The Most Dope
The Most Dope Podcast: Join us on a thrilling journey through life, adventure, and business as we bring you The Most Dope Podcast! Hosted by a dynamic duo with a passion for DJing, MCing, photobooths, and balloon art, we dive into the latest in current events and pop culture. Whether you're an entrepreneur, an event enthusiast, or just someone who loves a good story, our podcast has something for everyone. Tune in for insightful conversations, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and a whole lot of fun. Get ready to be inspired, entertained, and enlightened with every episode of The Most Dope Podcast!
The Most Dope
Brews, Beats, and Business w/ Beck of Off the Rails
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a passion for hip-hop and craft beer into a thriving business? Join us as we chat with Beck, the dynamic owner of Off the Rails in Bakersfield. Beck shares her incredible journey from being anti-club to creating a mature, chill space that offers exclusive brews and a welcoming atmosphere. We discuss how she navigated the challenges of starting her business in a city where country and Latin music dominate the scene and her commitment to fostering a community for both seasoned craft beer enthusiasts and curious newcomers.
In this episode, you'll learn about the broader world of craft beer entrepreneurship in Southern California. Beck opens up about the significant risks and rewards of opening her own brewery and the hurdles she faced along the way, such as local regulations and unpredictable weather. The importance of climate control in enhancing customer experience is underscored, along with personal tipping points that drove her to take the plunge into business ownership. We also reflect on memorable moments and obstacles encountered since Off the Rails' inception, offering valuable insights into the craft beer industry.
But it doesn't stop at beer! Beck's Off the Rails is a vibrant community hub, hosting events like epic birthday parties with the Funk Freaks, engaging with the local community through the Arts Council's First Fridays, and partnering with Cruisin' for Charity. Beck shares her exciting future plans to transform the bar into a lounge and kitchen combo, featuring live music, DJ nights, and innovative paint nights. Tune in to hear about the diverse music that sets the mood at Off the Rails and Beck's unwavering dedication to providing a unique and enjoyable experience for all.
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Most Dope Podcast! We hope you enjoyed the ride and found some inspiration along the way. Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review our podcast on your preferred platform. Stay in touch with us on social media for the latest updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more dope content. Until next time, stay dope and keep the good vibes rolling.
all right, y'all. This is the most dope proprietor of Off the Rails downtown craft brew and there's a bit of a fusion with her hops and her music. There's some connection there. This is episode three. Episode three. Episode three.
Speaker 2We got the queen bee over here, right here, queen bee how you doing over there?
Speaker 1good yeah, yes, hanging in there yes, how are you?
Speaker 2I'm great it's my birthday today I know happy birthday, I got the big faux faux I know 40 faux.
Speaker 1I'm getting old, I got gray coming in my beard, all kinds of shit Hair growing out of my ears and nose places and we don't want that shit growing, so Beck.
Speaker 2That's me.
Speaker 1Tell us a little bit about yourself, a little bit about your history.
Speaker 2Oh gosh, okay. So I think, when it comes to me, and my love for beer is because I've always been anti-club, so take me to a brewery. I'd rather do that and chill than, as opposed, to go have some cocktails where people might bump into me and their music's too, as opposed to all right the chill vibes yeah I'm just super chill low energy, all right.
Speaker 1So, um, how did you get started with off the rails it's it's craft brew in bakersfield. Bakersfield has some breweries coming up doing their thing. Lengthwise has been here for a long time, several other establishments. They have either come and gone or they're still around, but not super relevant, I guess you could say. How did you get started with the idea that I want to own my own craft beer shop?
Speaker 2First, I think it started with the idea of having a place that was a little bit unique to what Bakersfield had to offer. One thing about Bakersfield there is no shortage of places to go. If you are a country music person, you can go to restaurants or bars wherever, and there's going to be somebody plucking a banjo or whatever.
Speaker 1Sorry, Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, typecasting around here, right? I'm just like I'm not a country girl.
Speaker 2So that's kind of where I was like. I wanted a place where you can chill and it was pretty and that there would be like hip-hop, but it didn't have to be like somewhere that was like ratchet or you know it, grimy. I wanted it to be like a mature spot classy especially for somebody.
Speaker 2I'm up there, middle-aged lady here and I want to still have a good time and listen to good music and enjoy a good beer and not, um, have to just be inundated with too much silly stuff or, you know, wild things going on around. So the thought process was build a place for mature people to come kick it. And also, I've always been a craft beer girl and, knowing a lot of brewers all over, especially in California, I had access to being able to bring things to Bakersfield that nobody else did. So my spot is unique and I've got wild beers that nobody else has and no other stores carry and you can enjoy it here. Or, if you're just like, no, I'm an introvert, I want to go home, take your beers to go. So we offer both and um, and it's unique. I love that I have a space where people that are unfamiliar can come and we can sample something, and I get it all the time. I don't drink beer. Well, but have you had this?
