Backyard BBQ Vibes at Benny Boy Brewing

Benny Boy Brewing is one of those places that reminds me of the social drinking culture back in Korea. It’s about being laid back and taking the time to spend time with friends and potentially meet new folks, but in a uniquely American environment.

Benny Boy is run by a husband and wife team who wanted to bring an “urban-backyard” feel to craft beer and cider. They combine a working brewery, cidery, beer garden and “tank bar” all into one, so you can sip a fresh pint straight from the tanks, hangout in the beer-garden courtyard or even chill by the fire pits. It’s meant to feel like hanging out at someone’s house, and you definitely get that laidback feel.

One of their signature events that I got to check out was their Applefest, a seasonal fall festival that celebrates the apple harvest and brings cider culture to life. Applefest weekends feature pop-up food vendors, live music, apple-themed donuts and desserts and of course lots of different apple ciders. You can even try your hand at apple pressing. And if you volunteer, once the cider is ready after a few months, they’ll invite you back to get a FREE pint of the cider you helped make! So cool!

This particular event featured hot spiced mulled cider, craft cider flights (dry to fruity), and the release of their signature Pippin Pommeau Batch 3, a holiday apple brandy-juice blend. What piqued my interest was their Applefest Flight that came with sparkling cider, guava cider, pomegranate cider and cranberry ginger cider. To be honest I really enjoyed them all, but the guava cider was unanimously everyones favorite.

The food vendors change up every day of the festival and being native Texans, we were looking forward to River Street BBQ. This pop-up vendor specializes in Texas-inspired BBQ. We got their sampler platter that came with brisket, ribs, sausage, mac n’ cheese and potato salad and it did not disappoint. Everything was so flavorful and the meat on the rib practically just melted off the bone. And for dessert we got our hands on an apple cider cinnamon roll from Just What I Kneaded Bakery. It was so soft with pieces of apple and cider just oozing out the center. Absolutely mouth watering.

Benny Boy Brewing hosts all kinds of cool little festivals and events like this all year round, so if you’re in the LA area definitely check out their Instagram to see what they’re planning next. I know I will definitely be back again.