional brewing methods of the British Isles. 

The naturally carbonated ale is unique, as it is brewed and served from casks at "cellar temperature" of 50 to 57 degrees. Currently they have four year-round beers and six seasonal beers in rotation (pale ales, Scotch ales, and English-style bitters).

The brewery is the brainchild of Sherman Oaks residents and husband and wife co-owners, Alastair and Jennifer Boase. Adding authenticity to the regional brew, Alastair is Scottish, and Jennifer is American, but spent her formative years in England. In charge of production is brewer Andy Black, an East Coast native and Anglophile who studied beer-making in England.

It just so happens that Alastair and Jennifer are both bagpipers, and the names of MacLeod ales are mostly bagpipe tunes. Moreover, the name MacLeod comes from a legendary group of bagpipers. Further pushing the theme, they even use the black knobs from bagpipes as tap handles.

Prices are half-pint ($4), pint ($6) and flight of four ($6). Their permit allows for only chips or pretzels to be served, but food trucks should be rolling by on occasion.

Hours: Wednesday to Friday (5 to 10 p.m.), Saturday and Sunday (noon to 10 p.m.), 14741 Calvert Street, Van Nuys. Check out the Facebook page here.