Golden Road Brewing opens their doors for Los Angelenos

Last Sunday marks the official opening of Golden Road Brewing, located in Atwater Village, Los Angeles. We’ve followed progress for a while now and were on scene for the debut event where we tried the beers, heard their plans, and found out little more of their beginnings. [info]

Focus on freshness

Like Hefeweizens? We’re sure that you’ve all enjoyed a bottle somewhere down the line, but have you ever taken a look at the label to see when it was bottled? CEO Tony Yanow shared a story about bringing some great Hefeweizens to sample with president Meg Gill saying that the beers were 14+ months old and thought “these must be a lot better when they’re a month old or a week old.” After heading to Germany, they found out that “they were way better,” says Tony. L.A. is in for a treat as Golden Road will be supplying you a local, steady supply of fresh Hefeweizens and IPAs mainly because of what Meg says, “we’re obsessed with fresh beer in the market.”

[quote]To avoid a supply inconsistency, Golden Road debuted in 30 locations around L.A. The locations were ones that they felt would treat the beer in the best way. As the interest grows and they are able to meet demand, they plan to expand their distribution. But you shouldn’t have a problem getting it whenever you want it in L.A. Tony realized the problem that great brews have, that “the ones that are in the highest demand, are the ones that are in the smallest supply.”

For the beer geeks

Aside from the flagship beers that will be flowing from the brewery, Golden Road will also feature specialty brews. We had a chance to sample their first, Burning Bush, a smoked IPA. Beer geeks will get their share of unique crafts as they’ve sourced some Tequila barrels from Mexico and are working on some Port barrels as well.

How brewmaster Jon joined Golden Road

Meg met Jon Carpenter while working on San Francisco’s Craft Brewer’s Conference. After telling him about their plans for Golden Road and L.A., Jon told her how crazy she was but also wanted to provide advice, saying, “I want to find you the best brewmaster for this project.” Eventually, they got in contact over the phone and he gave her his thoughts, she responded with, “everything you’re describing, its you and only you. Just get here. Please.” And here he is.

What’s next?

We all look forward to the opening of a new craft brewery, but what are they excited about? A line of canned beers. Golden Road is planning on canning a craft brew in 16 ounce cans. They believe this is a good idea since cans keep light from reaching the beer, maintaining quality and consistency. We don’t see people rushing towards these for their shotgunning contests.