About Nick Green

South Bay-based Los Angeles News Group soccer columnist and blogger Nick Green writes at the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer and craft beer at the Beer Goggles blog at www.insidesocal.com/beer. Cheers!

Torrance’s Smog City brewery opens Steelcraft tasting room in Long Beach

steelcraft(Photo courtesy Smog City Brewing).

After months of delays, the shipping container shopping center — hence the name Steelcraft — that will include a tasting room by innovative Torrance brewery Smog City is finally cranking up operations.

Smog, known for its experimental ale lineup, has introduced a pale ale only available at the new Bixby Knolls tasting room and its Del Amo Boulevard bewery dubbed Oh Jupiter, so watch out for that when available.

Downtown Los Angeles brewery Mumford Brewing to release Unpresidential IPA Saturday in cans just in time for Election Day

unpresidential

With an unprecedented Presidential campaign in many regards drawing to what many voters see a merciful ending this Tuesday, downtown Los Angeles brewery Mumford Brewing will release for the first time in cans Saturday a craft beer with a name many Americans might appreciate: Unpresidential IPA.

Via Mumford:

For the 5th iteration of this hazy, juicy IPA, we used heaps of Amarillo, Citra and Galaxy hops to create a beer with a big fruit aroma and well defined stone fruit flavors on the palate. Enjoy a can as we count down the days to Election Day 2016 (and you’ll probably want to have one after it’s over).

A four-pack of cans is $17 and the limit is one per person. The brewery opens at 11 a.m.

Aptly-named Torrance brewery Smog City hosts Oct. 18 fundraiser “A Night Out for Clean Air”

cleanair

Torrance’s Smog City Brewery sits smack dab next to the Torrance refinery and has had a front row seat as the plant literally belches and fumes, something that has occurred much more frequently of late.

So it’s not surprising the brewery is hosting a fundraiser to raise money to install air quality monitors (almost unbelievably there are none nearby).

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Mob-themed Rubens Distilling and Brewing in El Segundo makes craft beer drinkers an offer they can’t refuse

jaxHead brewer Mike Hancock, right, owner Rob Bubens and his year-old Doberman Jax will mark the grand opening this weekend in El Segundo of the first combination craft brewery and distillery in Los Angeles County. Photo by Staff Photographer Ed Crisostomo).

A combo-brewery-distillery is a lot more complex to open than your average craft brewery, Rubens said.

“We carry eight licenses, two from the feds, three from the state and three from the city,” he said. “We placed our order for (the German-made still) in December 2014 and we received it in early February this year. So it took 14 months from the day we placed the order to the day it showed up in a truck. Then it was another four months until it was operational.”

Although Rubens has quietly had a soft opening for several weeks, this weekend is the first that cocktails will be available.

Read more about Rubens Distilling & Brewing here.

4th Annual Brewer’s Chili Cookoff set for Saturday at Select Beer Store in Redondo Beach

cookoff

While the event itself begins at noon, tasting begins at 4 p.m. at Select Beer Store, 1613 S. Pacific Coast Highway.

From the press release:

Brewers and owners from local breweries will serve their own special batch of chili, while guests will sample each one and vote for their favorite.

This year’s participating breweries: King Harbor Brewing Co., of Redondo Beach, Brouwerji West of San Pedro, Phantom Carriage Brewery of Carson, Arts District Brewing of Los Angeles, Three Weavers Brewing of Inglewood, El Segundo Brewing Co., and Torrance’s HopSaint Brewing Co., Strand Brewing and Smog City.

Beers from each of the represented breweries will be served on draft and the area behind the fenced off to set up a “beer/chili garden” for the anticipated overflow crowd.

All proceeds from the chili cook-off benefit Providence TrinityCare Hospice in Torrance.

I’m not exactly a chili expert, but HopSaint’s chili is incredible, so the competition had better bring their game.

New brew: Two 5 Left DIPA returns Friday to El Segundo Brewing Co

25left

Not only does El Segundo Brewing Company have an incredible line-up of IPA’s, but one of the best is the seasonal Double IPA Two 5 Left (named after a runway at nearby LAX).

And at noon Friday ESB will not only tap that, but what looks like a cask dry-hopped with Cascade hops courtesy of well-known Southern California craft beer photographer Bernie Wire.