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Game Day Just Got Crafty with Michael Terrasi
Michael Terrasi is the brewmaster at Game Changer Brewhouse who's blending beer craftsmanship, sports culture, and his own Japanese heritage into every pour.
Kelli Luu (00:00)
Hi, everyone. I'm Kelli Luu with the Goldsea Podcast, and today we're diving into the world of craft beer. Meet Michael Terrasi — he's the master brewer at Game Changer Brewhouse, an elevated sports bar in Sherman Oaks, California. Let's take a look at how Michael turned a hobby into a career and why his brews keep beer lovers coming back. Hi, Michael. Welcome.
Michael Terrasi (00:21)
Hi Kelli, thank you for having me.
Kelli Luu (00:22)
Of course, thank you so much for being here today. We’re going to get right into it. Let’s start from the very beginning — how and when did you start brewing beer, and what were your first batches like?
Michael Terrasi (00:32)
Yeah, so my journey into brewing started in college — I believe during my freshman and sophomore year. A couple of buddies and I bought a homebrew kit for like 50 bucks, and we decided to make a batch of beer at my house. It actually turned out awful. Two of my buddies dropped out immediately and said, “We don’t want to do this anymore,” but one friend and I stuck with it. For the next two or three years, we were just making beer in my backyard.
It really grew when COVID hit and I got laid off from the restaurant job I had. We suddenly had a lot of time on our hands, so we just made a bunch of beer. We gave it to friends and family. We started a brand called Tarzana Brewing Company as our little home brewery just to get the name out there. We were making some crazy, exotic beers, but yeah — that’s where it started.
Kelli Luu (01:27)
Cool. So when you bought the beer brewing kit, anyone could just buy one online?
Michael Terrasi (01:32)
Exactly. It was just a random kit. I think I grew up with family and family friends always gathering and drinking beer. My dad and all his friends were definitely beer drinkers, so we were inspired to try making our own. We weren’t even 21 — I think we were 18 or 19 at the time — so we were really just having fun.
Kelli Luu (01:58)
Got it. So was there a moment when you realized this was more than a hobby? Maybe a really good batch?
Michael Terrasi (02:06)
Definitely. After a couple of batches, my friend and I felt like we were onto something. It’s insanely tough to make decent-tasting beer, and once we made something actually drinkable and enjoyable, we started to experiment more. At the time, heavily fruited beers — sours or fruit-forward beers — were trending. We liked them, so we tried experimenting with those. We were making some interesting beers for sure.
Kelli Luu (02:38)
Cool. And with that home kit, how long did it take to make beer?
Michael Terrasi (02:43)
It’s typically a two- to three-week timeline from start to finish.
Kelli Luu (02:47)
Is that normal for bigger batches now?
Michael Terrasi (02:52)
Yeah, the timeline is pretty similar from homebrewing to commercial scale. It’s one full day of brewing and boiling, then about a week of fermentation. Then you transfer it, let it sit, and it’s pretty much ready to drink two to three weeks later.
Kelli Luu (03:09)
Okay. So how did your journey lead you to Game Changer Brewhouse?
Michael Terrasi (03:17)
Once COVID started to open up again, I was still homebrewing and giving it to friends for donations. Then I met the director of operations at Golden Road, Gilbert Sandoval. I got a tour from him, and about a year later I reached out asking for a job in a brewery. I had accepted a job as a beer merchandiser — basically a sales rep position — and right after that, Gilbert offered me a packaging position at Golden Road. That involved packaging cans and kegs of beer.
They knew I was interested in brewing, and after about a year, they moved me into brewing. I spent about a year and a half learning commercial brewing. That’s when I met the owners of Game Changer Brewhouse, and they eventually gave me the opportunity to become the brewmaster here.
It’s given me a lot more freedom — I get to make all the recipes. We’ve gotten to create a lot of interesting beers, which is cool compared to Golden Road where we made the same 10 beers every week.
Kelli Luu (04:51)
Nice. So you got experience before coming to Game Changer — you weren’t just thrown in. Okay, cool. What’s your favorite style of beer?
Michael Terrasi (05:13)
My favorite style is just a craft lager. I enjoy domestic lagers like Coors or Bud Light, but I also love craft lagers. On a smaller scale, you can tweak and perfect lagers to have unique flavors. Lagers are delicate because the recipes are simple, but at a craft scale, you can really bring out the malt flavors.
Kelli Luu (05:49)
So which of your brews at GCB are the crowd favorites?
Michael Terrasi (06:03)
We have two clear favorites: the Baja Lager, our take on a Mexican-style lager, and the Sherman Oaks IPA, our West Coast IPA. The Baja Lager is perfect for a sports bar — it’s crushable, easy to drink, and super popular. The Sherman Oaks IPA is for people who like something hoppier, more bitter, and higher in alcohol.
