• Black History Month,  Los Angeles,  San Diego

    Vacation time? Make your vacation unforgettable with a bottle of Loft & Bear Vodka

    May 12, 2022 /

    Warmer temps are on the horizon…whether you prefer something fruity, refreshing or classic, Loft & Bear Vodka is the perfect ingredient for a cocktail to kick off the warm days!

    A minority-owned and operated company, Loft & Bear is handcrafted in the heart of South Central, Los Angeles and acclaimed as the “whiskey-drinker’s vodka” by Los Angeles Magazine for its smoothness and rich aroma. The soft mouth-feel and subtle vanilla notes characterized by the soft winter wheat grains are the reason Loft & Bear was named one of six spirits from Southern California for summer sipping by the Los Angeles Times.

    The spirits Loft & Bear produces and how it evolves in the beverage alcohol space will continue to be a reflection of their customer’s needs and their drive to innovate. Loft & Bear has a unique opportunity to fill a cultural void; to become the voice of a generation who’s shaping our future; getting more out of life, getting more out of yourself, getting more out of Loft & Bear spirit(s).

    Production 4x distilled
    exclusively in Downtown Los Angeles

    GRAIN
    Soft Organic Winter Wheat; planted in the fall and harvested mid-summer, low protein, more complex carbs – great for biscuits, cakes, cookies, pastries, pie crusts… and VODKA of course!

    H2O
    100% pure California mountain spring water. Slightly Alkaline. Cocktail Flavors: citrus-based & spirit-forward

    NOSE
    Full. Sweet vanilla bean & notes of floral.

    PALATE
    Mild. Buttery, smooth, understated mellow wheat notes. Soft with a pleasant herbal flavor.

    FINISH
    Medium. Elegant vanilla creaminess with a whisper of anise.

    Origins of Loft & Bear

    Loft & Bear is the brainchild of Paul Ryan Elliott, an east coast native and one of few black-owned distillery owners in the country.  A graduate of University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Paul Ryan Elliott learned the art of distilling when his family’s construction company fell on hard times. While unemployed and living in Silver Spring, MD [where he’s from], Paul found himself with the decision to go back to school or continue with his distilling hobby. He put his business school hopes aside and invested a few years into diligent business planning. Set out with a strong desire to diversify and innovate within the beverage space, and after having lived in a hostel prior to opening his distillery [just the second distillery in LA since prohibition], it was during the summer of 2014, in a loft in downtown LA, loft & bear artisanal vodka was born, hence the name, loft & bear.
    Paul continues to work toward fulfilling long-term sustainable success and is encouraged by the opportunity to bring inclusivity and diversity of thought to the beverage alcohol industry. Loft & Bear’s commitment to social awareness is seen in its Distill.Drink.Donate program in which 5% of Loft & Bear profits are donated to PATH, a charity aimed at ending homelessness and providing support for distressed families, veterans affairs, and human services throughout Southern California.
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  • Black History Month

    UNLV Assist. Professior – Dr Javon Johnson

    February 7, 2022 /
    “Black boys in this country cannot afford to play cops and robbers… if we’re always considered the latter.” 
    –  Javon Johnson, ‘cuz he’s black’ 
     
    Born from American spoken word poet, writer, and professor, Dr. Javon Johnson’s ‘cuz he’s black’, “Voicemails To My Future Self: Vol 1” brings to life a poem that reveals the struggle he faces in teaching his young, black nephew about the complexities of interacting with the police. Created by Raleigh, NC based video agency Myriad, the poem became a script to this short anthology series which is meant to be a platform for people to tell their unique stories. Myriad, as a part of their Myriad Originals series, set out to not only tell Dr Johnson’s story but also protect it and allow his vision to come forth.
    “In a lot of ways, voicemails are time capsules. The ways in which voicemails hold on to a certain type of livable past, that isn’t quite dead but might be gone, that’s the power of the medium. How it disturbs time. How it can make 10 years ago feel like this morning,” said Dr. Johnson. “Black folks are rarely afforded childhood in this country and I want them to see it. I want them to grapple with ‘how do we engage in the moment’.”
    Displaying Voicemails_Thumbnails_Walking.jpg
    About Javon Johnson:
    Dr. Javon Johnson is an Assistant Professor and Director of African American & African Diaspora studies and holds an appointment in Gender & Sexuality Studies in the Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his Ph.D. in Performance Studies with a certificate in Gender Studies and Cognate in African American Studies from Northwestern University in 2010. A renowned spoken word poet, he is a three-time national poetry slam champion, a four-time national finalist, and has appeared on appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, BET’s Lyric Café, TVOnes Verses & Flow, The Steve Harvey Show, The Arsenio Hall Show, United Shades of America with Kamau Bell on CNN, and co-wrote a documentary titled Crossover, which aired on Showtime, in collaboration with the NBA and Nike.
    About Myriad Originals:
    Myriad Originals are emotionally provocative films that inspire action. They are the stories of kindness and conflict, passion and conviction, escape, survival, and belonging, told by the people at the heart of the narratives.
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