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11th South Bay Beer & Wine Festival Returning – Promo Code Inside

11th South Bay Beer & Wine Festival Returns May 19

It is that time of year again; specifically when the arguably best craft beer festival in the South Bay returns to Rolling Hills, and that is the 11th South Bay Beer & Wine Festival which will be held Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at Ernie Howlett Park.

Proudly presented by the Rotary Clubs of Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro, and South Bay Sunrise, this non-profit event puts 100% of the monies raised go back into helping families in the South Bay and Harbor areas.

I have to admit, I have been going back and forth about what I wanted to say about this event because I started attending it in 2015 when they had it at the South Coast Botanical Gardens. While it was a great venue, it was pretty obvious that they were going to outgrow it. That was their second annual festival and I was told they had about 700 attendees. The following year it was moved to Ernie Howlett Park and they had closer to 1,500 attendees. It was a good move. Continue reading

TrustedGut Grand Opening Photos

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the TrustedGut/King Harbor Brewery and Taproom in Redondo Beach, where TrustedGut and a few hundred of their friends, fans, and family gathered to celebrate their grand opening. The well attended event featured a ribbon cutting, three food trucks, a couple different live bands and DJs, games and a Guinness World Record attempt.

First off, a couple observations; I don’t know who Chris at TrustedGut knows, but that person set us up with amazing weather; one of the nicest days of 2024. Lots of t-shirts out there yesterday; I am wearing a sweater today, so well done on the weather. Secondly, TrustedGut promotes themselves as a family and pet friendly taproom, and it sure showed yesterday; lots of families and so many dogs. Even the dogs all seemed to enjoy the groove. Continue reading

Project Barley Square One Year Anniversary Photos

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at Project Barley Square in Torrance, where they celebrated their first year as Project Barley Square having taken over Yorkshire Square after their closure in 2022.

As I had multiple events to attend, I started off my day at the Project Barley Square anniversary party. Admittedly, since I was there at the beginning of the day, there were not a lot of people in attendance, but they did have live music provided by Acoustic Warriors as well as new cocktails and a re-release of their Dirty Leeds English Brown Ale on cask; it was quite smooth and tasty.

While there wasn’t much in the way of attendees while I was there, I saw photos and videos later in the day that indicated that things picked up as the day progressed. Continue reading

Super Bowl LVIII Can Exchange Photos

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Craft Beer Reclamation Center in Torrance, where we held the Super Bowl LVIII Can Exchange; a fun afternoon of swapping beers and sharing a few special brews since we were there anyway.

I held the first can exchange in September of 2020 at the suggestion of a couple friends. The reason was that we were in a COVID lockdown and I wanted to do something that was COVID safe and still give people the opportunity to socialize. We had 14 attendees forming 13 teams (couples sometimes decide to bring two 4-paks instead of four, so they draw as a team). Saturday was our 19th event, and while many of the regulars were unable to make it for various reasons, we still had 19 attendees forming 18 teams. In other words, these have become pretty popular. Continue reading

Photos from the Burnin’ Daylight 5th Anniversary

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company, a brewpub in Lomita that was celebrating its 5th Anniversary with food specials, live music, and a couple can releases.

As I mentioned in my last article Saturday was a very busy for me so I didn’t arrive at Burnin’ Daylight until the last hour of the event, but judging by the smiles in the photos, everyone was having a blast. Continue reading

The Meltdown 2024 Photos

These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at El Segundo Brewing Company, where they held their annual can release of Power Plant Triple IPA and Nuclear Power Plant, their quadruple IPA.

So, it is that time of year again when everyone releases their Triple IPAs, or like ESBC, a Triple and a Quad.

I had a very busy Saturday scheduled, so I arrived at El Segundo Brewing when they first opened, and they already had several people there enjoying both the Power Plant and Nuclear Power Plant. In addition to the beer, co-founder Tommy Kelley was melting down a wheel of raclette cheese to go over a bowl of potatoes. People seemed to enjoy it, but I had places to go and people to see so I was unable to try it out. Continue reading

Dust Bowl Brewing Releases Dust Bowl Lager

Dust Bowl Lager Now Available in Cans

Turlock, CA – Dust Bowl Brewing Company, renowned for its innovation and commitment to crafting exceptional beers, proudly launches its latest addition to the year round portfolio – Dust Bowl Lager. This traditional lager is set to become a staple among the craft beer community, offering a crisp and refreshing experience for beer enthusiasts.

Brewed with precision and passion, Dust Bowl Lager embodies the essence of a traditional lager while embracing the craft brewery’s dedication to quality and flavor. The beer’s exceptional balance and clean finish make it the perfect choice for those seeking a classic, easy-drinking option. Dust Bowl Lager offers an approachable 4.5% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) and a mild bitterness level of only 12 International Bitterness Units (IBUs). Continue reading

ISM Brewing Grand Opening Photos

These photos were taken Thursday, January 11, at ISM Brewing Company in Long Beach, where Long Beach’s newest brewpub celebrated their grand opening. The very well attended event featured their ribbon cutting, food and drink specials, live music provided by Laura Wiley and lots of delicious ISM brews.

Like a typical ribbon cutting, ISM Brewing was welcomed by representatives of the state, county, City of Long Beach, the Chamber of Commerce and various neighborhood business groups, all of whom seemed to be quite excited to have ISM Brewing move into the neighborhood. Continue reading

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

King Harbor Brewing Reunion at TrustedGut Brewing

These photos were taken Friday evening, December 22, at TrustedGut Brewing in Redondo Beach, where they held a combination reunion of King Harbor Brewing regulars and Ugly Sweater/Christmas party.

So, I guess it was sometime around Thanksgiving that I was at TrustedGut Brewing when my friends Juan and Claudia came in. As is my habit, I introduced them to Chris Garrett, the CEO and founder of TrustedGut. I am not really sure how the conversation turned to Christmas, but before I knew it, there was a party being planned and Claudia and I were tasked with creating a guest list with a maximum of 45 people in attendance (fire department capacity), which meant there was no way I could promote it on this site or via social media. What I discovered was just how many people leave town for Christmas; luckily, a few people come into town for Christmas too, thanks Chad. Continue reading

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