Meet Laurie Porter | Local Craft Brewery Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laurie Porter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laurie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk-taking and entrepreneurship go hand in hand! To start a business, you’ve got to believe so completely in your product that you cannot imagine failure and that belief is at the heart of why we started Smog City.

Over the years, Porter and I have worked hard to build Smog City into a company that isn’t just about brewing world-class beers, it’s about community, and making lasting connections that resonate with customers and keep them coming back for more. But at the core of it all, it’s still just a leap of faith at every move.

To be honest, I’ve seen us get a bit more risk-averse as we’ve survived the last 5 years. The bigger we grow, the more unpredictable influences we experience, the more staff we are responsible for, and the more brand equity we’ve built all rests heavily on our shoulders. Luckily, Porter and I come from a creative background and continue to lean hard into innovation in all elements of our brewery, and the understanding that we have to earn every dollar we make and take no wins for granted.

The next few years will be integral in determining the legacy of craft beer and Smog City. Will our fans continue to come out and celebrate our IPAs and the iconic Little Bo Pils and Sabre-Toothed Squirrel? Will they continue to support small family-owned businesses? As a brewer-owned and operated craft brewery, we sure hope so! We need thirsty fans to keep doing what we love and we invite everyone to visit our taprooms or buy our beers in your local bars and stores and by doing so, you will continue to share in our story and success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Something many people don’t know about my husband and me is that we are photographers by trade and education, we graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia and then moved to California together in 2002.

We have often attributed much of Smog City Brewing’s success to this creative and unusual background. As artists, we look at our business differently than traditional entrepreneurs; we approach problems with creative, out-of-the-box solutions, and we love, above all else, to innovate in all aspects of Smog, from beer recipes to label design and our taproom ecosystem. All of these strategies have served Smog City well throughout the years.

Additionally, one of our key contributing successes comes from our genuine approach to developing a brand that resonates with our fans. Although we could have created a more universal (everyone likes it) brand, we chose to dig deep with our consumer base to build loyalty and trust. and, if we’ve done our job, there’s a group of super loyalists that love Smog City for being “their brand”.

One final thing about Smog and intentional design is our logo, you might have noticed that the tree’s roots make up the DTLA skyline. Our brewery’s philosophy is to dig deep in Los Angeles and leave a lasting positive impact on our community. One of the ways we’ve done that is through our 1% for the Planet initiative. Smog City contributes 1% of our gross revenue to local environmental partners, some of the partners have been working with Smog for 10 years. It’s a part of our company’s ethos that we are very proud of and feeds into that out-of-the-box thinking about community and brand.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When friends and family visit us in L.A. my primary goal is to take them on the most epic food and drink adventure possible. LA has an incredible wealth of cuisines, there’s just no place like it, in my opinion.
Living in Torrance, we’re huge fans of Japanese and Korean cuisine and there’s such a vibrant community here. I’d likely take them to a local ramen shop, a Japanese market or Sushi Nozomi, my favorite sushi restaurant in LA(get the scallop nigiri!), or if we’re feeling adventurous, we’d venture to Koreatown for a table at Soot Bull Jeep or Ethiopian food in Little Ethiopia on la Cienega. For a really fancy, never-forget-it experience, Shibumi in DTLA is my go-to for the ultimate Wow Factor. 

I also love L.A.’s architecture, driving the streets of LA you see such variety and creativity, Venice Beach has some amazingly unique homes and hidden walk-streets that make you feel like you’ve been transported to another place entirely. No architecture tour is complete without the Greene & Greene homes of Pasadena. The Gamble House is stunning and always a crowd-pleaser. Unfortunately, on the other side of the city, in Palos Verdes, the beautiful Wayfarers Chapel built by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr has been deconstructed to save it from the landslides, but that would have been one of my top stops…the drive along the cliffs of Palos Verdes is an experience in itself and worth the drive. Cross-crossing the city, there’s the Hollyhock House by Frank Lloyd Wright, The Bradbury building in DTLA, and directly across the street is Grand Central Market, another cool food experience.

If you want to get outside, one of my favorite hikes is Switzer Falls hike in the Angeles Forest, getting to it is an incredible drive and you’ll often see sporty cars driving the mountain roads, which is a bonus. This hike is a total fairyland of old oaks and water! It’s refreshing to walk along the bubble stream.

I know it might sound self-indulgent coming from me but L.A. truly has an incredible variety of breweries with diverse offerings and unique taprooms. We’re making world-class beer here. Luckily we also have great craft beer bars to support our robust brewing community, so I’d be sure to drop into 329 bar at The Grove and while you’re there buy some small batch beef jerky at Huntington Meats. Visit Verdugo bar, Tony’s Darts Away, or Glendale Tap to experience the local beer culture with owners and bartenders who truly love craft beer. L.A. is such an awesome beer city and a visit should always include at least one craft beer stop! Smog City has 4 taprooms across L.A., so when in L.A. look for “Smog”, it’s everywhere! 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As far as evolution in my industry, I’d say that I owe much of my personal growth to serving on the board of the California Craft Brewers Association and the amazing host of brewery owners I have had the honor to serve alongside. The craft beer community is one of intense and genuine solidarity, a “rising tides raises all boats” mentality, and through my endeavors to support the long-term sustainability of craft beer in California, I have been incredibly fortunate to have grown alongside the inspiring breweries in CA.

Website: https://www.Smogcitybrewing.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/smogcitybeer/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smogcity

Twitter: smogcitybeer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smogcitybrewing

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/smog-city-brewing-torrance-brewery-and-taproom-torrance

Image Credits
photo credit: Smog City Brewing Co