Please join us for Business & Beer a small business networking event which will be held at Monkish Brewing Co. on October 10, 2013 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.
Last Thursday, July 11, we began our new format at Business & Beer, changing from weekly networking events to once a month; holding our meetups on the second Thursday of each month. Last week we met at Strand Brewing Company in Torrance and if the turnout is any indicator of what the future holds, meeting once a month is definitely going to work. While the last few Business & Beer gatherings were rather dismal in attendance, last week we not only had several returnees that we have not seen in a while, but we had two new guests. It was good to see everyone introducing themselves to people they did not know; one of our first time guests told me she was impressed with how friendly and open everyone was sorry she had not learned of us sooner.
Our next Business & Beer is scheduled for August 8 at The Brewery at Abigaile; a brewpub located at 1301 Manhattan Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Head Brewer, Brian Brewer, always has five wonderful beers going, ranging from blondes to porters. Business & Beer regulars know that I have a particular affinity for hoppy brews and Brian has definitely had some that I loved, but I recently visited Abigaile and it seems he is experimenting more with malts to give some real balance to the brews. In addition to great beers, they have some very good food.
The Brewery at Abigaile is the only brewpub on the Business & Beer schedule and there is a good reason for that. If you have been there, you know why; if you have not, you are in for a treat. As a note, since we are having fewer meetings there will be fewer newsletters going out, so if you want to stay current liking us on Facebook is one of the best methods. Continue reading
In the past year we had 47 Business & Beer gatherings at 12 different microbreweries, brewpubs and gastropubs with groups as large as 25 and as small as 4-5; with the last few gatherings being smaller than normal. While we acknowledge that sometimes smaller is better, we have come to the conclusion that trying to have these meetings on a weekly basis is too much for most people to participate in. Currently, five of the locations we visit brew beer onsite and there is another opening within the next two or three months. We have decided that we will meet once a month and we are going to limit our gatherings to microbreweries and brewpubs; in other words, only where they actually brew their own beer. With the growth we will be seeing in the South Bay, this means we will visit our host brewers a maximum of twice a year. It is our hope that with the new format of once a month we can build our numbers back up to double-digits. We have notified and thanked all the gastropubs of our new format and we really appreciate their hospitality; we also encourage you to remember them when looking for a dining experience that includes a great craft beer selection. Continue reading
Last week Business & Beer returned to El Segundo’s source for the finest, freshest ales in the city, El Segundo Brewing Company (ESBC). Since most of our attendees live or work in the Torrance/Redondo Beach area, El Segundo is the northernmost microbrewery that we currently visit. Even though we had to compete with travel, graduations, illness and the LA Kings game, we had a pretty decent turnout. One consistent thing about our visits to ESBC is that we inevitably are approached by other visitors that want to learn more about what we are all about; this held true last week as well. As usual, El Segundo Brewing provided discounts to Business & Beer attendees, so if you need an excuse to join us there, now you have one. Thank you to Travis and Brett for the great service.
This week we will be returning to 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro, a gastropub located in downtown Torrance. There is plenty of free parking on the streets and the parking structure on the other side of Sartori. If you have not visited the 1321 Taproom lately, they have changed a lot, from their food menu to their craft beer offerings. They have changed a lot over the past year or two; bring your business cards and make it a tax write-off. We start at 6:00 PM and they are located at 1321 Sartori in Torrance; we hope to see you there. Continue reading