Speaker 1have you tried this?
Speaker 2yes, and so then I got you locked in and now you're on mine.
Speaker 1Now you're gonna come every week and you're gonna sample, you're gonna taste something new. Every week you'll drink the one that you were introduced to, that you love. But you also say, hey, beck, give me a suggestion or let me try this one. They'll try it. If they like it, great. If not, they still have their, their base for sure, and uh.
Speaker 2The one thing, though, that I've learned is that I thought I'm going to open up this spot and everybody's going to like just love the beer the way I did, and everybody's just gonna come. Good beer doesn't bring people in bakersfield out of their houses. You have to really pull and pluck them and say this is fun, come do this uh you know, I've got this event every friday, this one's saturday, this one's on may.
Speaker 2So just hey, you to stay at it. But that's kind of where the you know the initial. Let's build this and they will come story, I guess.
Speaker 1So I agree with that, bakersfield being quote unquote country, right. Obviously the history and the background, with Buck Owens, merle Haggard, you know some of the OGs of the country game, right. And then, on the other end, like I feel like it's a huge latin population, right and you're going to talk about zama. You're going to talk about puesto. You're going to talk about um, this place over here on hegman, I don't remember new estro is there too, but this other one that, uh, they had opened up in that shopping center.
Speaker 1You guys go get your nails done at oh, um ritmo, ritmo yeah, yeah, there's a, there's a whole bunch, and then, uh, agave or casa tequila, and there's all kinds of country or latin very true and no shortage of lines yeah, and they just keep opening up, they just keep popping up, they just keep popping up everywhere.
Speaker 1right, but it is geared towards the younger crowd, it seems. You know, 22, 23, up to like 27. So we went out. You know we've been out a couple times with many of her friends and we've tried, we've tried. What is it called again, nostro?
Speaker 2No, the one we just did.
Speaker 1Ritmo Monopoly for a brief second when it was over on Oak.
Speaker 2Like a second. We were in there for like a second.
Speaker 1In and out. We were like, nah, this is not our spot, right? And the other thing is again middle age 44, 37, 38, 39, whatever. I won't give your age out on the air.
Speaker 2Sure, she's young. I'm on the upper end of the 40s, I'm the baby.
Speaker 1So I'm okay out of the group, I'm the baby. But yeah, we go into these establishments Looking to have a nice evening, a nice time, things of that nature and it's too rowdy, it's too young. And then I go in there and I feel like people are looking at me like who's this old man, like this is not your spot anymore. Old timer, like what are you doing here? This is for us young kids.
Speaker 2You phased out. Yeah, we're out. I don't care about people bumping into me. It's too cluttered.
Speaker 1I don't like that and that presents opportunities for other bad things to happen misunderstandings. People are drunk and they perceive things a certain way that shouldn't be perceived. Hey, it was innocent. I'm sorry. I stepped on you, Jay, my bad.
Speaker 2But it's not worth dying for. No no.
Speaker 1So, without talking too poorly about some of these places, they're just not for us and we do like the older. We've been to Foxtail Lounge.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, that's super chill.
Speaker 1That's a chill place right and I think Crash is pretty chill. For the most part, I love Crash A couple of times that we've been there, but one of our big influences in what we love is out in Ventura.
Speaker 1It's called Rocks drams oh yeah, love rocks and drams because it's very mature, very classy. Um, they have djs in there. They'll do vinyl sets and they're doing r&b, they're doing neo soul, they're doing real laid-back, chill, nice music with substance, right, and again I'm gonna get in trouble with some of the viewers of like hey what do you mean? Music with substance. You know, you don't think little zan or somebody has substance.
Speaker 2No, I don't, motherfucker, I don't but that's true, you know what you guys would like. The gold line, gold Line Bar, is it Eagle Rock? It's the Stones Throw spot, so we'll find that for you so that you can make sure to check that out. Yeah, they do vinyl sets and they definitely have some really good guest DJs will pop in. I think Psycho Les is there once a week and I know Howe Shoes have been there, of course, once a week, and I know how she's been there, of course, and um, but good DJs that know how to just read the room of a good energy.
Speaker 2We're not trying to twerk on the bar, or things, or you know, make your elbows touch your knees, whatever. But, you know we still, if we're in our forties, we want to go out and have a good time and listen to some music, and at a tolerable volume level.
Speaker 1Where we can still communicate.
Speaker 2We're at, I think, maybe at an age where we are valuing our time with our friends. So we want to like, kind of, get all of our friends together and talk and be like, wow, this was a week and all this shit happened, and you know, but hey, don't you love this song, I love this song. Get all of our friends together and talk and be like, wow, this was a week and all this shit happened.
Speaker 1But hey, don't you love this song.