Kelli Luu (06:34)
If someone walked into Game Changer, what’s the first beer you’d recommend?
Michael Terrasi (06:40)
Either the Sherman Oaks IPA or the Baja Lager, depending on what style they prefer.
Kelli Luu (07:02)
You’re half Japanese, right? Do you ever experiment with Japanese flavors?
Michael Terrasi (07:06)
Exactly, I am. I went to Japan for the first time last December and really got to experience the beer culture there. Their beer drinking culture is huge — everyone drinks beer. Their craft brewery scene is growing, but not as big as here.
Something I noticed was that a lot of their beers are lower alcohol, which makes sense because they like to drink more and enjoy it. When I came back, I spoke to the owners and we decided to make two Japanese-style lagers.
One is the Yumi Lager, a low-ABV 4% Japanese lager brewed with toasted rice flakes that give off a sake-like aroma. And next week, we’re making the Ya Lager, a 7% high-ABV Imperial Japanese lager. It’s not traditional, but it blends Japanese beer culture with American craft beer experimentation.
Kelli Luu (08:55)
So you’re doing a fusion. Cool. How do you come up with these flavors and recipes?
Michael Terrasi (09:13)
I work with the owners and our beverage consultant. We sample other beers for inspiration, and depending on the season, we’ll come up with ideas that fit that season.
Kelli Luu (09:35)
Is there one ingredient you’re really interested in incorporating at GCB?
Michael Terrasi (09:42)
We wanted to impart cherry blossom flavor into a Japanese lager, but it kept coming off too floral and fragrance-like. We’re still experimenting. The owners are Middle Eastern/Persian, and we’ve talked about using a Middle Eastern fruit for a fruited beer. We're still exploring those options.
Kelli Luu (10:20)
Interesting. When you're developing new beers, how do you test them? Small batches first?
Michael Terrasi (10:25)
We only have a seven-barrel brew system here — about 200 gallons per batch — so when we experiment, we brew half-batches of around 100 gallons. It’s still a lot, but manageable. Depending on customer feedback, we’ll either brew a full batch next time, tweak it, or retire it.
Kelli Luu (11:14)
When you're brewing, does it feel more like a science or an art?
Michael Terrasi (11:20)
It’s both. Brewing is a science — there’s a lot of chemistry involved — but it’s also an art. Every brewer can make the same beer, but everyone will do it differently. From the customer perspective, the creative tweaks are what make each beer unique.
Kelli Luu (11:53)
And pairing beer with food is an art too. What’s a good pairing on the menu right now?
Michael Terrasi (11:57)
I love the Baja Lager with any of our fried foods — especially the crispy cauliflower or the calamari. The saltiness makes you thirsty, and the Baja Lager is super refreshing with it.
Kelli Luu (12:14)
Cool. So the new seasonal flavor is the Dubai Chocolate Brew. How excited are you for people to try this one? What was the inspiration?
Michael Terrasi (12:35)
Super excited. The owners and I went to the Great American Beer Festival and sampled tons of beers. We tried several chocolate Imperial stouts that tasted more like dessert than beer — super rich and interesting.
When we came back, we wanted to make something similar. We originally planned a milk chocolate Imperial stout, but since the owners are Middle Eastern, they suggested a Dubai chocolate beer. Dubai chocolate is trending — it’s popular, premium, and fits our elevated sports bar theme. So we decided to try it.
We’re not adding Dubai chocolate bars, but we’re adding pistachios and hazelnut. For the kataifi flavor, the roasted malt and roasted barley give a biscuity, bready flavor similar to it.
Kelli Luu (14:12)
That sounds amazing. So what makes Game Changer’s craft beer stand out in the huge L.A. beer scene?
Michael Terrasi (14:32)
Right now, we haven’t experimented with super crazy beers, but we have high-quality, classic styles — which fit the sports bar environment perfectly. If you love beer and sports, this is the place.
We’re also the only brewery in Sherman Oaks making our own beer. And we plan to start distributing soon, which will really help our name grow.
Kelli Luu (15:24)
So right now, we can only get your beer on-site?
Michael Terrasi (15:31)
Exactly. Since opening in August of last year, we’ve only served beer on-site. We’re working on distribution now. We also have a rare setup — our beer goes straight from the serving tanks to the tap. No kegging, no canning. It’s probably the freshest beer you can drink.
Kelli Luu (16:02)
That’s awesome. What’s your go-to beer when you're not drinking your own?
Michael Terrasi (16:11)
I’m a macro beer guy — a little frugal — so Coors Banquet is my go-to. But I love craft lagers too. I’ve moved away from hoppy beers. I’m also a huge fan of heavily fruited sour beers, and we’re planning to experiment with those soon.
