Hopsaint Brewing UPDATE - Torrance

Times are hard but I am lucky. Few can boast of job security right now, but all my extra years of training are finally paying off. I may be on the front lines of a deadly pandemic, but at least I can fight it with some of the best people I know.

I GET to work here, I GET to share the space with them, and they make the world a little better place by existing. 

Some of the best times I’ve shared with them were at Hopsaint, and those weekday happy hours are what I’m hanging onto as I don't get to see them outside the office anymore.

Our happy hours are on an indefinite hold, and sometimes it feels like happiness is as well. But with a click of a mouse and a swipe of a card to Grubhub, at least I can try to remember those good times again.

A dunk of a buttered baguette into a Shrimp Dynamite sauce and I can see us crowding around a menu, picking out the first beer to try. 

The habanero is a creamy kick in the mouth, and it always pairs with the hoppy twang of the latest IPA. A round of beers are getting guzzled, we exclaim about the flavors as we take one down and pass it around. There’s always a healthy debate raging between the IPA die-hards and the gentlemen who prefer blonds.

A bolder person than me breaks the seal and white lava pours from a hot Baked Brie. Almonds float on top like pumice, and there are fruits of the season to sweeten the deal: summer stone fruit when we’re sweltering in our shorts or a fruity jam when we’re in our jackets. 

Another round of beers, as the banter takes an upward turn. There’s always at least one crack about my cats, and sometimes sports rivalries find their way into the friendly fire. 

The Pure Intention always makes an appearance as the meatier stomach-fillers start to come out. 

The hops play off a lighter Catfish Po Boy. A crisp-on-the-outside, all-fluff-within baguette is good enough to be a French, and a catfish filet is serious about its spices.

It's not brisket night tonight, but there's a Brisket Po Boy that'll bring tears to a meat-lover’s eye. A fluffy brioche is cradles cubes of brisket coated with a sugary glaze that turns them into meat candy.

Chicken Drumettes count as an app, but they can be substantial with some serious smoke. Choose a sour to pair with the poultry or a hoppier ale to spar with the smoke. I do love a good drummette, but these pickles are competing for the best part of the plate.

I still see them in the office, but the mood is more somber now. The collegiality creates calm amidst the chaos but there’s less laughter without the booze. I miss shared experience of discovery, the competitiveness of corn hole and giant Jenga. 

Hang in there, guys, we'll get back to Hopsaint someday. I’ll always be your social chair, waiting for the day we take off our masks to pass the brisket and the beers.