Speaker 2I love this song and it makes me think about that. Whatever, whatever. Whereas you've got to love your 20-somethings, of course they're just trying to get out and move and get dressed up and meet somebody. Get the attention of whoever they want. Opposite sex, not the opposite. Whatever, Whoever not the opposite.
Speaker 1Whatever, whatever your preference, but they're having a good time.
Speaker 2I mean, I know in my 20s, yeah, I did that, but I grew up super young so we were going to La Movida for college night.
Speaker 1What was it? Aldo's? Yes, Aldo's La Movida.
Speaker 2I was talking to a DJ that used to DJ there during that time and telling him like that shit wouldn't fly nowadays, college night. We went to college night because my boyfriend husband he was 18 when I was 16. So in order for us to get into the club, you had to go on a Thursday. It was college night, where 16-year-olds had the wristbands and we couldn't drink, of course, but that shit would not fly nowadays.
Speaker 2And so, yeah, I feel like I grew up young clubbing at 16. And so in my 20s, just midway through it, I was already like I'm ready to be a mom, like this is crazy. Just midway through it, I was already like I'm ready to be a mom, like this is crazy and um. But the younger 20 somethings nowadays they're out and heavy in in numbers and so, yes, there's a not a shortage of places to go if you're looking to drink and have a good time and you know, just keep it going like Like overpours, whatever.
Speaker 1You're out there doing too much. Your drug of choice, yeah, all that good stuff.
Speaker 2You know, I guess that's cool, it's just, it's not for me. So I avoid anything where high heels are a requirement. No, thank you If. I can't go in my Vans, I ain't going.
Speaker 1Yeah, you got to be comfy. Yeah, and we're at that age, you know again I need a supportive shoe, yeah At that age.
Speaker 2We're going to the Skechers store Memory foam when are those cloud shoes?
Speaker 1They got all kinds of expensive shoes. They have the memory foam.
Speaker 2Yeah, the Vans have to have the comfy cush, or else I ain't doing it.
Speaker 1But yeah, we again middle age, we're in relationships, either married or deep in fiance. You know we're not out there trying to meet anybody, um, and yeah, we just want to spend some quality time with some quality people. Yeah, yeah, let me ask, um you mentioned that you you used to escape bakersfield quite a bit. You lived your life here. Then on the weekends Friday, saturday, sunday you'd jet out, go wherever. What was your favorite spot?
Speaker 2Oh gosh, I love visiting Santa Barbara.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2Ever since I was born, every summer we would spend a week in carpentry, a santa barbara area, and we would um, it was just like tradition. So when I got married, I told my husband this is where we go, this is what we're doing. He had never been to any beach other than venice beach and uh, and he was like, no, it sounds boring. I was like there's other places.
Speaker 1Yeah, trust me.
Speaker 2And so then I just love it there. It's pretty, it's chill, and there's like an area called the Funk Zone where you could just walk to multiple breweries and restaurants, and so our favorite thing would be to stay in a hotel in that area and we never have to get in the car for days.
Speaker 1No Uber, no car, you just walk up and down.
Craft Beer Entrepreneurship and Challenges
Speaker 2Yeah walk off your beer and your snacks, whatever. And it's just so pretty and the weather is always great, but that was always a fun vacation spot. I have my favorite breweries that I like to visit when I'm in this socal area and, um, sometimes some of the spots maybe didn't necessarily have like the greatest beer per se, but just the vibe and the art and the music. It was like I just want to hang out here the entire experience as a whole overall, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2And that's kind of where I was like inspired when I make my place. Maybe people don't like craft beer, but they keep coming back and they'll find something that they like or find a reason or find a friend that they want to bring, because they came on, like you know, arts and crafts Day or whatever, and had a good time and just enjoyed the experience and the vibe.
Speaker 1All right, we were talking about favorite hip-hop, hip-hop artists, albums, soundtracks, things like that. I told you one of mine is the Roots Roots huge. One of their albums is called the Tipping Point. And the Tipping Point is that point where everything happens. Everything happens at that tipping point and then you know, a result happens at the end of it. What was your tipping point? If you will, opening off the rails, when were you at? What were you doing? Who were you talking to? That said you know what? Fuck it. I'm going to go downtown, I'm going to find a spot and I'm going to open up my own craft brewery.
Speaker 2I guess I kind of had a couple of tipping points, but number one being to take that leap was that my kids were getting older and moving on with their lives. But if I died and didn't take some sort of risk with my you know what makes me special then I would have had just this regret, and that's the part that I don't think I would have been able to live with is regretting. You know why didn't I take a chance on me?
Speaker 1Why didn't you bet on yourself?
