Saturday, July 6, 2024 – I hope you are enjoying your Independence Day weekend, and it isn’t too hot, wherever you may be. I guess it has been a while since I updated this page and since there are a few events coming up, and a rumor, this is as good a time as any.

Beachwood Brewing will celebrate their 13th anniversary, next Saturday, July 13 at all five of their locations. As usual, the day will include an anniversary beer release, giveaways, and more. Each location has something special going on, so visit their social media page for details.

Beer Paper LA will celebrate their 11th anniversary at ISM Brewing next Saturday. The event begins mid-afternoon.

Absolution Brewing will celebrate their 10th anniversary on Saturday, July 20 from noon until 10:00 PM. The event will feature live music, an anniversary beer release, food trucks, and a DJ.

Finally, I know many of you have probably heard rumors regarding Pizza Coast Hiway and The Slice & Pint, and I have finally been given permission to start talking about it.

You probably have known new parents that refrained from announcing their pregnancy until they got closer to the birth; well, this is similar. What I can tell you is that things are definitely in the works, with no specific date set, but barring a miscarriage, the “baby is coming.” I have no idea if it will be a boy or a girl. More information will come when I have been given it.

Thursday, May 23, 2024 – Hope you are doing well and have been enjoying the recent craft beer activities in your neck of the woods; I know I am. Here is what is coming up and has been happening.

Halloween Hootenanny is returning to the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach on Saturday, October 12. I know this a little early for me to announce an event happening in October, but, Early Bird Discount Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday) at noon. Visit obscuraLBC.com for details.

Speaking of discounts, if you missed it I posted a $15 discount code for the LA Independent Beer Festival. The discount is only good for the first 25 uses, so don’t delay; check out https://craftbeerguy.com/la-independent-beer-fest-coming-soon-discount-inside/ before it is too late.

In case you missed it, HopSaint at The Ditch had their Conditional Use Permit granted last week which means they are one step closer to opening that tasting room. Stay tuned.

And finally, it has been announced that Project Barley Square is up for sale; if you or anyone you know is interested you should reach out to Project Barley.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 – As I mentioned several weeks ago, we have now entered craft beer season in the South Bay, meaning that this is when many brewery anniversaries and festivals begin, and it means I will probably have to do more frequent updates as events pop up on my radar; I have two of those for you today.

This Saturday, April 13, Firestone Walker’s – The Propagator will celebrate eight years of brewing from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The day will include an anniversary beer release, live music, food, giveaways and lots of great beer.

Saturday, April 20, will mark the return of the El Segundo Beer, Wine & Spirits Festival, hosted by the El Segundo Rotary Club, from 5:00 – 9:00 PM at the Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo. This will be my first time attending this event, but the venue itself is amazing. Price of admission is all inclusive, with beer, wine, spirits, and food included. This should be a pretty fun event. Please visit https://www.rotaryelsegundo.org/ for tickets and more details.

Sunday, April 7, 2024 – Happy Spring, I hope life is being good to you. I have a couple new “save-the-dates” and a couple reminders; so let’s get started.

Saturday, April 20, Smog City Brewing will celebrate their 13th anniversary. If you have ever attended one of their anniversary parties you know a good time is pretty much guaranteed. Follow one of their social media platforms for details as the date draws nearer.

Saturday, April 27, Common Space Brewery will celebrate their 6th Anniversary. Again, their reputation for throwing a good party precedes them. Follow your favorite social media platform for details as the date draws closer.

Sunday, May 19, the South Bay Beer & Wine Festival is returning. Yes, I have a promo code for you, BEERGUY24. Don’t delay, as tickets always sell out. Click here for more details.

And one final reminder for today; June 15, Los Angeles Brewers Guild will be holding their Independent Beer Fest at the ShoreLine Aquatic Park in Long Beach. 75 breweries pouring 150 beers along with live music, local food, games, and more. Tickets are now on sale at https://indiebeerfest.eventbrite.com/

Thursday, March 7, 2024 – I hope everyone is drying out sufficiently, sounds like we won’t have more rain for a while, which is probably a good thing as far as this update is concerned.

A final reminder that this Saturday Los Angeles Ale Works will be celebrating their 7ish Anniversary. The event will feature the release of their anniversary beer, DJs, food trucks and more.

The Los Angeles Brewers Guild will be holding their Independent Beer Fest on June 15. It is advertised as having 160 beers from 76 breweries, it as always a good time. Tickets go on sale tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM. If you had a VIP pass last year, you should check your email.

Finally for fans of Upshift Brewing in El Segundo; you may have heard that their brewer Steven Torres announced his departure from Upshift a couple weeks ago. I had heard a couple weeks prior that Upshift might be closing but I don’t like to spread unconfirmed rumors, so last week I made a visit and discovered the rumors were true. Apparently they will be closing when they run out of beer. I have no idea how much beer they have in stock, but it can’t be that much. I was told there are discounts on merchandise, so if you want some swag or give them some last minute support it is probably time to head over for a final visit.

Thursday, February 22, 2024 – As I mentioned the other day, we are entering brewery anniversary season, so naturally that means that a day or two after I make a post announcing dates, someone has to add another. And that is the reason for this update.

Hermosa Brewing Company will hold their 6th Anniversary on Saturday, March 2 from 2:00 – 10:00 PM at their Torrance location on Del Amo Boulevard. The day will feature live music, food trucks, games and “super secret surprises.”

I am going to mention the TrustedGut Brewing grand opening one more time, essentially because I have more details on the Guinness World Record attempt(s) that will be held. The world record attempt will be stacking beer cans; the current record is 38 cans and is held by a guy in Iraq. I was told the attempts will begin around 2:00 so if you feel the desire to go down in history books, here is your opportunity.

Sunday, February 18, 2024 – For those of you not keeping track, we are now entering craft beer season in the South Bay, meaning that this is when many brewery anniversaries and festivals begin; so do your stretches, your liver will appreciate it. So, let’s get to it.

The last couple of updates have included mentions of the TrustedGut Brewing Grand Opening, which will be held Saturday, February 24. Yeah, dates and plans have been modified over the last month, but what I can say for sure is that there will be a couple food trucks, a couple live bands and a DJ, games and plenty of beer. There is also an attempt at a certified World Record, so if you want to watch history happening, check out the TrustedGut/King Harbor Brewing social media pages.

Project Barley Square, in Torrance, will be holding their One Year Anniversary on Saturday, February 24. The event will feature three live bands, new cocktails, and a beer release.

Saturday, March 2, Brouwerij West will hold their 8th Anniversary. The day features a breakfunch, live music, and exclusive beer releases. Part of this is definitely a ticked event, but I know portions were free to attend, so check out their social media pages for more details.

Saturday, March 9, Los Angeles Ale Works will hold their 7ish Anniversary. The event will feature the release of their anniversary beer, DJs, food trucks and more.

Saturday, March 23, will see the 3rd Annual Craft Beer LB Homebrew Invitational. I will have more details as the date draws closer.

And finally,

Friday, February 2, 2024 – Happy Groundhog Day; it seems like I have done this before. I hope you are surviving the winter, wherever you are. I have a few new Save-the-Date announcements, and one change from my last update.

First things first. In my last update I said that TrustedGut Brewing would be holding their Grand Opening on February 17. Because of the scope of this event a special permit has to be granted by the City of Redondo Beach; as a result, the date has been pushed back one week to February 24. Stay tuned for more details.

Los Angeles Ale Works will be celebrating their 7th Anniversary on Saturday, March 9. Follow their social media for more details.

The 3rd Annual Craft Beer LB Homebrew Invitational will be held on Saturday, March 23, and tickets are now on sale at https://aftontickets.com/homebrew. There is a good chance they will sell out, so don’t delay.

And finally, while I don’t usually announce these here, I will be having another Craft Beer Can Exchange on Super Bowl Saturday. Please visit the Craft Beer Guy Facebook page for all the details.

Monday, January 22, 2024 – I hope this finds you warm and dry; I have a couple “Save-the-Date” announcements for you.

While I am sure you are already saving Saturday, January 27 for the Burnin’ Daylight 5th Anniversary, you should also know that El Segundo Brewing Company will also be holding their annual The Meltdown; their can release of Power Plant TIPA and Nuclear Power Plant QIPA. Pre-orders for fou-paks are now open.

TrustedGut Brewing will be having their Grand Opening on Saturday, February 17 24. Chris has been picking my brain a little for this event and all I can say is that if this Grand Opening is half of what has been discussed, you won’t want to miss it. If you ever attended any of the King Harbor Brewing anniversary parties, you have a small idea of what to expect. Details will follow, as they become available.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 – Happy New Year 2024, I hope the year has been going okay for you thus far. Personally, I am done with the cold and darkness of winter. Anyway, a couple updates for you.

Thursday, January 11, ISM Brewing will hold their grand opening. The ribbon cutting, food and drink specials, and live music begins at 3:00 PM.

Saturday, January 27, Burnin’ Daylight will hold their fifth anniversary. Live music, a can release, and food specials begin at noon.

Friday, September 22, 2023 – Happy Oktoberfest to those of you that participate, and have fun to those of you on the way to GABF; just a couple updates for today.

In case you missed it, The Dudes’ Brewing Company has announced that their Torrance location has closed. From what I can gather, their Hollywood location is still open but for long is anyone’s guess. They do not have another location with a brewery, so the clock is kind of ticking on that location.

For some good news, Naja’s Place 13th Annual IPA Festival will be held October 11 through the 17th. Visit your favorite social media platform for all the details.

Monday, September 11, 2023 – Yeah, yeah, I know I have been slacking, but I am offering refunds to everyone that has been negatively affected. Anyway, here is what is coming up.

This Saturday, September 16, the 7th Annual Craft Beer LB Festival will be returning to Ranch Los Cerritos. The family friendly event will feature at least 17 Long Beach/and associated with Long Beach breweries, four food vendors, and a couple live performances by local musicians. This is always a fun event, and while I am not sure how they always seem to manage it, lovely weather for an outdoor event. Tickets are still available as I type this, but I would not delay; I don’t recall ever seeing tickets available at the door. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/craft-beer-lb-fest-2023-tickets-665051014487 for more information, and to purchase your tickets.

Since Long Beach seems to be the theme of this update, Long Beach Beer Lab will be celebrating their 6th Anniversary/Oktoberfest on Sunday, October 15. The free to attend event will run from noon until 5:00 PM and will feature wiener dog races, a crafts fair, specialty food, competitions, music, lager biergarden, special bottle releases, and more. They always put on fun events.

And finally, the 3rd Annual Halloween Hootenanny is returning to the Museum of Latin American Art on Saturday, October 21 from noon until 5:00 PM. This is always fun and will feature 40+ craft breweries, cideries, wineries & kombucha makers, along with more than a dozen local merchandise vendors, food vendors, and music performers. This is a 21+ only event. Get more information and tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-3rd-annual-halloween-hootenanny-craft-beer-festival-tickets-689689218017?aff=oddtdtcreator. I hope to see you there; Halloween costumes are encouraged.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023 – I know it has been a couple months since I updated this page, but I am back and I have some good news on the South Bay’s craft beer front.

You may recall a few months ago I mentioned that a new brewery was taking over King Harbor Brewing Company’s location on 182nd Street. Due to circumstances beyond my control I had to take that notice down. However, since there is a notice on the front door now, I can now confirm that Trusted Gut Brewing will definitely be taking over the location. A date for the opening has not been provided to me yet, but rest assured I will let you know as soon as I am given permission.

For more good news; you may recall that four months ago Surfridge Brewing in El Segundo closed their doors; well, a new brewery will be taking over the location. Five Point Five Brewing Company, headed by Surfridge’s former head brewer Jeremy Montemagni, will replace Surfridge. I only found out a couple hours ago, but I will have more information later this week, hopefully.

And finally, some kinda good/kinda sad news; Chad Hazen aka Bald Chad, aka Sofee Chad will be moving to Boston later this month. Chad has done a lot for the local craft beer scene, so there is no way we can just let him leave without a proper sendoff. That being the case, we will have another can exchange so that his friends can come say farewell. You can look at the Craft Beer Guy Facebook page for details, or approach Chad or myself for details. This should be a fun event, and if you know, you know what to expect.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 – Happy June, I hope the gray. gloomy skies are not getting you too down in the dumps; if so, this next week should brighten your days if not the actualy skies.

Saturday, June 10 is the official first day of Los Angeles Beer Week (LABW14) and it will begin pretty much where it left off in 2019, with the LA Independent Beer Festival which is being held at Shoreline Park in Long Beach. The event will feature at least 150 beers from 75 member breweries of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, as well as numerous food trucks. I have a DISCOUNT CODE for you if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet. I should make sure you know that there are only 25 people that will get to utilize this, so do not delay! You can get your tickets via Eventbrite here. Use PROMO CODE ‘craftbeerguy671’ (be sure to hit apply) to receive a 10% discount.

While the official beginning of LA Beer Week is June 10, it will run through June 18. There will be 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.

Highlights of the week for me, not including the LA Independent Beer Festival, would include the after party at Beachwood Brewing, the Common Space/LA Ale Works block party, Brewery Dodge Ball at Three Weavers, and Absolution Brewing’s 9th Anniversary celebration. It should be a great week of beer and friends.

Monday, May 15, 2023 – Happy American Craft Beer Week, and I hope you had a good time with your mothers yesterday. Sunday was also the 10th anniversary of the launching of CraftBeerGuy.com. Thank you for your support over the last decade.

So yeah, this is day one of 18th annual American Craft Beer Week which runs from May 15 through the 21st. These are the events I am aware of locally.

Saturday, May 20 I am having another Craft Beer Can Exchange at my house. Follow this link for all details; you do not have to have a Facebook account to get the details. If you have never been I can assure you that everyone has a great time.

Sunday, May 21 is the 10th Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. This is a great event that comes with beer, wine and food. Naturally, I have a promo code for you: BEERGUY23 which will save you $10 per ticket. This event usually sells out, so don’t delay.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 – It is definitely beer season around here, so here are a couple reminders for you.

The 2nd Annual 1/2 Way to Halloween Hootenanny Craft Beer Festival will be held this Saturday, April 29 at Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach. Tickets are still available, so do not hesitate; visit https://www.obscuralbc.com/ today for tickets and other relevant information.

Do not forget, HopSaint Brewing Company will hold their first ever anniversary party on Saturday, April 29. The HopSaint 7th Anniversary celebration will be held from noon until 4:00 PM and will feature music, tacos, commemorative glassware, and a triple IPA anniversary beer.

Finally, save the date, May 13 El Segundo Brewing Company will celebrate their 12th Anniversary. The event will feature the release of Greetings from El Segundo TIPA and Lost in the Mail QIPA.

Friday, April 14, 2023 – Just a quick update today because it is time sensitive.

The Los Angeles County Brewers Guild has announced the return of LA Beer Week which will run from June 10 through June 18. It all kicks off on June 10th with the LA Independent Beer Fest at Shoreline Park in Long Beach.

The event will feature 75 independent craft breweries pouring more than 150 beers, live music, great local food, games, and more. Tickets are now on sale and if you purchase your tickets by May 9 you will save $5.00 per ticket. You can purchase your tickets today and get more information here.

Monday, April 10, 2023 – I hope you had a good holiday weekend, I have a couple new alerts and additional information on two others.

Two Coast Brewing Company has announced that they are ready to open their doors! They will officially open Thursday, April 13 at 4:00 PM. For the time being their hours will be 4:00 to 9:00 PM, Wednesday through Friday. You can find their address in the article I wrote about them in February.

The Dude’s Brewing Company, Torrance location, will celebrate their 10th anniversary on Saturday, April 15 from noon until 6:00 PM. The free-to-attend event will feature live music, food and retail vendors, games, and lots of beer.

