King Harbor Brewing Company’s dream of brewing approachable beers was best summed up years ago by owner Tom Dunbabin: “We want to make kickass beer not with a super high ABV — you can drink four or five pints at dinner and still get home on your Strand cruiser.”
Dunbabin’s earnest vision — a perfect beer for a quintessential facet of our South Bay lifestyle, pedal pushing the Strand on a hot sunny day between good times and good stops — has turned out to be a revelation. “Session beers,” or beers brewed for lower ABV but big taste with the intent of drinking over an extended period are now offered by most breweries.
We sat with Dunbabin at the KHBC taproom to learn more about what brought KHBC to focus on approachable beers.
ER: When IPAs with nuclear ABVs were all the rage, four or five pints meant hoofing it and dragging your bike on your side like a wounded soldier. Taxis (the only means of paid transportation before ridesharing) couldn’t fit your 26 inches of rusted glory. A bike lock would make sense, but who’s got time for that, right? Have you had a few similar experiences without incriminating yourself?
You can’t exist in the South Bay as a reasonable human being without having a few late nights on the Strand. Before we opened our Waterfront Tasting Room we would hop on the beach cruisers and do the Tour de Redondo — Tony’s for fire chiefs, Barney’s, ar ound on the tilt-a-whirl, that sketchy Russian bar (before Basq moved in), and finally the legendary Najas. The night was always ended in massive IPAs, which after a few fire chiefs seem really easy to drink. Four or five-night caps of an 8 percent IPA usually meant the beach cruiser was ditched (hopefully locked up) and we would have to stumble a few blocks to find enough service to call a cab.
As a Mira Costa alumni, a former aerospace engineer, a veteran of many South Bay punk shows, having been on a surf trip with Mike Purpus, is there anything I forgot that raises your South Bay core score?
Fletcher from Pennywise once threatened to steal my mini-van. Does that count? It was more of a friendly “Can I drive your van through Valley Park?” It took all my will to say no because saying yes would have made an incredible story. Also, I know Ed Factor. That counts for something, right?
Besides being the only brewery in Redondo Beach, how important was it to have a location on the Redondo Beach waterfront?
Living here teaches you that there is a bubble around the beach and sometimes even your best friends have trouble escaping it to come all the way out to North Redondo. So we brought the beers to the beach. Our Waterfront Tasting Room has also given a space where we can regularly partner with other local businesses and artists to throw unique South Bay-centric events. 
What are some of your crowning achievements — the beers you want to be known for?
The beers that marry our love of the South Bay with classic beer styles — South Bayern Hefeweizen (a classic Bavarian Hefeweizen with a slightly drier finish to add a crisp, refreshing finish) and Cerveza Hermosa (our Amber Mexican style lager born from road trips to Baja).
Swirly has been one of your core beers since the beginning. What makes the Anniversary Swirly so unique?
The combination of bourbon and oak from the barrels with the rich profile of a strong dark ale lay the foundation for the balance of cacao, vanilla, coffee, and lactose sugar. This beer is brewed in the winter of the previous year and stored away in barrels that were previously used for aging Heaven Hill bourbon for at least six months. Regular barrel tastings help us decide when the beer is ready to be transferred from oak to stainless and packaged into 22 ounce bottles. The aging process requires months of planning, preparation, and input from previous barrel aging experience.
What can we expect at this year’s anniversary party?
This year will be another great celebration of all things beer and South Bay. We shut down our parking lot to make room for a 20 tap beer garden with live music, including local superstar Kira Lingman, a dunk tank, food trucks, and this year we will be introducing the Tiki Bar — four versions of our awesomely delicious Tiki Hut IPA — a magical merge of tropical and hoppy.
What’s the future entail? A New England IPA?
We will be tapping a couple NE IPAs at our third anniversary this Saturday, but we can’t say for sure if they will end on the production schedule. Spring/Summer are always our favorite time of year because this is prime beer drinking weather to us. Lighter styles that pair well with surf trips, beach days, and not losing your bike after a long night at the Redondo Beach pier.To be honest, we don’t know exactly what we will brew next, but it will be awesome. So swing by the tasting room and see what’s up
King Harbor Brewing Company’s 3rd Annual Anniversary Party takes place April 1 at the brewery, 2907 182nd St. Redondo Beach, CA 90278. For tickets and more info go to www.kingharborbrewing.com
Hoppy Happenins
Bartz Barbecue will be making the South Bay proud competing in the 6th Annual Winner’s Circle BBQ Championships at Santa Anita Park April 1. Sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society, the event only invites the best So-Cal BBQ masters. On April 5 and 6, Bartz Barbeque will be at LA Ale Works.
Strand Brewing Company will be pouring their legendary 24th St. Pale Ale to complement a gourmet hot dog cookout this Saturday April 2 at Manhattan House in celebration of Major League Baseball’s opening day. Starting Tuesday April 4, the SBC tap room will be open every Tuesday from 4 to 9. Be on the look out for Taco Tuesdays, trivia, live music and many other possibilities. The tap rooms weekly schedule as follows: Tuesday through Friday 4 to 9, Saturdays from noon to 9, and Sundays from noon to 8.
Five Magics, a new brew at HopSaint Brewing Company has just been tapped. Five Magics is a rustic Belgian Golden Ale with five different specialty grains. Spelt, raw wheat, malted wheat, oats, and a touch of honey malt are fermented with Belgian yeast. Bready, spicy, and fruity with a nice layer of hops to round it out.
On April 6 from 3 to 10 pm Smog City Brewing Company will be hosting a Fundraising Event for the family of Jesse Esphorst Jr. the 16-year-old South High student who was killed in a tragic hit and run accident in Torrance on March 7.
“We invite the South Bay community to join us in celebrating Jesse’s life and support his family.
A portion of the day’s sales will be donated to the family,” said Laurie Porter, owner.
LA Ale Works will be hosting a viewing and after party for the SpaceX launch on March 29, 2017.
“Our next big event will be on April 15th for the release of Blume, which is our Berliner Weisse,” said LA Ale Work’s Andrew Fowler, “We are working on several that will be happening in the next couple of months.”
Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room starts Brewing class on Tuesday, April 4th. It cost $10 and includes a taster.
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photo gallery from Absolution Brewing Company’s 3rd Anniversary PartyAbsolution Brewing Company’s St. Patty’s Day celebration followed by their 3rd Anniversary party the following day made for some epic times. The crew keeps chugging along.
“We’re having our newest release fresh from aging of the ADJD — our Whisky barrel-aged IPA. (A ‘must buy’ as recommended by a National magazine) Friday, March 31,” said Absolution’s Dane Farguson. “On April 1, we have Yoga and Beer from 10 to 11 a.m. Later that day, Nicholas Fontaine will be performing his live acoustic act.”
El Segundo Brewing Company will be rotating its popular DIPA, “Hop Plunge” back into the tap room March 30. The “Bursted Series” continues with the next release April 6.
Opening in 2010, the Tortilla Cantina has supported the local breweries sprouting all around the downtown Torrance restaurant. Check out their biweekly “Blues and Brews” every other Wednesday featuring favorite local bands and breweries up and down the California coast.
To contribute to the brew of local craft beer culture, email ESolt@EasyReaderNews.com. ER