Speaker 2Why didn't I bet on myself? Because I do think I'm kind of kick ass and I think that's kind of what makes me special. And but damn, in retrospect you do open up a lot of just doors of exposing yourself and you try to stay positive as being a creative soul and saying I made this beautiful thing. Now everybody come, and then when people don't, then you're just like, well, shit, I guess I might as well go beg for my job back, but I'm still in the grind, I'm still in the fight and still trying to continue on making this something special. But that was probably like the big motivator is. Do I want to live with a life of regret for not just trying? And then the other thing here in Bakersfield the breweries and places to go. If you want to enjoy craft beer Not so much climate controlled you go to breweries and it's kind of got that outdoor feel. Sometimes it's kind of garagey.
Speaker 1They got that big garage door that swings up and it's just whatever the weather is, it is, and maybe they have some fans, but it's not AC.
Speaker 2If it's brew day, forget it, because the humidity is yikes and I am a natural curly girl and I would walk out like Mufasa at the end of the day.
Speaker 2And then, oh gosh, do not tell me my place has misters or whatever. That's a hard no for me. You have misters, I'm not coming to your establishment. And so, that being said, though, wintertime too, I still want to enjoy a cold beer in December, you know, and if I have to wear a parka, then that kind of takes away from the experience. So I was like I'm going to have central air and it's going to be great, and then it's going to be so toasty warm in December that everybody's going to be fine drinking mimosas if it's 50 degrees outside. So having a space that was climate controlled was definitely another thing that I was like this is going to be a big seller.
Speaker 1What's your ideal temperature? 76. 76 on the dot. No wait, that's like outside like a good day for me All right.
Speaker 2My AC in the bar stays at 69.
Speaker 1Okay, all right, we kind of live like that. We live like that quite a bit.
Speaker 2It's nice and chill.
Speaker 1What's some challenges that you have faced since opening?
Speaker 2Gosh, there's so many. I mean, there's a ton of challenges, even when it comes to just like dealing with city and the county and all of the different entities that you have to make happy. And then, just when you think, yay, I did everything.
Speaker 2Right, then the fire department they spring something else on you and I do my best to try to stay on top of things, but, um, being a new business owner and just starting from scratch a lot of the time, it's very much begging for forgiveness. Oh, I didn't know you couldn't do that.
Speaker 1Sure Little slap on the hand.
Speaker 2Yeah, and then, of course, there's times when I have to throw out some name drops from family members or whatever I can, just to be like please, please don't shut me down which it works sometimes, but those are challenges. And then the biggest challenge is the things that are totally out of your hands, things that you can't control. And in the last two years we've had some of the wettest rainy seasons, the longest rainy seasons.
Speaker 1Yeah, all the lakes are filled.
Speaker 2Which people don't like to drive in the rain. In Bakersfield we're not one of those towns where it rains so much.
Speaker 1We're not in Washington Seattle.
Speaker 2If a sprinkle starts happening at 5 pm, everybody's going straight home and there's no more of these. Well, let's just drink, have one beer and stop off before we head home. Or let's just meet for one cocktail. No, that doesn't happen. So the weather is the one thing that is just out of my hands. So those types of things are super sad.
Speaker 1What's your most memorable memory so far Off? The Rails has been open for almost three years now Almost two, almost two, okay so almost two. What's the biggest highlight? What's the biggest memory? If you were to leave everything today, what's the one thing that you're going to remember that's going to bring the most joy to you?
Visiting Off the Rails Brewery
Speaker 2uh, this year, uh, for my birthday, for my birthday weekend, I wanted to make sure to get like my favorite entertainment on the stage. So which was the funk freaks okay I love the Funk Freaks.
Speaker 2They're a group of DJs that play all vinyl, 80s funk and deep cuts and all that fun stuff. So, um and uh some people find this hard to believe. I do like to drink beer. I don't like being drunk, so I do like to have that one day a year my birthday where I'm like I'm going to get a nice little buzz and have a good time. So it's really really stressful, though, when we have these busy, busy days. So I made sure all hands were on deck and my friends kind of took me out to some of the surrounding little spots around downtown, took me out to some of the surrounding little spots around downtown, so that by the time I was ready to go and have some fun, the party was already started, djs were on the stage and I didn't have to worry about any of it. So this year for my birthday, funk Freaks were on stage.
Speaker 2I walked up and the place was packed there you go and it was probably the most packed it honestly, yes, I think it was the most packed it had ever been. And, um, and when I walked in, there was like hundreds of smiles like saying, hey back, hey back. When I walked in and I just wanted to cry because I was like every it's like having that dream birthday party when everyone's having fun and everybody's happy to see you. And it happened like to me and it was so exciting and so, um, it was a big deal and that was probably something that I could take away. I was like I freaking, at least once had an epic party.
Speaker 2There you go and it was a good time and we made some money that day too.
Speaker 1Oh, that doesn't hurt. You know, that's a nice bonus.
Speaker 2But yeah, it was definitely fun and I learned there was a lot of people that come from out of town, from up north, to come to see them, because they generally stay in the socal area, so a lot of people they had the opportunity to meet them in you know midpoint in bakersfield.
