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After five years in a crowded El Segundo beer scene, Upshift Brewing Company will be closing its doors on March 31st. But that is not the end of the brewing story on Indiana Street.
Sugar Monkey Brewing will be taking over the indoor / outdoor space. One assumes the racing theme will be changed over in the taproom and that new beers will be made.
It is very interesting that two El Segundo breweries have closed and then opened again under new management.
So, I traveled over to El Segundo to check out two new breweries that I have posted about before. One The Boardroom was shut for a private party.
But I did get to taste the beers of nearby Five Point Five Brewing which has taken over the former Surfridge Brewing space.
The space remains the same. No drastic changes inside. The change is outside with a bright big paint job with the brewery name in big letters.
The beers were surprisingly good but in styles that I was a bit surprised by. In my sampler tray were two IPA’s, a hoppy blonde, a Nitro Red Ale and a big stout. The Hoppy Blonde, I Love That for You was my top choice. Light yellow in color. Nice flavor with a little hoppy burst that came through well.
The Proud Mary Irish Red on Nitro highlighted the creamy dispense very well and when that flavor dissipated, the malt flavors took over for a second round.
A promising start for sure that I might re-check.
To make this last 1st Visits post of 2023 factually plural, I tacked on a visit to Long Beach and the former promenade home of Beachwood Brewing that is now ISM Brewing. Ian McCall who brewed at this very location is back with his eponymous initials brewery and the word is good.
I had five tasters covering a bit of their beer menu and came away very impressed. Especially with their New Zealand hopped beers. A pilsner, Lag Rope and an IPA, Kiwi Fingers. Both really let that Nelson hop shine. Also quite impressive was a simple ale called Peaches for Days that harmed no peaches but the aroma and taste was 100% stonefruit. A hop magic trick for sure.
ISM is only a month old but they are already firing out hits so mark it as your first to visit next year.
With 2023 openings for both The Boardroom and Five Point Five Brewing, El Segundo is back up to four breweries along the hilly streets of the bedroom and oil community.
The latter is the former Surfridge Brewing space now taken over by the lead brewer and re-branded. The former is in a quonset hut making it the western version of Paperback Brewing. It opened earlier this year.
Both are on the agenda for first visits look for those before year end.
Upshift Brewing in El Segundo has had a new brewer in Steven Torres at the helm and will turn 3 on November 5th. And you celebrate a 3rd anniversary with a THREE-ESTA!
You can grab the usual new beer, new cans and new merch. There might even be VIP tickets left so you can get that and extra swag before the crowds.
Normally, I would be posting more of these anniversary notices each month but the pace is starting to pick up. Yes, I know I keep saying that. Trying to make wishes come true.
All prelude to say that Surfridge is turning two an will have a special tap room only beer. Remember those?
Don’t pause, just send it. By that I mean, send this new collaboration IPA to me…
Riip Beer Co. and El Segundo send hoppy beers all over the city, this might be another winner.
Hermosa Brewing has found a brewing home! It is a bit further up the coast and in the now crowded El Segundo scene. It is in the same brick building as the R6 Distillery which could yield some collaborations down the road.
My pre-order Friday and pick-up Saturday routine went to El Segundo for a Surfridge Brewing Co. crowler sale. I went one IPA and one stout.
Outlaw Unicorn is objectively a great beer name and the beer had a couple of different levels to it. At first, it was a dense rye-ish IPA that was closer to British styled than West Coast, but as it warmed, there was a new flavor note in the form of orange pekoe tea. I found the latter to be the more enjoyable.
The Gnome had a nice vanilla / milk chocolate combo but for a stout was pretty light and watery. No fan of the pastry stout am I but this could have used less effervescence and more heft.
Brewport Tap House in El Segundo has expanded their footprint on Main Street and they must have expanded taps because they have 40 Sierra Nevada beers a’coming on the 5th. If any of the beers in the image are ones you are looking to tick, then head out on Thursday.
It felt weird being in El Segundo and NOT going to El Segundo Brewing, but I did want to check out the new kid on the block, Upshift Brewing.
Just off of Sepulveda is Upshift Brewing, you enter the brewery tap room in the back and right away that you see that they have taken the automotive theme and run with it. License plates on the bar wall with oil tin signs. Oil drums on patio as tables. Highway guardrails. Cool hubcap four tops with freeway signs for the cool photos and even racing on TV.
For my money they have one of the coolest flight tray designs around. Sturdy grey plastic with a bike handle to lift the six tasters. The flight sheet is in the form of an old-time auto repair ticket
All of the beers tasted on the heavy side to me even though the ABV’s were low. Both pale ales were tilted toward extra malt and extra hops. Both Pole Position and P-R-N-D-L had a near caramel smokiness under an earthy hop flavor. The Kolsch tasted like an amped up imperial version. I will need to go back and check out the darker beers from the 9 list long menu to see how those shape up.