Business & Beer
The Brewery at Abigaile hosts September Business & Beer
On Thursday evening Business & Beer, arguably one of the South Bay’s more fun business networking groups, returned to the Brewery at Abigaile in Hermosa Beach. The Business & Beer networking group has been meeting since July of 2012 and The Brewery at Abigaile was the second venue visited, making it the longest running in the Business & Beer rotation. The Brewery at Abigaile is the only brewery in Hermosa Beach and is probably the biggest brewpub in the South Bay. We had a pretty nice turnout considering the number of competing beer events going on at the same time. There was a great mix of regulars and first time attendees which allowed everyone to get to know each other a little better; and about five minutes after everyone left a second wave of first timers showed up. I guess I will have to be sure to include the end time (8:00 PM) along with the start time for future events.
The Business & Beer networking group meets on the second Thursday of every month at a different production brewery tasting room or brewpub in the South Bay. Currently, that includes The Brewery at Abigaile, El Segundo Brewing Company, Strand Brewing Company, Monkish Brewing Company, The Dudes’ Brewing Company, King Harbor Brewing Company, Absolution Brewing Company and Smog City Brewing. The October 9 gathering will be held at King Harbor Brewing Company. If you live or work in the South Bay and networking is important to your business success or it falls under your job description and you enjoy craft beer, Business & Beer is going to be right up your alley.
You can sign up to the Business & Beer mailing list on their website or you can Like them on Facebook to be kept in the loop for upcoming events. All upcoming Business & Beer upcoming events can be found on the free craftbeerguy mobile app which is available for download on iTunes or Google Play. Cheers! Continue reading
The Dudes’ Brewing Company hosts Business & Beer
On Thursday evening, the long awaited opening of The Dudes’ Brewing Company’s tasting room seemed to take another step closer to becoming reality when they hosted the August gathering of Business & Beer; the South Bay’s most fun business networking group. Now before you get too excited and start streaming over to The Dudes’ you might want to hold off because their tasting room is not yet officially open but work has begun and they are anticipating completion by mid-September. One might say, “they have been saying that for a year now,” and they would be right, but since The Dudes’ were granted their Conditional Use Permit for a tasting room back in May and it is only good for a year (meaning it must be opened within a year, or they have to reapply) they have actually begun work on the tasting room itself; including the addition of gender specific bathrooms.
There was an excellent turnout of attendees, with probably more than 30 people throughout the course of the evening stopping by to try one of four Dudes’ Brewing Company offerings currently available; Kolschtal Eddy, Grandma’s Pecan, Double Trunk DIPA and their latest, South Bay Session Ale. In addition to the beer there was free pizza and The Dudes’ Brewing Company assistant brewer, Rich Madden gave a tour of the facility which is unlike any other brewery in the South Bay. It looked like everyone really enjoyed checking it out.
People that live or work in the South Bay area that find networking to be a valuable tool for their business’ success should consider checking out the Business & Beer business networking group. This is an informal group of business people that share a common interest in locally brewer craft beer. Continue reading
Business & Beer at El Segundo Brewing Company
These photos are of the June 2014 gathering of Business & Beer which was held Thursday evening at El Segundo Brewing Company. Business & Beer is an informal business networking group that was established in July of 2012 and currently meets of the second Thursday of every month at one of the tasting rooms or brewpubs found in the South Bay. This is a very informal group in that unlike other business networking groups there are no dues, no mandatory meetings and no restrictions on the type or number of businesses represented. The attendees cover a wide range of occupations including plumbing, accounting, insurance, web development and more. Frequently there will be members of the craft beer industry joining in, including professional brewers, home brewers and people that help new breweries get started. In a nutshell, everyone is welcome with the common denominator being that everyone enjoys craft beer. One of the advantages of joining the Business & Beer networking group is that you will have an opportunity to visit all the craft breweries the South Bay has to offer.
El Segundo Brewing Company had a full menu of their brews available both on tap and in bottles and everyone was able to find something they liked whether it was a hoppy Two 5 Left DIPA, a malty Station No. 1 red ale or a rich Standard Crude Imperial Stout. El Segundo Brewing Company is located at 140 Main Street in El Segundo. Cheers! Continue reading
Business & Beer May gathering at Smog City Brewing Company
The Business & Beer networking group returned to Smog City Brewing Company on Thursday evening to the delight of all that attended. It was a nice group with people coming and going throughout the evening. It was almost like a reunion event as we had several members that we have not seen in a while return, and several of them brought guests. Smog City had a wide variety of brews available so that whether it had been a week or six months, there was definitely something new to be tried.