Speaker 1Yes, they didn't have to go all the way down south to go see them it was a good time.
Speaker 2That's nice. I need to get them back what is um?
Speaker 1what is your guys' capacity there?
Speaker 2100, technically.
Speaker 1Technically, yeah, it's 100.
Speaker 2We have a really big basement that technically can get included into our total square footage.
Speaker 1Oh, there you go, but I don't, you don't utilize it, I don't. We'll utilize the number, but we're not going to utilize the space down there.
Speaker 2I keep it at 100. I think technically I could fit 140-ish, but yeah.
Speaker 1Keeping it 100.
Speaker 2Keeping it 100.
Speaker 1That's a nice one. Right there, we keep it 100 around here.
Speaker 2Now available in our upcoming merch.
Speaker 1Yeah, hey, keep it 100 with Off the.
Speaker 2Rails, y'all Tagline hey.
Speaker 1Hey, that sounds pretty nice. Um, what are your musical influences where? How did you get started with hip-hop? What you know? There's a movie that I love. It's called brown sugar, and in that movie, when did you fall in love with hip-hop? Now, hip-hop ended up being anthony a gentleman. What's your husband's name? His name's anthony. Love with hip-hop. Now hip-hop ended up being Anthony a gentleman. What's your husband's name?
Speaker 2His name's Anthony.
Speaker 1Anthony. Hip-hop ended up being Anthony. Right, it ended up being a guy in the movie. But what's your influence? Where did you fall in love with hip-hop?
Speaker 2For me, my dad always listened to jazz. It was, he was always a jazz jazzy guy, whether it be, like you know, old traditional jazz or like smooth jazz.
Speaker 1What are we talking like?
Speaker 2Nat King Cole, dizzy Gillespie, more like, oh gosh, he used to listen to a lot of like. I don't know if you know naji oh yeah yeah, so like smooth jazz okay so that type of thing and then, uh, of course, like when you think of like old school type of music, but he was also always super jazzy and a lot of quincy jones, like anything that quincy had produced.
Speaker 2My dad had like a box set up so I listened to a lot of like Stevie Wonder growing up and James Ingram and Bobby Caldwell and stuff like that. So it was always those influences and so kind of. About the time I was a junior high. I was when De La Soul started to come out and then Tribe Called Quest and it was just funny listening to that and then being in the car and him pointing out the samples.
Speaker 1This is where this came from. Yeah.
Speaker 2So you know, knowing that background of it, and my mom listened to a lot more like kind of classic rock type of stuff, so on my mom, she was very like Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac and stuff like that, stevie Nicks and all that Right.
Speaker 2So like knowing Steely Dan and the countless samples coming out of that too, so that just kind of influenced into me loving hip hop and then it mostly being East Coast stuff, just because that's more to me, the jazzy influence, and when it comes to like West Coast stuff, yeah that, yeah, that stuff's sample, but it was always a little on the gangsters yeah, a little gangster rap, yeah and I've never really been super gangster rap.
Speaker 2Of course, big nod and respect and whatever and yeah, like I'll put it on in the summertime at the cookout, but it was just never something that I was like throw that on, and so that jazz influence has always been kind of where I was with my love for hip hop All right, All right.
Speaker 1In your facility at Off the Rails you have music playing all the time.
Speaker 2We do, and I'm a Pisces, I'm super moody, so it's going to just kind of reflect on it and and so we open it too. And that's because I've definitely been in times where I was in jury duty or in a meeting or something. I get to get out it too.
Speaker 2boss says you're good for the day, but maybe I don't want to go straight home sure and so that's where we get a lot of our um, you know, after lunch considering going back to work type of people. So during that part of the day it's like a funky energy. Nobody's trying to listen to DJ Quick at 2 pm on a Tuesday. So my playlist, it's very depending on my mood, it's very depending on my mood, but um, usually I do a lot of like tame impala or the cure or something like that to kind of start my day off.
Speaker 2Sure, a lot of wednesdays we always play gorillas and daft punk and people really love that and um, and then, like sometimes if it's a slow day and it's chill and the energy's just kind of low, I do a lot of. I know I'm gonna jack it up krongbin, krongbin. Have you heard this group? Oh my god you're gonna like it, but it's just and cleo soul okay, all right, very just Sort of just chill vibes.
Speaker 2But very, very hip-hop is just usually somewhere in the day. It's like okay, time to crank this up and I have just a lounge playlist and it's all of my faves. And then Saturdays, the energy is different. There's a lot more like Anderson Paak and Time of the Creator.
Speaker 1Schoolboy Q Anderson Paak Love it. Creator. Schoolboy Q Anderson Paak Love it. Mac Miller, mac Miller they collabed a lot together. He had a big influence with them. So the events that you host there, how do they tie in as far as hip-hop or whatever genre of music it is neo-soul soul, whatever it may be jazz, how does it tie into your beverages?
