Three Weavers Brewing Company

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The Craft Beer Guy Recap of 2023

Well, it is December 27 which means I am running out of time, and this recap of 2023 is not going to write itself. I frequently go into this task with the attitude of “what did I do this year”?, and while that remains true today, I cannot help but look back at this year and think of all the things I did not do this year. I think the combination of old age and a definite change in the craft beer world are both contributing equally. I guess we will see what 2024 brings us; in the meantime, here is my recap of 2023, beginning with the last hours of 2022.

Farewell to King Harbor Brewing

December 2022

King Harbor Brewing Company closed all three of their locations at the end of 2022, but they definitely signed off with a bang. Project Barley took over the waterfront location, a sandwich shop took over the Riviera Village location, and TrustedGut Brewing took over the brewery on 182nd Street. Continue reading

LA Beer Week Returns – Promo Code Inside

LA Beer Fest returns June 10th – get your discounted tickets!

About three weeks ago I posted a press release from the LA County Brewers Guild announcing the return of the LA Independent Beer Festival on June 10th; hopefully you grabbed your discounted tickets to the festival, but if not, don’t despair as I have a discount code for you. But first, I want to mention that the LA Independent Beer Festival is actually the kickoff event for the 14th Annual LA Beer Week. Yes, after three years interrupted by COVID, LA Beer Week is returning.

The official beginning of LA Beer Week (LABW14) is June 10 and it will run through June 18. LABW14 will return to where LABW11 left off, with special events held at various locations throughout Los Angeles County almost on a daily basis; for a full list of planned events, please visit https://www.labrewersguild.org/events. Continue reading

Photos from the Inaugural Lite Fest at Three Weavers Brewing

These photos were taken Saturday evening at Three Weavers Brewing Company in Inglewood, where they hosted their first annual Lite Fest; a craft beer festival billed as the Champagne of Beer Festivals. The event showcased beers that were no higher than 5.0 ABV from more than 30 breweries. The ticketed event featured unlimited pours, a very nice souvenir glass, live music and food popups. Proceeds from the event went towards supporting the California Craft Brewers Association.

Food was available from Breakfast Dreams and Tortas El Aguila. Live music was provided by LA Rockabilly band, Johnny Shakes & the CA Quakes, and Las Vegas based Punk Rock/Rock & Roll Rat Pack tribute band, Franks & Deans. Continue reading

8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover Photos

These photos were taken Thursday, September 1, at Tortilla Cantina in Torrance, where they hosted my 8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. The event, meant to celebrate the South Bay’s vibrant craft beer scene featured 19 breweries from Torrance, Redondo Beach, Inglewood, Torrance, Carson, Lomita, Hawthorne, El Segundo, Gardena, and Lawndale.

The featured South Bay breweries included Smog City, HopSaint, Scholb, Hermosa Brewing, Yorkshire Square, King Harbor Brewing, Far Field Beer, Crac, Honest Abe, Eureka Brewing, Common Space, LA Ale Works, Tortugo Brewing, Three Weavers, Crowns & Hops, El Segundo Brewing, Upshift Brewing, Burnin’ Daylight, and Project Barley. Continue reading

8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover Coming September 1

tortilla cantina Torrance

8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover – September 1, 2022

Yes, it is that time of year again, and I am not talking about time to buy the kids new clothes and back to school supplies; it is time for the 8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover which is returning to Tortilla Cantina in Old Torrance.

I know I say it every year, but there is no way I ever anticipated this event celebrating the South Bay’s craft beer scene would still be going on all these years later, but here we are. I didn’t let a little thing like a change of ownership at the original venue, or a global pandemic with its accompanying shutdowns stop us from continuing what has become, dare I say, a tradition.

There is no question that COVID has caused a few changes over the last two years, but we will not let that stop us. The 8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover will provided live music, Tortilla Cantina’s fabulous food, and of course, plenty of craft beer that was brewed in the South Bay. Continue reading

Photos of the 7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover

These photos were taken Thursday at Tortilla Cantina in Torrance, where they hosted my 7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover, featuring 28 of the South Bay’s craft breweries, with more than 50 taps pouring, and a couple brews that came in cans as keg space was becoming an issue.

I do not know what to say other than thank you to everyone that came out to enjoy the liquid gold provided by the participating breweries, cidery, and meadery. And thanks definitely have to be given to the servers who were kept pretty busy from noon until well after 10:00. The star of the day has to go to Rick who literally took things into his own hands when kitchen staff came up short. Continue reading

7th South Bay Tap Takeover to Feature 28 Breweries

The 7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover is two days away, and as hard as it may be for me to believe, this may be the first time that I am not going to be rushing around trying to fill taps with less than 24 hours to go; knock on wood.

Just in case this is the first you have heard about my event, shame on me, but this is what you need to know.

The tap takeover is returning to Tortilla Cantina in Old Torrance, from noon until 10:00 PM. Tortilla Cantina is located at 1225 El Prado, in Torrance. Parking is always free in Torrance and there is a large parking structure just south of Tortilla Cantina. Continue reading

7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover Coming September 2

commemorative-glassware

7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover September 2

I have to admit, I do not think I ever anticipated saying this back when I put on the first South Bay Tap Takeover, but the 7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover will be here September 2! And I am sure that even if there was someone that had that kind of optimism, they would not have foretold the event growing from 10 South Bay breweries to 25.

These tap takeovers have been a great success since the first one in 2015; over 400 people attended the inaugural event. Only due to a temporary change in management at the original venue, Flights Beer Bar, was I forced to find somewhere else in the South Bay that could accommodate the amount of beer I wanted to bring in; Tortilla Cantina fit the bill nicely as they actually had more taps than Flights. Icing on the cake was that owner Rick Gomez already had a positive relationship with all the local breweries.

The transition was smooth enough that we even survived the Great 2020 Pandemic, even if the second or third lockdown was scheduled to begin the day after the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. At least this year we do not have to worry about another lockdown disrupting the event as there is no way Newsom will do that right before the election, so we are a definite go. Continue reading

Photos from the March Madness Craft Beer Can Exchange

The photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Craft Beer Reclamation Center (aka my house), where I held another in a series of what I call the COVID Craft Beer Exchange.

Those of you that read my recap of 2020 may recall that I mentioned that back in September Craft Beer Guy Facebook followers were being invited to participate in a craft beer exchange that I started holding. So far we have done it every month except February.

Yesterday we had our largest turnout, with 15 traders; it was also the first time that we had two people bring the same beers. We had lots of local breweries represented, including King Harbor, HopSaint, Common Space, The Crac Brewery and Grub, Project Barley, Brouwerij West, and Three Weavers. With a total of 27 craft beers to choose from, there were plenty of options available. Continue reading

Photos of the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover

These photos were taken Wednesday at Tortilla Cantina, where they hosted the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. This annual event took a little more to accomplish this year, but Tortilla Cantina, our local breweries, and hundreds of their fans made this possible “last hurrah” of 2020 a great success.

My first tap takeover was held on the first Thursday of September in 2015, and as the craft beer scene around here grew, there started to be overlaps when it came to craft beer festival dates and brewery anniversaries, and everyone started changing dates of their events to avoid conflicts. The fact of the matter is that there was just too much going on out there, so I set it in stone that all subsequent South Bay Tap Takeovers would be held on the first Thursday of September; that worked out okay until COVID-19 struck and the State of California and the County of Los Angeles decided restaurants, breweries, and bars had to discontinue in-person dining. Continue reading

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