Join us for a thirst-quenching panel discussion!

Once a barren desert for local beer, in the last seven years Los Angeles County has grown into a craft beer hub for Southern California, finally catching up to more established brewing scenes in San Diego, Santa Barbara and Northern California. Dedicated to fostering a sense of community and local pride, our brewers are bringing high-quality artisanal products into a hyper-local market.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS
The panel moderator, John Michael Verive, is a Certified Cicerone and beer writer whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Paste Magazine, Beer Advocate, and many more publications. He is the author of the L.A. Times’ comprehensive craft beer guide.

Laurie Porter owns the award-winning Smog City Brewing in Torrance with brewmaster (and her husband) Jonathan Porter. She was recently elected president of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild.

Rich Marcello is the owner of Strand Brewing Co. in Torrance, one of our oldest production breweries from the “Class of 2009” beer renaissance.

Laina McFerren and her husband Rob co-own Wolf Creek Brewery and Restaurant in Valencia, which was founded in 1997, making it the oldest craft brewery in Los Angeles today. Originally a brewpub, four years ago it expanded into a production facility. She was recently elected president of the Brewers Guild board.

Founded in 2013, the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the craft beer industry and promoting and protecting local independently-owned craft breweries. The LABG strives to encourage the growth of world-class beer culture within L.A. county through educational efforts and to stimulate growth through community engagement.

Free and open to the public.