As I mentioned in the last Pilot Batch update, Smog City Brewing is celebrating their 12th anniversary on Saturday, April 22. This year’s party is going have a ton of entertainment, games, local food from three food trucks, and a super secret lineup of special vintage beer releases and their 12th Anniversary Double IPA. Limited VIP Early Entry tickets are now on sale at smogcitybrewing.com. By the way, they are also hiring and have multiple positions available.

Finally, HopSaint Brewing Company has released more details about their upcoming anniversary, coming April 29. The event will run from noon until 4:00 PM and will feature music, a limited food menu, and a triple IPA as their anniversary beer.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 – Can you believe it is still raining? I hope you are staying dry. There is a lot scheduled for next month, so here is what I know of, so far.

Common Space Brewery will celebrate their 5th anniversary on Saturday, April 8. Watch your favorite social media platform for details.

Smog City Brewing will celebrate their 12th anniversary on Saturday, April 22. You can expect special beer releases, food, live music and games.

The 2nd Annual 1/2 Way to Halloween Hootenanny Craft Beer Festival will be held Saturday, April 29 at Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach. You can be sure this event will sell out, so do not delay. Visit https://www.obscuralbc.com/ for tickets and other relevant information.

HopSaint Brewing Company will hold their first ever anniversary party on Saturday, April 29. Yes, after seven years HopSaint has actually decided to commemorate the occasion with a party and a triple IPA anniversary beer. Again, watch your favorite social media platform for more details as the date draws closer.

Finally, don’t forget that the 10th Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival is coming up on Sunday, May 21 at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates, Sunday, May 21, 2023 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Use promo code BEERGUY23 to save $10 per ticket. You can get your tickets today at https://www.sbbeerwinefest.com/tickets, be sure to hit APPLY to receive the discount. I would not hesitate as tickets appear to be going fast and they always sell out.

Friday, March 10, 2023 – Rain, rain, go away, come again in a month or so. Yeah, I am getting bored of this stuff. Anyway, I have a few save-the-date posts for today.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the Los Angeles Ale Works 6ish birthday celebration, rain or shine.

Saturday, March 18 will see the 2nd Annual Craft Beer LB Homebrew Invitational. This is a fun event that will make you think these home brewers are virtually one step away from opening their own breweries. Tickets and info can be found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-craft-beer-lb-homebrew-invitational-tickets-492219380417?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

Also happening on March 18 will be the grand opening of Project Barley Square. The event will feature killer food, great beer, and awesome music. Real cask ales and traditional cold beer will be flowing!

Finally, Sunday, March 19, Hermosa Brewing Company will celebrate their 5th anniversary with a celebration at their new Torrance location.

Friday, March 3, 2023 – I have been slacking a bit, but a lot is happening tomorrow, so I had better play catch-up.

Last week I mentioned the Brouwerij West 7th Anniversary celebration that is being held Saturday, and I feel it needs an update. While part of the event, like brunch, is a ticketed event, the brewery is open to everyone. I hope to see you there.

It was just announced that Surfridge Brewing will be closing their doors tomorrow; they attribute the closure to COVID lockdown. If you want a beer, hurry over.

On some better news, Los Angeles Ale Works will celebrate 6ish years on Saturday, March 11th, rain or shine. The free to attend event will feature food, live music, DJs, balloon art, limited edition one off merchandise, and (hopefully) sun. They’ll have a special anniversary beer release of 6ish (Double IPA, 8.5%), (2) 2023 Bourbon Barrel Aged Beers, plus a tiki-themed drink specials, michelada bar, hard slushies and more.

Thursday, February 23, 2023 – I hope you are staying warm and dry, there are a couple events coming up.

This Saturday, February 25, Three Weavers Brewing and the California Craft Brewers Association will be hosting Lite Fest, a festival featuring 36 breweries and beers with an ABV no higher than 5%. The event runs from 5:00 – 9:00 PM. Pre-sale tickets can be found at https://tickets.californiacraftbeer.com/e/lite-fest/tickets. Tickets will be available at the door, but you can save $5.00 by buying tickets online and using PROMO CODE “LITEFEST5” – this is an indoor, rain or shine event.

Brouwerij West has announced details on their upcoming anniversary celebration. This is an all-day, ticketed event beginning with brunch. You can get more details at https://www.ticketweb.com/event/funky-breakfunch-brouwerij-wests-7th-brouwerij-west-tickets/12950055?fbclid=IwAR2UH3mKVOUJlQPvssyy_CuS_4AtPgOZXKe7SmphrYNEyop_IdnJyA5STjU.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023 – Happy Singles Awareness Day. There really is a lot going on.

Apparently, Gardena has had a brewery flying under the radar since October, 2021. Two Coast Brewing will be opening a tasting room soon. I will have a lot more details for you in a couple days.

The 2nd Annual 1/2 Way to Halloween Hootenanny tickets are now on sale. The event will be held April 29 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM and will feature 30 breweries. This is a fun event that will most likely sell out, if history is an indicator. Don’t delay, buy your tickets today.

Tickets for the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival go on sale this Friday, February 17 at 10:00 AM. You can get more details at https://www.firestonebeer.com/event/firestone-walker-invitational-beer-festival/. These tickets go very fast, so save the date and don’t delay.
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Thursday, February 9, 2023 – Lots of news to share today, so let’s get it done before I forget everything I was going to mention.

Speaking of things I forgot to mention (I thought I hinted earlier, but apparently not), HopSaint Brewing Company is opening a new location in the Beermuda Triangle area of Torrance. This will be a brewery and tasting room but be patient as it will be a few months before they can even get started. I will keep you posted.

The 10th Annual South Bay Beer and Wine Festival is returning Sunday, May 21. With only 600 tickets available you should get your tickets early. I do not have a promo code at this point.

Thursday, February 16, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Angel City Brewery are releasing their first ever collaboration beer, Juicy Deets, at Angel City Brewery. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Dogfish Head Founder & Brewer, Sam Calagione, and Layton Cutler, Head Brewer at Angel City Brewery, and tell them what they think about this new collaboration.

Brouwerij West will be celebrating their 7th Anniversary on March 4. Details will be forthcoming.
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Thursday, February 2, 2023 – Happy Groundhog Day, a longtime favorite holiday of mine.

A couple days ago I mentioned that Cellador Ales had set up operations in the Beermuda Triangle. Apparently they are doing their cellaring at Smog City’s wood cellar (the building across the parking lot from the tasting room). A retail location has not been found/confirmed yet.

Speaking of Smog City, their annual release of Infinite Wishes will be held March 17 through 19. Online bottle pre-sales will begin on February 26.

For the first time in five years, El Segundo Brewing Company has an job opening in sales. Pay is $22.00 to $26.00 per hour; send your resume to Josh.salinas@elsegundobrewing.com⁠ if interested.

Word on the streets is that there is a new brewery interested in the old King Harbor Brewing on 182nd Street. I haven’t heard a name yet, but apparently they are into hard seltzers and kombucha in addition to beer. The rumor suggests that they will keep the Tiki Hut recipe and name.

Lastly, I am doing something I have never done before,advertising the fact that I am having another can exchange on Saturday, February 11. Follow the link for the details if you are interested in attending. They are a lot of fun.
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Tuesday, January 31, 2023 – Lots of positive news for this week.

You may have heard that Cellador Ales closed their Los Angeles taproom at the end of 2022; well, it appears they are continuing operations somewhere in Torrance’s Beermuda Triangle. I don’t know exactly where or what the future plans are, but I soon as I have confirmation, I will let you know.

Followers on my Facebook page may recall in January 2020 I mentioned that El Segundo was getting their fifth brewery, at that point they had a space but no name. Well, it appears the brewery is built and they have a name, The Board Room. I have heard rumors that it may become a DIY brewery, but at this point it is just a rumor. I will keep researching.

Scholb Premium Ales will celebrate their 7th Anniversary on Saturday February 18 from 4:00 to 10:00 PM. The free-to-attend event will feature food trucks, live music, two beer releases and free pie!

Three Weavers Brewing has an employment opportunities they are looking for an additional brewer. Visit their Facebook or Instagram pages for requirements and where to apply.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 – We will start today’s Pilot Batch with an employment opportunity.

Upshift Brewing is looking for a sales person/driver to join their team as they are looking to start some local self distribution. If you or anyone you know is interested, please contact Steven via DM, phone, or email at stevent@upshiftbrewing.com.

Sadly, it was announced today that effective February 1, 2023, Beachwood Brewing’s Downtown Long Beach location will be closing their kitchen and limit themselves to being a brewery and tasting room. For now, they plan to host pop-ups, entertainment, and events to bring the community together and hope to reopen the kitchen by early summer as a restaurant.

Monday, January 16, 2023 – Happy MLK Day, I hope you are enjoying your day off. In interest of keeping my promise of last week, here is what’s up.

UpShift Brewing is hiring beertenders. If interested, email odeth@upshiftbrewing.com.

Since I will likely be posting more employment opportunities, I should probably remind you that effective July 1, 2022, RBS training is required by CA Assembly Bill 1221 and Assembly Bill 82. If you want to serve beer, be a manger of someone that serves beer, or even be a bouncer for a place that serves beer you need to be RBS certified. This has to be renewed every three years.

And lastly, Yorkshire Square is now officially Project Barley Square; new signage should be up soon.

Monday, January 9, 2023 – I know, I know; I always say I am going to update this page more often, but this time I plan on utilizing this page to at least let you know about things like anniversaries and festivals that I usually share on my Facebook page, but frequently miss posting here. Maybe I will post employment opportunities here as well. Anyway, here we go:

This year started off on the wrong foot with not only the closing of all three King Harbor Brewing locations, but last week Strand Brewing Company officially closed their doors. They were the third oldest brewery in the South Bay and will be sorely missed.

While the closure of Strand was not entirely a surprise, one brewery closed after a last fling on New Year’s Day, that being Mumford Brewing. I have not talked to one person that saw that coming. I did not have a good feeling about what 2023 was going to do to our local craft beer scene, this definitely does not help. If you have a favorite brewery, support it.

Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company will be celebrating their 4th Anniversary, Saturday January 28th from noon to 5:00 PM. They will be having a local band called “The Vibe Tribe” playing tunes and an Anniversary IPA Release. This is not a ticketed event.

That same day, El Segundo Brewing Company will be having their annual release of Power Plant TIPA, Nuclear Power Plant QIPA and Radioactive Fallout Hazy IPA. They open at noon.

Friday, August 26, 2022 – I guess it is time for my annual update to this page, sorry about that.

First off, if you have been following me lately you probably heard that Phantom Carriage Brewery closed at the beginning of the month. Since they have not yet found a location to relocate to, they will be holding an “estate sale” of sorts. From their Instagram page: Saturday, August 27 from 12pm til 6pm, we will be selling various bits of equipment, memorabilia, decor, Phantom Merchandise, and yes, BEER. In addition to some beers on tap, we will have a lot of bottles of our Broadacres Wild Berliner Weisse that will be up for sale. Come thirsty & hungry! @birrieriaestrada will be serving food from their truck.

The 8th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover is returning to Tortilla Cantina in Torrance, on Thursday, September 1 from noon until 10:00 PM. This is a non-ticketed event with plenty of local craft beer, great food and live music. Participating breweries include Smog City, El Segundo Brewing, King Harbor Brewing, HopSaint, Crowns & Hops, Burnin’ Daylight, Three Weavers, Eureka Brewing, LA Ale Works, Upshift Brewing, Crac, Project Barley, Far Field Beer, Tortugo, Hermosa Brewing, Yorkshire Square, SoCal Cider, and Common Space. This is always a fun event; I hope you will join us.

And finally, a couple weeks ago I was contacted by the Content Marketing Coordinator at Redfin who was writing an article about Los Angeles breweries and wanted a few words about my thoughts about our craft beer scene; don’t worry, I am not the only one they asked. If you or someone you know is planning on relocating to the Los Angeles area, and they like craft beer, you might want to give it a read.

Thursday, August 26, 2021 – Just a couple quick notes.

The 7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover is coming up this Thursday, September 2, from noon until 10:00 PM at Tortilla Cantina in Old Torrance. It looks like we will have 25 South Bay breweries participating.

Sadly, King Harbor Brewing Company is postponing their 6th and 7th anniversary due to concerns with the Delta variant of Covid. Better safe than sorry.

Friday, July 23, 2021 – There are quite a few events coming up, and some craft beer news for the South Bay, so here we go.

Three Weavers Brewing has announced that Lynne Weaver is buying back their share in the CANarchy Collective.

Crowns & Hops Brewing Company has announced that they have signed a lease for a location in Inglewood.

Tortilla Cantina will host the 7th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover, Thursday, September 2. More details as I gather the participating breweries, but expect this to be bigger than ever. This is a non-ticketed event.

El Segundo Brewing Company will hold their 10th anniversary celebration Saturday, September 4. This is a non-ticketed event.

Craft Beer LB Fest at Rancho Los Cerritos returns September 11, 2021 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite.

King Harbor Brewing Company will be celebrating their 6th and 7th anniversary Saturday, September 25, 2021. This is a non-ticketed event.

Sunday, June 20, 2021 – Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Things are finally opening up around here, so take advantage of it while we can.

Absolution Brewing Company will be celebrating their 7th Anniversary this Saturday, June 26 from noon until 10:00 PM. The event will include the release of a quadruple hazy IPA, live music from Nasty Bad Habit and the Red Moon Band, a free raffle and food trucks.

The Dudes’ Brewing Company Torrance location will reopen their tasting room for the first time in 15 months on Friday, June 25, at 4:00 PM.

Finally, save the date; the Vegan Oktoberfest will be back at LA Center Studios on Saturday, October 16th. Tickets are not available yet but I will try to keep you posted when they do.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021 – As things begin to open up around here, all I can think is that was the longest three weeks ever. Anyway, things are opening up a little and here is what is coming up.

Wednesday May 5 will see the grand opening of The Brews Hall’s second location, this time being in Hermosa Beach at 75 Pier Avenue. The Brews Hall Hermosa Beach will carry 16 beers and seltzers brewed at the Torrance location, and will feature the same restaurants. Opening hours will be 11:30 AM to 10PM Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 AM to midnight Friday and Saturday and will be serving lunch and dinner. Weekend Football Brunch is set to start September 2022.

For those of you that pay close attention, I will be holding another can exchange, Saturday, May 8 at 1:00 PM. You know how to get a hold of me.

Smog City Brewing will celebrate their 10th anniversary on Saturday, May 22. They will be releasing a special 10th Anniversary IPA as part of the festivities along with an expanded beer list, great tunes, and delicious food at the Torrance Brewery & Taproom. More details to come.

Finally, it appears the City of Lawndale will be getting their first craft brewery. Far Field Beer Company hopes to launch their tasting room in early June. I should have more information soon.

Thursday, January 14, 2021 – Welcome to 2021. We had a couple of good days, I guess; let’s hope that things start looking up before too long.

If you have not heard yet, I hate to be the bearer of sad news. On January 5, Jonas Neubauer passed away due to a medical emergency. If you are not sure who Jonas was, he was the original taproom manager for Strand Brewing Company. I met Jonas back in 2012, before I launched this site; back then we had Strand Brewing, El Segundo Brewing, and Monkish Brewing. Jonas pretty much set the bar as far as beertenders go with his smile and friendly persona. He also happened to be the seven time Classic Tetris World Champion. There will be a virtual memorial service in the future that I will try to get out to you. For those interested, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for his wife.

For those of you that read my recap of 2020, you may recall that once a month for the last several months I have been holding a craft beer can exchange in my driveway. The next one is scheduled for January 23 at 1:00 PM. If interested in attending, please check for details on my Facebook events page.

