From Santa Monica Brew Works:
Scott Francis, President, co-founder, CEO and co-owner of Santa Monica Brew Works (SMBW), a music industry veteran and former practicing lawyer, has transformed himself into a craft beer entrepreneur and led the establishment of Santa Monica’s first craft brewery. And, in only five years Scott has grown the business into a Southern California success story, giving SMBW a presence in sports stadiums, entertainment arenas, restaurants, bars, hotels and markets throughout LA and points north, east and south.
While the business was officially established in 2012, the first two years were spent putting together the business plan, obtaining all necessary permits and licenses – federal, state and local – and raising funds from outside investors. Finding a location to house a brewery in Santa Monica was no easy feat, and the company found a choice location only 1.5 miles from the beach on Colorado Avenue and 20th Street. SMBW opened to the public in June 2014 in its original 9300 sq. ft. and started brewing its own craft beer. The brewery has since expanded to over 14,000 sq. ft. and recently signed a lease to take over 20,000 contiguous sq. ft. - expanding its total footprint to 35,000 sq. ft. Additionally, SMBW brewed its 1000th batch of beer this year.
For a new business, a big part of the SMBW philosophy is about making history. SMBW takes its beer seriously, while being proudly identified with the beach and business intersection of LA’s busiest Westside location. Local residents, workers and tourists make their way to the brewery weeknights and all weekend long. The brewery is just steps from Santa Monica’s biggest media and entertainment hub, the heart of Silicone Beach, where music, film, TV and tech multi-nationals and independents draw thousands of talented personnel each day. Like the best aspects of SoCal’s biggest beach city, the appeal of SMBW is truly international. Its close proximity to the beach brings tourists from all over the world.
SMBW’s five (5) great-tasting and easy-drinking core beers and 20+ specialty beers on tap are decidedly unique to Santa Monica, and stand out among the crowd of craft beer brewed in Southern California. The personal touch is obvious in every facet of the business, starting with the inviting design of the premises, which includes a spacious but warm tasting room. This is a testament to Scott, and one of his co-founding partners, Tasting Room Director Carl Sharpley, an Irish ex-pat who is respected in the local area and in the alcohol service industry in Santa Monica (Carl worked at the Ye Olde King’s Head) and as a former head bartender at several historic bars in Dublin. The company’s artisan brews are the creation of Santa Monica born and bred Head Brewer Drew Pomatti. Drew’s much loved “Head In The Clouds” Juicy Double IPA Hazy beer took the Bronze Medal at the 2019 Los Angeles International Beer Competition in the “Juicy or Haze Imperial or Double India Pale Ale” category.
Before his transition to craft beer entrepreneur, Scott previously combined his legal and business experience with his love of music during his successful run as President of the global music publishing company of Warner Music Group, Warner/Chappell Music, and Chairman & CEO of the U.S. division from 2008 to 2011. Before that, he served as President of BMG Music Publishing NA for seven years, having relocated to LA from New York, where he was VP Business Affairs and Administration of Sony/ATV Music Publishing for six years. Prior to that he practiced law, specializing in the music business since 1988.
Taking the passion he’d demonstrated representing music creators for decades, Scott turned his focus towards creating a brand of original artisan brews, and marketing and distributing them to the kinds of businesses he and his beer-loving partners wanted to frequent. Though he grew up on Long Island as a diehard Mets fan, one of Scott’s goals for Santa Monica Brew Works was to bring the Santa Monica Brew Works brand to Dodger Stadium, so that he could watch the Dodgers (his adopted team) while drinking the company’s beer. Not only did SMBW fulfil Scott’s goal of supplying beer to Dodger Stadium –within the space of one year– the brand also was placed at leading local bars and restaurants, and can be found at luxury hotels, such as the Terranea Resort, The Fairmont, Ritz Carlton, Shutters on the Beach, Loews Santa Monica, Casa del Mar, the Nomad, and the Beverly Hills Hotel. In addition to Dodger Stadium, SMBW beers are now served in numerous iconic Southern California venues including the “Fabulous” Forum, the Hollywood Bowl, The Greek Theatre, The Fields LA at Banc of California Stadium, Angel Stadium and more. SMBW craft beers are also available as far east as Yucca Valley, Palm Springs and Indian Wells, south in San Diego, and to the north in Oxnard and Santa Barbara. Also, tourists from around the globe can enjoy SMBW’s brews from the moment they land at LAX, and all along the Santa Monica Pier and at Universal Studios.
