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Business & Beer at King Harbor Brewing Company

A few of the Business & Beer networkers

Business & Beer returned to Redondo Beach and King Harbor Brewing Company for our October gathering on Thursday, October 9. It was our first return to King Harbor since they had their soft open at our February meeting. In those eight months they have come up with a few more options with their beer selection although not all were available at our gathering. It seems that some of their brews have become so popular that it is gone almost as fast as it is kegged; which is a good thing for King Harbor Brewing. At our gathering The Quest with Mosaic Hops, California Saison, Abel Brown and The Swirly were made available.

We had a very nice turn out with a nice mix of regulars and first time attendees; and Phil and Deborah were kind enough to bring a few pizzas along for those that had not had an opportunity to eat. Since it was a Thursday, it was “Bring Your Own Beer Mug” night several attendees took advantage of being able to bring in their favorite mug and had them filled at the standard prices. The winner of the free growler and fill has not been announced yet, so if you brought your own mug watch the King Harbor Brewing Facebook page for the announcement. Continue reading

Business & Beer attendees

A nice group of networkers

The September 11 gathering of Business & Beer was held at The Brewery at Abigaile, the only brewery/brewpub in Hermosa Beach. While admittedly our Business & Beer events that are held north of Torrance seem to have lower turnouts, we had a pretty respectable group that consisted of two waves. Our initial group was a small mix of regulars and a couple first timers that all enjoyed the beer, food and networking. About five minutes after everyone left and before we had finished picking up after ourselves, a few more first timers showed up thereby making me realize the importance of including an end time for the events when we add them to the Business & Beer upcoming events. I apologize for not doing this two years ago when we started this. Officially our events run from 6:00-8:00 PM but this is not written in stone. Sometimes we have a larger group and time just flies by; since most tasting rooms close at 9:00 PM that is the latest we will stay but most people start leaving around 8:00. The drawing for the free beer is at 7:00; so you will want to be there by then.

Business & Beer will meet October 9th at King Harbor Brewing Company; currently the only craft brewery in Redondo Beach. This will be the second time we have met at King Harbor Brewing, the first time being their soft open that was held back in February. If you have not returned or been there lately you will be pleasantly surprised as there are more beers and much better seating than even a month ago. One thing you should know is that Thursdays are “bring your own mug night”; $5.00 fills your mug/stein; reasonable sizes only (no buckets allowed). The best mug brought in will win a free growler and fill from King Harbor Brewing; so come prepared to impress us all. The networking event runs from 6:00-8:00 PM. King Harbor Brewing Company is located at 2907 182nd Street in Redondo Beach. Continue reading

The Dudes' Tanks

The Dudes’ open their doors to Business & Beer

The August 14 meeting of Business & Beer was held at The Dudes’ Brewing Company in Torrance, and if you picked this month to miss attending you missed a great networking event.

The Dudes’ tasting room is not yet open to the public, but they were kind enough to open their doors to Business & Beer and we responded by having about 30 people come on out with a great mix of regular attendees and first timers. Head Sales Dude, Scott Shaw kept busy pouring [free] beer, handing out pizza and answering questions about the brewery; Assistant Brewer Rich Madden gave a tour of the facility to those that were interested. If you have even been in their brewery you know that it is significantly bigger and different than the others in the South Bay area.

As an extra treat, as if free beer and pizza was not enough, all attendees were able to take their Dudes’ glassware home and free tickets to the opening night of the upcoming Oktoberfest at Alpine Village were given out. It really was a fun night for everyone that came out and we were glad that so many could make it out.

Free beer winner

Bring your business cards and win a free beer

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Business&Beer at Strand Brewing

Ready for Business and Beer

On Thursday, July 10, Business & Beer returned to Torrance’s original production brewery, Strand Brewing Company. Historically we have some of our largest turnouts when we visit Strand Brewing, but July’s meeting fell short of what we have grown accustomed. While the group was significantly smaller than expected, we did have at least one first timer and a couple returnees. When our groups are smaller it does give attendees the ability to learn a little more about each other and what they bring to the table as far as business is concerned. The next time they come to a Business & Beer gathering they will not feel like the ‘new guy’ since they did get an opportunity to meet a few people already.
free beer winner

Chris wins a free beer at Business & Beer

Our August gathering of Business & Beer will be held at The Dudes’ Brewing Company on August 14 at 6:00 PM. The Dudes’ Brewing Company is located at 1840 W. 208th Street in Torrance. If you have heard that The Dudes’ do not have a tasting room yet, you heard right. The Dudes’ were granted a Conditional Use Permit back in May and are slowly working their way to making their tasting room a reality. I guess one might say that our Business & Beer gathering will be a soft soft-open for them. While I am not entirely sure how many beer options they will have available this should be a fun gathering, especially for those of you that have yet to visit the brewery itself. It is a very impressive setup; I think you will enjoy yourself. Judging by the responses we have received thus far, this should be a very well-attended event. We hope you can join us. Continue reading

Business & Beer at Smog City Brewing

Business & Beer at Smog City Brewing

On May 8, Business & Beer made a return visit to Torrance production brewery Smog City Brewing Company. It was an interesting mix of people that have been coming since day one as well as several first time visitors. There were people coming and going throughout the evening which is fine since our gatherings are informal and there is no reason why someone should not feel free to stay for as long or as little as their personal schedule allows. The one constant of our meetings is the drawing for the free beer which always happens around 7:00 PM, so if you can only stay for a while, that is when you want to try to make it. ;)

Our June meeting of Business & Beer will be held at El Segundo Brewing Company on June 12 from 6:00-8:00 PM. El Segundo Brewing Company is one of the more hop centric craft breweries in the South Bay but they have been expanding their brewing horizons and now have such brews as their Station No.1, a malty red ale that is really quite delicious. If you have never visited El Segundo Brewing Company I highly recommend getting a flight so you can try a little of everything before deciding what your favorite is. El Segundo Brewing Company is located at 140 Main Street in El Segundo. You can find all relevant details at http://businessnbeer.com/el-segundo-brewing-company-june-12/.

Remember, Business & Beer is the informal business networking group with no rules such as mandatory meetings or dues. You do not need a special invitation to bring your friends, everyone is welcome. Bring your business cards and a willingness to network, we will provide the people to talk to as well as access to some great local brews. You can see all the photos from our May gathering at Smog City Brewing on CraftBeerGuy.com.