Friday, December 31 – Those of you that use Facebook are most likely familiar with their Memories app, which reminds you of stuff that happened on that day for as long as you have been on Facebook. The past few days I have been seeing posts about different years that I am glad to say good-bye to and I frequently struggle to recall what it was that made that year suck. I don’t think any of us will struggle to remember what made 2020 suck.

Yes, there were positive sides to 2020 beyond test results, but overall, not so much.

As my final entry for 2020, I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming year. The first part is not going to be easy, but you can do it. I look forward to the next time I get to see you somewhere. Stay healthy, support local businesses and have a Happy New Year!

Sunday, October 18 – I know, I know; I keep saying I will keep current here, but sometimes it just doesn’t flow. Anyway, there is news and here is some of it.

Last month I mentioned that Strand Brewing Company was going to begin distilling spirits, but I was not sure what the name would be; well, it is Co. Spirits (pronounced Koh Spirits).

As you have undoubtedly heard by now, breweries that do not have kitchens can now have dine-in drinking if there is a food truck, food is purchased, and you got reservations 24 hours in advance. It seems that most breweries are doing this for weekends only, but check with your favorite. I will end up writing a guide as soon as I am convinced it is going to be available long enough for me to finish the article.

R6 Distillery now has a kitchen, so that means that not only can you drink their spirits, but you can also have beer from Hermosa Brewing Company since they share the facility, so reservations are suggested, but not required. I have heard of breweries in the general area that are adding kitchens so they can avoid the 24 hour rule, so we will see what happens with other breweries.

And finally, but certainly not least, the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover – Hoppy Thanksgiving Edition is a go! That’s right, better late than never. This year the event will be held Wednesday, November 25 at Tortilla Cantina; the day before Thanksgiving. Tortilla Cantina has really expanded their outdoor seating area, so we should have room for everyone. I am positive we will have beers from breweries in the South Bay that you may not have even heard of yet. You can follow the event on Facebook.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 – Yeah, it has been a while since I updated this page, but I will do my best to keep up on it. As hard as it may be to believe, even though we are in a very weird time, there is quite a bit of local craft beer news.

Last week, King Harbor Brewing Company announced that Head Brewer Phil McDaniel departed effective Friday, August 14. Assistant Brewer John Garcia stepped up to Head Brewer, while John’s brother Erik Garcia has returned to King Harbor as Assistant Brewer.

The South Bay is getting two new breweries that should both be brewing beer by the end of this month; both in Gardena. The Crac Brewery and Grub will be a brewpub, and they are already making plans to turn their parking lot into an area suitable for dining/drinking on location.

As I mentioned above, Phil McDaniel has left King Harbor Brewing; he has teamed up with a friend since childhood to open Eureka Brewing Company, which will also be in Gardena. I will have more information on both these developments very soon.

Strand Brewing Company has announced that they will soon be distilling spirits. Anyone that knows owner/founder Joel Elliott knows he keeps things pretty close to the vest, and even though there are “Easter Eggs” in some of his Instagram posts, I have not been able to crack the code; if you figure out definitively things like the name, feel free to clue me in and I will pass it along.

Hermosa Brewing Company has officially opened in El Segundo, sharing the location with R6 Distillery. While you cannot drink there yet, you can pick up crowlers and cans to-go for limited hours, Thursday through Saturday.

And finally, I spoke with Rick at Tortilla Cantina and it has been decided that we are NOT CANCELLING the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover; however, it will be postponed. Historically the event would be held on the first Thursday of September, but we are considering late September or possibly October. Since the City of Torrance is blocking some streets in Old Torrance to allow for al fresco dining, there is a good chance we will hold it on a Friday or Saturday to take advantage of the space. I will keep you posted.

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 – I have to be honest, I had planned on updating this page a lot this year, but it has been tough with the limited access we have to breweries and the total lack of happenings. Just do your best to support your local brewery, and I will do my best to keep you informed on what is happening around here.

I mentioned this on the Craft Beer Guy Facebook page, and I mentioned here that Three Chiefs was leaving their location at R6 Distillery, but I never said who was moving in. I can now tell you that Hermosa Brewing Company has moved their new brewhouse into that location. This is going to make life a lot easier on them, so congratulations to Dave and Jorge.

King Harbor Brewing has a canning line now. They have started off by canning Tiki Hut, Topside Pilsner, and Guava Lava which are available for delivery or pickup at the brewery or Riviera Village location.

Santa Monica Brew Works released their Unsung Heroes Juicy IPA, of which $5.00 from the sale of each 32oz crowler will be donated to UCLA Health’s COVID-19 Fund, directly benefiting local healthcare workers. The Unsung Heroes fundraiser will continue through May 31 or until the limited 10-barrel batch sells out. Beer-to-go available Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 to 3:00 PM.

If you heard that El Segundo Brewing is brewing in Torrance now, you heard right; kind of. El Segundo has been doing some brewing at Strand Brewing. You cannot buy El Segundo beer at Strand but this definitely increases El Segundo’s production capacity. I will provide more information as it becomes relevant.

Sunday, March 29, 2020 – I hope you are all doing well; Buddy and I miss you and cannot wait for the next time we can touch glasses together.

I did not announce it here because you probably already knew it was going to happen, but the South Bay Beer and Wine Festival is officially cancelled for 2020; so save the date of May 23, 2021 for next year’s. I will get a new promo code for you when tickets go on sale.

Absolution Brewing Company is not going to let a little thing like COVID-19, or social distancing to get in the way of their scheduled 6th Anniversary Party; sometimes you have to think outside the box. Absolution will hold a virtual anniversary party, highlighted with a live feed on the Absolution Instagram page at 6:00 PM. Fans are encouraged to pick up a 4-pak of the Absolution anniversary beer and anniversary glassware to have on hand to celebrate. Attendees should post on Instagram with #Absolution6; prizes will be given out for most fun and creative posts.

Common Space Brewery will host a blood drive for the American Red Cross on two Tuesdays next month, April 7th and April 14th from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Donors are encouraged to register ahead of time at https://www.redcrossblood.org/ and use Sponsor Code “CommonSpace.”

Friday, March 13, 2020 – This morning, Common Space Brewery announced the postponement of their anniversary party with the following statement: “We deeply appreciate all of the support we have received from the community in the past two years and especially now as we try to keep everyone’s best interest in mind. In the meantime, we are open regular hours every day of the week. For those of you who have pre-purchased your anniversary tickets please feel free to pick up your packages in our taproom any time after March 21st. All our beer releases and merch will still be available for purchase.”

The South Bay Beer and Wine Festival is still on due to the fact that it is still nine weeks out and it is hoped that things will mellow out by then. Of course, if things don’t change the festival could be in jeopardy. If that were to happen, tickets will be fully refunded.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 – This COVID-19 concern is causing lots of events to be cancelled, suspended, or postponed, as a result I will post updates here as I learn about them.

This morning, Yorkshire Square released the following regarding the 3rd Annual N’owt But Stout Festival:

After discussions with the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild and local health officials, we have decided to reschedule this Saturday’s N’owt But Stout Festival to Saturday, May 2 (our anniversary). The health and safety of our patrons and staff are our number one priority. With information evolving and changing on an hourly basis, we felt this was the responsible decision.

Current ticket holders will be automatically upgraded to VIP status on the rescheduled date of May 2. We understand everyone may not be able to attend on the new date and refunds can be granted at your point of sale. At this time, our taproom will continue to remain open with normal business hours. Thank you for understanding.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020 – I hope you are staying healthy and if you are under a self-imposed quarantine, I will try to keep you up to date. Let’s start with what is coming up.

This Saturday, March 14, the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild and Yorkshire Square Brewery will hold the 3rd Annual N’owt But Stout Festival. This ticketed event showcases locally crafted dark beer, on cask and keg, from over 30 breweries across California. This is a fun event if you like porters and stouts; but I seem to recall seeing a couple black IPAs in the past. Tickets give you access to all 30 breweries, commemorative glassware, and unlimited pours from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. You should contact Yorkshire Square or visit their Facebook page to secure your tickets; you don’t want to miss it.

Saturday, March 21, Common Space Brewery will celebrate their second anniversary with a free to attend, family friendly party from noon until midnight. The event will feature music, food, games for all, new beers, and the first ever can release of Familiar Friend Pale Ale. You can get more information on their website.

Sunday, March 22, LA Beer Hop is hosting a special Women in Beer tour which will visit three breweries in the South Bay featuring some of the hard-working women of Los Angeles craft beer. Each stop will highlight a guest speaker, includin, Brewmaster Alex Nowell and owner Lynne Weaver at Three Weavers Brewing, Production Assistant Josie Becker at Common Space, and Senior Brewer Rian Van Nordheim at LA Ale Works. You can get more information and tickets on Facebook.

Last week I mentioned that Three Chiefs was probably going to Long Beach. Today I found the new owners of the brewhouse; ExtraLegal Brewing (pictured) in Redondo Beach. They have actually been doing one-barrel batches for a while and making house beers for a restaurant or two. The current location is not suitable for a tasting room, so they are hopeful to get that in order as soon as they get their new brewhouse put together. They would like to be able an appearance at the 6th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover in September.

And lastly, this morning Monkish Brewing announced that they are turning eight this year, but due to coronavirus concerns, their anniversary celebration is being postoned until later this year. The Monkish anniversary will go on this week with their planned beer releases and normal business hours.

Monday, February 24, 2020 – Wow, there is a lot going on in the craft beer world; I may need to get someone to help me keep up. Let’s start off with the good stuff. I guess it is a good thing that February 29 only comes around every four years, because this Saturday has lots going on.

Brouwerij West, in San Pedro, will be celebrating their 4th anniversary with can and draft beer releases, food trucks, and live music by Fast Times, an 80’s tribute band. The event runs from noon until 11:00 PM; with Fast Times beginning at 5:00 PM. It is a free to attend event and open to all ages.

Mohawk Bend, in Los Angeles, will host the 7th Annual Los Angeles IPA Festival. The event is free to attend and will feature 60 taps of California brewed IPAs. There are a limited number of VIP packages available. Doors open at 9:30 AM with the awards ceremony taking place at 4:00 PM.

If you need more IPAs, Los Angeles Ale Works, in Hawthorne, will celebrate the extra day of brewing with their Quantum Leap Beer, a double dry hopped West Coast style Triple IPA; it will be available on draft and in cans. They are making a full party of it with live local music from 6:00 to 9:00 PM featuring Illunis and Riddim Rockers, followed by roots reggae vinyl sets from 9:00 to midnight. Rolling Bistro Cafe and Churro Way will be for those desiring food.

Finally, SoCal Vibes, in Carson, will hold their official soft open. This is the old Hokulea location which became the tasting room and kitchen for SoCal Ciders and Honest Abe Ciders. Since Honest Abe Ciders has never had a grand opening, or an anniversary, they will use February 29 to kill two birds with one stone. The free to attend event will run from 11:30 AM until 2:00 AM.

It has been rumored for a while now that Three Chiefs Brewing would be leaving their El Segundo location at R6 Distillery and moving to Long Beach. While I cannot confirm where Three Chiefs is moving to, they are definitely moving from their current El Segundo location. I do not have know any dates for this.

In news just released hours ago, Mikkeller DTLA has announced that they are officially permanently closed effective today, February 24. Apparently they have never turned a profit at that location and there were some legal fees that were the “final nail in the coffin.”

Tuesday, February 18, 2020 – We have events coming up, more breweries closing, and a Promo Code to announce, so here is what is happening.

This Saturday, Boomtown Brewery will celebrate their 5th Anniversary, beginning at noon and running until they close at 2:00 AM. The event is family and dog friendly, and will feature beer releases, a few DJs, and several food vendors. Children are allowed during the daylight hours, but it is 21+ after dark.

I was kind of keeping this under wraps, but since I have seen mention of the fact in the local newspaper, I guess there is no point in keeping quiet. Ximix Craft Exploration is very close to closing up shop. At the end of January it was announced that the Ximix head brewer and the taproom manager had decided to leave Ximix; this is not how I heard it, they were let go. Shortly afterward I started hearing that Ximix was selling all their hops, grains, and other brewing produce. I guess they are open on weekends, but there is no one brewing, so I guess they are open until all the beer is sold. Stay tuned for more information.

Finally, save the date of May 17 for the South Bay Beer & Wine Festival 2020. If you have attended before, you know what to expect. If you have never attended you are missing the best craft beer festival in the area. Price of admission includes unlimited pours of craft beer, wines, and delicious foods from various local restaurants. You can get tickets through Eventbrite. Use Promo Code BEERGUY20 to save $10 per General Admission ticket.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020 – I guess it has been a while since I updated this page; once again, I will try harder. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes, and there are a lot of events coming up, so here goes.

The Brewery at Abigaile and Abigaile Restaurant in Hermosa Beach closed their doors as of January 19, 2020. No real reason was given for the closure and not sure what will go in the space. I hear the brewhouse is still up for sale.

Today, State Brewing Company announced they closed their doors yesterday, February 4. Essentially, they had reached brewing capacity with their current system and felt the need to expand; unfortunately State is owned by one person and his pockets are not deep enough to take them to the next stage. They will be missed. If you were planning on going to their second anniversary in a few weeks, that day is now free for you.

Now for a little good news; brewery anniversary season is upon us.

On February 15, Los Angeles Ale Works will celebrate their third anniversary with another block party going from noon to midnight. The event will feature a quadruple can release as well as their bringing out a ton of barrel-aged stouts and sours. The event will also feature four food trucks, three bands, two DJs, and lots of fun.

On February 15, Hermosa Brewing Company will celebrate their second anniversary. They will debut new beers, limited release beers, food specials and live music. Like last year, they will have collectible anniversary glassware. Please visit the Hermosa Brewing website for more information.

There are lots of job opportunities in the local craft beer scene, so if you are looking, and not following the Craft Beer Guy Facebook page you should be. I share every employment opportunity I see; the most recent are from El Segundo Brewing and Smog City.

Thursday, May 16, 2019 – I hope you are enjoying your 2019 American Craft Beer Week. Here are a few more events that are coming up for your social calendar.

Wednesday, May 22, Abigaile Restaurant and Brewery will host their Abigaile Brewer’s Beer Dinner from 6:00-9:00 PM. The five course meal will include beers brewed by The Brewery at Abigaile paired with such dishes as Creole Spiced Seared Skirt Steak, Tunisian Lamb Kebab, African Red Mango curried scallop, and Duck Mole Quesadilla. You can buy tickets and get more information on Eventbrite.

Saturday, May 25, Scholb Premium Ales will celebrate their third anniversary with a 3rd Anniversary Luau, running from 1:00-10:00 PM. The free to attend event will feature new beer releases, new cocktails and new merchandise.

September 12-14, the California Craft Brewers Association will be holding their 5th Annual CA Craft Beer Summit and Beer Festival which will be held for the first time in Long Beach, California. Early Bird pricing ends on July 19, 2019 so buy your tickets now; this is a very fun event that you don’t want to miss.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 – I know you want to know what is coming up, so get out your calendars.

Wednesday, May 15, Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach will begin their 11th Annual IPA Festival. The festivities begin at 2:00 PM on Wednesday and go on through May 22, with over 100 IPAs to be served over the course of the week. Visit Naja’s Place Facebook page for more information

Saturday, May 18, El Segundo Brewing will hold their 8th Anniversary Party in the taproom, with close up magician Jeremy Griffith and food by Bartz BBQ. The party lasts all day long and is a non-ticketed event

Sunday, May 19 the South Bay Beer and Wine Festival returns to Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills from 1:00-5:00 PM. Price of admission includes unlimited tastings of beer, wine and food. You can get tickets through Eventbrite. To save $10.00 on each General Admission ticket you purchase, please use PROMOTIONAL CODE “BEERGUY19”.

