Business & Beer returned to the Alpine Inn at Alpine Village in Torrance last Thursday, and considering it started to rain shortly before we were scheduled to meet, we had a pretty good turnout. The Alpine Inn is a German themed restaurant that was included in the Business & Beer rotation due to the wide selection of American craft beers they pour in addition to the German and Czech brews that are found there. Over the prior weekend we decided to give Meetup a try, so we set up a page with them and thought that would be that. As it turned out, there was an approval process so they did not really put the word out about Business & Beer until late Tuesday; even so, we had two new visitors as a result, so that is a good thing.

Alpine Inn beers on tap

This Thursday, March 14 we will be returning to The Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach. If you have never been to The Rockefeller, it is a very nice gastropub in Hermosa Beach, on Pier Avenue. As it is Hermosa Beach, you may need to search for parking, but it will be worth it. They have about 25 craft beers on tap and have a quality food menu, with many specials available when we are there. In addition to the regular Business & Beer attendees, the last I looked we had close to 10 RSVP’s from Meetup; so we have the potential for a pretty large group. I hope you can join us.

Business & Beer joins Meetup

In the way of announcements, we have a couple. This week, our friends at Sophie’s Place are dedicating their eight taps to four of the South Bay’s own brewers; Strand Brewing, Monkish Brewing, El Segundo Brewing and Smog City. The taps will be dedicated as South Bay Beer Week at Sophie’s Place and runs through Saturday.

Sunday, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day and Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach will host the 1st Annual Froth Awards, The Easy Reader Beer Experience and Gastropub Challenge. The Froth Awards will feature the best of the South Bay’s microbreweries, brewpubs and gastropubs who will put together five food and craft beer pairings. The microbreweries participating include, Strand Brewing Company, Monkish Brewing, Smog City, El Segundo Brewing Company and the Brewery at Abigaile. Food will be provided by The Rockefeller, Hudson House, Hot’s Kitchen, Simmzy’s and others. This sounds like it will be a great time. Tickets at $29 at the door, or you can purchase them online on the Saint Rocke website. If you buy your tickets online, please be aware there is $6.95 in fees per ticket if you purchase your tickets online (there are no fees if you purchase your tickets at the door), however, they have released a promo code “Frothy” to take $5.00 off each ticket. You will apply this at checkout; look at the top right under Sub Total for the Promo code link. The doors open at noon and the pairings begin at 1:00 PM. You can find more details on GotBaddog.com.