Mar Vista Brewer Fulfills His Dream

More than 50 people turned out Saturday afternoon as part of the three day grand opening of Mar Vista resident Michael Bowe’s downtown L.A. microbrewery, Angel City Brewing. Several hundred people were expected before the South Alameda Street brewery closed at midnight.

It’s taken seven years, but Bowe has finally moved his business from the Torrance microbrewery he purchased on EBay in 2004 to its new location in downtown L.A. Bowe started out small as a home brewer in 1989. He moved out of his home in 1997 and opened Angel City Brewing in Culver City, before moving his business to Torrance.

A well-known face in the neighborhood, Bowe has been supplying his annual summer block club party with his tasty kegs and bottled beer for several years now.  He also supported the South Mar Vista Neighborhood Association with three cases of different types of Angel City brews for their first annual 2010 "Taste of SoMar" event, which showcased food from several area restaurants.

Named California Home Brewer of the year in 1995 and 1996, Bowe has also won several awards for his Angel City Brewing business, including four gold medals at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition in 2009.  

Among the guests Saturday was District 9 City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who toured the facilities and presented a proclamation to Bowe, welcoming Angel City Brewing to the area and thanking him for investing in the district. Guests sampled four draft beers on tap from a giant keg refrigeration unit, including The Charlie Parker Pale Ale and the Angel City Lager. Bowe, who also plays the saxophone,  has named three of his ales after his sax-playing heroes including the Lester Young Porkpie Hat Dark Lager and the Rahsaan Roland Kirk Stritch Stout.

As part of the opening, Bowe displayed the works of several local downtown artists including Robert Reynolds whose abstract art includes the use of natural reed fibers and poster artists Abcent, Cryptics and JR. Jonathan Jerald of the Los Angeles Downtown Arts District Space said he hoped that Bowe would continue to show the works of more local artists.

Bowe’s brother Matthew kept the guests well fed, cooking up tri-tip steak and sausage, while Bowe’s sons Micky and Sean worked the door. Bowe was delighted to announce that Micky had just been accepted to West Point Military Academy.

Bowe commutes daily to the downtown facility, leaving his Mar Vista home at 6:45 a.m. and returning well after 7 p.m. However, he said he was excited that his business was near the iconic 1920s era Los Angeles City Hall. His choice for the Angel City Brewing logo is a stylized representation of City Hall.