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Business & Beer returns to El Segundo Brewing Co
These photos are from our Business & Beer meetup last night at El Segundo Brewing Company (ESBC), a microbrewery in downtown El Segundo that specializes in great ales. We had a nice turnout of 10, which is pretty good considering that ESBC is the most northern location we visit. Unfortunately, our use of Meetup.com did nothing to strengthen our numbers this time around; but we will give them a try for another month.
If you know of or own a gastropub in the South Bay area that we have not visited and you feel would be a great location for a Business & Beer gathering, please comment below or contact me via my Facebook page and we will come check it out. Our requirements are that you have a wide selection of American craft beers on tap and that you have room to accommodate a group of 10-20 with ease. Plenty of parking would be a plus.
If networking is part of your job description and you live or work in the South Bay area, you might want to check out BusinessNBeer.com; it is the new business networking group with no dues, no mandatory meetings, no restrictions. You do not need a special invitation, just show up when you can. We visit a different microbrewery, brewpub or gastropub in the South Bay area every Thursday night at 6:00 PM. You will have a good time, discover new beers and you might even do some business in the process. Continue reading
Business & Beer returns to 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro
Last night, Business & Beer returned to the 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro for the second time; and Meetup joined us for the third consecutive week. It seems that Meetup is helping our networking group grow a little at a time, with two or three new attendees as a direct result of Meetup and a couple of them are becoming regular attendees. With the combination of Facebook, Meetup and word of mouth, BusinessNBeer is growing and business connections are being made. It is fun to sit back and watch as our attendees introduce themselves to each other and discover that there are business opportunities available along with the good beer and food.
The last time we brought Business & Beer to the 1321 Taproom was in December and the Taproom was just redoing their kitchen and food menu. It seems that they have made a successful transition as everyone seemed to enjoy a wide variety of foods ranging from Brussels sprouts and crab cakes to pork ribs and sliders.
If you live or work in the South Bay area and enjoy networking with others over a tasty craft beer, you will enjoy Business & Beer. We meet every Thursday at a different microbrewery, brewpub or gastropub in the South Bay. We have no dues, no restrictions and no mandatory meetings. Come when it is convenient and feel free to bring a friend or two; you will have a good time, we have a very nice group. You can follow us on Facebook or Meetup to be kept in the loop, or sign up to the mailing list found on the front page of BusinessNBeer.com Continue reading
Meetup with the Original Sinners RC
My regular readers are probably aware that our business networking group, Business & Beer, recently joined Meetup.com in an attempt to build on the number of attendees at our weekly gatherings. For those unaware of what Meetup is, it is an online social media site that allows people with common interests to set up offline gatherings. In other words, a social media portal that actually encourages you to get away from Facebook and Twitter for a while. Whether you are looking for a business networking group or people to hunt butterflies with you, there is a good chance meetup.com can help you. When I was perusing the many Meetup groups in my area, I came across the Original Sinners RC (Riding Club), which is a subsidiary of the Original Sinners MC (Motorcycle Club).
I had to ask how a motorcycle club found its way to using social media and discovered that a few of the Original Sinners previously joined another group of motorcycle enthusiasts via Meetup. For some reason that I do not recall, these few splintered off and formed the Original Sinners MC. They then decided to utilize Meetup to find additional people to ride with and hopefully find new members to the actual club. Continue reading
1st Annual Froth Awards: No green beer allowed
Sunday, St. Patrick\’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than to enjoy some of the best beers brewed in the South Bay at the Easy Reader 1st Annual Froth Awards held at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. They called it the Froth Awards, but I do not think it was as much a competition as an award of recognition to the rising stars of brewing in the South Bay. The day consisted of live music to accompany the food and beer pairings that were provided. The winners were those that attended; we got some great beer, food and music.
We started off with a pairing of The Brewery at Abigaile\’s Death or Glory IPA along with a chicken skin taco with mango sauce from The Standing Room; it was my favorite. We then had El Segundo Brewing Company\’s Blue House IPA with a seared ahi, won ton, guacamole combination from The Rockefeller. The Blue House was amazing, as usual. The third pairing was Monkish Brewing\’s Feminist Trippel with chilled mussel on the half shell from Tin Roof Bistro. I never had mussels before; still not sure why people eat them. This was followed by a pairing with Strand Brewing Company\’s Second Sleep Russian Imperial Porter and a lamb shoulder with baby carrots from Hot\’s Kitchen; it was great. For dessert we had Smog City\’s Groundwork\’s Coffee Porter with an almond biscotti from Simmzy\’s. It was probably the first time I dipped a cookie into a beer. Continue reading
Strand Brewing Company Bottle Release Weekend
It seems like there is a lot of action in the beer world around here lately and today was no exception. Strand Brewing Company, a microbrewery out of Torrance that my regular readers have undoubtedly heard me mention on numerous occasions, has graduated to the next step in the ranks of professional brewers; they are now bottling some of their beers. These photos were taken at their tasting room on Saturday afternoon as the first bottles became available.
Their first round of 16.9 oz bottled beers consists of their Beach House Amber, 24th Street Pale Ale, Atticus IPA and their latest, Second Sleep Russian Imperial Stout. To celebrate the event, they brought out Second Sleep on cask and they returned White Sand Double IPA to the tap rotation. Apparently, the actual bottling was completed several days ago; however, the labels did not make it in until 6:30 PM last night! It made for a very long evening for the Strand Brewing crew as they labeled all the bottles prior to the 12:00 PM launch.