Speaker 2Funny things. When it comes to craft beer, I always say it is kind of nods to hip-hop, because it's like you've got a lot of brewers that are out there just trying to create something and, uh, sometimes the thing that gets the person's attention is that can art and so, depending on the cans, maybe that's something that's like the names of the beers, like you know, mixtape or dope ass lyrics or whatever. And then you see I carry a lot of cans that do have like this influence of whether it be hip hop or a lot of comic books. You get a lot of that too and, especially for people that don't exactly know what they're drinking, they're going to see that and be like oh, this is fun.
Speaker 2But we like to tie in a lot of art with kind of the vibe that we have going About. Two weeks ago we had an art expedition that was anything but a canvas, and so we had people drawing on boxing gloves, skateboards, you name it Anything but a canvas, and so we had people drawing on boxing gloves, skateboards.
Speaker 1Anything but a canvas. You name it yeah.
Speaker 2And the displays they put on were really, really great. But since we had a lot of local artists, I said, hey, I'm going to throw out some sketchbooks and some markers on the table. Throw out some sketchbooks and some markers on the table. And then that day we ended up having a bunch of like graffiti artists and writers and stuff come out and it just turned out to be a whole like support your local tiger day or whatever, and it was so fun. The energy was just creative. Everybody was drawing and scribbling and showing each other their art and then selling some of their art pieces. And I had a lot of tattoo artists that come into because, of course, we're downtown and um, so it's just kind of lends to just the creative aspect. We always have this good music going to where people are like let's just sit down and paint a picture, sure, why not? I got some paints right here Awesome.
Speaker 2And I just keep them in a little cabinet. We have some little board games and simple stuff Do you have Uno.
Speaker 1Of course you got to have Uno. We love Uno.
Speaker 2It's funny when I tell people yeah, you know, it's a chill spot so we don't have a lot of drama. But when I hear people yelling and I like peek around the bar, it's because the uno cards are out yeah it's not because somebody's like you know you're looking at my girlfriend, or nothing. No, it's because somebody put down a draw for and their life's about to end.
Speaker 1And they're mad if, because they try to put a draw for on top and stack it, it's like hey, that's not an official uno rule, you can't, you can't stack I've had people come to the bar.
Speaker 2You got house rules here. I'm like no, not in this house. You gotta figure it out.
Speaker 1How about give me a couple specific beers that you would suggest to pair with, some like De La or Tribe, or so it's funny.
Speaker 2I had, um, this one. It was from a brewery in el sagano and it's called left my wallet and, uh, the can art looks like you know that, like the squiggly lines from the tribe thing, but gosh.
Speaker 1There's just so many.
Speaker 2That one's tough.
Speaker 1I'm going to put you on the spot, girl.
Speaker 2So, okay, I'm pairing a beer with a soundtrack.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah. The soundtrack yeah, yeah. No, I can't think of it.
Speaker 1Can't do it.
Speaker 2No, I have so many, I think, just different varieties and stuff and all kinds of flavor combinations.
Speaker 1What are your top sellers?
Speaker 2Goodness, nations, and geez, what are your top sellers, goodness? Um, we have this one brewery that we get like maybe once every two months, and they're out of miami. And, um, this brewer brews so much wild stuff in the beer that people have to ask multiple times are you sure this is a beer? And it's because they're brewed with cotton, candy and sugar, floss and ice cream and donuts all that fun stuff packed into a beverage, and the beverage tastes like, you know, a bag of skittles if you eat all of them at one time or something so.
Speaker 2So if you like that really sweet stuff, I always have something wild. And then me, my favorites I like stouts. I like barrel-aged stouts, I like it to taste like bourbon and have a little bit of a burn on it and taste like chocolate and it's decadent and luscious. That's my favorite. So that's always a top seller whenever I have something that's got like that strong, high ABV and it's super luscious. But then I've got people that are like I don't care about any of that, I just want to be here because DJ Gordy B's on the ones and twos and can you please give me a Michelob Ultra.
Craft Beer, Events, and Future Vision
Speaker 2You got that too so to be honest, ultra keeps the lights on so we, I don't.
Speaker 1I don't drink a whole lot, um, when I do, I enjoy a guinness like a dark beer. Um, and one time I was over at the coast, um, central coast, uh, shell beach brew house and they had a belching beaver peanut butter stout. Have you ever had that? Oh yeah, all right, do you guys have that there?
Speaker 2sometimes. No, I don't carry too much of that um, that's pretty readily available, so my specialty is getting things that you're not going to find.
Speaker 1Yeah, because you can get Belching Beaver at BevMo. True.
Speaker 2Yeah, I did carry something from Belching Beaver that was a little bit more on the unique side and it was a white stout, so it was a cappuccino latte white golden stout Sounds nice. So it pours out just like you're looking at a regular pale beer, but it is super sweet and luscious when you drink it, so it's like having a decadent little treat.