Saturday, June 1 King Harbor Brewing Company will celebrate their fifth anniversary. The ticketed event will include lots of beer, live music, food trucks, games and more. General admission will run from 2:00-6:00 PM, with the limited VIP access beginning at 12:30 PM. You can purchase tickets and get more information at https://khbc5th.brownpapertickets.com/ UPDATE: use PROMOTIONAL CODE “craftbeerguyhookup” to save $5.00 on General Admission tickets.

Saturday, June 15 the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild will host the L.A. Beer Week Kickoff Festival 2019 to launch the 11th Annual L.A. Beer Week. The ticketed event will be held at the Los Angeles Center Studios in DTLA. The event will feature unlimited tastings of 250 beers from 90 Los Angeles guild breweries, and run from 1:00-4:00 PM with VIP entrance at noon. This event sells out, so don’t delay, buy your tickets at https://labeerweek.org/tickets/.

Friday, April 12, 2019 – It is that time of year again, when it seems there is a festival or anniversary happening every weekend. Here is what is on my radar as of today; there is even a PROMO CODE for at least one of the events. Check back for updates, it is going to get busy.

Saturday, April 20 Smog City Brewing will be celebrating six years of brewing in Torrance. The daylong event begins with a ticketed VIP session from 11:00-1:00 PM. You can purchase tickets and get more information on Brown Paper Tickets. *UPDATE* Save $5.00 by using PROMO CODE DELAMO. After entering promo code click SHOW AVAILABLE TICKETS; at the new screen you will then change your ticket purchase option from VIP to NEIGHBOR!

Saturday, April 27 The Brewery at Abigaile will hold one of their Brewtopia beer festivals from 12:00-4:00 PM on the patio overlooking the Pacific. This time the event will feature unlimited tastings from The Brewery at Abigaile, Hand Brewed, Brewery Draconum, MacLeod’s, Pacific Plate, Firestone Walker, King Harbor, Karl Strauss, and Common Space, as well as a complimentary globally inspired buffet. Tickets are $30 presale, or $40 at the door.

Sunday, April 28 Firestone Walker Propagator will celebrate their third anniversary from 11:00-4:00 PM with live art and photography from the Venice Arts Organization, as well as outdoor games, beer and food specials. This is not a ticketed event; just stop by and join the fun.

May 17-19, El Segundo Brewing will use the entire weekend to celebrate their eighth anniversary. The three day event will begin with a bottle release on Friday, the anniversary party on Saturday, and a hangover cure for Sunday. More details will be forthcoming.

Sunday, May 19 the South Bay Beer and Wine Festival returns to Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills. This annual event is easily the best in the South Bay. Price of admission includes unlimited tastings of beer wine and food. You can get tickets through Eventbrite. To save $10.00 on each General Admission ticket you purchase, please use PROMOTIONAL CODE “BEERGUY19”.

Saturday, June 1 King Harbor Brewing Company will celebrate their fifth anniversary. The ticketed event will include lots of beer, live music, food trucks, games and more. Save the date, I will have more for you soon.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 – I hope the heat has not been too overwhelming for you; be sure to hydrate more than usual. Here are a couple events coming up this weekend.

This Friday, July 27, Smog City Brewing will be holding a fundraiser for their Retail Director, Jason Briseño’s family, who lost everything in a house fire a couple weeks ago. To help out, Smog City Brewing will donate $3.00 from every pint sold on Friday toward providing the family with the basic necessities and helping them to get their new lives started. If you cannot make it by on Friday, but would like to help, the Briseño’s family has a Go Fund Me page set up for those that would like to donate.

Saturday, July 28, the inaugural Rare and Wild Beer Fest will be held at Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. The event will feature 120 rare beers from 40 breweries. You can get more information and tickets at https://www.larareandwildbeerfest.com/.

Thursday, June 14, 2018 – Just a quick note today to Save the Date! Thursday, September 6, 2018 will be the date of the 4th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. While the theme of all South Bay beers remains the same, I had to move it to another venue. To be honest, I could only think of a couple places that could host the event, and I lucked out as my first choice accepted. I am happy to announce that the 4th Annual South Bay Tap Takeover will be held at Tortilla Cantina in downtown Torrance. More details will follow.

Also, the top banner spot on CraftBeerGuy.com is available again; contact me for rates.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 – Just a reminder that LA Beer Week begins Saturday, June 16 and runs through June 24. Here are a couple events that are coming up.

Of course, LA Beer Week will feature the L.A. Brewers Beer Week Kickoff Festival at Los Angeles Center Studios on Saturday, June 16th, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. This awesome festival will feature 90 independent craft breweries, live music, great local food, games, and more. Get your tickets today at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/10th-la-beer-week-2018-kickoff-festival-tickets-44923798290

Monday, June 18, Beer Paper LA and Celebrator Beer News writer Tomm Carroll will hold another in his continuing series of “So You Want to Open a Brewery” panels for LA Beer Week. This year, the event will be held at Common Space Brewery in Hawthorne from 7:00 – 10:00 PM. This year’s panel will concentrate on new and upcoming breweries in the South Bay/Long Beach area.

The Discover Torrance Tourist Bureau will be participating in this year’s LA Beer Week with their 1st Annual Torrance Beer Run. No worries, “beer run” in this context is essentially the same as it meant when I was a kid; no running required. Visit Absolution Brewing, The Dudes, HopSaint, Monkish Brewing, Scholb, Smog City, Strand, Yorkshire Square and Zymurgy Brew Works during LA Beer Week and earn a free t-shirt (while supplies last). Pick up your card at any of the participating breweries.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 – I hope you enjoyed your long Memorial Day weekend, but took some time out to remember our fallen.

The 2018 Firestone Walker Invitational will be held this Saturday, June 2, in Paso Robles. The event is sold out so if you already have your tickets, congratulations. If you want to go and do not have tickets, a Craft Beer Guy follower has one extra ticket available that he will let go at face value, $90.00. The best way to contact him is via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ryan.quigley.31. If you do not use Facebook, reach out to me and I will put you together with him.

Thursday, May 31, Smog City Brewing will be holding a raffle for their Pints with Purpose with their partners at Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation. If you bought a raffle ticket over the last month you are entered to win. Raffle tickets can still be purchased for $10.00 each Thursday evening and you may win the grand prize of a two-night stay at the exclusive Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018 – I hope you survived American Craft Beer Week with minimal hangovers. Here is what is coming up.

This Saturday at Stout Burgers Hollywood, they will hold the last of their Rarest Experience festivals. Beer buyer Joey Anderson is cleaning out the cellars of their most rare beers; you can see the scheduled beer list and purchase tickets at NightOut.com.

You might want to save the date of June 30, 2018, as the first beer festival to be held in a cemetery, Festival Obscura will held at Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach. The festival will feature more than 40 craft breweries, wineries and cideries as well as street vendors, food trucks, live music and historical tours. You can get more information at FestivalObscura.com.

And finally, you may recall that I mentioned Lomita was getting two new craft breweries, Burnin’ Daylight and Project Barley. Well, yesterday morning a Lomita city councilman informed me that Lomita had been approached to get a third brewery. As I said in my letter to the city council, Lomita is on its way to becoming a craft beer destination.

Thursday, May 10, 2018 – Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, so Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there; don’t forget to call yours on Sunday. Or you could take them out for a beer!

On Sunday, Mother’s Day, Brouwerij West will be offering moms a free beer taster. There will be several food trucks available, and the Miles Jensen Trio will be performing in the courtyard from 1:00-4:00 PM.

Great Society Cider & Mead will have a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. The event will feature bottomless OJ, cidermosas and champagne as well as all-you-can-eat omelets to go along with their buffet line. You can secure reservations at http://www.greatsocietycider.com/menu/mothers/ or call them at 562-270-5625.

Just a reminder that every Thursday at Smog City Brewing is their weekly Pints with Purpose fundraiser; for the month of May the beneficiary is the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation. A portion of Smog Brewing’s proceeds from every Thursday in May go to support the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation and you can win raffle prizes.

Finally, congratulations to Shaft Brewery of Redondo Beach. After what seems like forever, the City of Redondo Beach has officially signed off; so final touches with brew tanks are apparently around the virtual corner.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 – In my haste to update this page last week, I neglected to mention the date of El Segundo Brewing Company’s seventh anniversary. I have fixed that, but in case you missed it, their anniversary is this Saturday, May 12, and it begins at noon.

Thursday, May 10, Zymurgy Brew Works will hold another in their continuing series of almost free brewing classes. This class will teach you how to brew a tropical Double IPA that will be perfect for the upcoming barbecue season. Tickets are $6.00 and can be purchased through Eventbrite. The class runs from 6:00 – 9:00 PM and the cost includes a taster of any Zymurgy brew.

It is that time of year again; American Craft Beer Week is May 14 through 20 this year. Other than Naja’s 10th Annual IPA Festival I do not really know of any local festivities, but I will let you know if I hear of any. Feel free to alert me if you hear of anything.

Saturday, May 26, Stout Burgers Hollywood will hold the last of their Rarest Experience festivals. Beer Fest for Beer Geeks will continue to produce a single annual event, but the Rarest Experience, which features the biggest and best from Stout’s cellars. Beer buyer Joey Anderson is cleaning out the cellars of their most rare beers, including a 2012 Avery “The Beast”, a 2015 “Monsters Park” by Modern Times, and more. You can see the scheduled beer list and purchase tickets at NightOut.com. General Admission tickets are $40.00 with unlimited pours from 2:00-6:00 PM; VIP tickets are $60 with a 1:00 PM entry and access to special bottle pours.

Friday, May 4, 2018 – Happy Friday, may the fourth be with you.

Congratulations to all the 2018 World Beer Cup winners, which were announced last night. Of the 302 awards given to breweries from around the world, 44 of them came from California; with lots of them being local favorites such as Beachwood Brewing, Firestone Walker, Green Cheek, Tustin Brewing, Nobel Ale Works, MacLeod Ale, and Figueroa Mountain to name but a few. We are pretty lucky to live amidst all these world class brewers.

On Tuesday, May 8, the Allison Dewart Memorial Scholarship Foundation will be holding their annual dining-out fundraiser. Rock & Brews Redondo Beach is both family and dog friendly (on the patio). Come for lunch, dinner, or both! Rock & Brews is donating 15% of all food and beverage sales, including take-out. You will need a paper or digital flyer, which can be obtained by following the leading link. If you are a regular at the South Bay breweries, you have most likely, at least met Michael and Z; Allison was their daughter who was killed by a drunk driver. Come out and support the scholarship foundation they set up in their daughter’s memory.

On Saturday, May 12, El Segundo Brewing Company will be celebrating Sietes de las Suertes, their seventh anniversary. Festivities begin at noon and will feature party hats, balloon animals, games, along with plenty of food and beer; including the release of their Sietes de las Suertes Double IPA. This is a free, family friendly event.

On Wednesday, May 16, Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach will begin their Naja’s Place 10th Annual IPA Festival. The festivities begin at 2:00 PM on Wednesday and go on through May 23, with over 100 IPAs to be served over the course of the week. Visit Naja’s Place Facebook page for more information.

Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room would like to remind you that not only do they make great beer; they can help you do the same. Brewing beer can be a fun activity among friends and family, or it can be used a team building exercise that just happens to come with the additional reward of a delicious brew you created yourselves. Zymurgy is set up to handle groups as small as five to more than 30. I still have some of my Russian Imperial Stout that I brewed there 18 months ago and it is just getting better with age. Contact Zymurgy Brew Works for more information; be sure the mention the Craft Beer Guy sent you and discover the benefits of name dropping.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 – I guess it has been a while since I kept this page updated, I will try to do better in the future.

Congratulations to Project Barley who was given the green light last night by the Lomita City Council to open a brewery with a tasting room at 2308 Pacific Coast Highway; this will put it a little over a mile from Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company, which will be Lomita’s first brewpub. Both breweries expect to be open before the end of the year.

This Saturday, May 5, Yorkshire Square Brewery will celebrate their one year anniversary. The festivities begin at noon and will go on until 11:00 PM. This free event will feature two beer releases, a new spring cocktail, food trucks, and a bottle release. If that is not enough entertainment, there will be a performance by the Morris Dancers, and the Kentucky Derby will be on. Come see why Yorkshire Square Brewery was named one of the Top 50 Best New Breweries in the US and Canada for 2017.

Do not forget, the 5th Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival is returning Sunday, May 20 from 1:00-5:00 PM at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. Presented by the Rotary Club of Palos Verdes Peninsula and Rotary Club of South Bay Sunrise, a major portion of the proceeds from this year’s charity fundraising event will go to support the Pediatric Therapy Network and Wounded Heroes of America. You can purchase your tickets at http://sbbeerwinefest.com/tickets-2/. Be sure to use Promo Code CBG10 to save $10 per ticket.

The 2018 L.A. Beer Week will take place June 16 through June 25. As usual, the festivities will begin with the L.A Beer Week Kickoff on June 16 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. There will be more than 80 independent breweries with 200 unique beers. Naturally, there will be food trucks, games, and live entertainment. You can get more details and tickets at Eventbrite.

As CraftBeerGuy.com has just passed its five year mark, it is time to start monetizing this site more. As a result, I now have several advertising options available at extremely reasonable rates. If you own a brewery, craft beer bar, or sell products or services related to craft beer, please contact me at 1CraftBeerGuy@gmail.com.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 – Just one final reminder that the 3rd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover is tomorrow at Flights, which is located at 5119 W. El Segundo Boulevard in Hawthorne. It is just east of the 405 at El Segundo Boulevard.

You can expect to find 40 taps of South Bay craft beer from 19 of the South Bay’s best craft breweries; and if that was not enough, once again there are free t-shirts (while supplies last), a great food menu and new for this year, valuable giveaways with everything from brewery garb, tours and tasters to a couple big ticket items. We have so much to give away that I will probably have to draw a raffle ticket every 20-30 minutes.

I know for fact that you have not tried many of the beers we are going to have on tap; one was just kegged right before I wrote this. We have worked hard on this; I hope you are able to join us, you will not be disappointed.

Monday, September 4, 2017 – A reminder that 3rd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover will be held this Thursday, September 7 at Flights in Hawthorne. We will have 40 taps from 19 South Bay breweries. Lots of firsts this time, such as our first goses (we will have two), our first barleywine and our first breakfast stout. The event runs from noon until midnight; it typically gets hopping around 5:00 or 6:00. Flights is located at 5119 W. El Segundo Boulevard in Hawthorne. It is just east of the 405 at El Segundo Boulevard.

This Sunday, September 10, 2017, Pub At the Club returns to the Manhattan Beach Badminton Club. The event features 20 breweries, 10 vintners, and 10 restaurants. The event is only open to 300 people and will likely sell out. I have arranged a promo code for you, “CraftBeerGuy” will save you $10 per ticket. You can also go directly to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pub-at-the-club-great-beer-wine-food-for-a-great-cause-tickets-33736066483?discount=CraftBeerGuy.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 – There are a few events coming up that you do not want to miss.

This Saturday, June 10, Chad’s Beer Cellar IV will be held at King Harbor Brewing Company from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. There are only 100 tickets being sold; as of now, there are maybe 15 tickets remaining. There will be at least 250 whales and rare to the South Bay beers being poured. This is the best event west of the Rockies; this will sell out, so don’t delay. Tickets can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets at http://m.bpt.me/event/2955482. You do not want to miss this; I promise. Tickets can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets at http://m.bpt.me/event/2955482.

The L.A. Beer Week Kickoff Festival will be held Saturday, June 17 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. This kickoff for the 9th Annual L.A. Beer Week is presented by the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, and will feature unlimited tastes of over 150 beers from more than 85 independent craft breweries. Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across America will be held in Long Beach on Saturday, June 24. Billed as America’s largest craft beer festival, Beer Camp on Tour takes over Queen Mary Events Park with hundreds of craft beers, the city’s best food trucks, and live music. For more information and to purchase tickets visit http://beercamp.sierranevada.com/festivals/long-beach/.