The festivities continue Sunday and the pricing on the bottles is excellent, so head over and pick some up for your St. Patrick\’s Day dinner. I recommend the Second Sleep for dessert. Continue reading
The Dudes\’ Brewing Kickoff Weekend
This weekend, the South Bay welcomed the latest microbrewery to the Southern California beer brewing scene, The Dudes\’ Brewing Company which is located in Torrance, CA. Unlike most microbreweries, The Dudes\’ does not currently have a tasting room, but rather have decided to break onto the scene by selling kegs to bars and restaurants, and will begin canning and distributing sometime in June of this year. There is talk of opening a tasting room in 2014 after they have their operation running exactly how they want. The Dudes\’ are having four kickoff parties this weekend, beginning at Hot\’s Kitchen in Hermosa Beach on Thursday and ending Sunday at The Tavern on Main in El Segundo. These photos are from Thursday and Friday\’s events at Hot\’s Kitchen and Naja\’s Place in Redondo Beach.
We had Business & Beer on Thursday at The Rockefeller and since Hot\’s Kitchen is just around the corner we decided to stop in to get our first try of The Dudes\’ brews. I went with their Grandma\’s Pecan, which is a very nutty brown ale. I really enjoyed the flavor which definitely improves as it loses it chill. Tanya got a taster of their Grinning Face Porter, a coconut porter, which I took a sip of, but it was not enough to really judge. It smelled good though. Continue reading
Business & Beer joins Meetup at The Rockefeller
The photos are from our Business & Beer networking group\’s gathering at the Hermosa Beach gastropub, The Rockefeller. As I mentioned last week, we have decided to give Meetup.com a chance to see if we could build on the number of people that attend our networking events. Last week, with short notice, we had two new attendees that were a direct result of our joining meetup. Last night there were at least three Meetup attendees, however, we had more new people that regulars last night and I am not entirely sure if some of the others were there because of Meetup or because friends had told them about BusinessNBeer. Either way, we had a very nice turnout and it was probably enough that we will extend our trial of using Meetup to gain new members to our gatherings.
If you live or work in the South Bay area, enjoy networking and are a fan of American craft beer, you might want to consider coming to a networking event. Our attendees are friendly, social and are eager to meet you and learn about your business. The range of businesses in our group includes everything from air conditioning to web development. You can find the schedule on the front page of BusinessNBeer.com. Continue reading
South Bay Beer Week at Sophie\’s Place
This week our favorite gastropub in Redondo Beach, Sophie\’s Place, is having a South Bay Beer Week in which they have dedicated their eight taps to four of the South Bay\’s microbreweries; Monkish Brewing, Strand Brewing Company, El Segundo Brewing Company and Smog City Brewing. Sophie\’s Place is owned by three brothers that are craft beer fans and one, Bobby, is a home brewer. Bobby told me that \”many are still unaware of the incredible beers right in their own \’hood\” so he decided to have a \”dedication of South Bay beers on all taps all week.\”
The beer on tap at Sophie\’s Place this week are Rosa\’s Hips and Crux from Monkish Brewing; Beach House and Atticus IPA from Strand Brewing; Citra Pale and Hyperion Stout from El Segundo Brewing; and Saber Toothed Squirrel and Groundworks Coffee Porter from Smog City. It really is a nice example of the varied beers brewed around here. In addition to the taps being devoted to our local brewers, they also had a Meet & Greet last night with Tom Kelley of El Segundo Brewing Company. Rich Marcello of Strand Brewing Company will be there tonight.
If you are in the Riviera Village and want a good meal with some great beers, I recommend you stop by Sophie\’s Place and support the local business that is supporting local brewers. Continue reading
Saint Rocke to host 1st Annual Froth Awards
The Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach will host the 1st Annual Froth Awards, The Easy Reader Beer Experience and Gastropub Challenge, on March 17, 2013 and this is going to be a blast. The Froth Awards will feature the who\’s who of the South Bay\’s microbreweries, brewpubs and gastropubs who will put together five food and craft beer pairings. If you are a regular reader of GotBaddog.com, the names of the participants should be very familiar to you. The microbreweries participating include, Strand Brewing Company, Monkish Brewing and Smog City from Torrance and El Segundo Brewing Company from El Segundo. The gastropubs include Hot\’s Kitchen and The Rockefeller from Hermosa Beach, Hudson House from Redondo Beach and Simmzy\’s from Manhattan Beach. The Brewery at Abigaile from Hermosa Beach is the lone brewpub. ![\"Craft](\"http://www.gotbaddog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/brewery-abigaile-023.jpg\" "\\"brewery-abigaile-023\\"")
The Easy Reader Froth Awards will be held on St. Patrick\’s Day, Sunday, March 17 at Saint Rocke, located at 142 Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach. Doors open at noon and the pairings will begin at 1:00 PM. Tickets are $29.00 per person if purchased in advance and include five beer and food pairings, a custom taster glass, live music and an entry to win over $1000 in prizes. The live music will be provided by Hang Dog Expression, Johnny Jump Up, and Los Sindicate. Tickets for this fun event can be purchased on the Saint Rocke website. I hope to see you there.
UPDATE: There is $6.95 in fees per ticket if you purchase your tickets online; there are no fees if you purchase your tickets at the door. After some discussion, they have released a promo code \”Frothy\” to take $5.00 off each ticket. You will apply this at checkout; look at the top right under Sub Total for the Promo code link..