Ready for some Business & Beer
Our next Business & Beer will be held December 12, 2013 at Strand Brewing Company in Torrance. As I mentioned above, after 16 months we have a pretty good idea which locations are going to have the best turnouts and there is no doubt that Strand Brewing Company is always one of our top draws as far as attendance is concerned. Strand Brewing is located at 23520 Telo Avenue in Torrance. As it is a microbrewery they do not serve food but you are welcome to bring food with you. We sometimes have pizza available but it is not guaranteed, so if you are really hungry you might want to stop and grab a bite before coming. Be sure to bring business cards for our drawing and for giving out; I am sure we will have a nice turnout. Continue reading
Laurie Porter talks about the history and mission of Smog City Brewing
We had about 25 people show up and more than half of them were first time attendees. It is nice to see the attendance numbers going back up to those we had when we first started; changing from weekly to monthly meetings was a good idea. Smog City Brewing Company co-owner Laurie Porter gave a short talk to our group discussing everything from how they chose their name and logo design to how her husband, head brewer [Jon] Porter, comes up with some of his beer ideas and what should be expected in the future. She then turned the group over to assistant brewer Chris Walowski who took us on a tour of their brewing operation. All in all, it was a very nice evening with lots of networking going on as well as an opportunity to get up close and personal with a brewing operation.
Winning a free beer is icing on the cake.
If you live or work in the South Bay area, or are willing to drive here the second Thursday of every month, you are invited to join the Business & Beer networking group as we meet at the various microbreweries and brewpubs in the South Bay area. Our boundaries are El Segundo to the north and Torrance to the south and there are a lot of places to explore with more coming within the next few months. Our October meeting, October 10, will be held at Monkish Brewing Company in Torrance; literally right around the corner from Smog City. Monkish Brewing specializes in Belgian style ales, and they have a lot to choose from with usually 10-12 available at any one time. Business & Beer is a networking group with no rules and no dues; just come on down when you can make it and bring a friend or business associate. You will have a good time. You can find our schedule and sign up to our mailing list on the front page of BusinessNBeer.com. You can find all the photos from our Business & Beer gathering at Smog City Brewing on CraftBeerGuy.com Continue reading
Enjoying a Cacophony IPA at The Brewery at Abigaile
Our next Business & Beer meetup will be on September 12 when we return to Torrance’s newest microbrewery tasting room at Smog City Brewing. Smog City is located at 1901 Del Amo Boulevard, which is about a block west of Western Avenue. If you have not visited Smog City yet, you are in for a treat. Every week they have something new and it seems like they always have at least eight (8) different styles of beer available with everything from pilsners to IPA’s to porters and stouts. As they are a microbrewery they do not sell food but they do have food trucks sometimes and you are welcome to bring food in. We hope to see you there and feel free to invite your friends.
One of the Business & Beer regulars, Denise Dumars, is holding a Rev. Dee’s Pop-Up New Orleans-style Botanica and Art Show on Saturday August 17. You can shop, learn about New Orleans and Latin American magic traditions all while enjoying some free food, drink and music! Word is she will even have some New Orleans beer there. You can get more information at her Facebook event page. You can find all the photos from our Business & Beer at The Brewery at Abigaile on CraftBeerGuy.com
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
Business & Beer returned to Sophie’s Place last week. Sophie’s Place is a gastropub in the Riviera Village section of Redondo Beach with eight rotating taps and about 50 different craft beers available in bottles and cans. They have a very nice selection of hard to find options available. They also have a great food menu with their date salad and lamb burgers being a couple favorites. We had another small turnout for whatever reason, and since the Phantom Carriage “Muis” Release Celebration was being held over at Naja’s Place, we all headed over there. Unfortunately, there was a major power outage in that part of Redondo Beach so there was no power and no beer was being poured until after power was restored. I waited around and took some photos; they had a nice group there, but had to leave before power was eventually restored.
This week, June 27 we will be returning to the home of Belgian styled ales in Torrance, Monkish Brewing Company. Monkish Brewing is located at 20311 South Western Avenue in Torrance. If this is your first visit to Monkish, it is a microbrewery that currently has about 11 different ales currently on tap. From lagers to quads, if you enjoy Belgian style ales, you will enjoy Monkish Brewing Company. As they are a microbrewery, they do not serve food but you are more than welcome to bring food or order in. Their tasting room is in an industrial park on the west side of Western, just south of Del Amo (the driveway past the hamburger stand). Thursday will mark the end of our weekly meetups and the beginning of visiting brewpubs and microbreweries only. Since we will be meeting once a month only, the second Thursday of the month, this would be a good time to get on our mailing list or Like Us on Facebook to ensure you are kept in the loop for upcoming events. Continue reading