Finally, Save the Date as Craft Beer Guy and Flights will be holding their 3rd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover on Thursday, September 7, 2017. I am planning on this event featuring one-offs and limited release brews from the best of the South Bay. I will have more details as I get them solidified.

Monday, May 15, 2017 – Happy American Craft Beer Week.

Tickets are now on sale for Chad’s Beer Cellar IV, which will be held Saturday, June 10, 2017 at King Harbor Brewing Company from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. There are only 100 tickets being sold, and they went on sale last night. At the time of my writing this, at least 26 tickets had been sold so do not delay; this will sell out. Tickets can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets at http://m.bpt.me/event/2955482. You do not want to miss this; I promise.

Saturday, May 20 will be Smog City Brewing’s 4th Anniversary celebration. The VIP portion of the event is ticketed and runs from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM; after that there is no admission cost. Tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets at http://bpt.me/2904086.

The 4th Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival will be held Sunday, May 21 at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. Tickets can be found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/south-bay-beer-wine-festival-2017-tickets-26506283006. Use promo code: craftbeerguy to save $10 per ticket.

Monday, May 1, 2017 – Happy May Day, there is a lot happening this month.

On Saturday, May 6, Yorkshire Square Brewery will hold their ribbon cutting and official grand opening, beginning at noon. They will have plenty of cask-conditioned ales, delicious food from Barley Hops Grill and fun games for all.

El Segundo Brewing Company will begin celebrating their 6th anniversary with their Seis Delsegundo Anniversary & Bottle Release, beginning Tuesday, May 9 at 5:00 PM. The anniversary beer will be another DIPA reminiscent of their Cinco de Segundo DIPA. All week long they will be tapping a different cask at opening time; watch their Facebook page for more details on the casks they will be releasing.

Smog City Brewing Company will be celebrating their 4th anniversary on Saturday, May 20. The VIP session is a ticketed event and runs from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM at which point the event becomes open to the public. Only 200 tickets will be sold for the VIP session; visit Smog City’s Facebook page for ticket information.

The 4th Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival will be held Sunday, May 21 at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. This is always a great event for a great cause. Tickets can be found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/south-bay-beer-wine-festival-2017-tickets-26506283006. Use promo code: craftbeerguy to save $10 per ticket.

Be sure to save the date of June 10 for the next Chad’s Rare Beer Tasting for Richstone Family Center which will be held this year at King Harbor Brewing Company. Trust me when I say that this is the best craft beer festival you will go to all year. More details will be coming as they are figured out; it will definitely be limited to about 100 people and they are all going to have a blast.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 – Lots of local craft beer news today.

First off, congratulations to Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company as their Conditional Use Permit was granted by the Lomita City Council on Tuesday evening. Burnin’ Daylight had a couple extra hoops to jump through as there were a couple laws that had to be modified to allow them to sell beer to go. There is no realistic opening date set yet as the property is undeveloped so there is nowhere to put the brewhouse or kitchen just yet. Stay tuned.

Last night was also a big night for State Brewing Company in Gardena as they were also granted their Conditional Use Permit to open a tasting room next door to their brewery. I suspect it will be a few months before the tasting room is finished; I will keep you posted.

A reminder that today at 5:00 PM Yorkshire Square Brewery will begin their soft-open. Their hours during the soft-open will be 5:00-11:00 PM Wednesday through Friday, and 12:00-11:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Yorkshire Square Brewery is located at 1109 Van Ness Avenue in Torrance.

Smog City Brewing Company would like you to save the date of May 20 as they will be celebrating their 4th Anniversary. This will be a ticketed event so watch their Facebook page or website for details coming soon; I am sure I will have additional details before too long.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017 – Happy Big Boned Tuesday, I have information on a few more anniversaries that are coming up in March.

On Saturday, March 11, Monkish Brewing Company will celebrate their 5th anniversary; they do not have a lot of details at this time so visit their website or follow any of their social media platforms for more details. You can be sure it will have great beer.

Select Beer Store will also celebrate their 5th anniversary on March 11 noon until they close. Select will be featuring special drafts from their favorite Los Angeles and Orange County breweries. Weather permitting, they will have an outdoor beer garden in the back for the overflow crowd. Barley Hops Grill will also be on site serving up their delicious BBQ.

Absolution Brewing Company will be celebrating their 3rd anniversary on Saturday, March 18 from 11:00 AM until 10:00 PM. This is a ticketed event through Eventbrite that will include live music, food by Bartz BBQ, giveaways and much more. You will find more details on Absolution Brewing’s website and Facebook page.

The 2017 LA IPA Festival will be held Saturday, March 4 and 5th at Mohawk Bend in Echo Park, located at 2141 West Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. There are no tickets or reservations and it begins at 9:30 AM. It should be fun.

Thursday, February 23, 2017 – Here is what is new in the neighborhood.

Brouwerij West will be celebrating their One Year Anniversary this Saturday, February 25, 2017. The day will begin with their Funky Breakfunch which will run from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM. This portion of their anniversary is a ticketed event and there are just a few tickets remaining. From 4:00 to 10:00 PM the event is open to the public with live music, food and plenty of great beer. Please visit their website or Facebook page for more details.

I stopped by Yorkshire Square Brewing Company today to check on their progress, and things are looking good. They are scheduled for a couple more inspections and expect to be brewing within a week; I would suggest that we can expect a soft open around the end of March or beginning of April. You can see all the photos of their progress on my Facebook page.

Speaking of the end of March and beginning of April, that is the time of year that anniversary celebrations abound in the South Bay; these are the dates I have confirmed thus far:

Phantom Carriage will be celebrating their second anniversary on Saturday, March 25 from 2:00 until 10:00 PM. This will not be a ticketed event, but there will be commemorative glasses available along with about 20 Phantom Carriage blends and plenty of guest taps, live music and everything else you have learned to expect from Phantom Carriage. Visit their website or Facebook page for more details.

King Harbor Brewing Company will be holding their third anniversary party on Saturday, April 1. If you have attended either of their prior anniversary parties you have a good idea of what to expect. Food, beer, live music, dunk tank and more; this is a ticketed event so visit the King Harbor Brewing website for more details.

Thursday, February 2, 2017 – Happy Groundhog Day, only six weeks of winter left.

Congratulations to Smog City Brewing Company for getting approval on the Modification of their Conditional Use Permit last night from the Torrance Planning Commission. We can expect to see more beer coming out of their production brewery, followed shortly by a permanent outdoor patio on which we will be able to consume their brews. The patio should be ready this summer.

I have been asked to let you know that UCLA’s A Class of Beer will be starting again on Monday, February 6, 2017 and there are still slots open. I had the opportunity to attend a couple of their events last year at which time I spoke with probably a dozen students that took the class. Everyone spoke very highly of it; whether they were there to learn to be a beer judge, open a brewery or bottle shop, there was something for everyone. For questions please contact Ms. Lanny Dinh at ldinh@uclaextension.edu or call (310) 206-5075.

If there are any commercially experienced brewers out there that are looking for a job, I have two South Bay breweries that are seeking brewers that know how to create recipes. If you are interested, reach out to me at 1CraftBeerGuy@gmail.com. I am not at liberty to post who they are; so if you are qualified reach out.

Thursday, January 26, 2017 – Sometimes I feel like there are more things that I cannot talk about than can; let’s shorten that list.

Brendan Lake, formerly of The Dudes’ Brewing and most recently assistant brewer for Phantom Carriage, has announced that he will be opening Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company in Lomita. The Public Notice just went up today so I don’t have a ton of details, but you will hear when I know more.

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing has begun selling tickets for their 6th Annual Pliny Fights Cancer Charity Raffle. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each and there will be 130 winners. Tickets are on sale at the Seal Beach location and the Long Beach brewpub only (not at the Blendery or Huntington Beach locations) until February 18, 2017; all ticket purchases are cash only. The drawing will be held Monday, February 20, 2017.

Boomtown Brewery, in Los Angeles is holding its Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, February 4th. Congratulations to them.

Don’t forget, this Saturday, January 28, 2017 the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild will hold their inaugural Los Angeles Beer & Food Festival at the Mark Sennett Studios in Los Angeles. Please visit the Brewers Guild website or Facebook page for more information.

Monday, January 23, 2017 – For those of you that had wild weather over the weekend, I hope you fared well.

This Saturday, January 28, 2017 the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild will hold their inaugural Los Angeles Beer & Food Festival at the Mark Sennett Studios in Los Angeles. The event will feature craft beer from more than 40 independently-owned craft brewers from the Los Angeles County for unlimited tastings of over 100 beers. Additionally, more than 10 local eateries will be providing complimentary bites, included in the price of admission. Please visit their Eventbrite page for tickets and more details. At this time they are running low on VIP tickets, with a fair number of General Admission tickets still available. The weather should be very nice.

My friends at The Brewers Project at Guinness want you to know that their Brewers Project Pack is now available at club stores nationwide through March. The Brewers Project Pack includes the Guinness Milk Stout alongside their Golden Ale and their new Rye Pale Ale. The Guinness Milk Stout is very tasty; I would love to see that put on nitro.

Saturday, January 14, 2017 – It is that time of year again; as Russian River Brewing prepares their annual release of Pliny the Younger, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing puts their allocation to good use with their 6th Annual Pliny Fights Cancer Charity Raffle. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each and there will be 130 winners. Tickets are on sale at the Seal Beach location and the Long Beach brewpub only (not at the Blendery or Huntington Beach locations) between January 17 and February 18, 2017; all ticket purchases are cash only. The drawing will be held Monday, February 20, 2017.

Hopefully you have heard that Smog City Brewing – SteelCraft has started their soft open and are open six days a week. Currently they cannot sell beer to go but they are scheduled to appear before the Long Beach Planning Commission on January 19 at 5:00 PM. Contact Smog City if you would like to lend support.

Not sure how I forgot to mention this last time, but State Brewing Company has two new brewers; Robert Sanchez and Rob Scott.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017 – First off, Happy New Year; 2017 should be a great year for local craft beer.

I visited Los Angeles Ale Works last week; as you can tell be the accompanying photo they are very close to opening. They have beer in kegs and even more in the fermenters. According to founder and head brewer Kristofor Barnes the main hang-up at the moment is the rain as they still need to paint lines in the parking lot. There is some finish work left to be done in the tasting room, but it is really shaping up. As soon as I am given permission I will announce their opening; I think you will enjoy the location.

The next brewery (after LA Ale Works) to open in the South Bay will be Yorkshire Square Brewery in Torrance. While they had hoped to be open by this past summer their target date has been rescheduled to be the end of February. The delay is being caused by the County of Los Angeles, specifically because Yorkshire Square will have a kitchen. As a result, Yorkshire Square will open sans food and deal with the county while they brew beer and at least bring in some income while the county gets it together.

The Dudes’ Brewing Company has announced that they have a new head brewer in Rick Wysk, formerly of Santa Barbara Brewing Company.

Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing also has a new Lead Brewer, Jeremy Montemagni, a New England native that started home brewing when he moved to LA in 1997. After trying his Frank Morelli IPA it is easy to notice the east coast influence in his brew. Their tasting room is really looking sharp now and they are serving craft cocktails with spirits distilled at the El Segundo location.

In case you have not heard, Laurie Porter, co-owner of Smog City Brewing Company was elected President of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild.

Thursday, November 17, 2016 – Sorry for the lack of updates here recently, but I have not had a lot to mention; here is what is coming up.

Scholb Premium Ales is continuing their food drive this weekend supporting the Redondo Beach based Project Needs. Bring in a can or box of non-perishable food anytime Thursday through Sunday and receive $1.00 off your first pour of beer.

On Saturday, November 19 Honest Abe Cidery will be holding their AbesGiving – Feed the Hungry Fundraiser from noon until 9:00 PM. They will have 12 taps of their cider, mead and wine, along with live music and a food truck. Cider and food truck proceeds will be donated to the L.A. Food Bank. You can get more information on their Facebook page.

Also on Saturday, Stout Burgers & Beers, Studio City location, will hold their annual Beer Fest for Beer Geeks from 1:00 – 6:00 PM. The festival features 20 breweries from around the United States pouring a variety of beers such as sours, barrel-aged and wild ales; all rare or unique one-offs. I went a few years ago and it was a blast. Visit Stout’s Facebook page for more details; space will be limited.

On Sunday, November 20 Brouwerij West will host their 1st annual Norwegian dinner honoring the winter holidays; featuring lutefisk and lefse, two traditional dishes from Scandinavia. Tickets are $39.00 and include a complete dinner and two pints of Popfuji pilsner. The event runs from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Visit the Brouwerij West Facebook page for more details.

This Tuesday, November 22, from 5:00 – 8:00 PM, Three Weavers Brewing Company will host their Thanksgiving Charity Bartender Night Benefiting Keep a Breast. Founder Lynne Weaver, Brewmaster Alexandra Nowell, Lead Brewer Chris Gonzales, Sales Rep Molly Butler, and Community Manager Joseph Isaac will be tending the bar for you with 100% of the tips received being donated to the Keep a Breast Foundation.

The rumors are true; the new Schooner, formerly known as Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach, will begin their soft open on November 28. I will give you more details as I learn them.

Thursday, October 13, 2016 – There is a lot coming up this weekend.

Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room will have their grand opening on Friday, October 14 from noon until 10:00 PM. The will have some free food from 12:00-4:00 PM, with $1.00 off flights and full pours all day; they will also continue their 15% off brew sessions that are booked for a later date.

The Forty-Niner Shops at California State University Long Beach is hosting their first annual Long Beach Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, October 15 at the CSULB campus. Use promotional code CSULB to save $10 per ticket.

Laughs By Volume 5 will be held at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, October 16 from 2:00-5:00 PM. This event will feature at least 40 craft beers and three comedians; Cisco, Jonesy & Julian Michael. Use promo code CBG5 to save 10% on pre-ordered tickets. You can find more details here.

Strand Brewing Company wants you to “save the date” as they will be celebrating 7 years on November 11, 12 & 13, 2016.

Congratulations to Barley Hops Grill as they reached their Kickstarter goal. The name of the bar and grill will be Schooner and they should be having a soft open shortly.

Founder’s Brewing Company asked me to remind you that Founders Breakfast Stout is now available in 4 packs now through December. If you enjoy coffee and dark chocolate, you might want to find some before it is gone.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016 – There are a few events coming up in the next few weeks, some that I have promotional discount codes for, so be sure to use them when purchasing your tickets.

The Third Annual Vegan Oktoberfest is returning to LA Center Studios on October 15; you can find more details on their website.

One that same day, October 15, the Forty-Niner Shops at California State University Long Beach are hosting the first annual Long Beach Craft Beer Festival on the CSULB campus. I do have a promo code for you on this one; use promotional code CSULB to save $10 per ticket. You can find more details at http://www.lbbeerfest.com/.

Don’t forget that Laughs By Volume 5 will be coming to Redondo Beach on Sunday, October 16. Use promo code CBG5 to save 10% and receive two pint glasses in addition to your tasting glasses. Comedy and unlimited craft beer; this is a great deal that should sell out.

As I hinted at before, Barley Hops Grill is taking over the old Jimmy’s location in Redondo Beach. They have a Kickstarter campaign going on to help them get started; if interested in helping out visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1033050995/barley-hops-grill-brick-and-mortar.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016 – I just want to thank everyone that came to my South Bay Tap Takeover at Flights, and to all of the 15 breweries that participated; I hope you had a great time. Next year I hope to have 20 South Bay breweries participating.