Speaker 1Well, that's nice. Do you have that one there currently? No, that one is sold out what's the most decadent one you have currently, because that's going to be the one that little Queen Bee over here is going to want to taste.
Speaker 2If you like cold brew, I've got one that's like a chocolatey cold brew and it's sweet and we serve it in this pretty little glass only like five ounces, because the ABV is, I think, around 14%.
Speaker 1Really high.
Speaker 2So it's a good sipper. It's what I call a slow sipper.
Speaker 1You're going to feel nice. You're going to feel nice, we're going to feel nice. That's what's going to happen.
Speaker 2Oh, I want everybody to feel nice when they come visit. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1Absolutely. Let's go to community, community and future plans. Tell me who you've collaborated with as far as local artists, musicians, who all has been in the facility.
Speaker 2Oh gosh, we love working with like the Arts Council and nothing like really formal, but a lot of the folks that work over there love to continue to build on the downtown scene and so, like they do, events on first Fridays to bring people in and families, have live music outside, have vendors set up, which is great and I love, but, um, sometimes it's hard to collab with them because I am 21 and over establishment.
Speaker 1Yeah, not super family. Quote unquote friendly Right Get them kids out of here.
Speaker 2But I love, you know, just some of those faces over there. They're doing great things so we always want to support. And then there's been another charity that we work with every year. It's called Cruisin' for Charity and there's, I think it's like the second weekend of October where they close down some of the streets there around Chester and line the streets with vintage cars and line the streets with vintage cars and the proceeds from the event help. I think it's like widows of police that have been killed.
Speaker 1Fallen yeah.
Speaker 2And so it's great charity and that's one of our favorite days because we do something to collect funds and then we present a check at the end and it's just a good feeling because everybody's out there having a good time for a good cause, um, but yeah, there's, there's been a few. We love doing art events, we love doing anything with classic cars, um, too, because, I've seen you had a motorcycle out there recently oh yeah, that's one of our friends.
Speaker 2He's an artist okay and um, and yeah, that was just a pretty bike and that week it was just random. We just had we have a lot of bike riders. I think because it's downtown and we're right across from bike bakersfield that people like to come visit. And um, but no, we have an impala that you may just catch out from every once in a while when the weather is just right.
Speaker 1It's's yours, mm-hmm, your Impala.
Speaker 2Oh, it's my husband.
Speaker 1Yeah, what's his is yours, and what's yours is yours. Right, he won't catch me driving that thing.
Speaker 2It is like a whole ass boat.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, them things just float.
Speaker 2It makes me so nervous.
Speaker 1What is it? 64?
Speaker 268.
Speaker 1Okay, yeah, all right, all right. Um, what's your vision? What's your future vision? What are your plans for your bar, and do you have any upcoming projects or events?
Speaker 2So the bar, um, it has a kitchen, it has a big kitchen. That my thoughts were I'm going to open this bar and we're going to make so much money and then I'm going to put it into the kitchen and then open up my own little spot. And but things have not been exactly that and things are kind of moving slow on and come to a point where we probably would need to partner with somebody that is more familiar with the kitchen aspect and the food and all that fun stuff and then get the kitchen open so that we can be a lounge and kitchen.
Speaker 1Absolutely a one-stop shop.
Speaker 2Yeah, so that people will kind of of you know, they don't feel the need to come drink because they want to come hang out. And even though we have a good amount of like alcohol-free options, um, sometimes people just are wanting to snack a little bit more between drinks and stuff, and of course, why. So that's the goal Events that we have coming up. Oh gosh, I don't have any big big ones other than live music on Fridays, and oh no, I take that back.
Speaker 2Live music Fridays, djs Saturday, sunday and then this coming up Tuesday, we're doing a paint night. That I'm excited about because typically when you go to paint night you're given this canvas and I feel like there's like pressure to.
Speaker 1Instruction.
Speaker 2Yeah, and like I'm going to create something that's going to be whack. I'm not an artist, but here we go. So this person pre-sketches, I guess. On a little template person pre pre sketches, I guess on a little template, yeah, like onto the canvas, so that when you're there it's almost like a paint by number.
Speaker 2Type of situation and they have the instructor stay in the lines it's exciting because then you don't feel like you were a major disappointment when you walk away like I wouldn't even put this up in my bathroom, much less like anywhere in my house. This I think people are going to walk away and be like I got my money's worth, I got a beautiful piece of art that I did myself, and so that's coming up on Tuesday.
Speaker 1You still have spots open for that? Yes, okay, what's the cost? What's the range?
Speaker 2I think that one is $35 and you get a free pour. You get your canvas and the tutelage of learning how to apply the paint. Sure and the free pour and that's coming up next Tuesday. Actually, this Saturday we have a beer garden plant in cans thing and Sunday reggae day fade with DJ Gordie.
