Torrance’s Strand Brewing Co. celebrates four years of good beer, community

The seminal Torrance craft brewery, Strand Brewing Co., turns 4 this month, and its attention to detail and drive to bring fresh local beer to the South Bay has not only made Strand a successful operation, but has helped develop the craft beer culture in Los Angeles.

Owners Rich Marcello (the exuberant face, and mouth, of the operation) and Joel Elliott (the taciturn brewmaster) have seen the Los Angeles craft beer scene blossom as their brewery’s production and distribution have expanded, and the pride they have in their beer -- and their place as L.A. brewery trailblazers -- is equaled only by their modesty.

The partners are quick to credit others for the brewery’s success -- the bar owners and beer buyers who took a chance on Strand’s first kegs and who have continued to support the brewery, the fervent local supporters that fill the taproom every weekend, and the other brewers who helped Strand survive its first year.

But Marcello knows that the ultimate proof is in the glass, and he says the company’s ethos of “premium handcrafted ales and outstanding customer service” is the driving force behind everything they do.

Elliott adds that their biggest goal isn’t to grow into a regional brewery or to ship a thousand cases a month, but to help develop beer culture in Los Angeles in a positive way. “Part of Strand is bigger than just a beer or a brewery,” he tells me. “It’s part of the culture. It’s going to last.”

Marcello, a new father, equates the brewery’s first few years to childhood: “I really feel like ... we gave birth to this brewery, and [as with a child] the first year you’re just hoping you don’t kill it. Then [year] two and three it was trying to get away from us and we had to try to corral it in and make sure it didn’t run into traffic. Now at four, I think it’s developing its personality and what it may eventually become.”

To celebrate the brewery’s birthday, they have created a special anniversary brew; Harvest Ball is a delicate and nuanced Belgian wit beer brewed with local oranges that flaunts the idyllic climate of the South Bay.

The brewery is also hosting an anniversary party Saturday at the Torrance tasting room. From noon until 8 p.m. there will be special beer releases, casks and surely a big turnout of the craft fans that have made the South Bay the premier beer destination in Los Angeles.

Strand Brewing Co., 23520 Telo Ave., Torrance, (310) 517-0900.

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