Lloyd Brown
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
Phantom Carriage Closing Photos
These photos were taken Sunday afternoon at Phantom Carriage Brewery in Carson, where a few dozen of their fans gathered to raise their glasses for a final time at the brewery/blendery which officially closed Sunday at 8:00 PM.
After celebrating Far Field Beer Company’s first anniversary, my friend Tomm Carroll joined me as we paid a final visit to Phantom Carriage, which is closing due to their building having been sold and the new owner apparently having different plans for the location. Continue reading
Far Field Beer Company One Year Anniversary Photos
These photos were taken Sunday in Lawndale at Far Field Beer Company where several hundred fans came to help Far Field celebrate one year as Lawndale’s first and only craft brewery. Attendees were treated to live music, plenty of food offerings, five new beer releases, games, and vendors offering everything from butterflies to rocks.
If I had to summarize Sunday’s event in one word, it would be “wow!” I have visited Far Field a few times in the past year, but it has pretty much been limited to getting there within the last hour or so of their business day, so I cannot say that I had a grasp on how popular they have gotten in the past year. After attending Sunday’s event, there is no question that the Lawndale locals have definitely learned to appreciate what Far Field is doing. Continue reading
Absolution Brewing 8th Anniversary Photos
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at Absolution Brewing Company, in Torrance, where they held a party to celebrate their 8th anniversary. The celebration included an anniversary beer release, food, live music, and games.
In addition to their standard tap list, their anniversary beer, 1/8th Anniversary IPA was available on tap as well as cans. Food was available from SouthBay Comfortz (formerly known as Smokin’ Sandos) and Chiky Pancakes. Live music was provided by Nasty Bad Habit, and Taylor Killam Music. For the athletically inclined, cornhole and table shuffleboard were also available. Continue reading
Craft Beer Guy Visits 8bit Brewing Company
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon, when I visited 8bit Brewing Company, a brewpub located in Murrieta, California.
So, Saturday afternoon I left the mild clime of the beach (71 degrees) to head out to Murrieta (low 100s) to watch a play that my number one grandson and favorite granddaughter were performing in. Since traffic out there can be very unpredictable, I left a few hours early hoping traffic wouldn’t suck too much and I might be able to visit one of the breweries out there that I had yet to visit. Luckily, it only took a couple hours to get there, so I had time to stop by 8bit Brewing Company. Continue reading
Platinum Jubilee Celebration at Yorkshire Square
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon, June 4, at Yorkshire Square Brewery in Torrance, where they held their Platinum Jubilee Street Party celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years as the monarch of England.
The free event featured live music, beer and food specials, a special wine list, and fun activities happening throughout the day. The special food menu included Platinum Pudding, the dessert created by Fortnum and Mason especially for the Queen’s Jubilee. The festivities included beer specials, including eight cask ales and a Jubilee Ale in cans to go.
I have to admit, I was a little surprised how busy it was, but the beertenders made short work of the lines. Continue reading
El Segundo Brewing 11th Anniversary Photos
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at El Segundo Brewing Company, in El Segundo, where they celebrated their 11th anniversary. The day featured an anniversary beer, a couple can releases, and the Something Good LA food truck. Coincidentally, it was also the ninth anniversary of the launch of CraftBeerGuy.com.
It was a pretty hot day at the beach, and the throngs that came to help celebrate El Segundo Brewing’s milestone took full advantage of any shady spot they could find. Continue reading
Dust Bowl Brewing Enters Hard Seltzer Market With Thirty Three Hard Seltzer
Now Available from Dust Bowl Brewing
“We produce a broad spectrum of beers and tend to be known for our higher strength offerings,” comments Don Oliver, Brewmaster. “We chose to play to our strengths and set our seltzer apart from the mainstream with a higher ABV and focus on the single-serve and draft packages. The Cherry Lemon Lime recipe was popular with our brewing team and very well received in our taprooms.”
The “Thirty Three” branding refers to 1933, the year prohibition ended. The eye-catching but simple label features the tagline, “Celebrating Repeal Day Every Day” as an added layer of brand messaging for the seltzer. The Cherry Lemon Lime flavor comes from a hand-crafted blend of cherry and Meyer lemon juice concentrates coupled with natural flavors. The result is a light, refreshing hard seltzer with just a hint of pink color in the beverage. Continue reading
A Visit to Border X Brewing
These photos were taken Friday afternoon, April 22, when I took a drive out to Bell to visit my friend, Robert Sanchez, who is the brewer at Border X Brewing. If Robert’s name sounds familiar, it is probably because he has been involved in the Greater Los Angeles craft beer scene since 2014. I first met him in 2014 when he brewed at Ohana Brewing Company, followed by stints at Kinetic Brewing, State Brewing, and Ximix Brewing.
Border X Brewing is a Chicano and woman owned brewery with two locations; the Bell location I visited and their original location in San Diego. The San Diego location had a 5-bbl brewhouse, with the Bell location housing an expanded 10-bbl brewhouse which now produces beer for both locations. If memory serves, the San Diego location opened around 2013, with the Bell location opening in March of 2019, just in time for the COVID shutdown a year later. When they shut down, the original Border X brewers left and Robert came on when things opened up last year. Continue reading
Karl Strauss and Sierra Nevada Debut Cold IPA Collaboration
SAN DIEGO, CA – California brewery icon Karl Strauss Brewing Company is back with the latest release in their quarterly Collaboration Series, this time with the one and only Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. What’s Cooler Than Being Cool? Cold IPA will make its statewide debut on April 7th.
Already known for award-winning releases across the style spectrum, Karl Strauss is also quickly becoming recognized for their highly anticipated collaboration beers. By teaming up with the industry titans at Sierra Nevada (again), this release is on track to be Karl’s biggest collaboration yet. Both crews were eager to brew together, especially on such an innovative, breakthrough style. Continue reading
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