Last Thursday, Business & Beer returned to Sophie’s Place, a gastropub in Redondo Beach, CA. Ever since the end of Daylight Savings Time, the attendance level at our gatherings had been less than stellar. There were times that Tanya and I would discuss whether or not we were being too ambitious in attempting to have weekly gatherings; after the nice turnout we had Thursday we decided that weekly meetups was a format we would continue with. We know that there are other events our members are involved with that occur on Thursdays, so some weeks are just naturally going to have better turnouts than others. We will just have to take into account things like weather, Christmas shopping and competing events. After all, if we decided to meet bi-weekly we would only risk picking the rotation that would always be a conflict with Business & Beer, so for the time being, we will continue to meet weekly.
8 Rotating Taps at Sophie’s Place
Tomorrow night, Thursday December 20, we will be returning to Strand Brewing Company, one of our favorite microbreweries in Torrance. Strand Brewing specializes in creating various ales; including their popular 24th Street Pale Ale and Atticus IPA. If you have not visited Strand Brewing lately, they have two new releases; Bagheera-East India Pale Ale and Black Sand Double IPA. Bagheera-East is their 3rd Anniversary Ale, featuring an exotic spice blend of curry, cumin, cinnamon and cloves accented with toasted coconut and tamarind. I would venture to say that this is Tanya’s favorite from Strand because it is not as hoppy as their typical brews. The Black Sand Double IPA is hoppy but balanced by a malty backbone. It reminds me a little of a half and half using an Atticus and Batch 100. Suffice it to say, Strand Brewing Co will have something you like; especially if you are a hophead.
Another good group at Sophie’s Place, Redondo Beach
Naturally, this will be our last gathering before Christmas and I know there are some that will be unavailable, but we always seem to get nice groups when we come to Strand Brewing, so come on down and have a beer and maybe do some business. Remember to sign up for our mailing list and Like us on Facebook to make sure you stay in the loop. I expect 2013 to have several special events for Business & Beer attendees. You can see all the photos from our visit to Sophie’s Place on GotBaddog.com
Business & Beer held its first December gathering last Thursday at The Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach, CA. The Rockefeller is a gastropub that has about 25 craft beers on tap and a tasty food menu. They have always made us feel at home, even before we started bringing Business & Beer there, and Thursday was no exception. We had a small group but enjoyed our time together as well as the complimentary appetizers provided by The Rockefeller.
Complimentary Appetizer
This Thursday, December 13, we will be meeting at Sophie’s Place, located in the Riviera Village in Redondo Beach. Sophie’s Place is another gastropub and offers some award winning menu items. Their lamb burger was voted best in the South Bay and I vote their date salad as the best in Southern California. They offer 50 craft beers, with some hard to find stuff; as well as eight rotating taps. There is always something special on tap. If you have been there, you know; if you have not, you will be in for a treat.
Free Beer Raffle Winner
Do not forget to sign up to our mailing list and Like us on Facebook if you want to be sure you know where we will be next. We will have some “field trips” to a local home brewers club or two and I am working on some special events with a few distributors. It should be a great year.
Last Thursday Business & Beer met at Tortilla Cantina, in Old Torrance. Tortilla Cantina is a gastropub that specializes in tacos, with 18 different varieties; and they offer up to 40 different craft beers on tap. This was the 20th meeting of Business & Beer since we started back in July. It was another cold, damp night which probably had something to do with the relatively low turnout we had. I am still not sure how much the return to Pacific Standard Time is affecting our attendance since every Thursday since Daylight Savings Time ended has been rather damp and chilly. We will continue, no matter what, because even when the turnouts are low, business and networking is being done.
Tortilla Cantina Flight
Tomorrow night, December 6, Business & Beer will return to The Rockefeller, a gastropub in Hermosa Beach. This will be our third visit to The Rockefeller and we have always had nice turnouts, so if you have been waiting for the right time for your first to a Business & Beer gathering, this would be a good one to start off with. The Rockefeller has food and drink specials on Thursdays and they offer 25 craft beers on tap; so come meet some fellow beer lovers, do some business and have a pleasant evening out. It does not look like it will be raining tomorrow, so come on down.
