Beer tasters at Smog City Brewing

This year’s Beer Week showed the growing industry and how creative beer flavors have become. From five course brunch and beer pairings to musical pub-crawls and even a "Game of Thrones" beer party, many have come to realize the that the L.A. beer community has a lot of potential.

The craft beer industry seems to have taken over the market with over 2,500 breweries in the United States alone. All but 100 of those brew craft beers. The beer industry is quickly bridging the gap between brewer and consumer, changing cultural expectations for what beer should be.

Beer lovers now look forward to fall craft beer flavors as well as Oktoberfest.

Wine all that you want, craft beer’s the way to go

Fans of the craft beer industry say it is welcoming and offers a luxurious and complex component, without great expense to the consumer. John Verive, of Beer of Tomorrow, said the financial crisis created a tipping point for L.A., catapulting it into the craft beer scene. He said that when the crisis hit, people changed their perspectives on how they should spend their money, but the want for luxury didn’t disappear.

Craft beer is a drink made with care and attention to detail, with a lower price tag than wine. While craft beers may be more expensive than the typical domestic varieties, Verive feels you're getting much more “bang for your buck.”

Brian Wright, a Los Angeles beer lover and Hollywood native, grew up in wine country and while he used to be very into wine, he said he’s officially switched his alliance to craft beer. Wright said he enjoys the taste and believes that there is a craft beer for everyone. He added that the complexities and variations of beer are far greater than those of wine.

A case for L.A.

While Los Angeles arrived late to the craft beer hype, it’s quickly overcoming this to catch up to some of the biggest beer cities, such as San Diego. L.A. continues to gain speed as new breweries pop up and older ones expand. It’s all about the consumers jumping on the beer train and the L.A. foodies joining the craft beer revolution.

Jeff Prosser of Beer Guy LA sees the current situation that’s happening in the Los Angeles beer scene as a special time for the industry. In his eyes, South Bay is becoming the brewery center of L.A. and has the potential to catch up to big beer cities.

Jonathon Porter, owner of Smog City Brewing Co., said the key to catching up isn’t just expansion, but also educating the public, restaurants, bars and liquor stores and getting them as passionate about the products as those already in the industry are.

Come one, come all

The craft beer industry is known for being inviting. Randy Clemens, a member of the L.A. Beer Week Committee, stressed how exciting a time this is in Los Angeles for craft beer. He encourages the public to learn as much as they can, ask questions, try tasters, take recommendations and get to know the passion that goes into craft beer. He and other lovers of craft beer want to get others involved by having them visit breweries, take chances on their beer orders and find the craft beer that’s right for them.

Reach Staff Reporter Erin MacLeod here.