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!

Three Weavers Brewery in Inglewood releases official LA Beer Week brew Unity on Friday

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Unity, the official beer of LA Beer Week, will officially be unveiled at 5 p.m. Friday release party at Three Weavers Brewery in Inglewood.

Unity is a collaboration between members of the LA County Brewers Guild and its annual creation — the beer can be quite different, but boasts the same name each year — rotates among members of the nonprofit.

This year’s version uses an experimental hop so new it doesn’t have a name, said brewmaster Alexandra Nowell.

The 7.4% abv brew has “bright notes of lemon zest, stone fruit, and a satisfyingly resinous finish,” she said.

“I was impressed by the character of the raw hop,” Nowell said. “It has a bright orange character and a subtle pine resin scent. It’s got that quintessential hoppy aroma.”

San Francisco-based artist Nick Fullmer, known for his craft beer label artwork at Sacramento’s Bike Dog Brewing and others was given free-rein to create the funky label.

Unity’s official release party goes from from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday. A full lineup of Three Weavers beer will be on tap and a special art exhibition of Fullmer’s work will remain on display through July.

LA Beer Week starts June 18.

Eighth Annual LA Beer Week returns June 18 with biggest kickoff event ever

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beerweekwire(Photo by Bernie Wire courtesy of the LA Brewers Guild)

A record 86 breweries — 46 from LA County — are expected to serve tastes of more than 200 craft brews at LA Center Studios June 18 for the kickoff LA Beer Week event.

“The event will also feature food vendors including fan-favorites The Oinkster and BrewWings, popular pub games, Snap Yourself! photo booth, and live music which includes a special performance from the L.A. Brewers All-Star Band comprised of some of the city’s multi-talented brewers,” said Frances M. Lopez, ececutive director of the LA County Brewers Guild.

“L.A.’s craft brewing community has been getting some national buzz this year with big wins at the World Beer Cup and L.A. & San Diego International Beer Competitions,” she added. “LA Beer Week is our grassroots, DIY way of celebrating our region’s beer culture with a week worth of quality craft beer events all across the county.”

For more information on both the kickoff and other events throughout the week, click here.

Two South Bay breweries, one birthday bash Saturday: Smog City in Torrance and El Segundo Brewing

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Ride the free shuttle, drink the special anniversary brews Saturday as Torrance’s Smog City turns two and El Segundo Brewing marks its fifth anniversary.

More than 200 rare craft brews featured Saturday at charity event at Alpine Village near Torrance

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The event is being organized by Chad Hazen, one of the partners at Redondo Beach’s King Harbor Brewing Co.

Hazen said the hard to find beers that will be showcased include “those donated by Lawson’s Finest, Boneyard, Other Half, Toppling Goliath, Carton, SingleCut and Creature Comforts.

“We’ll also be pouring Dark Lord, Westvleteren XII, Heady Topper, various Hill Farmstead, J. Wakefield, Wicked Weed, Pipeworks, Burnt Hickory, Trillium and Funky Buddha,” he added. “To go along with those donated from breweries, I’m personally donating about 150 bottles. Because all the beer is donated, 90% of each ticket sale directly benefits Richstone Family Center in Hawthorne.”

This is actually the third rare beer event Hazen has hosted.

“I have to travel for work anyway, so I figured why not hit up various breweries to bring back stuff we can’t find out west,” he said. “The first two times, we held the event at the brewery, and called it a ‘bottle share’ since it was quite an intimate gathering. But
because of the demand, Alpine Village is now hosting it.”

Tickets and more information is available here.

Yorkshire Square Brewing bringing traditional cask ale to Torrance

squareThe future home of Yorkshire Square Brewery in Old Torrance.

Read more about Torrance’s latest brewery that is aiming to open by summer.

This should be a very different brewery than any other in Southern California, although the local brewers have consulted with San Fernando Valley brewery McLeod Ales, which specializes in similar-style brews and pumps hand=drawn pints.

I was unaware until writing this story of the Yorkshire Squares brewing system, which is explained here and still used at this very old English brewery.

Incidentally, in case you were wondering, Tips Cadillac has not closed its doors.

Scholb Premium Ales to hold Torrance brewery grand opening Friday

Scholb Premium Ales is the newest brewery on the Torrance craft brew scene Thursday, April 07, 2016, Torrance, CA.  The menu shows the current offerings being poured in the tasting room.Photo by Steve McCrank/Staff Photographer

Scholb Premium Ales is the newest brewery on the Torrance craft brew scene Thursday, April 07, 2016, Torrance, CA. The menu shows the current offerings being poured in the tasting room.Photo by Steve McCrank/Staff Photographer

Torrance’s sixth craft brewery, Scholb Premium Ales, which began observing its regular hours last weekend, hosts its grand opening and ribbon cutting Friday.

Incidentally, to the beer list in the above photo you can add Columbia Street Pale Ale and Not Lyin’ Rye IPA, which will be on tap for the first time this weekend.

Read more about Scholb Premium Ales in this Torrance Daily Breeze story.