Enjoying some business and beer at Tortilla Cantina
We have scheduled a couple new venues for our upcoming meetups; 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro in Torrance and Brewco in Manhattan Beach. Both locations have an extensive selection of craft brews and they both serve food, so be sure to watch for them on our schedule of upcoming events. If you want to be sure to stay in the loop, sign up for our mailing list and Like our Facebook page. You can see all the photos from our event at Tortilla Cantina on GotBaddog.com.
Business & Beer met last Thursday, November 15, at The Brewery at Abigaile; which is a great little brewpub in Hermosa Beach. This was our third visit to Abigaile, and the prior visits had always been record setters for attendance so we had pretty high expectations. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not very cooperative and it was cold and damp out, so I guess not many people wanted to go to the beach. We still had eight people show up, with two of them coming for their second visit. The smaller group enabled everyone to talk to everyone else which is not always possible with the larger groups.
The Brewery at Abigaile
Since this week is Thanksgiving we will not be having a Business & Beer get-together; our next gathering will be on Thursday, November 29 at Tortilla Cantina in downtown Torrance. This will be our second visit to this location and as we had about 20 people show up the last time I expect we will have another good turnout. Parking is free in Torrance and if you can not find a spot on the street, there is a parking structure right down the block. The last time I went there they had 40 beers on tap, and you can create your own flights, so this is a great location to experiment.
Business & Beer at The Brewery at Abigaile
If you enjoy networking with people and trying new craft beers you should consider coming to one of our events. The schedule is always updated on the front page and you can sign up to our mailing list. We will never spam you, no worries. Please like us on Facebook. I would also like to mention that we are now offering sponsorships to our Business & Beer attendees for as little as $20 a month. I would also like to ask that you check out our sponsors and if they provide something you or your business can use, please talk to them.
You can see all the photos from last week at Abigaile on GotBaddog.com. Have a great Thanksgiving and we hope to see you on November 29 at Tortilla Cantina.
Last Thursday, November 8, Business & Beer returned to Monkish Brewing Company; a microbrewery in Torrance that specializes in Belgian style ales. This was our third visit to Monkish and we had a little under 15 attendees this time, but the weather had been wet and it was kind of chilly so all things considered, it was a pretty nice turnout. We had at least one first timer and we are definitely forming a group of regulars. I know a few of the regulars are doing business as a direct result of Business & Beer, so if you only came a couple times and did not really get a chance to network, give us a chance. These things rarely show results overnight, but I have been going to industry trade shows regularly since 2003 and I can assure you that the real business gets done after the show, over a drink. You develop relationships and when the need arises, you have a great chance of being the first person called.
Monkish Brewing Belgian Ales
This Thursday, November 15, Business & Beer will be returning to Hermosa Beach and The Brewery at Abigaile; in my opinion, the best brewpub in the South Bay. We always have a large number of people show up when we have come to Abigaile, so if you have not tried Abigaile or Business & Beer this will be a great experience for you. We were there last week and I noticed that brewmaster Brian Brewer had some new brews coming, so those of us that enjoy The Brewery’s brews should really enjoy this. Those that have eaten at Abigaile can attest to the tasty treats that come out of Chef Tin’s kitchen. This will be our last meeting until after Thanksgiving, so come on down and join the crowd; be sure to bring your business cards.
Business & Beer at Monkish Brewing, Torrance
I mentioned above that our regular attendees are seeing benefits in the way of additional business and that the more often you attend, the more likely you are to be remembered. We are now offering another way you can be remembered, and that that is by buying a small ad spot on BusinessNBeer.com. Not only does this provide other Business & Beer attendees to find you, but it is a nice incoming link to your website. We will even help you pick the right keywords to use for your anchor text. If you are not sure what that means, feel free to talk to me about it at your next Business & Beer.
Don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list and Like Business & Beer on Facebook so you know about all of our upcoming events. You can find all the photos of Business & Beer at Monkish Brewing on GotBaddog.com.
