Last Thursday, November 1, Business & Beer made our third visit to Strand Brewing Company in Torrance. Sometimes I wonder if I am just repeating the same thing every week when I review our last get together; it is always new people, return visitors, we are growing, yada yada. Well, this week I am going to say that last week we had a fantastic gathering. Not only did we have a couple of new people and several returnees that had not been able to attend recently, but we had one of our largest groups ever. We had about 20 people show up, and considering that Strand Brewing Co does not serve food, that is really saying something. In fact, our group was so large that owners of other locations have commented to me that they heard about how much Business & Beer is growing. It is really good to see and I thank everyone that has come out and made Business & Beer the success it is becoming; we do appreciate it.
Nice group for Business & Beer at Strand Brewing Co.
Next Thursday, November 8 we will be returning to Monkish Brewing, also in Torrance. Monkish Brewing is a microbrewery that specializes in Belgian style ales. I have had several people tell me that they have not tried Monkish yet, but have always wanted to, so I am expecting a pretty good group. I know we have some hop heads in the group that are not real fans of Belgian style ales, but I am here to tell you that brewmaster Henry has come up with a new dry-hopped Belgian amber, made with Sterling hops called False Prophet. Regular attendees know I am a major hop head and when I first raised my glass of False Prophet to my lips the aroma immediately put a smile to my face. I know I will never find an IPA at Monkish Brewing, but the False Prophet is right up there. Come on down Thursday and try it for yourself, I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Our host, Rich Marcello, pouring a Batch 100
Please remember to tell your friends about Business & Beer. If they own a small business or use networking as part of their business model and they enjoy American craft beers they are going to want to hear about Business & Beer. No special invitations are required; all they have to do is show up. To keep in the loop, sign up to our mailing list found at the top of each page; and Like us on Facebook. We are now offering advertising at very low rates, starting at $20/month. Lock in your low, low rates today. As we grow, so will the cost.
Last week Business & Beer returned to the home of the Blue House Ales, El Segundo Brewing Company (ESBC)in El Segundo. As one might guess, El Segundo Brewing is a microbrewery that specializes in ales with their Wheat and Double IPA’s being my favorites. They also have their Hyperion Stout for those not into hops. For our event they brought out a vanilla bean porter that was good enough that we brought some home with us. It was week 16 of Business & Beer and we had a nice little group with us. As ESBC is as far north as we go, I don’t expect groups of 15-20 at this point of our existence. We had a couple more than we did the first time we came, and at least one was a first timer. The brewing room is not that big, so our group shared the tasting room. It gave others the opportunity to inquire about the Business & Beer concept.
Free beer is the best beer
This Thursday, November 1, Business & Beer will return to Strand Brewing Company in Torrance. This will be our third visit to Strand Brewing and we always seems to have a nice turnout. I suspect that we have a lot of hopheads in the group, plus being in Torrance it is close to most of us. Strand Brewing Company is a microbrewery that specializes in handcrafted ales. Their ales come in every variety from amber to black with a couple nice IPA’s and stout thrown in for good measure. As it is a microbrewery they do not sell food, but you are welcome to bring some or order in. They have plenty of street parking that is free and we are encouraged to use it.
Good business, good beer and good people
Remember to tell your friends. If networking is an important part of their doing business, they like to support local businesses and they enjoy craft beer, they will want to come along. No invitation needed, just look at our upcoming schedule and come on down. If you want to stay current, you can sign up to our mailing list (on the right) and you can Like Us on Facebook. If you own or know of a gastropub in the South Bay we should check out, please let us know about it.
Last week, Business & Beer held their second gathering at Alpine Inn at the Alpine Village in Torrance. While Alpine Inn is known primarily for their German influence, they have recently added several rotating taps specifically for American craft beers. Our visits to Alpine Inn allow attendees to compare American craft beers with their European counterparts. The one thing that is consistent is that German food tastes just as good with American beers as it does with German and Czech biers.
Wide selection of craft beers at Alpine Inn
We first met at Alpine Inn back in August, and it was our seventh meet-up; we had about eight people show up. Since that equaled our smallest attendance numbers (we had the same number the prior week at El Segundo Brewing Co) we decided that our boundaries should be Alpine Inn at the south and El Segundo Brewing Company to the north. Last week we had 15 people show up; and only two or three were first timers. These increasing numbers make us rather excited for what the upcoming months have in store for us. In fact, as I see our mailing list numbers increase along with the RSVP’s I am sure 2013 will show a lot of growth to our group.
Business being done over a beer
Next week we will be returning to El Segundo Brewing Company (ESBC) in El Segundo. The last time we were there the streets around them were being torn up by the city. That seems to be a non-issue now, even if some construction equipment is parked in the street. The parking in El Segundo is free and there is a public lot essentially across the street from ESBC (kitty corner), so parking should be a non-issue. While El Segundo Brewing Company is a micro brewery, it is football season so there will be tacos available along with the game being on for those that it matters. I have been told that they will try to have something new to tap for us. As our group is growing we will likely be meeting in the brewhouse itself.
Remember to sign up for our mailing list and to Like Us on Facebook so you always know what is coming up as well as special events we have planned. We have been invited to join a couple local brewing clubs so we will likely have some “field trips” coming up in the next few months. As always, all the photos from Business & Beer at Alpine Inn can be found on GotBaddog.com.
Please join us for Business & Beer a small business networking event which will be held at The Brewery at Abigaile on November 15, 2012 at 6 PM. The Brewery at Abigaile is located at 1301 Manhattan Avenue, Hermosa Beach, California. Please RSVP by commenting below that you will be there.
Join us at The Brewery at Abigaile at 6 PM on November 15, 2012
Please join us for Business & Beer a small business networking event which will be held at Monkish Brewing Co. on November 8, 2012 at 6 PM. Monkish Brewing Co. is located at 20311 South Western Avenue Torrance, California. Please RSVP by commenting below that you will be there.
Join us at Monkish Brewing Co at 6 PM on November 8, 2012
