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 Tortilla Cantina. on November 29, 2012 at 6 PM. Tortilla Cantina is located at 1225 El Prado Ave, Old Torrance, California. Please RSVP by commenting below that you will be there.
Join us at Tortilla Cantina at 6PM on November 29, 2012
Last Thursday, Business & Beer returned to our favorite Redondo Beach gastropub, Sophie’s Place in the Riviera Village. This was our 14th gathering and there are no signs of letting up as we had another nice mixture of veteran and new members show up. There were several other networking events going on at the same time, so it was not surprising that some of our regular attendees were not able to make it. As the debates between Biden and Ryan were going on at the same time and the weather had been a little damp earlier, I was not surprised that we did not set any record attendance numbers, but we had a nice group show up. We had a first time attendee or two and a couple of people that are turning into regulars, so I am pleased.
Our host, Keon, manning the taps
This Thursday, October 18, we will be returning to the Alpine Inn at Alpine Village in Torrance. This will be our second visit to Alpine, not counting our special event we had at Oktoberfest. While in the past Alpine Inn was known primarily for their selection of German beers on tap, their GM is a home brewer and has expanded their craft beer selection to include several local brews as well as some hard to find American craft beers. Bring your appetite, business cards and willingness to network and you will have a great time. You can get all the details on our front page.
Networking at Sophie’s Place
As a reminder, this Saturday, October 20 will be the 1st Annual Hollywood On Tap which is a benefit for the Blank Theater Group. Those of you that have met Matt know that he is putting a lot of effort into making this a success and their list of participating breweries proves it. As an attendee of Business & Beer and reading our blog you are entitled to a special discount. You can get VIP admission for just $35; that is cheaper than a general admission ticket and you get in an hour early! There is a $4 service charge per order (not per ticket) and there will not be any tickets sold at the door, so take advantage of it while you can. This promises to be a fun event. Continue reading
Last week, Business & Beer returned to our favorite Hermosa Beach gastropub, The Rockefeller. If I have ever had any concerns about whether or not Business & Beer was going to grow and become a successful networking event, they were completely eliminated last Thursday. We knew ahead of time that there were several of our regular attendees that had prior engagements; and right before we left for Hermosa Beach I received a phone call informing me that two others would not be able to make it. Every week, while driving to the location for our gathering, we ask each other how many people we think might attend. After all, we want to give our hosts and servers an idea of what to expect. Our smallest groups have had eight attendees; our largest about 20. I said I hoped for 10 attendees, with a new face or two and perhaps a second time visitor. I never really got a chance to get an accurate count, but we had close to 25 with 7-8 (maybe more) first timers and a couple second time attendees. It was great. People are telling their friends, and they are showing up ready to network and have fun.
Ready for Business & Beer
Our next event will be 6:00 PM Thursday, October 11 at Sophie’s Place in the Riviera Village section of Redondo Beach. If you have not joined us there yet, Sophie’s Place is a great little gastropub with a fine food menu, eight craft beers on rotating taps and about 50 different beers available in bottles. We first learned of Sophie’s Place back in May and it quickly became one of our favorite destinations. I am confident you will enjoy it as well. Be sure to bring your business cards, because people are there to do business as well as enjoy themselves.
Mike wins for a second time!
I want to take this time to mention a couple things. First, please feel free to bring your significant other; they can sit with us too. This is a social event. Having spent 10 years doing trade shows I learned that this is how the real business gets done; you meet, become friends and work together. Secondly, please feel free to invite your friends. They do not need a special invitation or permission. Anyone that finds networking an important tool in their business is welcome to attend. Even if you can not make it, they are welcome to join us. Just look for our Business & Beer signs and introduce themselves; that is all it takes. Please “Like” us on Facebook and get on our mailing list so you are kept in the loop. Our schedule is on the front page and updated as we set up the dates. All the Business & Beer at The Rockefeller photos can be found on GotBaddog.com.
Business & Beer met at Tortilla Cantina in Old Torrance last week, which was our twelfth meeting and our first visit to Tortilla Cantina. Tortilla Cantina is a “taco bistro” that offers 18 varieties of tacos and has about 35 different beers on tap. As will happen when dealing with rotating taps and micro breweries that frequently provide half kegs, sometimes taps run out; and apparently there were a couple instances of that happening Thursday. Luckily, when there are 35 taps available, you can run out of a few and still have plenty to choose from.
A few options from Taco Cantina
We had another very nice turnout, with about 20 people showing up, including three first time attendees and a couple returning for the second time. Someone asked me what types of businesses are being represented at these gatherings and so far they have included real estate agents, insurance agents, IT people, an engraver, a couple inventors, Internet marketers, mobile app developers, window washers, lawyers, financial planners and more. We have a pretty wide spectrum of businesses attending, so if networking is an important part of your business success, you might want to look into joining us one Thursday to check it out.
This Thursday we will be returning to The Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach. The Rockefeller is a gastropub which means they serve food and other people’s beer. In fact, they have about 25 different beers on tap and they sell flights that you can create yourself, or ask your server to make one for you. This will be our second visit to The Rockefeller and if you have never been, you will want to join us; they have very good food and there are several specials going on Thursdays, so come down and enjoy.
Our raffle winner for week 11
I would like to remind everyone that our full schedule of upcoming events is always posted on the front page of BusinessNBeer.com and we have a Facebook page to help you keep in touch. You can also sign up for our mailing list on the front page here which will notify you whenever a new post is made on this site. Also, please feel free to bring your significant other to our events. Part of the reason we promote this is that we understand the importance of family and think it is probably a little easier to get out of the house for a beer if you bring them along. So, build your business and your relationship at Business & Beer. You can see all the photos from Business & Beer at Taco Cantina on GotBaddog.com.