Speaker 1B, I'll be there. I might show up. I want to go check this guy out. I've heard things All right and you guys tend to have some food vendors that pull up outside right. Sometimes hit and miss Food vendors are a struggle. It's a struggle, it's a struggle.
Speaker 2We had our regular truck every day, but we have had to temporarily move away from that truck and we're kind of in search to find a new one. It's just the city's kind of coming down with some strict rules and so it's hard to be downtown to have a truck and it's just a struggle as it is. You know food trucks right now when it's triple digits it's hard. And sometimes these guys are like uh, not really looking to do all that.
Speaker 1So so you mentioned, uh, uh, future plans opening up the kitchen, getting the kitchen going, getting a menu, everything else. What is beck's hip-hop meal?
Speaker 2gosh hip-hop. I like any meals that consist of food. I don't know a T-bone steak cheese, eggs and Welch's grape hey, there you go.
Speaker 1Yeah, hey, pulling out the lyrics.
Speaker 2Biggie. That sounds like a good hip hop meal to me. Yeah, that's not bad.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's not bad. What advice would you give somebody looking to start their own craft beer or wanting to combine their passions in business? So for you it's craft beer and hip-hop. What suggestions might you have for somebody? What advice?
Speaker 2Just find what makes you unique, Find that thing that makes your space stick out from anything else, and then just kind of run with that. But at the same time don't be sad when that one thing also is the reason why people don't come. You know that part's tough.
Speaker 1All right, so final thoughts. Is there anything you'd like to share with your listeners today? You know we talked about several of the events that you have coming up. You know things of that nature.
Speaker 2I'd say final thoughts were are um, of course it's hard for somebody to be out there and support everybody, and when money's tight for everybody, like especially just in bakersfield, I think, in general but, um, doing what little you can to support a small business helps tremendously in in a bigger way that you can imagine like, for example, I don't go to Starbucks. I. There are too many great little coffee spots downtown, ones that have drive-thrus, ones that make their own pastries and ones that have just something unique and you're helping, like a family, that somebody that tried to do something unique, embrace something cool.
Speaker 1Follow their passion, yeah.
Speaker 2And that's big. So for me, I have a lot of family members that say, you know, maybe they don't drink craft beer or maybe they don't go out or do much, but they'll come in and maybe buy a can ago or a gift card for somebody, or shirt, merch, love that and just support in some way that you can, even when it comes to just the small things like getting a cup of coffee or, you know, buying thrifted clothes, even things like that. Support your local venues that have music, because what will we do if there weren't these creative places? Then we would just like all live in a chain store or whatever. So don't be afraid to go downtown. So many people are afraid to go to places where there's maybe not necessarily a parking lot right next to them. Get away from strip malls, go park in a garage and just take a walk. Do something different. So final thoughts are just definitely get out there and support the unique places that make your community special all right.
Speaker 1Where can everybody find you, both physically and social media?
Speaker 2I live at the bar. I am on 18th Street between Chester and I, but I'm heavy on my social media. It's free, so I am posting. If you're on Instagram, you can definitely find Off the Rails, bakersfield there and always find my monthly calendar. So plan ahead the week events and then highlights of some fun stuff that we've had. And, um, I'm on Facebook. I'm not really great at Facebook, uh, but I'm there, I am present. And then, if you are strictly here for the beer and you don't necessarily care about the events, the music, the hip hop, uh, you can follow me on Untappd, which is definitely that social media for beer drinkers. Untappd tells you everything I put in the fridge and everything that's on my tap. And if you're looking for, you know, those wild cotton candy beers or hard sodas, it'll always keep you updated there.
Speaker 1What is this craft beer Illuminati? Yeah girl, I'm coming.
Speaker 2What is this?
Speaker 1craft beer, illuminati, all about.
Speaker 2It's so silly but it's funny. So the craft beer illuminati is like a group of just a bunch of craft beer heads that are somehow involved in either brewing or, uh, like low-key I guess you could say, just like influencers. And a couple years ago it it was like kind of being in this little secret society where nobody really knew, uh, how it came to be, but that if you had one of the craft beer illuminati in your friend group or at your party it was going to be a party. It was kind of special.
Speaker 1So you know hey, I had to spring that. I was curious. I was like, hey, what? Is this craft beer illuminati stuff.
Speaker 2Yeah, and when we have a party, when we all get together, it's a, it's a good time, good, good all right.
Speaker 1Well, we're gonna go ahead and wrap it up um beck. Thanks for joining it was wonderful, insightful um. I love the connection between hip hop and other hobbies, right Other passions, especially craft beer, and how they correlate and connect. So thank you for coming. We'll wrap this up. Gordie B Queen B Beck.
Speaker 2Thanks so much, becca B.
Speaker 1All right, Until next week. Y'all have a great day.
Speaker 2Thanks guys.
