I have made one visit to Stateside Crafts in Bixby Knolls but now they have the tap section of the shop open now, so maybe a second visit is in order.
Love the shiny silver taps!
Taps at Stateside
New Taproom Model
I think it is past time to reimagine the brewery taproom experience. My thoughts were jiggled into being at the new California Sun pizza + beer spot here in Los Angeles. They had a zig-zagged bar area in the middle where you could see other patrons but still be far enough away that you could have your own conversation. Or be like me and get your introvert on.
That got me to thinking about what else can be changed. Maybe a round bar encircling taps. Or no bar, just a couple ordering stations and seating. Now I am not a super-fan of the whole You Pour idea but it does create a new motion and energy at a bar and that is what needs to happen. New traffic patterns.
Just tossing silly ideas out there but how about separating IPA people and have them able to only drink the hoppy stuff on a patio and put comfy chairs inside for stout and Saison lovers.
Whatever the idea is, it needs to accentuate the style of beers. Or the community. Or history. Because, otherwise, your taproom will end up living on the beer alone and while that is not a bad idea theoretically, in a world of so many breweries, will your hazy milkshake be enough to pull people in?
Maybe a new floor plan or theme will add that.
Renovations Day – Cellador seating
Imagine my surprise to wander into one of my favorite L.A. beer makers, Cellador to find that they have a lovely new-ish seating arena…
…the entry has new signage on the window, groovy wallpaper is up to set the mood, there are really comfortable chairs and prints on the wall that take parts of their well-designed labels and blown up sections of them into abstract art.
The beer menus have been redesigned and the order desk, while still mobile, looks more updated and professional than before.
The space is now matching the excellence of the wild and tart Beers being poured.
North Hollywood Hop Merchants
I am a fan of the bottle shop tap room, nothing I like more than browsing the bottles and cans with a pint in hand. And the SoCal area is getting a new one, this time in North Hollywood…5013 Lankershim Boulevard to be precise.
Hop Merchants will have 16 rotating taps of local beer as well as 300+ bottles and cans to choose from.
Expect a review sometime after they open on October 20th.
If You Haven’t Visited the Jungle Yet
…well, you will have another opportunity to test out Concrete Jungle this weekend as they have another “speakeasy” planned…
The River is NOW not Dry
Finally, after months of waiting, Dry River Brewing will start to have limited tap room hours! Now they won’t be the only brewery without fans inside trying the beers.
Days & Hours
Friday & Saturday 4pm to 10pm
Sunday 1pm to 6pm
Specific Days
July 1st and 2nd
July 14th, 15th and 16th
August 4th, 5th and 6th
August 18th, 19th and 20th
September 1st, 2nd and 3rd
September 15th, 16th and 17th
Lag Time
Pop-Ups are not just for restaurants and fashion, they can also be for beer as Lagunitas is proving with their Azusa Pop-Up TapRoom which opens April 8th. This will be the temp while the permanent space is being constructed with a hoped for opening date of August this year.
Here are the details….
– TapRoom hours: Wed-Sun 3pm – 9pm
– Live music begins at 4:20 and goes til 7:30-ish
– Local food trucks will provide tasty food until our kitchen in completed
No news on whether brewing is happening yet or is also set to begin later this year.
More RR
What you are looking at is not some country-fied mall but the long-awaited and even more anticipated larger Russian River Brewing facility in Windsor, CA.
And big it will be with close to 15 acres of empty land to utilize in the town of Windsor. The new Russian River facility will include: the bigger production brewery with the capacity to brew up to 50,000 barrels, a tasting room, a brewpub that is bigger than the downtown Santa Rosa location plus a gift shop.
I assume a Disneyland style line for PtY will be part of the grounds too.
Beer Bunker
I love the L.A. Craft Beer Scene otherwise this blog would not have lasted as long as it has but the one thing that I keep harping about is that Portland (the Oregon one) has a huge lead on bottle shops with tap rooms dedicated to craft beer. Oh you can get bottles in many a fine LA beer bar but it will set you back a few coins.
Well, my mom sent me a recent Oregonian clipping about yet another NW beer spot where you can get your fix. The Beer Bunker.
So you can add it to your multi-day survey of Portland Bottle shops.
FoodGPS teaser – New Bruery Tap Room
Tomorrow over on FoodGPS, I will give you the full info on the brand spanking new Bruery taproom. All I will say here, 40 TAPS!
To tide you over here are a few photos….
–the silo against a bright July sun–
–1/2 of the taps (and some bottles) all bright and shiny–
–Big glass windows to see the brewing operations (and me too)–
–You will be filling this familiar glass often at the new taproom.–