Just a reminder that Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room will have their soft open this Saturday, September 10. It takes about 3.5 to 4 hours to do a brew and you can have about four people helping; I had a good time when I did it. They are offering a 15% discount throughout September; visit their website or Facebook page for details.

As you may have heard, football season is upon us and that inevitably means Monday Night Football. Beginning Monday, September 12, King Harbor Brewing Company and Absolution Brewing Company will be open for the games. Visit their websites or Facebook pages for more details.

You may recall that last week there was a rumor that Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach was going to be reopened under new management; with Barley Hops Grill taking over the kitchen portion of the partnership. Well, the next day I was approached by Marc Dix who suggested I add prophet to my resume; the rumors are true. There is a good chance they will be reopening within months.

On September 18, Alpine Village in Torrance is having a Craftoberfest event to go along with their opening of Oktoberfest. The event is $20.00 at the door or $15.00 advanced. In addition to getting into Oktoberfest ($8.00) you will get 10 tickets for 2 ounce tasters of craft beer. Use Promo Code: BeerGuy and you will get your tickets for $12.00. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/161725764262706/ for more details.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016 – Just a final reminder that the 2nd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover will be held at Flights in Hawthorne, tomorrow September 1. 40 taps, from 15 of the South Bay’s best breweries. Some beers you won’t find unless you come to my party or go to the source. Doors open at noon and that is when the tap list goes live; I will arrive around 4:00 to begin handing out t-shirts. I hope to see you there.

Remember Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach and their sudden closure? Well, rumor has it that Barley Hops Grill will be entering a partnership to reopen it. Barley Hops Grill will take care of the kitchen and the other partner will handle the bar side. More details will be provided as I confirm them.

Los Angeles Ale Works in Hawthorne is another step towards reality now that their brewhouse has arrived. I was very impressed with the built in growth potential the location provides.

Right around the corner in Torrance, Yorkshire Square Brewery is making progress as various stages of the city permitting process proceeds. It will be a nice addition to the Torrance craft beer scene.

Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing in El Segundo will have their Grand Opening on Friday, September 16. Visit their website or Facebook page for details.

The 7th Annual Beer, Art & Music (BAM) Festival is coming Saturday, September 24, 2016. If you have attended prior BAM Fests you know what to expect; if you haven’t, expect 40 breweries, great music, weather and people. It is always a good time. Check out their Facebook page for details.

Sunday, August 21, 2016 – Next Sunday, August 28, the Manhattan Beach Badminton Club with host their inaugural Pub at the Club, a Craft Beer & Food Fest to benefit Manhattan Beach Badminton Club’s Junior Foundation including Special Needs and Para Athletic Programs. They have a very nice lineup of breweries participating and it is for a good cause. If interested, you can go to Eventbrite where I have a 20% discount built in for you.

I have been informed that Laughs By Volume will hold their next event in Torrance at the Ken Miller Recreational Center; I am looking forward to this event selling out with all my local followers in attendance. More details as they become available.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016 – There is a lot going on in the local craft beer scene.

Smog City Brewing is another step closer to opening their Smog City Steelcraft location in Long Beach as they announced that the “steel craft” that will house their satellite tasting room has been put in place.

This is usually when I would remind you of the upcoming beer dinner at Jimmy’s Bar & Grill, but alas, Jimmy’s closed up for good. I have been talking to the people at Barley Hops Grill and they plan on carrying on the tradition by bringing the food to the brewery instead of the other way around. I will keep you posted.

This Thursday, August 11, the Business & Beer networking group will meet at Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing in El Segundo, from 6:00-8:00 PM. There will be specials for Business & Beer attendees, so bring your business cards. Visit BusinessNBeer.com on their Facebook page for more details.

Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room in Torrance is just about ready to have their soft open. They are just finishing up some test brews and last minute vacations before they open their doors. Stay tuned.

Just a reminder that the 2nd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover at Flights in Hawthorne will be held September 1, 2016 from noon to midnight. At least 30 taps of South Bay craft beer, cider and mead from 14 South Bay breweries and a cidery/meadery. More details soon, but this taplist is going to be a work of art.

Thursday, July 21, 2016 – Congratulations are in order for The Dudes’ Brewing Company on the opening of their satellite tasting room at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks. They have 24 taps and a cask handle available.

This Saturday, July 23, Stout Burgers & Beers in Hollywood will be holding another in their series of Beer Fests for Beer Geeks; this one celebrating Belgian Independence Day. The outdoor festival will feature 30 breweries, each bringing two premium beers; with 25 of the participating breweries being from Belgium. This will be an outstanding event for anyone that enjoys Belgian style beers, sours, barrel aged and wild ales. You can find details at http://beerfestforbeergeeks.com/. You can save $10 per ticket by using promo code: DRINKBEER.

Saturday, July 30, Loyola Marymount University will hold their Hops Hops Hooray beer festival; a fundraiser to support student athletes through the Lions Athletic Fund. The event will be held at LMU’s Hannon Field and will feature more than 25 breweries with food trucks and live music. You can find more information at http://www.cvent.com/events/lmu-beer-fest-2016/event-summary-6d2a369cf1e14a05977dafdf0e2660a2.aspx?lang=en

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 – Tonight, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach will be having their monthly beer dinner from 7:00-10:00 PM. This month the featured brewery is Scholb Premium Ales. You can get more details on Jimmy’s Facebook page.

Thursday evening, the Business & Beer networking group will be meeting at Smog City Brewing in Torrance from 6:00-8:00 PM. This will mark the 4th Anniversary for Business & Beer so you can be sure there will be something special. Be sure to bring your business cards.

Congratulations to Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room as they informed me that they have had everything signed off with the City of Torrance; now they are only awaiting one more item from the state before they can open their doors. Expect their soft open to begin shortly.

The tentative list of participating breweries for the 2nd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover, presented by Flights Beer Bar and Craft Beer Guy, has been announced. On tap to be present are Absolution Brewing Company, Smog City Brewing, Scholb Premium Ales, HopSaint Brewing Company, The Dudes’ Brewing Co., Three Weavers Brewing Company, El Segundo Brewing Co., State Brewing Co., The Honest Abe Cidery, Brouwerij West, San Pedro Brewing Co, Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing, King Harbor Brewing Company, Phantom Carriage Brewery, and Strand Brewing Company. The event will be held Thursday, September 1, 2016.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 – With LA Beer Week (LABW8) officially behind us, I hope your liver finds you well. Here are some tidbits I have come across recently.

I have confirmed with Flights Beer Bar in El Segundo that we will be holding the 2nd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover on Thursday, September 1, 2016. The event will begin at noon and go on until everyone has had enough or 2:00 AM; whichever comes first. We will have 30+ taps from hopefully 15 South Bay breweries. Stay tuned for more details.

During the LA Beer Week Kickoff Festival I ran into the guys from Santa Monica Brew Works and they informed me that it appears that their dream of opening a tasting room at their brewery is finally coming true. They hope to have it open by the end of summer.

I visited State Brewing Company in Gardena and discovered that they are distributing to several accounts around town. They do not have a tasting room yet, so they cannot sell pints or flights but they will be filling growlers soon. They have taken over the unit next door to their brewery where they will be adding a tasting room which will hopefully be open by Christmas.

The guys at Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing in El Segundo want to remind you that they are now open seven days a week; opening at 4:30 PM on weekdays and noon on weekends. They have events on a pretty regular basis, including food trucks, so check their Facebook page for more details.

Monday, June 13, 2016 – LA Beer Week is almost upon us and there is a lot going on in the craft beer world here in the South Bay.

Effective June 1, King Harbor Brewing Company in Redondo Beach has acquired the neighboring space to their brewery previously filled by the batting cages. Immediate changes will include new coldboxes and more storage; the tasting room will be expanded to include the new space in the not too distant future.

In case you had not heard, Smog City Brewing has acquired the building previously occupied by the doggie daycare facility. This means more space for them and more parking for us.

Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing Company of El Segundo will begin their soft open this Friday, June 17 at 4:30 PM. They plan on being open seven days a week from that point on.

Don’t forget that the LA Beer Week Kickoff Festival will be held this Saturday, June 18 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. With at least 85 breweries in attendance, this is going to be the place to be. You can purchase your tickets ahead of time at LABeerWeek.org. You do not want to miss this one.

Save the date, Flights Beer Bar has informed me that we are going to do the 2nd Annual South Bay Tap Takeover. The tentative date is September 1, 2016. We have even more breweries in the South Bay now, so plan on another amazing event.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016 –

Congratulations to Smog City Brewing Company for not only celebrating three years at their Torrance location, but for being recognized by the City of Torrance for capturing a silver medal for Sabre-Toothed Squirrel at the World Beer Cup a few weeks ago.

Back in January I mentioned that I met with the principles behind Carroll Shelby Craft Beer and mentioned that they were seeking a local craft brewery to do a collaboration with; last Saturday it was announced that Absolution Brewing Company would be their brewing partner. I will have more details as I gather information but they have four brews out so far.

This Friday, May 27 from 5:00 PM until Midnight, Three Weavers Brewing Company will be hosting the 2016 Unity Bottle Release Party. Unity is the official beer of LA Beer Week, so come on down and get your first taste. You can visit the Three Weavers Facebook page for more information.

Speaking of LA Beer Week, the kickoff festival will be held Saturday, June 18 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. While the venue is much larger, they are not increasing the number of tickets sold and with 85 breweries in attendance, this is going to be the place to be. You can purchase your tickets ahead of time at LABeerWeek.org before they sell out.

Saturday, May 14, 2016 – Today marks the third anniversary of my first post on Craft Beer Guy, which means American Craft Beer Week must be right around the corner.

I stopped by Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing Friday and was very surprised at how much progress has been made. They already have five batches of beer in the fermenters and the tasting room just needs some finish work done. Watch for a soft open in the near future.

Just a reminder that the 3rd Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival will be held this Sunday at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. This is an outstanding event with the proceeds going to help three local Rotary Club chapters achieve their mission. You can get find more information at http://craftbeerguy.com/3rd-south-bay-beer-wine-festival-may-15/.

And as mentioned above, the 10th Annual American Craft Beer Week runs Monday, May 16 through Sunday, May 22.

Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach will have their 8th Annual IPA Festival beginning Wedneday, May 18 through May 25th. If you are a hophead that lives in the South Bay, you know what you need to do.

Saturday, May 21, Smog City Brewing and El Segundo Brewing are both celebrating their anniversaries with a group party of sorts. While each brewery will have their own celebrations going on, a shuttle will be running back and forth between the two throughout the afternoon. Each site will have a VIP session prior to opening their doors to the general public and there are still tickets available. Please visit their respective Facebook pages for more details.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 – Last Friday at the World Cup Awards held at the Craft Brewers Conference it was reaffirmed to me that we are spoiled when it comes to craft beer. Congratulations to all our local craft breweries that brought home medals: Smog City Brewing, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Three Weavers Brewing, Eagle Rock Brewery, Noble Ale Works, Bottle Logic, TAPS Fish House & Brewery, The Bruery, and Tustin Brewing Company.

A reminder that Wednesday, May 11, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill will have their monthly beer dinner, featuring beers from Bell’s Brewery. As this also marks the one year anniversary for their beer dinners, Chef Marc Dix will be working with his partner at Barley Hops Grill, Chef Alex Bouffiou to create an outstanding meal to go along with the Bell’s Brewery beers. Please visit their Facebook page or call them on the phone for reservations and more details.

The Business & Beer networking group will meet on Thursday, May 12 at Scholb Premium Ales from 6:00-8:00 PM. If networking is important to your business and you enjoy craft beer, Business & Beer is probably for you. If you have not visited Scholb yet, this is a great excuse.

And a reminder that The 3rd Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival will be held this Sunday afternoon, May 15 from 1:00-5:00 PM at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. Proceeds from this charity fundraising event will go to support the humanitarian programs of the El Segundo Rotary Club, Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club, and South Bay Rotary Club. Admission includes beer, wine and food; it is one of the best fundraisers that the South Bay has to offer. You can find more details at http://craftbeerguy.com/3rd-south-bay-beer-wine-festival-may-15/.

Thursday, May 5, 2016 – Happy Cinco de Mayo; be safe out there today.

Just a reminder that this Saturday, May 7, is Chad’s Rare Beer Tasting at Alpine Village from 12:00-4:00 PM; featuring more than 200 rare beers. Only 100 tickets are available, but it does not look like it will sell out which means tickets will be available at the door. Visit http://craftbeerguy.com/bottle-list-chads-rare-beer-tasting/ for more information.

On Wednesday, May 11, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill will have their monthly beer dinner, this month featuring Bell’s Brewery. As this also marks the one year anniversary for their beer dinners, Chef Marc will be working with his partner at Barley Hops Grill, Chef Alex to create a meal to go along with the Bell’s Brewery brews. Chef Marc has informed me that these will be rare beers from Bell’s, so you know it will be good. Visit Jimmy’s Bar & Grill Facebook page for more information.

Thursday May 12 will see Scholb Premium Ales host their first Business & Beer from 6:00-8:00 PM. Business & Beer is a local business networking group that has been around since July 2012; they meet at a different brewery or brewpub on the second Thursday of every month from 6:00-8:00 PM. You do not need reservations and you can consider this your personal invitation.

On Saturday May 21, Smog City Brewing Company and El Segundo Brewing Company will be teaming up to celebrate their respective anniversaries. To make it easy to attend both events, there will be a shuttle running between both locations from 1:00-6:00 PM. Please visit the breweries websites for more details.

Thursday, April 28, 2016 – Sorry if I have not been keeping updated lately, but my father passed last week so writing has been a secondary concern. Thank you to everyone that offered condolences and special thanks to Red Car Brewery & Restaurant in Torrance for (at least temporarily) renaming their Big Red Ale as Lloyd’s Big Red. Red Car was my dad’s favorite place, and apparently he was one of their favorite customers as they have never named a beer after anyone before. I joined a bunch of my brothers and sisters there and we all truly enjoyed Lloyd’s Big Red.

There is going to be a new brewery in Torrance, Yorkshire Square Brewery. Yorkshire Square will specialize in English-style cask ales. They will be receiving their equipment next month and hope to be open this summer; but I think we all know how that goes. Maybe by the end of the year?

King Harbor Brewing Company is having a beer dinner tonight featuring a pairing of their beers with Chef Jen’s creations. Check out the King Harbor Brewing Facebook page for more information. Congratulations to King Harbor Brewing on their recent release of Endless Rant IPA, a collaboration with local celebrity Adam Carolla. You can order it through SpecialtyCellars.com

For those interested, it appears that Brouwerij West in San Pedro will have growlers available for sale this weekend.

Do not forget, Saturday May 7 Chad’s Beer Cellar Fundraiser for Richstone Family Center will be held at the Steinhaus at Alpine Village. If you go to one craft beer event all year, this is the one to attend; trust me.

The 3rd Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival will be held on Sunday afternoon, May 15 from 1:00-5:00 PM at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates. Proceeds from this charity fundraising event will go to support the humanitarian programs of the El Segundo Rotary Club, Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club, and South Bay Rotary Club. Admission includes beer, wine and food; it is one of the best fundraisers that the South Bay has to offer.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 – There are several events coming up that I feel are definitely worth attending. This Saturday, King Harbor Brewing will be celebrating their 2nd Anniversary with what promises to be a great party. They will have a beer garden in the parking lot with over 20 beers, a dunk tank, a giant inflatable wave photo booth, the Shaka Braai food truck, and live music from four local groups. Of course, they will also release their anniversary brew, King Swirly, which is a barrel aged Imperial Swirly. You can get more information and tickets by visiting the King Harbor Brewing Company website or their Facebook page.