Last night it was mentioned by one attendee that Business & Beer seemed to be more about beer than business, so I would like to address that publicly. I have been attending trade shows for well over 10 years and I used to think that the trade show floor was where the business was being done; I eventually figured out that was not the case at all. The real business was being done at the suite parties or circle bar. Business relationships are built with people you know, and not all business deals are impulse buys. In fact, I may never have need for your particular product or service, but chances are I will know someone that does. Word of mouth is the best advertising and relationships bring referrals. I will never forget the guy that came to his first meeting as a guest; he did stained glass windows and figured the likelihood of someone at the gathering needing a stained glass window was pretty slim. To his surprise, another member needed just that. So come to Business & Beer and start building your potential referral list.
Business & Beer meets on the second Thursday of every month at a different craft beer tasting room or brewpub in the South Bay area. It is free and has no rules about how often you must show up or limiting the number of people in a certain field. It is very casual and the time was set up so you can bring your significant other if you wish. If you are a small business owner or networking is an important part of your job description, Business & Beer is the most fun way to accomplish your goal. You can follow Business & Beer on Facebook or sign up to their mailing list so that you know when and where the next gathering is. In June we will return to El Segundo Brewing Company. Cheers!
Business & Beer returns to Monkish Brewing Company
Thursday evening, April 10, the business networking group Business & Beer returned to Torrance production brewery, Monkish Brewing Company. Monkish Brewing is the South Bay’s source for fresh Belgian-styled ales of which there were 13 available to us last night. There was a nice group of people that at least stopped by for a while to say hello and join the large group of Monkish Brewing fans that were in attendance. Vella Pizza was there with their mobile brick oven; for the first time that I recall, they actually sold out of pizzas.
If you live or do business in the South Bay and enjoy craft beers and networking you might want to consider checking out the Business & Beer networking group. It is an informal networking group that meets at a different craft beer tasting room or brewpub in the South Bay area on the second Thursday of every month. Rapidly approaching their two year anniversary the group has built solid business relationships for some and is constantly putting possible business connections together. There are no dues and no mandatory meetings; just come down and join the group. Everyone is friendly and a fan of good beer so you know you will have at least a couple things in common with everyone there. You can find the schedule of upcoming meetings on the BusinessNBeer.com website or by following them on Facebook. The next gathering will be May 8 at Smog Brewing Company in Torrance. Cheers! Continue reading
Business & Beer gathering at Absolution Brewing Company
Thursday evening the Business & Beer networking group welcomed Absolution Brewing Company to the rotation of the South Bay breweries and brewpubs it visits. It was a great opportunity for many members to get their first chance to try beers from Torrance’s newest production brewery. In addition to the beer and networking, Business & Beer co-founder brought in some baked goods that she made using flour she made from Absolution Brewing’s Angel’s Demise IPA. Head Brewer Wes McCann also took some time to discuss the brewing process, recipes and future plans for Absolution Brewing Company. It was another enjoyable Business & Beer event.
If you live or work in the South Bay area and networking is important to you, and you enjoy craft beer, you might want to check out BusinessNBeer.com. This is the South Bay’s most fun and relaxed business networking group. They meet on the second Thursday of every month at a different production brewery or brewpub in the South Bay area. With all the additions to the craft beer scene recently, there is a good chance you have not had a chance to visit some of them. This is your chance and you might even do some business. Events are scheduled at 6:00 PM so you do not have to rush to work and you can bring your significant other so there is no need to rush home either. There are no rules and no dues; just come have a good time, meet some good people and enjoy a beer or two. You can find the schedule of upcoming events on their website or by following them on Facebook. Cheers! Continue reading
King Harbor Brewing Company hosts Business & Beer
Thursday evening, February 13, Redondo Beach’s first production brewery, King Harbor Brewing Company (KHBC), opened their doors to host the February 2014 gathering of the South Bay’s business networking group, Business & Beer. While King Harbor Brewing Company is not yet officially opened, the Business & Beer event served as the first of several soft opens before King Harbor has their grand opening which will likely be held towards the middle or end of March.
Due to issues with Southern California Edison, there was not enough power coming into KHBC’s brew house they have been unable to begin brewing to their full potential, but power has been completed and King Harbor’s brewer Philip McDaniel plans to begin the full brewing process this coming Wednesday. In the meantime, he has been brewing pilot brews and was able to provide four offerings at Business & Beer. The brews available included their flagship beers, The Quest and Abel Brown along with two variations; The Pineapple Quest, The Quest soaked with fresh pineapple and Vanilla Abel, which is the Abel Brown after sitting on whole vanilla beans for a few days.
