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Business & Beer comes to Tortilla Cantina, Torrance
It was Day 8 of LA Beer Week (LABW) and Business & Beer made their first appearance at Tortilla Cantina in Old Torrance. From what I heard and saw, everyone had a great time. Tortilla Cantina is a \”taco bistro\” that boasts 18 different kinds of tacos and 35 beers on tap. Most of the beers are craft beers with several local options available. We had about 15 people with a few first timers and a couple second timers; it looked like they were all enjoying the networking opportunity.
Next week, Business & Beer will return to The Rockefeller, a gastropub in Hermosa Beach. I know everyone that came out last time really enjoyed it and there have been several that told me they regretted not making it the last time, so I think we should have a nice group. Be sure to bring your business cards. The Rockefeller has a nice menu and specials on Thursdays. They have about 25 beers on tap, and serve flights. Tanya says they have the best burgers in the South Bay. I recommend their bread pudding, it rocks. Bring your other half and make an evening of it; they can sit with us too. We encourage it. Continue reading
Hollywood On Tap Beer Festival: Benefiting The Blank Theatre
The Blank Theatre Company is having a craft beer festival, Hollywood On Tap, as a fundraiser on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. The festival will include more than 40 craft brews including dozens of local craft brewers, about a dozen food trucks and live music. 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit The Blank Theatre, a 501(c) (3) non-profit arts organization. ![\"Hollywood](\"http://www.gotbaddog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/HOT_Web-Logo.jpg\" "\\"HOT_Web"){kind=logo}
Hollywood On Tap will be held at Paramount Studios, Streets of New York backlot, so it will be like going to NYC for a beer without all the travel and with better weather. The event runs from 2-5:00PM with VIP admission beginning at 1:00PM. Ticket prices before October 1 are $45 for VIP and $35 general admission; and $50 for VIP and $40 general admission after October 1. Tickets WILL NOT be sold at the door, so if you want to participate in this event you must purchase your tickets ahead of time at HollywoodOnTap.com. If you do not have a designated driver, Driving Alliance has packages available that include the cost of admission and they will drive you to and from the event. Please visit http://drivingalliance.org/events/ for more details. You can also purchase your tickets by calling (323) 661-9827. Designated drivers can get in for $15 if they are accompanying a paid participant. Continue reading
Day three of the 2012 LA Beer Week
So, this is the 4th Annual LA Beer Week, which runs from September 20-30. Yes, our \”Beer Week\” is 11 days long. I am not sure if we get overtime or not. I have not made a concerted effort to participate in all the festivities but it seems that I will be to some degree. It was not planned, but Day One of LA Beer Week happen to be on a Thursday, which means we had a Business & Beer meetup at The Brewery at Abigaile. Friday, or Day Two of Beer Week was spent at Oktoberfest at Alpine Village. Saturday had a few events going on, but I had things to do earlier in the day and did not think I needed an entire day of drinking. As it turns out, a good friend from up north dropped in so we all decided to go to dinner.
I knew that El Segundo Brewing Co was re-releasing their Two 5 Left Double IPA and I wanted to try that. I also knew that we could just walk across the street and go to Rock & Brews. You may recall that I went there once before and I left there less than impressed. The other night, one of our Business & Beer attendees assured me that Rock & Brews had changed significantly and that I should try them again. All I can say is that I will not be going there again. Luckily, they were having a Rocktoberfest shindig with games going on, so I was able to get some photos. Continue reading
Photos from the Sprinkles \’N\’ Stuff grand Opening
Saturday morning, Sprinkles \’N\’ Stuff decorating supplies store held their Grand Opening and ribbon cutting in downtown Torrance. A couple days earlier I had been in the neighborhood and happened to walk by the store and noticed a flyer advertising the event, so I went in and offered to photograph it for them.
Sprinkles \’N\’ Stuff is a local small business that carries baking pans, chocolate molds, cake boards and boxes, sprinkles, sugars and more. They are located at 1272 Sartori Avenue in Old Torrance. They have a 50\’s motif so even if you just go in to look around they have some interesting items on display. If you are into baking and supporting local businesses, stop in and check it out. Continue reading
Photos from Oktoberfest at Alpine Village, Torrance
These photos are from Friday night at Oktoberfest at Alpine Village in Torrance. After we held a Business & Beer meeting at the Alpine Inn at Alpine Village, the General Manager invited us back to attend Oktoberfest. Since it was Day Two of LA Beer Week, we decided to take him up on his generous offer last night. If you have never attended Oktoberfest and you enjoy good beer, oompa bands and the Chicken Dance I suggest you head over to Alpine Village to check out their 45th Annual Oktoberfest. It is the biggest and longest running Oktoberfest this side of the Mississippi River. Oktoberfest runs on the weekends through October 27, with Friday and Saturday nights being for adults and Sundays for families.
