Lloyd Brown

Introducing Five Point Five Brewing Company

UPDATE: Five Point Five Brewing Company will officially open Friday, August 11.

These photos were taken Friday, August 4 at Five Point Five Brewing Company, the latest craft brewery to open in El Segundo. You may recall that four months ago Surfridge Brewing in El Segundo closed their doors; Five Point Five Brewing Company, headed by Surfridge’s former head brewer Jeremy Montemagni, will replace Surfridge.

Starting at the beginning, before Surfridge closed, owners Steven and Jennifer Lieberman moved to Connecticut and opened a new Surfridge location, and had their brewer, Jeremy, flying back and forth across the country to brew at both locations. As one can imagine, that was a pretty hectic schedule and really was not sustainable; that brought about the close of the El Segundo location. It was then that Jeremy and his wife Melissa decided to team up with the talented members of Melissa’s family and together they bought the old Surfridge equipment and got their own lease for the location. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Introduces Mango Strawberry Seltzer

Mango Strawberry Seltzer now available in cans

Turlock, California – Dust Bowl Brewing Co. announces the release of Mango Strawberry Seltzer. The third quarter offering in the popular Thirty Three Hard Seltzer Series, Mango Strawberry offers a bold 8.0% ABV, yet remains smooth and easy-drinking.

“The combination of mango and strawberry was a hit with the brewing team,” shares Brewmaster, Don Oliver. “It makes for a crisp and flavorful seltzer, which is always great for summertime drinking.”

The Thirty Three Hard Seltzer brand was first introduced by Dust Bowl Brewing Co. in 2022. The “Thirty Three” recognizes the company’s brand roots dating back to the Dust Bowl era when prohibition ended in 1933. The Thirty Three lineup offers a new flavor each quarter. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Co. Releases Peach, Love & Haze Hazy IPA

Peach, Love & Haze now available in cans.

Turlock, California – Dust Bowl Brewing Co. announces the release of Peach, Love & Haze Hazy IPA. The summer refresher is available in 16oz cans and draft. The latest offering is part of Dust Bowl Brewing Co.’s rotating specialty portfolio, which keeps both on- and off-premise accounts stocked with something new for curious craft beer fans.

Peach, Love & Haze is an extension of the year-round brand, Peace, Love & Haze that was introduced in 2019. “Peach is a perfect addition to our fruit-forward and tropical Peace, Love and Haze,” according to Brewmaster, Don Oliver. “This hazy delight introduces a healthy addition of peach in the fermenter creating another layer of fruit to our popular Peace, Love & Haze, which boasts pineapple, guava and orange notes.” Continue reading

Photos from the Common Space/LA Ale Works Block Party

These photos were taken Friday afternoon at Common Space Brewery and Los Angeles Ale Works, where the two Hawthorne based production breweries teamed up to hold a block party as a part of the Los Angeles Beer Week 2023 festivities. Both locations had food, music, and games to accompany their plethora of craft beer.

I started off at Common Space where I met up with the guy that keeps more of the South Bay’s beer cold than any other single individual, my friend Phil and his wife Deborah.

While we were there, food was made available by Uncle Al’s BBQ, Long Beach Tacos, and Sad Girl Creamery to go along with the more than 20 craft beers pouring from their taps. I have to say, for being early Friday afternoon they had a pretty healthy number of customers. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Releases Lemon Shandy

Lemon Shandy – Now in cans!

Turlock, California…- Dust Bowl Brewing Company expands its specialty release portfolio with the launch of Lemon Shandy. The latest release blends lemonade with a lager base for a refreshing summer option. Lemon Shandy is available in 16oz / 4pks and draft. Just in time for sunny days, Lemon Shandy offers an easy drinking 3.8% ABV.

Don Oliver, Brewmaster for Dust Bowl Brewing Company since its inception in 2009, works hard to push the envelope in creativity, portfolio balance and making beers for all types of craft fans. Lemon Shandy is no exception with its simple yet enticing recipe. “Lemon Shandy is extremely refreshing,” Oliver shares. “Lemonade made with Meyer Lemons blended with an already easy-drinking lager provides a light background sweetness that makes you want another.” Continue reading

Photos from LA Independent Beer Festival 2023

These photos were taken Saturday, June 10 at Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach, where the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild held their LA Independent Beer Festival to kickoff LA Beer Week (LABW14) for the first time since 2019, due to that pesky pandemic. The ticketed event featured craft beer from approximately 75 member breweries, food from seven food trucks and one ice cream vendor, live music and games.

The event was advertised to be hosting 75 local breweries, providing 150 beers. Well, I did not go through the trouble of counting every brewery that showed up, but I can assure you that there were well over 150 beers, because there were several breweries that brought more than two beers, in fact there were breweries like LA Ale Works that had what seemed like 20 offerings, and they were not the only ones. I would guesstimate that there were closer to 250 beers available. 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

Boardroom Brewery Now Open in El Segundo

These photos were taken over the course of three years, beginning with my first visit in January 2020, a follow-up visit in January 2023, and ending with my visit on Memorial Day 2023 to Boardroom Brewery, El Segundo’s newest craft brewery.

So yeah, this tale begins back at the end of 2019 when Brouwerij West co-founder Dave Holop asked me if I knew anything about what was to be El Segundo’s fifth craft brewery. I was given an address and started dropping by every time I went to El Segundo. On January 8 I lucked out and showed up on a day that Forchi, the owner, happened to be there, having lunch as I recall. I introduced myself, and got permission to grab some photos. At that point in time Forchi knew he wanted to open a brewery; he was pretty much waiting for approval from the City of El Segundo and did not even have a name picked yet. If he did, he was holding it close to the vest. Continue reading

South Bay Beer and Wine Festival 10th Anniversary Photos

These photos were taken Sunday afternoon, May 21, at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates, where the Rotary Clubs of San Pedro, Palos Verdes Peninsula, and South Bay Sunrise held the South Bay Beer and Wine Festival 10th Anniversary. The event featured food, beer, wine, and spirits from more than 100 local providers, including Smog City, HopSaint, Firestone Walker, El Segundo Brewing, Rock & Brews, Shore Grille, Truxton’s, Tito’s Vodka, and many more.

With how lousy our weather has been lately, it is kind of amazing how the last few weekends have been perfect for a day of day drinking in the park. The beer gods have definitely smiling upon us lately with the weather they have been providing. I actually got my first sunburn of 2023. Continue reading

Photos from the El Segundo Brewing Co. 12th Anniversary

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon, May 13, at El Segundo Brewing Company in El Segundo, where they held their 12th anniversary. The low-key event featured the release of two high-octane brews and food provided by Gochu Gang Korean BBQ.

So yeah, I initially described the event as low-key, but it might better be described as a reunion of long time ESBC fans. While they may not have had multiple food trucks and live music, they did have 20 high quality El Segundo Brewing beers on tap, including their two high-octane anniversary brews; Greetings From El Segundo TIPA (11% ABV) and Lost in the Mail QIPA (13.2 ABV), which were also released in cans. Continue reading

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