Beer Lover's Southern California

The Beer Lover's series features regional breweries, brewpubs and beer bars for those looking to seek out and celebrate the best brews--from bitter seasonal IPAs to rich, dark stouts--their cities have to offer.

With quality beer producers popping up all over the nation, you don't have to travel very far to taste great beer; some of the best stuff is brewing right in your home state. These comprehensive guides cover the entire beer experience for the proud, local enthusiast and the traveling visitor alike, including information on:

- brewery and beer profiles with tasting notes

- brewpubs and beer bars

- events and festivals

- food and brew-your-own beer recipes

- city trip itineraries with bar crawl maps

- regional food and beer pairings

I first got into beer on a camping trip at Sequoia National Forest in 2008. My friend, now business partner, John and our mutual friend Matt had brewed up a Scotch Ale called General Grant, a beer that would change my life. My brain exploded with silky, smoky caramel flavor overload. Scotch Ale was a style I had never experienced before, and so I set out to not only try every beer I could, but also brew my own.

Unbeknownst to me, there was a craft revolution brewing in not only Los Angeles, but the rest of the US (and world) as well. As John, Matt, and I progressed with our home brewing, we also experienced the rise of the LA beer scene, meeting inspirational mentors like Jeremy Raub and the team at Eagle Rock Brewery, who not only helped us home brew, but also propelled our imaginations further. I started a home brew blog, Bierkast.com, that eventually turned into an LA beer website focusing on industry events and craft beer professionals.

John and I founded Los Angeles Ale Works in December 2010 and started planning our brewery and what we wanted it to be. We currently brew gypsy-style out of a local LA brewery called Ohana and produce one boutique beer a month while we raise money for our own facility. Over the last five years, I've become incredibly involved with LA beer media and founded the LA Beer Bloggers with a cast of fellow bloggers and writers. In addition to meeting bimonthly, we present attendees with guest speakers, networking, and opportunities for professional development. My newest project, Ziggy The Beer Yeast, is a mobile beer game currently available for Android and iPhone platforms.

Although I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, my home is Los Angeles. I live with my lovely wife, Katie, and guinea pig, Ziggy. It's been an exciting ride watching the city grow its craft beer scene, and the community of enthusiasts I've met here are some of the most interesting, talented, and inspirational people in the industry. This book project has taken me through most of Southern California, and during my travels I've learned more about beer than I ever thought possible and have met incredible people along the way. The craft brewers who devote their lives to making amazing beer cannot be thanked enough.