Monthly Archives: January 2019

Photos from Bar Talk with Brooklyn Brewery

These photos were taken Wednesday evening at Beelman’s in downtown Los Angeles, where they hosted Brooklyn Brewery’s “Bar Talk: Craft Beer, Innovation & The Great Cape Debate with Steve Hindy & Garrett Oliver”; which was then followed up with an after party a couple doors down from Beelman’s at Spring Street Bar. For those unaware, Steve Hindy is the founder of Brooklyn Brewery, and Garrett Oliver has been their brewmaster since joining Brooklyn Brewery in 1994.

The event was to announce the launch of Brooklyn Brewery’s distribution in California, and as Garrett Oliver put it, they go where their beer goes. Apparently this was one of the few times that Hindy and Garrett has shared the stage together but, to this observer, the discussion ran so smoothly you might have thought it was entirely scripted; it was not. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Introduces Dump Truck of the Gods

dump truck of the gods

Dump Truck of the Gods released by Dust Bowl Brewing

Dust Bowl Brewing Co. continues to expand its specialty can portfolio with the introduction of Dump Truck of the Gods. The Mega IPA was first offered in draft in August 2014 and rolls out to retailers this month in the 16 oz./pint can format. It’s on the schedule for another run in May. Dump Truck of the Gods features a hefty 11.7% ABV and 130 IBUs. Huge aromas of candied orange, papaya and a little booziness accompany the full-bodied, caramel malt sweetness.

Brewmaster, Don Oliver, reflects on the first brew, “In the quest for ever hoppier beers, I was formulating two brews, one a standard IPA with the largest hop load we had tried, which also incorporated hop extracts, and a double IPA using hops named after gods – Apollo, Zeus and Merkur. That exercise lead me to combine the two ideas for a high-gravity Mega IPA, which quickly became a hit at our taprooms.” Continue reading

The Meltdown – Power Plant Release Photos

These photos were taken Friday afternoon at El Segundo Brewing Company, and Friday evening at Tortilla Cantina, home of the 5th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. Friday was day one of El Segundo Brewing’s release of their Power Plant Triple IPA, which included a synchronized release with about 20 other locations in Southern California; one of which was Tortilla Cantina.

This is the time of year that triple IPAs start finding their way up and down the state of California, probably due in large part to the fact that for the last 15 years Russian River Brewing has released their Pliny the Younger Triple IPA on the first Friday of February. El Segundo Brewing has been releasing Power Plant at about the same time for the last five years. Continue reading

Burnin’ Daylight Soft Open Photos

These photos were taken Thursday afternoon at the soft open of Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company, a brewpub in the City of Lomita. As you can tell from the photos, the long anticipated opening was very well received.

The doors officially opened at 3:00 PM; I arrived by 3:30 and there was already a line out the door. By the time I got done taking my first batch of photos, the line had doubled in length. You would think that the staff at Burnin’ Daylight had been doing this for years, as the wait was never more than 13 minutes when the line was the longest I saw (I was in it). It was pretty obvious that the customers were enjoying the brews, and the few I spoke with about the food said it was very good; the inside seating area sure smelled good with the spices from the chicken wings wafting through the air. Continue reading

Photos from The Slice and Pint Soft Open

UPDATE: Soft open to the public begins Thursday, January 24 at 5:00 PM

These photos were taken Sunday afternoon at the soft open of El Segundo Brewing Company’s, The Slice and Pint, a new restaurant featuring craft beer, local wines, and a variety of pizzas, salads and appetizers including such items as chicken wings, meatballs, Garlic Knots and calamari.

The event was limited to friends, family, and craft beer industry types, but was very well attended; even with the Rams game on. Of course, those that wanted to watch the game were able to do so as The Slice and Pint had six or seven large screen televisions placed strategically so that you would have to go out of your way to avoid seeing one. Continue reading

Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company: From the beginning

These photos were taken between June 23, 2017 and January 18, 2019 of the construction of Lomita’s first brewpub, Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company. While it has been a long journey, your patience is about to be rewarded.

It was April 18, 2017 when Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company had their Conditional Use Permit granted by the Lomita City Council; it took the changing of some laws, but Lomita really wanted to get in on the craft beer craze going on in the South Bay. Two months later I started stopping by to take photos of the build. There would be periods with lots of change and some that seemed nothing was happening, but the Lake family, Head Brewer Brendan along with mom and dad Shannon and Bob, kept plodding along and are now ready to announce the soft open of Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company. Continue reading

Trustworthy Brewing Turning Two Photos

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at Trustworthy Brewing Company in Burbank, where they celebrated their second anniversary. The first few photos were taken at House of Billiards in Sherman Oaks.

After attending the R&D Tasting Experience at Firestone Walker, Daniel Drennon of Beer Paper LA and I drove out to Burbank to visit Trustworthy Brewing and help them celebrate their second anniversary. As House of Billiards was on the way, Drennon asked if we could stop by to pick up some stuff. House of Billiards will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this Thursday at 7:00 PM. If you read Beer Paper LA you probably noticed that House of Billiards was featured in the January issue. Continue reading

R&D Tasting Experience of Firestone Walker’s Rosalie

These photos were taken Saturday morning at Firestone Walker’s Propagator in Venice, where a dozen Beer Media L.A. members were treated to an educational session showing us the steps in the research and development of Firestone Walker’s Rosalie, a true beer rose.

The morning began with samples of their Auld L’enzyme Brut IPA while we waited for everyone to arrive, at which point we went across the parking lot to the Propagator offices where David Walker introduced The Propagator’s Head Brewer Evan Partridge, and their Sensory Analyst Lab Technician from Paso Robles, Robert Emery, who both walked us through the steps they took in the year it took to create Rosalie. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Introduces Pancho Imperial Stout

Pancho Imperial Stout

Pancho Imperial Stout available in cans

Dust Bowl Brewing Co. kicks off 2019 with the introduction of Pancho Imperial Stout, available in 16 oz. cans and draft. The limited release brew is made with cacao nibs, Ancho chiles, and cinnamon. Pancho offers a smooth finish despite the hefty 10.1% Alcohol by Volume.

“As we approach the colder winter months, a big stout with depth of character seems appropriate,” shares Don Oliver, Brewmaster. “We follow the trend of the pastry stout and offer a lower bitterness imperial stout with a heavy punch of chocolate, cinnamon, and a subtle layer of roasted Ancho chiles.”

Featuring bright colors, the Pancho label showcases Dust Bowl Brewing Co.’s refreshed logo nestled in the company’s new specialty can label system. The story of Pancho is nearly as good as the beer itself. Founder Brett Tate is never short on family tales. According to Tate family “history,” Brett’s great-great uncle went looking for Pancho Villa in the early 1920s, most likely to collect the bounty. He never returned and his fate remains a mystery to this day. Brett likes to think he got distracted by something (or someone!) and enjoyed a long life on the beach of Mexico. Continue reading

A Visit to Tortugo Brewing Company

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon, when I made my first visit to Inglewood’s second craft brewery, Tortugo Brewing Company.

If you happened to read my review of 2018, you might recall my saying that I kind of feel like a slacker due to my inability to keep up with the local craft beer growth stating that there were at least two breweries in the South Bay that I had yet to visit; Tortugo Brewing was one of those two.

Tortugo opened at the end of June and definitely stands out as you drive down the street towards it. It is a 6,600 square foot building that appears even larger with its bright orange and blue highlights paint job. As founder Joe Kovach put it, there has been nothing new on the street in a couple decades; the color makes it pretty tough to not notice something new on the street. The color scheme is meant to represent a bright sunset (the orange) over the ocean (the blue). Continue reading

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