Since King Harbor has been providing us with spent grain from their brewing, Tanya baked up a storm using their grains and flour she made from the grain. She brought in three kinds of cookies, two different breads and some crackers. She also brought in six mustards she made using their California Saison and Abel Brown. I think it is safe to say that the beers and foods made from said beers were a big hit. Continue reading
Business & Beer begins 2014 with The Brewery at Abigaile
The South Bay’s favorite business networking group, Business & Beer, began 2014 with a great turnout at The Brewery at Abigaile, the beach cities sole brewpub; located in Hermosa Beach. The Business & Beer networking group has been meeting for about 18 months at the various craft breweries, brewpubs and gastropubs in the South Bay. For the first year they met weekly, but in July 2013 it was decided to change the format to once a month; the second Thursday of the month. To do this, gastropubs were dropped from the rotation with the decision being to meet where the beer is brewed. Prior to the change, the attendance levels had started to drop off; it seems that since Business & Beer went to meeting once a month the attendance levels have increased each month. These photos are from the January 2014 gathering of Business & Beer which was held January 9 and I would venture to say that last night’s gathering was double the attendance that we have seen at prior Abigaile gatherings. There was a nice mix of long time attendees with a few people that have only attended a few times and we had several first time visitors. It looks like 2014 is going to be a great year for business and beer.
The next two months are going to be special for Business & Beer by welcoming the two newest craft beer tasting rooms to the South Bay. February 13, Business & Beer’s gathering will also serve as the soft open for King Harbor Brewing Company, located in Redondo Beach. The March 13 gathering will be at Torrance’s newest craft brewery, Absolution Brewing Company. Judging by the turnout last night these will be very well-attended events so if you enjoy networking and craft beer I recommend you check out Business & Beer. You can be kept in the loop for upcoming events by “Liking” Business & Beer on Facebook or by signing up to the Business & Beer mailing list. You will not regret it; it is a good group of people that do want to meet you and possibly do business with you or at least refer future business to you. Cheers! Continue reading
Business & Beer ends 2013 at Strand Brewing Company
Thursday evening, the business networking group Business & Beer held their final gathering for 2013 at Strand Brewing Company in Torrance. Even though we were competing with another beer event on the other side of the Marina del Rey freeway and cold evenings typically have lower turnouts, we had a very nice group of people show up. We had a few first time attendees as well as the return of some that have only come once or twice before. As I looked around the room I noticed that everyone was involved in conversations with one or more people all evening. The thought process we had when we first started Business & Beer was that through small networking events relationships would be built. It seems like it is working.
If you live or work in the South Bay area and networking is important to the development of your business or it is part of your job description and you enjoy craft beers, you really should check out the BusinesNBeer.com networking group. There are no dues or mandatory meetings; just come out and meet others want to meet you. We meet on the second Thursday of every month at a different brewery or brewpub in the South Bay. Next month, January 9, 2014, we will meet at The Brewery at Abigaile in Hermosa Beach. There are two new breweries opening in the next couple of months, so join Business & Beer and be one of the first to enjoy the brews coming from them. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Cheers! Continue reading
Business & Beer returns to El Segundo Brewing Company
These photos are from our Business & Beer gathering which was held Thursday evening at El Segundo brewing Company. Business & Beer is a local business networking group in the South Bay that was founded in July 2012 by my girlfriend and me. For the first year we met weekly at a different microbrewery, brewpub or gastropub in the South Bay. In July of 2013 we changed the format from weekly to monthly because the attendance numbers had started to dwindle a little, so now we meet on the second Thursday of the month at a different craft brewery or brewpub in the South Bay. With the recent explosion of breweries around here it will not be long before we have a location for every month. If you find networking to be a valuable part of your business and you enjoy craft beer, you really should check out BusinessNBeer.com. It is a nice group of people that really do want to meet you.
We would like to thank El Segundo Brewing Company for hosting our event and many thanks to Brett & Travis for keeping their delicious brews flowing. If you have not visited El Segundo Brewing Company in a while, you really should. In addition to the pale ales, IPAs and stouts you are familiar with, head brewer Rob Croxall has included a saison, a lager and a Scotch ale to his ever expanding list of beer styles he is brewing. If you have never been, they are now open seven days a week; you will enjoy it. I suggest getting a flight. El Segundo Brewing Company is located at 140 Main Street in El Segundo, CA. Cheers! Continue reading