December and now January have not been kind to Los Angeles breweries. Today comes word via Instagram that Strand Brewing in Torrance is now done for good.
If you were here for the heady early L.A. brewing days, the sight of Rich Marcello in his crisp white shirt talking about 24th Street Pale for a moment before he had to get behind the wheel again was a common one. The little brewery tucked into a tiny spot was must stop by one as Torrance beer blew up.
When they moved to the huge space close to Yorkshire Square, that magic was dimmed a bit. The space was huge and Strand could only fill so much of it even when they started distilling. For me, the brightness of the beers seemed to dim as well. The pale was still solid but the IPAs started to fall behind nearby Smog City.
Here is to someone or some group finding a way to make that location viable again maybe by having one or two co-tenants that could draw more crowds combined.
And here’s to Rich and all the others who made Strand Brewing great.
Brutal. Rich and Joel are two of the nicest people I’ve met in the L.A. beer world. They created such memorable beer and experiences. Sorry to hear that they won’t be able to continue building Strand.