As you can see from the photos it is a lot of fun. We had about 15 people in our group, with some that had never been before and some that had not been in 4-5 years (it has been more than 20 for me) and everyone had a blast. In addition to their customary German biers there are several local craft brews available as well; so if you enjoy beer there will be one there you will like. Prost! Continue reading
Business & Beer returns to The Brewery at Abigaile, Hermosa Beach
LA Beer Week started on Thursday, September 20, and Business & Beer acknowledged the event by returning to The Brewery at Abigaile in Hermosa Beach. The Brewery at Abigaile is a brewpub that happens to brew some of the finest beers in the South Bay and has an outstanding food menu as well. With their wide selections of available beers it is safe to say there is something for just about everyone.
This was Business & Beer\’s second visit to Abigaile and we had our largest gathering to date. In fact, the only other gathering that came close to Thursday\’s meeting was our first visit to Abigaile back in July. What I found interesting was that we had many newcomers; in fact, close to half were first timers. It is apparent the word is getting out; be it from this blog, Facebook or just word of mouth by our regular attendees. People seem to love the idea and business is being done, so it is doing as it should. Enjoy the photos.
Our next Business & Beer get-together will be Thursday, September 27 at Tortilla Cantina; you can get all the details on BusinessNBeer.com and I hope to see you there. Continue reading
Space Shuttle Endeavour arrives at LAX
These photos were taken this morning in El Segundo at Imperial Avenue and California Street, as we attempted to take some photos of the arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). We did not get there until a little after 10:00 AM and the crowds were already starting to grow; even though the shuttle was not scheduled to arrive until noon or a little after. Luckily, we brought the Limited so parking was not an issue so we cruised around a little to find a better spot for viewing, but decided our original choice was as good as it would get.
We could see the Endeavour and its fighter escort as it headed towards downtown Los Angeles and Orange County; but it was pretty far away. If you look closely you can see them in the distance in some of the earlier photos. The shuttle then returned and did two very slow and low flybys before returning for its final landing. I have to admit, it was pretty exciting watching it come to rest across the street and the entire crowd of several thousand felt the same way. Continue reading
My comments to the Torrance Planning Commission in support of CUP12-00015
Tonight, Smog City Brewing had their hearing in front of the Torrance Planning Commission for a Conditional Use Permit to open a tasting room in Torrance. If you want to look it up, it was CUP12-00015. As we were given three minutes and I was pretty nervous, my comments ended up being edited slightly at the last minute; but the following is my comments in their entirety. Oh, they were granted the permit and will hopefully be open in February and on the Business & Beer rotation soon thereafter.
My name is Lloyd Brown. I have been a Torrance and South Bay resident since 1964. I graduated from Seaside Elementary in 1967 and Bishop Montgomery High School in 1971.
My past includes being involved with Cub Scout Pack 948 as a den leader, a coach for several AYSO seasons, a Torrance Little League coach and umpire and I have been honored by the Edison School PTA for my volunteer work with them.
I have owned my home in Torrance since 1985 and I am the Director of Business Development for Synergy DTI, Inc, a Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce member. I am the blogger behind GotBaddog.com which concentrates its efforts on promoting local business and non-profits. I am also a co-founder of Business & Beer and I am an advocate for American craft beers. Continue reading
Last ride of Summer 2012
These photos are from around Hollywood and Malibu. I have a couple friends that flew in from Paris on Friday to begin a week long motorcycle ride around California. Saturday morning I rode out to Hollywood to meet up with them and help them get started on their way. After cruising to the top of Mulholland Drive to take in a view of the Los Angeles area we headed out towards Topanga and worked our way to the Pacific Coast Highway, Hwy 1. We stopped to checked out the 9/11 Memorial at Pepperdine University then continued up north to Neptune\’s Net at the LA-Ventura County line. After refueling with food or beer, we said our good-byes and I headed back home.
When we were at Pepperdine, one of the guys riding with us mentioned he had seen the 9/11 Memorial a few nights earlier. When I got home I asked Tanya if she wanted to ride back up there to try and photograph the flags after dark. Luckily, she is feeling a lot better so we headed back up. I think the photos came out pretty cool. I ended up riding more than 200 miles for the day which made it a pretty nice way to spend the last weekend of Summer 2012. Continue reading
9/11 memorial at Pepperdine University
These photos are of the 9/11 Memorial at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. It is really hot here today. Not muggy, but hot nonetheless. Tanya has been feeling better and asked if I wanted to go for a bike ride where it might be a little cooler. I really did not need much convincing, so we hopped on the Limited and I headed towards to Hwy 1, northbound.
When we got to Pepperdine University in Malibu I could not help but notice all the flags so I pulled over to get a few shots. Apparently this is an annual event to memorialize the attacks of 9/11. There are close to 3,000 flags, each one memorializing one victim. You may notice that they are not all US flags, and those would be to memorialize the non-American citizens that were also killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001. Continue reading