A large part of the SMBW appeal is its headquarters where the beers are brewed – five home-crafted signature brews and 20+ specialty brews also on tap at any time. The tasting room, open seven days a week, debuted in October 2016 due to public demand – the brewery continually received calls and emails from members of the public asking about visiting to see the brewery and sample the brews. Each day a different food truck is installed in the large free and easy parking lot open forecourt of SMBW. Conveniently positioned only two blocks from the 17th Street Metro LA Expo Line also makes it an effortless outing for LA locals and tourists.
Scott and his partners are proud to not only have filled a niche for craft beer lovers and added a unique business to the footprint of Santa Monica, there is satisfaction in creating employment in the city, with 20+ people working full and part-time in the brewery.
SMBW’s Signature Brews:
Santa Monica Brew Works’ five core signature brews - 310, WIT, XPA, IPA and PCH – are great tasting, easy drinking, non-aggressive beers which celebrate the lifestyle of the city its founders love so much. These “Core Five” stand up on their own and pair excellently with food. Beach brewed in Santa Monica, each puts a uniquely Southern California twist on the type and style of beer. Draft is packaged in half- and sixth-barrels and you can find cans throughout Southern California in 12oz and 19.2oz sizes. Santa Monica Brew Works is distributed by the Reyes Beverage Group in Southern California.
310 – This California Blonde Ale pours a pale straw color with a frothy white head. It has a subdued malt aroma with undercurrents of pear and green apple. There are gentle grainy notes as the beer warms. This brew is delicate, clean and crisp, with an almost imperceptible fruity sweetness from fermentation. The subtle fresh, cereal grain taste will put you in the perfect summer frame of mind. (4.8% abv)
“Brewed in a city where summer is celebrated year round, Santa Monica Brew Works’ 310 California Blonde Ale is light enough to drink 24/7/365 with more than enough great taste to keep you fully satisfied. We’ve taken your father’s traditional beer and given it a unique craft brew taste. Crisp, refreshing, and surprisingly American. Get out of the office and dial up a 310.”
WIT – This Modern Witbier pours a hazy yellow, fine bubbles running in glass, good head retention, and nice lacing. With earthy scents of sweet orange, citrus, oats/wheat, and spice, the first locally brewed craft beer tastes of orange, banana, a bit of clove, coriander, wheat, acidity, and tart sour grapes. (5.3% abv)
“Delicate body, effervescent, fruity, floral, spicy with hints of biscuit grain sweetness, tart and thirst quenching.”
XPA – This Extra Pale Ale pours a deep gold with a creamy, lasting white head. It’s a mix of citrus zest, passion flower, stone fruit, herbal, and earthy, with hints of freshly toasted malt. The juicy grapefruit, kaffir lime and honeydew melon qualities from the American and New Zealand hops give way to a complex, yet understated, malt character followed by a crisp, clean finish. (5.6% abv)
“A full flavored American pale ale. Robust hop flavor and restrained hop bitterness make it exceptionally sessionable.”