The next day, Sunday April 3, Abigaile Restaurant and The Brewery at Abigaile will be having another Brewtopia Beer Garden from noon until 6:00 PM. While the number of attendees has fluctuated a lot at these events the quality of the food and beer provided never has. Check out Abigaile’s Facebook page for more details.

Save the Date: The 3rd Annual South Bay Beer & Wine Festival is returning Sunday, May 15. This year it is moving to a larger location, Ernie Howlett Park. This event is a blast with beer, wine and food all included in the price of admission. I will have more details for you shortly, or you can look for them on Facebook.

Smog City Brewing Company and El Segundo Brewing Company are teaming up to celebrate their 3rd and 5th Anniversaries respectively on May 21. Both locations will begin with their own 2-hour long ticketed events and then open up to the general public. LA Craft Beer Tours will be providing free shuttles between the two locations from 1:00-6:00 PM.

It was just announced that Beachwood BBQ & Brewing will be acquiring Beach City Brewery; more news as it develops.

Thursday, March 24, 2016 – Scholb Premium Ales has officially begun their soft-open; for the time being they will be open on Saturdays from 3:00-9:00 PM and Sundays from 12:00-6:00 PM.

As I mentioned last week, I will be moderating a panel on craft beer in Torrance. The event will be held Saturday, March 26 at 2:00 PM in the Katy Geissert Civic Center Library meeting room at 3301 Torrance Blvd. At this time it appears the panel will consist of Joel Elliott of Strand Brewing, Bart Bullington of Absolution Brewing, Laurie Porter of Smog City Brewing and Alex Rabe of The Dudes’ Brewing Company.

King Harbor Brewing Company will hold their 2nd Anniversary on Saturday, April 2 from 2:00-6:00 PM. This was a blast last year and this year’s celebration is slated to be bigger and better. Check out King Harbor Brewing’s website or Facebook page for more details.

On April 12, Flights Bar & Grill will begin a weekly Crafts ‘N Laughs which will be held every Tuesday evening at 9:00 PM and will feature popular comedians to go with their wide selection of craft beer. Visit Flights website or Facebook page for more details.

Saturday, March 19, 2016 – Back in September I mentioned that Rubens Distilling & Brewing would be opening in EL Segundo in 2016. I stopped by there last week and there has been a lot of progress towards this becoming a reality. They have their still (which is beautiful) in place and they are beginning to get their brew house situated. They hope to begin brewing within the next couple of months, but the tasting room may be a little delayed as Rubens works with El Segundo to arrive at a compromise beneficial to all.

Scholb Premium Ales, in Torrance announced that they have been signed off by the City of Torrance to open for business. Their grand opening will be in mid-April and they will begin being their soft-open shortly. You should get on the mailing list for updates; of course, I will divulge information as I am allowed.

Brouwerij West in San Pedro has announced that this will be the last weekend to join their Founder’s Club. I am only going to say that it is an outstanding deal so if you are interested in joining, you had better head to their tasting room Saturday or Sunday.

A final reminder that Laughs By Volume II will be held tomorrow, Sunday March 20, at Honeypot LA. This is a ticketed event with only about 100 tickets being sold. Six comedians, 35+ craft beers and a good time for all. Tickets are $30 at the door or $25 if you purchase them online; you can save 10% by using promo code CBG10. You can get more details at http://craftbeerguy.com/laughs-by-volume-comedy-craft-beer/

Los Angeles Ale Works has announced that they have found a location in Hawthorne to open up shop. I will have more information as it becomes available.

Save the Date – I have been asked to moderate a panel discussion about craft beer and the City of Torrance. It will be held Saturday, March 26 at 2:00 PM at the Katy Geissert Library at the Torrance Civic Center. Included on the panel will be Strand Brewing, Monkish Brewing, Smog City Brewing, Absolution Brewing and The Dudes’ Brewing Company. I will have more details later, but this should be educational and hopefully, fun.

Monday, March 7, 2016 – The other day I stopped by O’Flaherty’s Tap House in Rancho Palos Verdes to see what they had on tap. While talking with Patrick O’Flaherty he mentioned that every Monday is Sour Monday there from 5:30-9:00 PM. It is hosted by Scott Gregerson and the sampling is free. I have mentioned before that O’Flaherty’s tap list looks like you would see up north; now you have another reason to check them out.

This Wednesday at 7:00 PM, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach will be hosting their monthly beer dinner. This month will be a little different in that instead of one brewery being featured, the beer was curated by Wes at Select Beer Store. After talking with chef/co-owner Marc Dix, it sounds like they had a great time choosing the beer and the food will definitely be a great match. Visit Jimmy’s Facebook page for more details.

Thursday, March 10, King Harbor Brewing Company will host the March gathering of the Business & Beer networking group. The event lasts from 6:00-8:00 PM and is always a good time. If you own a small business or networking is part of your job description, Business & Beer is a fun way to network. You will meet some good people, drink some good beer and you might even get some business out of it.

Strand Brewing Company is starting a cornhole league. They play Wednesdays at 6:45-9:15 PM and the season lasts 8 weeks with the first game scheduled for Wednesday March 9. Check out Strand’s Facebook page for more information.

Thursday, March 3, 2016 – Congratulations to Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room for being granted their Conditional Use Permit by the Torrance Planning Commission. The Do-it-Yourself/Brew-on-Premise shop hopes to be open in May or June.

Saint Rocke concert club in Hermosa Beach has announced that they will have their 3rd (occasionally) Annual Froth Awards & Beer Experience on Saturday, March 12, 2016. The event will feature beers from seven local breweries, paired with seven dishes prepared by HopSaint’s Steve Roberts; four bands will be providing entertainment. The Froth Awards will run from 1:00-6:00 PM. You can get details and tickets at Saint Rocke’s website or Facebook page.

King Harbor Brewing Company has announced that their 2nd Anniversary party will be held Saturday, April 2. If you went to last year’s event be prepared for this one to be even bigger and better. Consult King Harbor Brewing’s Facebook page for more information.

Monday, March 29, 2016 – It will be a pretty busy couple of weeks in the craft beer world.

Absolution Brewing Company will be having their two year anniversary this Saturday, March 5. There are tickets available if you want the perks, but people are welcome to come by and have a pint or two. You can visit their Facebook page for more information.

Phantom Carriage will have their one year anniversary celebration the following Saturday, March 12 from 12:00-6:00 PM. This is a ticketed event, but the taproom will remain open afterward until midnight. You can buy tickets on their website.

Laughs By Volume II is coming March 20 at Honeypot LA. This is a comedy show with unlimited pours of craft beer from 20 breweries; but I would not be surprised to see that increase. Tickets are $25.00 each. Use promo code CBG10 and you will save 10% and get an additional half hour of beer tasting. You can get more details at http://craftbeerguy.com/laughs-by-volume-2-promo-code/.

Now that Brouwerij West has opened their doors there is a new project they would love to do; that is to install a desalination unit to brew their beer with. This is very doable because of their proximity to the water. It is being done at Swan Brewery in Perth, Australia. If you work on desalination projects or knows someone that does; I would love to introduce you to Brain and Dave.

Pac City Brewing Company is no more. I was notified this morning by the owner that he had sold the brewery to a private party. Details were limited to apparently they plan on moving to an undisclosed location with a new name; and they liked Pac City beer enough that they purchased the recipes as well.

For the homebrewers out there; the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce is holding their first annual Montrose Brew Fest and Backyard Home Brew Competition on Sunday, April 3rd, 2016 from 12:00-4:00 PM on the 2200 Block of Honolulu Avenue in Montrose. You can get more details on their website.

Thursday, February 18, 2016 – A couple of our local craft breweries are coming up on their anniversaries; here is a list of what I am aware of as of today.

Absolution Brewing Company in Torrance will be holding their Hoppy 2nd Birthday on Saturday, March 5 from 12:00-10:00 PM. There will be live music, food trucks, special brews and more. This is a ticketed event at $25.00 for General Admission and $45.00 for VIP. You can get more details on their Eventbrite page.

Phantom Carriage in Carson will have their Phantoversary, One Year Anniversary on Saturday, March 12 from 12:00-6:00 PM. The event will feature exclusive Phantom Carriage cellar releases, a bottle release, rare guest beer offerings, food, live music, horror films, and more. This ticketed event is $36.00 and tickets can be purchased on the Phantom Carriage website.

King Harbor Brewing Company in Redondo Beach will have their second anniversary party on Saturday, April 2. I will have more details as they become available, but from what co-owner Tom Dunbabin told me, this will be twice as big as their first anniversary celebration.

Independent Cider House will be opening soon in Long Beach. Featuring ciders and mead on tap with what sounds like a delicious food menu, Independent Cider House sounds like it should be a booming success. For those of you that know Otto Radtke, this is his new venture; so you know it will be good.

Laughs By Volume II will be held March 20 at Honeypot LA. This event mixes comedy and craft beer. Tickets are $25.00 each. Use promo code CBG10 and get an additional half hour of beer tasting. You can get more details at http://craftbeerguy.com/laughs-by-volume-2-promo-code/.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016 – It looks like the race is on in Torrance to see which brewery will be the next to begin brewing and open their tasting room. Cosmic Brewery and Scholb Premium Ales both hope to be brewing in March. This race is too close to call because while Scholb had a pretty good head start, Cosmic has a smaller system.

Speaking of Scholb Premium Ales, they have a 20x15x12 (that’s 300 sq ft / 3,600 cu ft) cold box for sale. They can’t use it because it was just a little too tall for where they were putting it. If interested, contact Jason Kolb over at Scholb.

Tonight at 7:00, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill will be having their monthly beer dinner; this time featuring Avery Brewing Company. A peek of the menu featured on Jimmy’s Facebook page is giving me hunger pains. All kidding aside, they do an amazing job of pairing dishes with the selected beers and tonight should be fun; I hope to see you there.

Thursday evening, the Business & Beer networking group will be meeting at The Dudes’ Brewing Company from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Master brewer Alex Rabe will visit with the group and this will be a great time to see what he has brought to The Dudes’; I think you will be impressed. You can get more information on the Business & Beer website.

A final reminder that on Saturday evening, Brouwerij West and Primal Alchemy Catering will be having a Hoppy Valentine’s Day Beer Dinner. It is a ticketed event and seating is limited. I have more details at http://craftbeerguy.com/hoppy-valentines-dinner-february-13/

Do not forget that time is running out to purchase your tickets for 5th annual #PlinyFightsCancer charity raffle being held by Beachwood Brewing & BBQ and Beachwood BBQ. Tickets are $5.00 each and are CASH ONLY; all the proceeds go to melanoma research.

Thursday, February 4, 2016 – As mentioned last week, Brouwerij West will definitely be opening in February as they have announced February 27 as the day of their Grand Opening.

For those that want a preview, on Saturday, February 13 . On Saturday, February 13th, Primal Alchemy Catering is pairing a farm-to-table dinner with Brouwerij West Brewery beers for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day celebration. I will be providing more information shortly.

I paid a visit to Cosmic Brewery yesterday and they have received most of their brewhouse; they hope to be brewing sometime in March.

On Wednesday February 10, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach will be hosting their monthly beer dinner. This month the featured brewery will be Avery Brewing. Jimmy’s does a great job with their food/beer pairings and I always look forward to attending them. Visit Jimmy’s Facebook page or email susie@jimmysbarandgrill.com for details and to make reservations.

The February gathering of Business & Beer will be held Thursday, February 11 at The Dudes’ Brewing Company in Torrance from 6:00-8:00 PM. This is also Trivia Night at The Dudes’ so maybe hang out afterward for the fun.

Do not forget that February 20 is the last day you can purchase your #PlinyFightsCancer raffle tickets for a pint of Pliny the Younger. Tickets are $5.00 each with the proceeds going to Melanoma research. Tickets can be purchased at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach or Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach. The drawing will be held on February 22, 2016.

Friday, January 29, 2016 – 2016 is definitely off to an interesting start as far as the local craft beer scene is concerned.

Brouwerij West will be opening very soon; probably by the end of February. As soon as a date is confirmed I will pass it along. In the meantime, Brouwerij West is still seeking taproom employees and they are looking for a farmer that would be interested in picking up their spent grain. If you are looking for work or know someone that might be interested in their spent grain, contact Brouwerij West as soon as possible.

The other day I met with the principles of Carroll Shelby Craft Beer. Having received the licensing rights to the famous Shelby name and logo they want to partner up in collaboration with craft breweries around the country; think Beer Camp. If you own a brewery or know someone that might be interested, feel free to contact me and I will make an introduction.

The City of Torrance is about to gain a Brew on Premise location, Zymurgy Brew Works. Zymurgy will provide the equipment, recipes and ingredients so you can brew your own beer with either extract or full grain options available. In addition to the brewing, Zymurgy wants to focus on education about beer and will feature “Guest Brewer Sessions.” The CUP Hearing is scheduled for the beginning of March and while Zymurgy is not exactly ready to hire employees just yet, I am relatively confident that they would love to hear from you if you are an experienced homebrewer that would be interested in working with them.

The Dudes’ Brewing Company will be having their release of a collaboration they did with KLOS Radio; Bohemian Hopsody on Friday evening from 5:00-7:00 PM. Bohemian Hopsody is an unfiltered session IPA and will be available on store shelves shortly.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 – It is that time of year again; Beachwood BBQ & Brewing is having their 5th Annual Pliny Fights Cancer Charity Raffle. Tickets are $5.00 each and may be purchased at either Beachwood location (Seal Beach or Long Beach) between now and February 20, 2016 with the drawing being held on February 22. Tickets are a cash only purchase; all proceeds go to Melanoma research. I offered a special deal last year to Craft beer Guy followers and I will come up with some additional incentives soon; in the meantime, head to Beachwood for a beer and pick up a raffle ticket or two. And for those with good memories, these are the same numbers I got last year.

Brouwerij West at the Port of Los Angeles is now advertising that they are looking for taproom employees, so if interested visit the Brouwerij West website.

I guess it was only a matter of time, but Absolution Brewing Company in Torrance is the first tasting room around here (that I know of) that is now offering Happy Hour pricing. On Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-6:00 PM you will receive $1.00 off your pints. Who knows, maybe this will become a trend.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 – I hope 2016 has been going well for you; it has been a little slow around here but here is the latest local craft beer news.

Brouwerij West in San Pedro is now brewing and from what I have tried, this place is going to rock. I expect their soft open will be soon, so keep an eye here for further details.

I stopped by Scholb Premium Ales in Torrance to check out their progress the other day and progress is definitely being made. The taproom looks pretty close to being done, but Scholb is still waiting on permitting so they can start pouring new concrete for the floor in the brewhouse. It should be coming soon, so hopefully they will be able to begin brewing in a few weeks.

As Scholb Premium Ales is essentially next door to Absolution Brewing Company I stopped by to see how head brewer Bart Bullington was enjoying his new brewhouse. Judging by his smile he is enjoying it a lot. When I was there Friday he had two new brews in the fermenters and said the brewhouse would be going full steam ahead this week. It is going to be interesting to see what happens at Absolution this year.

As I peruse my Facebook timeline I cannot help but notice that it seems people are not aware that the South Bay now has craft beer available from the source seven days a week. The days of Thursday through Sunday are a thing of the past. Not only are many of our local breweries open six or seven days a week now, 10:00 PM is becoming the norm.

This Thursday, January 14, the Business & Beer business networking group will be meeting at HopSaint Brewing Company from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. For those of you interested in networking for your business, Business & Beer has been around for close to four years. They meet at a different brewery or brewpub on the second Thursday of every month. It is a great way to generate some business leads and try the best brews the South Bay has to offer.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 – As the year draws to a close, here are the local craft breweries that will be open New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day.

