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Super Bowl LVIII Can Exchange Photos
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Craft Beer Reclamation Center in Torrance, where we held the Super Bowl LVIII Can Exchange; a fun afternoon of swapping beers and sharing a few special brews since we were there anyway.
I held the first can exchange in September of 2020 at the suggestion of a couple friends. The reason was that we were in a COVID lockdown and I wanted to do something that was COVID safe and still give people the opportunity to socialize. We had 14 attendees forming 13 teams (couples sometimes decide to bring two 4-paks instead of four, so they draw as a team). Saturday was our 19th event, and while many of the regulars were unable to make it for various reasons, we still had 19 attendees forming 18 teams. In other words, these have become pretty popular. Continue reading
Photos from the Burnin’ Daylight 5th Anniversary
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Burnin’ Daylight Brewing Company, a brewpub in Lomita that was celebrating its 5th Anniversary with food specials, live music, and a couple can releases.
As I mentioned in my last article Saturday was a very busy for me so I didn’t arrive at Burnin’ Daylight until the last hour of the event, but judging by the smiles in the photos, everyone was having a blast. Continue reading
The Meltdown 2024 Photos
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at El Segundo Brewing Company, where they held their annual can release of Power Plant Triple IPA and Nuclear Power Plant, their quadruple IPA.
So, it is that time of year again when everyone releases their Triple IPAs, or like ESBC, a Triple and a Quad.
I had a very busy Saturday scheduled, so I arrived at El Segundo Brewing when they first opened, and they already had several people there enjoying both the Power Plant and Nuclear Power Plant. In addition to the beer, co-founder Tommy Kelley was melting down a wheel of raclette cheese to go over a bowl of potatoes. People seemed to enjoy it, but I had places to go and people to see so I was unable to try it out. Continue reading
ISM Brewing Grand Opening Photos
These photos were taken Thursday, January 11, at ISM Brewing Company in Long Beach, where Long Beach’s newest brewpub celebrated their grand opening. The very well attended event featured their ribbon cutting, food and drink specials, live music provided by Laura Wiley and lots of delicious ISM brews.
Like a typical ribbon cutting, ISM Brewing was welcomed by representatives of the state, county, City of Long Beach, the Chamber of Commerce and various neighborhood business groups, all of whom seemed to be quite excited to have ISM Brewing move into the neighborhood. Continue reading
King Harbor Brewing Reunion at TrustedGut Brewing
These photos were taken Friday evening, December 22, at TrustedGut Brewing in Redondo Beach, where they held a combination reunion of King Harbor Brewing regulars and Ugly Sweater/Christmas party.
So, I guess it was sometime around Thanksgiving that I was at TrustedGut Brewing when my friends Juan and Claudia came in. As is my habit, I introduced them to Chris Garrett, the CEO and founder of TrustedGut. I am not really sure how the conversation turned to Christmas, but before I knew it, there was a party being planned and Claudia and I were tasked with creating a guest list with a maximum of 45 people in attendance (fire department capacity), which meant there was no way I could promote it on this site or via social media. What I discovered was just how many people leave town for Christmas; luckily, a few people come into town for Christmas too, thanks Chad. Continue reading
Cellador Ales Celebrates 7 Years
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon, December 16 at Cellador Ales, a blendery in Torrance, where they celebrated seven years of blending sour ales. The event featured $5.00 pours, new beer releases, snacks and cake.
To say that Cellador Ales has had a tough row to hoe is definitely an understatement. Yeah, everyone has had a tough three years due to the global pandemic, but Cellador has had to tackle a couple extra hurdles.
Last June, Kevin and Sara Osborne announced that their brewery/blendery and taproom in North Hills would close at the end of 2022. According to Kevin’s announcement, it was a combination of Covid related “financial issues, lease issues, personal life changes, and more.” Continue reading
ISM Brewing Soft Open Begins
These photos were taken Wednesday, November 29 at ISM Brewing, the newest brewpub in Long Beach, day two of the ISM Brewing Soft Open.
First things first, ISM Brewing is pronounced iz-uhm, not eye-ess-em, and the letters are actually the initials of the owner/brewer, Ian S. McCall.
Secondly, ISM Brewing has taken over the former location of Beachwood Brewing’s brewpub on 3rd Street, which is where Ian cut his teeth in the craft beer world. Continue reading
Craft Beer Tour 2023 Photos
These photos were taken between October 25th and 31st in Folsom, California and the Portland area of Oregon, where I went to celebrate Halloween with some friends and I managed to fit in an abbreviated version of my annual Craft Beer Tour.
The journey started when my friend Matt from Oregon City invited me to his annual Halloween party, after I accepted the invitation I was asked to drive with Matt up to Oregon. Admittedly I kind of figured that we might be able to stop at a brewery or two on the way up, and we tried, but you know how life can be. Continue reading
3rd Annual Halloween Hootenanny Photos
These photos were taken Saturday afternoon at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, where Obscura LB held their 3rd Annual Halloween Hootenanny craft beer festival. Obscura LB is an event production company created by LB Craft Beer and Festival Obscura. The event is a fundraiser, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Museum of Latin American Art. The event featured numerous food trucks, vendors in their macabre marketplace, live music, DJs, and a magic show to go along with the 30+ breweries/wineries pouring delicious local craft beer, kombucha, and wine.
Besides the food, music, and libations, there were a few hundred attendees, many of whom dressed up in costume to get into the Halloween mood; as you can tell by the photos, many really went all-out with their costumes. Continue reading
Bernie Wire Visits the South Bay
These photos were taken Friday afternoon at The Slice and Pint (in El Segundo), El Segundo Brewing Company, and Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach as I joined, the loved by all, Bernie Wire in his return tour of a few of his favorite haunts. For those not in the know, Bernie was a photographer of craft beer events, and breweries, a couple years before I started doing it on purpose. Bernie was always a fan favorite (he’s a lot nicer than me), but he moved to Minnesota a few years ago, so if you are new to the LA craft beer scene you may not know him, otherwise, I am sure you will recognize him in the photos if you don’t know him personally.
Several of his friends and fans started the afternoon at The Slice and Pint where we enjoyed fresh beer as well as multiple items from the Slice and Pint menu; including, salad, chicken wings, meatballs, pizza and more. The Slice and Pint will satisfy most of your culinary desires if you are in the neighborhood. Continue reading