Tired of the 270 rainy days per year of his hometown Vancouver, Tony Yanow and his wife packed their bags and headed to sunny Los Angeles in the late 1990s, but it wasn’t until 4.5 years ago that Yanow took the plunge and opened up Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank, a pub specializing in craft beer and sausages.
From there, Yanow went on to open Golden Road Brewing and Mohawk Bend, two wildly popular brew-centric businesses, and founded the LA Vegan Beer Fest, which drew a crowd of 2,500 people last year. Even in the short time that Yanow has been on the food and beer scene, he’s shown that passion, hard work and a love for people are all you need to be successful.
We caught up with Yanow to chat about his love of beer, community building and vegan cuisine.
Why is LA a good place for a craft beer brewery?
First of all, I live here and I plan to live here forever, and I love beer. It’s a giant market and compared to other metropolitan areas, it has a small amount of craft beer, although it’s growing with a rapid intensity. When I started Golden Road Brewing, no one else was packaging their beer. The beer scene in LA more than seven years ago was nonexistent.
What’s the first beer you ever drank?
The first beer I remember was Budweiser and it was interesting to me because it wasn’t available in Canada. I also remember trying the Pilsner Urquell, the oldest pilsner in the world made in Pilsen.
What sparked your interest in beer?
My mom’s family owned a winery. Maybe I got into beer because I was a rebel. I literally have been interested in beer since I was a kid. In Canada, beer is a relaxed thing, but here it’s seen as artisanal.
What or who influences you the most?
Beer has come to me in many ways throughout my life. The things that I find most inspiring in beer I see is Sierra Nevada Brewing and its owner Ken Grossman. Sierra Nevada, without a hesitation, is the most righteous company in beer. They have a positive impact on the community and the environment. The first time I tried Sierra Nevada was in a parking lot when I was touring with the Grateful Dead.
What’s the best beer you’ve ever made?
The best beer I ever made is an Imperial Rye Porter. That beer was adapted by Golden Road and turned into the Hudson Porter, named after my son Hudson. Our Wolf Among Weeds IPA is another one of my favorites.
What sets Golden Road Brewing apart from other breweries in LA?
In the end of the day, the things that matter to me are: is the beer fresh, good and local? I’d rather support the local economy and support the people in my neighborhood. Craft beer drinkers by nature are fickle, they’re explorers and they always want to try something new.
What are your favorite beer/dish combos at Tony’s, Golden Road and Mohawk Bend?
At Mohawk Bend, I get the Banh Mi Pizza pretty much every time and drink the Wolf Among Weeds with that; it’s my go-to when I’m there. At Tony’s Darts Away, I drink Point The Way the most and eat the Vegan Apple of my Eye. At GRB, I eat the Southwest Burger and I drink Atwater Pale Ale.
Where did the inspiration for vegan beer fest come from?
I maintain a strict vegetarian diet. The festival combines my three favorite things: beer, vegan food and hanging outside with my friends.
What do you love most about beer?
That’s like asking what I love most about my kids. I love the first and second beer after work. Sitting down, relaxing and having a beer or two. I love the community in the beer scene and the events we get to participate in, like creating specialty beers for the LA River Revitalization Project and Heal the Bay. The beer community’s impact on the community at large is huge. I love making things and I love to drink beer.
Where’s the best place to take an out-of-towner?
I love Crossroads Kitchen—yum.
What’s the one question no one asks you that you wish they did?
People ask me about me all the time, but people don’t ask me about my team. I have a spectacular team and I wish people would ask me more about what they’re doing and less about what I’m doing. This team that we have makes me heart so happy.
What’s your next move?
Going to the fridge to have a beer and saying, “Hi,” to my kids.
