Tag: new brewery

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1st Visit – Surfridge Brewing

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There is no sign, except for a tiny “beer” arrow to indicate that Surfridge Brewing is open.  October 11th was the official grand opening and I jumped in early on a Saturday to both check out the interior and to taste a beer. 

Two things grabbed my attention.  First were cool eco tap handles minus any logo that have a marble look to them.  Quite different from the normal heavily branded practice.  There is also a kid friendly clubhouse near the entrance.  Splitting the difference by keeping kids out of the way from the bar and TV patrons.

There is also a patio with seating and off in the distance is the light blue El Segundo emblazoned water tower.  Food trucks are accessible out through that patio and the whole place has plants everywhere.  Reminding me of Homage Brewing in Pomona.

Currently there are 6 beers on tap, your basic starter brewery menu.  IPA, Session IPA, Wit and Pale.  The Pale was good.  Mostly old school Cascade hop territory.  A bit one note and not subtle but well done all the same.  The Wit has peppercorns and grapefruit which should make for a new twist on the Belgian style.

Overall, the space is calming and large enough for groups to gather, I will have to check back on the beers to see how they evolve but this is a good start.

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1st Visit – San Dimas – Feathered Serpent

The next stop in San Dimas was Feathered Serpent.

After the good start at Highpoint, I was feeling confident.  I was hyped about this new brewery.  I drove through the Western-y part of downtown San Dimas out to another industrial park.  I was thinking it would be like Border X in Bell or Pacific Plate in Monrovia where I could find something super different. Alas, not to be.

It was the 2nd weekend of the brewery after a successful opening and I was surprised to see that their Amber had sold out.  When was the last time an amber kicked first?  The four remaining beers were all fairly muddy affairs where flavors seemed dulled and fighting each other.

The Porter was the standout.  Solidly done.  Was spot on to the style.  Neither the Session or regular strength IPA had much hops going on.  I couldn’t taste what they were aiming for at all.  The Blonde was OK but fell far behind the Highpoint version to my mind.

I am hoping that this is just part of the learning curve and that the brewery will grow from this point because I do like the mural on the wall of the taproom, the branding is great and people were super friendly.

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Sandbox

You can’t cover an area as sprawling as Los Angeles without others finding new beers and new beer news. Thanks to the team at Hopped LA, I learned about a new brewery less than 2 miles down the road from Claremont Craft Ales.

That distance puts them Sandbox Brewing Company in Montclair. They are currently a Friday through Sunday operation but now you can taste from two breweries with one trip on the 10.

Expect a 1st visit post in the coming months.

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Pretty is Back

One beer that I wished that I could get fresher and more of were the ales of Pretty Things from founders Dann and Martha Paquette.  They had unique beers often with a European spin to them like their Jack D’Or Saison as well as some historically researched beers that I found to be fun explorations.

They became embroiled in the distribution hi-jinks on the East Coast and called it out to the media and then in short order they had called it quits.  But not entirely.  Now the Paquettes are in Sheffield.  Spiritual home of the new Doctor and they have a new brewery, Saint Mars of the Desert.

Their reputation has allowed them to create something brand new but with the DNA of Pretty Things but on a smaller and English scale. 

Maybe they still have contacts in the U.S. and some of the beer may come to SoCal.

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1st Visit – Over Town Brewing

I jumped over to my valley town to another (Glendale to Monrovia) to check out yet another new brewery, Over Town Brewing. Here are my thoughts….

I had high hopes upon entering Over Town Brewing for the first time. The outside had the logo high and proud. Nice color scheme. Inside the space is filled with little and big signs of beach and road culture of Los Angeles. Highlighted by a big wooden Hermosa Beach sign that is a prime selfie spot.

Smartly, they were not doing flights or other odd sized pours. Just half’s and fulls. So I went down the list and selected what I thought would be easy hits. Pale Ale, West Coast IPA and a white ale. I skipped over the overly fruity and since it was hot, I also skipped the bigger beers. The plan was sound but the beers were all below mediocre. The Pale Ale had a tangerine puree quality to it. The White Ale needed extra spice push and the IPA tasted young to my palate.

Hopefully, the recipes will be honed with time and feedback.

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Over Town

I should not be surprised when another brewery suddenly pops up without me knowing about it. And yet, I am, each time. Here is the latest:

Wingwalker is barely open a couple months and another one enters the Monrovia market, Over Town Brewing Co. There will be a first visit report coming later this month or in April.