Absolution Brewing will be open on Thursday, New Year’s Eve (NYE) from 3:00-9:00 PM and closed on Friday, New Year’s Day (NYD)
Monkish Brewing Company will be open from 12:00-5:00 PM on NYE and 1:00-10:00 PM on NYD
Phantom Carriage will be open 11:30-4:00 PM on NYE and 12:00-10:00 PM on NYD
HopSaint Brewing Company will be open 1:00-8:00 PM (depending on crowd) NYE and 11:30-10:00 PM NYD
El Segundo Brewing Company will be open 12:00-7:00 PM on NYE and 12:00-11:00 PM NYD
The Dudes’ Brewing Company will be open from 3:00-10:00 PM on both days.
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing (Long Beach) will be open from 11:30-3:00 for the restaurant (6:00 PM for the bar) on NYE and 11:30 AM until midnight on NYD
King Harbor Brewing Company will have normal business hours at both locations. That is 4:00-8:00 PM at the brewery and noon until midnight at the Waterfront location.
Smog City Brewing is open 12:00-6:00 PM on NYE and 2:00-10:00 PM on NYD

I will update this if required.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 – As Christmas is drawing near, I thought it might be nice to let you know who will be open on Christmas Eve.

Absolution Brewing Company will be open from 3:00-9:00 PM
Monkish Brewing Company will be open from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM
Smog City Brewing will be open from 12:00-6:00 PM
Phantom Carriage will be open 12:00-4:00 PM
HopSaint Brewing Company will be open 1:00-7:00 PM Last minute change. Closed so employees could be with families. Open Saturday thru ???
The Brewery at Abigaile will be open from 5:00-10:00 PM
El Segundo Brewing Company will be open 12:00-7:00 PM
King Harbor Brewing Company will be open 2:00-6:00 PM

This is great for those last minute growler fills, gift cards, t-shirts and all that other good stuff you like to give and receive.

Friday, December 18, 2015 – Phantom Carriage Brewery in Carson is teaming up their local Carson animal shelter to help collect some supplies for the furry residents spending their Christmas there. For each donation you will receive $1.00 off your first beer and a raffle ticket. Winners will be announced January 1, 2016. You can get more details on their Facebook page.

Just a reminder that tomorrow King Harbor Brewing Company will have their 2nd Annual Holiday Bottle Share Benefiting the Richstone Center. Tickets are $40 (Plus a small service fee) and there will well over 100 rare beers to try. There are only 100 tickets being sold so this will be a very fun event. All the proceeds go to Richstone. See the King Harbor Facebook page for details.

December 15, 2015 – Smog City Brewing Company in Torrance is helping the Torrance Fire Department with their toy drive. For each unwrapped toy, you will receive $1.00 off a full pour. Bring in 20 toys, save $20; so bring friends. This offer is good through Sunday, December 20.

On Sunday, December 20 from noon until 4:00 PM, Monkish Brewing Company and Smog City Brewing will combine forces with a local arts and crafts fair that will take place at both locations. Santa Claus, or a reasonable facsimile, will be at Smog City for those last minute requests or photo ops.

December 11, 2015 – On Saturday, December 19, King Harbor Brewing Company will hold their 2nd Annual Holiday Bottle Share benefiting the Richstone Family Center. I went last year and had a blast; this year’s beer list will be at least as good. As an incentive, the first 20 tickets purchased get a can of Heady Topper to take home. I have not steered you wrong yet; this will be great beer for a good cause. You can get more details at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-bottle-share-benefiting-richstone-family-center-tickets-19937958972. Get them early and get a free beer.

HopSaint Brewing Company is preparing to have a soft open; I can assure you that they will be pouring over this weekend. The hours are undetermined as is food availability, their Facebook page suggests they have 20 taps, with three of them being brewed by house brewer, Brian Brewer. I can tell you that if you are walking or driving by, take a look over there; I would aim for evening hours at this point. To be safe, check out their Facebook page and get on their email list.

I got some photos this morning showing Absolution Brewing Company getting a new grain silo and at least one more fermenter.

Brouwerij West has indicated that they will be brewing next week, a friend went by there yesterday and said it has changed a lot since our last visit so I will drop by and get some info for you. This is going to be a very nice spot when they finish.

Monday, December 7, 2015 – I stopped by the future home of Cosmic Brewery in Torrance and spoke with owner/brewer Chris Briles. Cosmic was granted their Conditional Use Permit a couple weeks ago which means there is still a lot of work to do, like getting permits and having a new brewhouse built, delivered and installed. They could possibly be brewing by the second quarter of 2016.

Bart Bullington and Nick Springer, the brewers at Absolution Brewing Company in Torrance, received a new Christmas present last week in the form of a new brewhouse, three 30 bbl fermenters, two brite tanks and lots more on the way. Absolution Brewing wants you to know that they continue to serve pints and packaged goods during their construction. It is business as usual; Mug Club members should RSVP to their upcoming party if interested in attending.

Strand Brewing Company in Torrance is undergoing some growing pains which has resulted in them having very limited supplies of their flagship brews. On the upside, co-founder and head brewer Joel Elliott has started using his pilot system and on Sunday had variations on 24th Street, Beach House and Atticus. The Double Hopped 24th Street was delicious.

HopSaint Brewing Company in Torrance will begin having soft-opens shortly and by shortly I mean really soon. I have very little information so I suggest you visit their website or Facebook page for updates. I am not sure I can keep up.

This Thursday, December 10, the Business & Beer networking group will be meeting at The Brewery at Abigaile from 6:00 until 8:00 PM. If you enjoy networking or it is part of your job description and you enjoy craft beer this beats just about any networking group you can think of. They meet on the second Thursday of every month at a different brewery or brewpub in the South Bay. 2016 is going to see a lot of additions, so you can kill two birds with one stone; you will be sure to visit all the new locations and you might even generate some business. I have seen it happen.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015 – There are a lot of craft beer events coming up in the next week.

Tonight, Library Alehouse in Santa Monica will be celebrating their 20th birthday and Firestone Walker’s 19th Anniversary with their Nineteen and Twenty party tonight, beginning at 6:00 PM. In addition to a wide variety of Firestone Walker brews, including XIX and XVIII Anniversary, Walker’s Cuvee, Agrestic, Parabola, Sucaba and all the other crowd favorites, crowd favorite David Walker will be in attendance. In addition to the beer they are having eight raffles of some pretty outstanding brews. You receive tickets by bringing in canned foods. You can get all the details on their Facebook event page.

This Friday and Saturday will be the 4th Annual Alpine Kraft Bierfest in The Alpine Inn at The Alpine Village in Torrance. I have watched this event grown from their first in 2012 and I can tell you that they just get better every year. Tickets are $45 at the door for unlimited tastes from 40 breweries providing more than 100 brews. If you buy them online and use Promo Code: brownie827 you will save $7.50 per ticket. You can get more information at http://craftbeerguy.com/4th-alpine-kraft-bierfest-promo-code/.

On Wednesday, December 9, Jimmy’s Bar & Grill in Redondo Beach will hold their monthly beer dinner, this time featuring El Segundo Brewing Company. Besides having delicious food and great South Bay beer, the company was great. It was evident that there were a lot of repeat attendees and from what I have seen, the group is just expanding. Check out Jimmy’s Bar & Grill’s Facebook page for all the details.

Smog City Brewing Company announced today that they will begin expanded hours for their tasting room this weekend, beginning with Friday being open from 2:00 – 10:00 PM and Saturday from noon until 10:00 PM. They suggest that additional changes will be coming soon.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 – There is a lot going on as we enter the last month of the year.

The Los Angeles County Brewers Guild is holding a membership drive to their new Enthusiasts program. As an Enthusiast you do not get to vote on Brewers Guild issues but you are entitled to discounts, a newsletter, glassware and other goodies. There is currently a 10% discount (ends January 1, 2016) on their standard price of $45.00 a year. For more information visit their membership page on Evite.

Lucky Luke Brewing Company apparently won the contest with Transplants Brewing by being the first production brewery to open in Palmdale. They will be having their Grand Opening on December 5. You can visit their Facebook page for more details.

Speaking of Transplants Brewing Company, on their Facebook page they have announced that they have begun brewing and will announce their Grand Opening shortly. It will not be long before the Antelope Valley will be a craft beer destination in their own right.

We have a couple breweries in the South Bay that are not ready to open quite yet, but Brouwerij West and HopSaint are both brewing, so it will not be long. Details as they become available.

Thursday, November 26, 2015 – It is Thanksgiving Day, I hope you have a great day with your family and/or friends.

Friday will be Black Friday which means that it is also the Bourbon County Brand Stout Varietal Release will be taking place all over the LA area. Whole Foods Playa Vista will have their event from 2:00-5:00 PM. I will be at the Surly Goat in West Hollywood from 6:00 – 2:00 AM where they will be celebrating the release with a wide selection of Goose Island brews with several BCBS varieties available.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015 – If you will recall, about a month ago I told you that King Harbor Brewing Company had obtained two new 7 bbl fermenters. This Sunday, November 22, they will debut their first two batches at their Small Batch Sunday; featuring Kettle Soured Ales w/ Guava and Blueberry. We may be seeing McDaniel’s Bruery pedigree making an appearance.

Earlier this month I announced that Pac City Brewery would be closing their doors at the end of November. This morning I was contacted by Pac City Brewery owner, Robert Cortez, and he informed me there has been a change of plans. Apparently this was not particularly well-received by their fans; and one in particular made the suggestion that they close the tasting room all-together and concentrate on being a productions brewery. He backed up his comments with 1,700 pounds of grain and hops. Even LAPD is becoming more attentive; stay tuned for developments.

Stout Burgers and Beer will hold their Beerfest for Beer Geeks at the Studio City location on Saturday, November 21 from noon until 6:00 PM. There are 18 handpicked breweries, each pouring two beers; all beers are barrel-aged, sours or one-offs. I went a couple years ago and it was a blast. Visit http://www.beerfestforbeergeeks.com/

Don’t forget, the 4th Annual Alpine Kraft Bierfest is coming December 4 and 5 at Alpine Village. This is always a great event with beer I can safely say you have not tried yet. I have a Discount Code for you and your friends: brownie827. You can find more details at http://craftbeerguy.com/4th-alpine-kraft-bierfest-promo-code/.

Lastly, Absolution Brewing Company has announced that they will donate $1.00 from every pour sold this week to help support the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015 – It is Veteran’s Day; thank you to all that have served, the freedom is appreciated.

Strand Brewers Club was awarded the 2015 Anchor California Homebrew Club of the Year on November 6th at the 36th Annual California State Homebrew Competition. Congratulations to a great bunch of people.

Stouts N Staches Fest returns to Venice Beach for the third year on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 2-7 p.m. Presented by Hotel Erwin, Stouts N Staches is a block-party style event that raises funds and awareness for the Movember Foundation. You can get more details at StoutsnStaches.com.

Smog City Brewing in Torrance has announced that they will be opening a satellite location in Long Beach on Long Beach Blvd by Bixby Road. This will be solely a tasting room meaning you can buy beer to drink there or to go, but there will be no brewing. They hope to open in early 2016. I will keep you posted.

Monday, November 9, 2015 I happened to be in the neighborhood of Scholb Premium Ales on Sunday and could not help but notice they had new signage. When I got out to take a photo I noticed that co-owner Jason Kolb was working on putting the brewery and tasting room together. I stopped and chatted with him a while, but did not want to hold up progress. They are hoping to have their soft open before the end of the year. I will keep you posted. You can see more photos on the Craft Beer Guy Facebook page.

If you plan on visiting The Bruery between now and November 15, bring a couple canned goods for their annual food drive and you will have access to beers usually reserved for their various Society members. The available beers rotate; today Windowsill, Wineification and Black Tuesday were made available. The donated food goes to Families Forward food bank in Irvine. You can have a good beer and do something good at the same time.

Friday, November 6, 2015 Rock & Brews Garden on Main in El Segundo will hold their 5th Annual Local Craft Beer Fest on Sunday, November 15 from noon until 5:00 PM. Tickets are $45 each and include food, games and beer. Featured breweries include El Segundo Brewing, Strand Brewing, Smog City, Three Weavers, King Harbor, Ohana, Monkish, Absolution, Phantom Carriage and many more. This has always been a fun event and I expect the same on the 15th; I hope to see you there. You can get ticket info and learn more by visiting the Rock & Brews Facebook page.

Thursday, October 22, 2015 Wednesday was Back to the Future Day around here, so I spent the day looking towards the immediate future of the South Bay craft beer scene.

I spoke with Brian Brewer of the soon-to-be HopSaint Brewing Company to see if there were any updates on their opening. Brewer hoped to be brewing by now, but if it is not one thing it is another. The latest issue is a delay in the receiving a shipment containing a few necessary parts. Look for a soft open around the beginning of December.

Look for some exciting things to happen over at King Harbor Brewing Company. Pictured to the right is King Harbor’s Head Brewer, Phil McDaniel with two new 7 bbl fermenters. This will give McDaniel at least four new ways to easily experiment with small batches. With McDaniel’s pedigree including Stone and The Bruery, this could be a very good thing for the South Bay.

I headed over to Brouwerij West at the Port of Los Angeles to check on their progress. While they hoped to be open this past spring, I think we have all figured out that adding six months to the speculative date is a safe bet. Lots of progress has been made at Brouwerij West including the receipt of ingredients for their first brew. Brouwerij West does not buy their malt off the shelf; they have two grain growers that also create the malt to Brouwerij West’s specifications! They plan to commission the brewhouse in the next couple of weeks and they hope to have beer available by Christmas.

Since I was in the neighborhood I stopped by San Pedro Brewing Company and the future home of Port Town Brewing. The building pictured is right around the corner from the San Pedro Brewing Company brewpub; when completed it will contain a 30 bbl system that will brew for Port Town Brewing and most of San Pedro Brewing core beers. The current system at the brewpub will do small batch brews. This is just beginning, so look at the middle or end of 2017 for completion.

Absolution Brewing Company is now bottling some of their beer and doing it in six packs. Those of you that have visited the tasting room and are thinking you never saw a bottling line and where would it go, Absolution leased space in Denver and Head Brewer Bart Bullington has been flying back and forth getting it done. They are also preparing to remove the current brewing system at the Torrance location to increase their production capability. I will keep you posted.

I ended the day by attending a Torrance Planning Commission meeting to get some clarification on the modification of Conditional Use Permits for Torrance breweries. I had reported that the Planning Commission had made the process easier and cheaper; apparently I was only “kind of” right. Modifying their hours, that is easy now; food trucks is another thing altogether. If a Conditional Use Permit does not grant the ability to have food trucks, you will need a special permit. Note to all new breweries, just ask for the ability to have food trucks on your application; you may not want it today, but who knows how you will feel in a year.

Sunday, October 18, 2015 Strand Brewing Company will be holding their official Grand Opening Weekend from Thursday, October 22 through October 25.

Thursday at 3:00 PM will be the ribbon cutting which is primarily for government representatives, friends and family. There will be a food truck later in the evening and everyone is invited. The official Grand Opening will begin Friday at 4:00 PM. There will be food trucks throughout the weekend.

Thursday, October 15, 2015 – Beachwood BBQ & Brewing has announced that they will open their new Beachwood Blendery to the public on November 1, 2015 from 11:00 – 6:00 PM, or as long as supplies last. At this time they will also release their first two batches of their Propagation Series.

Friday, October 9, 2015 – The Brewery at Abigaile introduced their new brewer, Paul Papantonio at a Meet the Brewer on Friday evening. Papantonio has experience at such breweries as Shipyard, Fort Collins, Oskar Blues and Saint Archer.

Papantonio brought out some samples of his first brew on the new system, a black IPA that resembled a sessionable Wookey Jack. We should expect to begin seeing Papantonio’s brews being available at Abigaile within a couple months. Cheers!