IPA – The Inclined IPA (India Pale Ale) pours a pale golden color with a persistent white head. There is some slight haze due to aggressive dry hopping. The scent is like a grove of citrus and tropical fruit trees, with highlights of candied orange, lemon, passion fruit, and apricot. The thin body and dry finish accentuate a dominating, fruity hop presence. Sweeter hop qualities of peach, mango and tangelo give way to watermelon, pint and earth, culminating in a zesty, bitter finish. (7.0% abv)
PCH – The Golden Milk Porter pours a vibrant copper with a frothy eggshell head with notes of caramel, biscuit, vanilla, and chocolate. With the taste of a rich cup of chocolate cocoa, the velvety milk chocolate gives way to a restrained bitterness with a sweet honey and vanilla bean finish. (6.0% abv)
“The golden hue of our PCH pays homage to traditional porters which were not typically as dark as they are today. Historically, the addition of molasses and caramelized sugar would create a darker color. Our PCH, a modern interpretation of this old world style, replaces those traditional ingredients with a generous portion of cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and milk sugar resulting in a complex memorable beer.”
What the media is saying about SMBW:
“Santa Monica Brew Works is the first craft brewery tasting room in Santa Monica, and with room for more than 100 visitors, the spacious expansion to the production brewery is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. If you've got a sweet tooth, don't miss the PCH ‘golden porter’ that's chocolatey and nutty — there's also a version with coffee that balances the sweetness.” –LA Times
“Santa Monica Brew Works is the only craft brewery in SM, and they just opened a fantastic tap room to go along with an ever-growing beer list. The space is big, with tons of long tables ideal for big group day-drinking throwdowns. Their Head In The Clouds hazy IPA is still their best, but their cucumber kolsch is everything you want during this summer’s inevitable (and permanent) heatwave.” – The Infatuation
“The Angels offer a wide selection of quality beer brewed in San Diego, but Santa Monica Brew Works offers fans a hyper-local option. With a sleek wooden design on the cans, the brewery offers a blonde variety, Hazy IPA and regular IPA.” – Sports Illustrated
“Santa Monica Brew Works stands apart in that all its products are produced at its own brewery on Colorado Avenue near 20th Street. That gives it the privilege to call itself ‘the first truly local craft brewery in Santa Monica,’ whose ‘’beach brewed’ philosophy fully embodies the essence of the world-renowned Santa Monica lifestyle … past, present and future.” –The Argonaut
“Santa Monica Brew Works first launched with WIT — an accessible take on a Belgian wheat beer, brewed with orange and coriander. Crisp and effervescent, it's the type of beer you want to enjoy on a sunny beach day. So it's hardly a surprise that their flagship offering was warmly welcomed in its immediate vicinity.” – LA Weekly
“…they have an IPA that’s damn delicious if you’re craving some flavor experiences: The XPA is a heavenly pale ale – lots of grapefruit taste yet goes down easy with toasted malt. It hits the pallet in a very refreshing fashion, making it drinkable like a proper day-drinking beer.” – Bro Bible
“One unexpectedly popular pairing at Plan Check has been the smoky fried chicken and the beer float made with a scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a pint of Santa Monica Brew Works' milk porter.” – LA Times
“I’ve tried every beer on the menu and love all of them. …each beer is light, refreshing, and makes you feel like you’re at the beach. Overall just an awesome beer at an awesome place.” – Slice of Growth
“In addition to their core beers, SMBW has really expanded into many styles, from ciders to barrel aged beer to what I had to get a pour of, the Head in the Clouds Double IPA. The cloudy IPA comes in at 8.5% ABV which includes Mosaic, Citra, and NZ Watku Hops, all of which released a nice aroma and flavorful mouth.” – Beer Me Bryan
“To really shake things up, SMBW unleashed Pale Chocolate Heaven. Billed as an homage to Old World style porters, PCH is a robust, full-flavored beer, brimming with sweet notes of dark chocolate, vanilla beans, and honey. As a traditional porter, it would stand out as exceptional. Separating itself further from the pack, the ale pours an inexplicably brilliant golden hue into the glass. Nothing about its taste suggests anything light in color. When the beer is placed in front of you, your mind expects a certain series of flavors completely belied by what the tongue ultimately perceives. Hardly a novelty, the glaring contrast between what you see and what you get elevates the entire drinking experience.” – LA Weekly
“…customers will be given a more refined experience while tasting from a selection of widely available and one-off Santa Monica Brew Works beers.” – LA Eater
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