Innovation Brew Works is kicking off the fall season at the second annual La Verne on Tap Old Town Beer Walk on Sept. 28 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The event will take place in La Verne’s Old Town District and will host 17 local breweries, including Cal Poly Pomona’s Innovation Brew Works (IBW). In addition to the breweries, the event will host over 20 food vendors.
Purchasing a ticket to the beer walk will allow guests to receive unlimited food samples and 12 four-ounce beer pours. Guests will also be able to enjoy live music, but most importantly will have the chance to discover IBW.
IBW will bring its award-winning Cattle Rancher and seasonal Bronctoberfest brews.
Deciding which beer to bring to the event was not a challenging one, as Cattle Rancher is IBW’s most award-winning beer. The American-Belgian style ale received a gold medal at the 2018 San Diego International Beer Competition and silver at the 2018 Los Angeles International Beer Competition.
The Bronctoberfest brew will be officially released at the brewery on Sept. 27, one day before the beer walk. The name was inspired by Oktoberfest, but with a Cal Poly twist. The beer will be released for the fall and is a part of IBW’s scheduled monthly releases.
Melody Young, the manager at IBW, hopes participating in the event will expose people to the brewery and educate them on what it is all about. According to Young, IBW is very selective in which events it attends.
(Courtesy of Ralph Bautista)
“We want to make sure they’re within a radius where people will be able to drive to Brew Works,” Young said.
The brewery initially began attending events in the Long Beach area and Los Angeles. With a new plan in place, IBW is now focusing its efforts on the cities surrounding the brewery.
Eric Bassett, operations brewery manager and extended university instructor, also looks at the event as a great opportunity to self-promote and see his former students.
“It’s a good way to get brand exposure, not just for our beer but also our education program and let people know we’re a taproom open to the public,” Bassett said.
IBW celebrated its fourth year of operations early in 2019 and continues striving to put out the best product possible.
Although the brewery is a trip off campus, IBW has become a place for relaxing and enjoying the good times.
Bobby Saberi, a senior kinesiology student, enjoys walking to the brewery because it offers different food options than what is available on campus and has a variety of drink options.
“Seeing a new beer released every month is very unique and it’s impressive to see them create everything from scratch,” Saberi said. “It’s pretty cool to see students be a part of the brewery and it is something that not many universities can offer.”
The event will cost $55 for those who choose to enjoy the beer tastings and a ticket priced at $25 will be available to those who commit to being the designated driver.
The designated driver ticket will allow for unlimited food samples, but will not include any beer pours.
Tickets are available for purchase online at the La Verne On Tap website, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-verne-on-tap-beer-walk-2019-tickets-69282647263.
Cpl. Joshua Wells of the La Verne Police Department reminds those who plan on attending the event of the importance of utilizing rideshare programs and the designated driver ticket.
“We want to stress to the people that drinking and driving is illegal, dangerous and causes a public safety issue,” Wells said. “Whether you’re a local resident or a college student, unfortunately alcohol doesn’t differentiate on who it affects and how it affects people.”
