USA, CA: Beer Thug Brewing Co. coming to Bell in November

Edgar Preciado, founder of BeerThugLife LLC., announces the official opening of Beer Thug Brewing Co. in the city of Bell, CA. Mr. Preciado will be opening a brewery and taproom via an alternate proprietorship with Border X Brewing located at 4400 E Gage Ave, Bell, CA 90201, The Full Pint reported on October 24.

Joining forces with Border X Brewing and Mujeres Brew House, the addition of Beer Thug Brewing Co. will contribute to the palate of Latinx craft beer culture. Each of the three brewing companies will add to the diverse Latinx landscape offering beer, food, music, and aesthetics reminiscent of traditional, contemporary, and postmodern Latinx culture.

With plans to open this November, it is with the utmost importance that Beer Thug Brewing and Mr. Preciado contribute to the diverse landscape of Los Angeles by offering an inclusive atmosphere where the only criteria for entry is one’s appreciation for delicious, craft beer.

Mr. Preciado began his venture into the craft beer industry in 2018 after he recorded a video of him chugging a triple, hazy IPA from Monkish Brewing on a drunken night. Prefacing the chug with a raunchy quip, the video on Instagram would end up garnering thousands of views. It was at that moment that Mr. Preciado realized an opportunity to change his life.

Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, “Those streets were mean,” recalls Mr. Preciado in an article published by the Los Angeles Times. Enduring the troubling and discriminating inequities people of color face in ghettos, Mr. Preciado took solace in craft beer and its community.

Since then, Edgar has amassed over 16,000 followers on Instagram where he posts chugging videos and brewery trips. He would go on to collaborate as a contract brewer with Death Row Records, BeerAdvocate, Beer Zombies Brewing Co., Crowns and Hops Brewing Co., King Brewing Co. and 8Bit Brewing Co.

Border X Brewing is a brewery that offers craft beer inspired by classic Mexican flavors. The brewery opened nine years ago in San Diego and co-owns Mujeres Brew House. As a new player in Southern California’s Mexican-inspired brewery landscape, Border X joins good company with makers like Progress Brewing in South El Monte, Monrovia’s Pacific Plate Brewing Company, and Wiretap Brewing on the west edge of Lincoln Heights.

There’s a total of 16 beers on tap in the nearly 7,000 square foot space, which includes a tasting room, a 45 foot long bar on the first floor, and an open airy mezzanine. Community tables fill the space, with a mural celebrating street vendors and artwork from the Boyle Heights community arts center Self Help Graphics & Art.

An all female-run and Latina-owned brewery, Mujeres Brew House was established in July 2020 by Carmen Velasco-Favela to offset the lack of female representation in the craft beer industry. “They’re not conforming to the industry,” says David Favela, co-founder of Border X Brewing and Velasco-Favela’s partner in business and life.

Mujeres Brew House started simply as a craft beer club at Border X. But Border X Brewing has broken more than just a cultural boundary. “We are part of that movement of people who aren’t content to just reflect on the colonial history of Latinos,” says Favela. “We’re trying to reinterpret what it means be Latino/Mexican American/Chicano today. In that sense, we’re cultural transformers.”

25 October, 2022