Doing business and making friends at Strand Brewing Company
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
Since I already reviewed last week’s non-gathering, I will just use this opportunity to remind you that this week we will be returning to El Segundo Brewing Company; located at 140 Main Street in El Segundo. If you have never been there, it is directly across the street from Rock & Brews. El Segundo Brewing has some of my favorite IPA’s and they make some great stouts as well; their Pale Ale is a pretty popular one as well. There is free parking kitty-corner to El Segundo Brewing and all street parking is free. Come on down, enjoy a fresh beer and network.
Speaking of networking, Business & Beer got a little free press in DaBelly.com; hopefully we will generate some additional interest. I hope with our planned change of going from weekly to once a month we will be able to bring back the larger groups we had in the past.
The 4th Annual LA Beer Week is almost upon us, and Business N Beer has some great meet-ups happening to coincide with the event. LA Beer Week is actually an 11 day event which begins on September 20 and runs through September 30. So far we have three Business & Beer events scheduled.
Thursday September 20, Business N Beer will be meeting at The Brewery at Abigaile in Hermosa Beach. This will be our second visit to Abigaile and since it is the first day of LA Beer Week, the timing could not be better. I happened to drop by there over the weekend and had the opportunity to talk with Jed Sanford (owner) and Brian Brewer (head brewer). Jed informed me that they have several specials planned for that evening with $3.00 pints, deals on growlers fills and specials on their clothing line. Brian told me that he is working on a few new brews, so if he does not join our group this time, it is because he was up early working on his new creations. Their beer menu has changed since our last visit, so I am sure I will be getting a flight so I can try them all.
On Friday September 21, Business N Beer members, friends and family have been invited by Otto Radtke (General Manager) at Alpine Village to attend their 45th Annual Oktoberfest free of charge! We are meeting at 7:00 PM in the patio area of the Alpine Market, which is directly across from the Alpine Inn and across the parking lot from the beer tent. To take advantage of this you must sign up. Please visit our Facebook page to get your name and the names of any guests on the list. If you have never been, you will have a great time.
Thursday September 27 Business & Beer will make our first visit to Tortilla Cantina in downtown Torrance. Tortilla Cantina now offers about 30 beers on tap, with most of them coming from local brewers. You can find more details on our Facebook page and on the front page of BusinessNBeer.com. We look forward to seeing you there.
