Five Threads Brewing, Westlake Village

A trip to Denver's The Great Divide brewing company in 2009 convinced Tim Kazules that he should leave his career in the biotech industry and open up his own brewery. First he had to finish his two-year MBA program, which he had just started. He also had to learn to brew.

He spent the next five years brewing beer at home while finishing his MBA and then working at a new job to raise enough money to start his brewery. All of his hard work paid off when he opened Five Threads Brewing in 2015. Read on to get a taste of the beers the brewery offers:

Bliss (8.5% ABV): Five different hops blend together to create this citrus-forward, highly drinkable West-Coast double IPA

Pantry Porter (7.2% ABV): This rich, smooth porter hits tongues with notes of dark chocolate and coffee, the dominate flavors of the beer's five different roasted malts.

Red Rye IPA (7.2% ABV): Nelson Sauvin hops blend with rye malt, giving the beer a dry, slightly spicy malt flavor with hints of tropical citrus fruit.

Serenity Belgian Golden Strong (9% ABV): Despite its high alcohol content, this dry, gluten-free, champagne-like beer tastes light with flavors of crisp pair and spice.

Game Day Blonde (5.5% ABV): Crisp with delicate hints of lavender, this lager-like ale is great both at meal-time or sitting and watching the big game.