Kelli Luu (16:52)
Okay, last question. If you could share a toast with one person, who would it be and which of your beers would you use?
Michael Terrasi (17:02)
I’ve never thought about that, but from a brewer’s perspective, probably Ken Grossman, the founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. He started from nothing in his garage — similar to me — and grew it into one of the biggest craft breweries in America. Being able to talk with him would be amazing.
And I’d share the Baja Lager — it’s my favorite and easiest to drink.
Kelli Luu (17:51)
Well, that’s all I have for you today. Thank you so much, Michael, for being here on the Goldsea Podcast. And thanks to everyone listening. We’ll see you in the next episode.
View all episodes
By VoxcaliMichael Terrasi is the brewmaster at Game Changer Brewhouse who's blending beer craftsmanship, sports culture, and his own Japanese heritage into every pour.
Kelli Luu (00:00)
Hi, everyone. I'm Kelli Luu with the Goldsea Podcast, and today we're diving into the world of craft beer. Meet Michael Terrasi — he's the master brewer at Game Changer Brewhouse, an elevated sports bar in Sherman Oaks, California. Let's take a look at how Michael turned a hobby into a career and why his brews keep beer lovers coming back. Hi, Michael. Welcome.
Michael Terrasi (00:21)
Hi Kelli, thank you for having me.
Kelli Luu (00:22)
Of course, thank you so much for being here today. We’re going to get right into it. Let’s start from the very beginning — how and when did you start brewing beer, and what were your first batches like?
Michael Terrasi (00:32)
Yeah, so my journey into brewing started in college — I believe during my freshman and sophomore year. A couple of buddies and I bought a homebrew kit for like 50 bucks, and we decided to make a batch of beer at my house. It actually turned out awful. Two of my buddies dropped out immediately and said, “We don’t want to do this anymore,” but one friend and I stuck with it. For the next two or three years, we were just making beer in my backyard.
It really grew when COVID hit and I got laid off from the restaurant job I had. We suddenly had a lot of time on our hands, so we just made a bunch of beer. We gave it to friends and family. We started a brand called Tarzana Brewing Company as our little home brewery just to get the name out there. We were making some crazy, exotic beers, but yeah — that’s where it started.
Kelli Luu (01:27)
Cool. So when you bought the beer brewing kit, anyone could just buy one online?
Michael Terrasi (01:32)
Exactly. It was just a random kit. I think I grew up with family and family friends always gathering and drinking beer. My dad and all his friends were definitely beer drinkers, so we were inspired to try making our own. We weren’t even 21 — I think we were 18 or 19 at the time — so we were really just having fun.
Kelli Luu (01:58)
Got it. So was there a moment when you realized this was more than a hobby? Maybe a really good batch?
Michael Terrasi (02:06)
Definitely. After a couple of batches, my friend and I felt like we were onto something. It’s insanely tough to make decent-tasting beer, and once we made something actually drinkable and enjoyable, we started to experiment more. At the time, heavily fruited beers — sours or fruit-forward beers — were trending. We liked them, so we tried experimenting with those. We were making some interesting beers for sure.
Kelli Luu (02:38)
Cool. And with that home kit, how long did it take to make beer?
Michael Terrasi (02:43)
It’s typically a two- to three-week timeline from start to finish.
Kelli Luu (02:47)
Is that normal for bigger batches now?
Michael Terrasi (02:52)
Yeah, the timeline is pretty similar from homebrewing to commercial scale. It’s one full day of brewing and boiling, then about a week of fermentation. Then you transfer it, let it sit, and it’s pretty much ready to drink two to three weeks later.
Kelli Luu (03:09)
Okay. So how did your journey lead you to Game Changer Brewhouse?
Michael Terrasi (03:17)
Once COVID started to open up again, I was still homebrewing and giving it to friends for donations. Then I met the director of operations at Golden Road, Gilbert Sandoval. I got a tour from him, and about a year later I reached out asking for a job in a brewery. I had accepted a job as a beer merchandiser — basically a sales rep position — and right after that, Gilbert offered me a packaging position at Golden Road. That involved packaging cans and kegs of beer.
They knew I was interested in brewing, and after about a year, they moved me into brewing. I spent about a year and a half learning commercial brewing. That’s when I met the owners of Game Changer Brewhouse, and they eventually gave me the opportunity to become the brewmaster here.
It’s given me a lot more freedom — I get to make all the recipes. We’ve gotten to create a lot of interesting beers, which is cool compared to Golden Road where we made the same 10 beers every week.
Kelli Luu (04:51)
Nice. So you got experience before coming to Game Changer — you weren’t just thrown in. Okay, cool. What’s your favorite style of beer?
Michael Terrasi (05:13)
My favorite style is just a craft lager. I enjoy domestic lagers like Coors or Bud Light, but I also love craft lagers. On a smaller scale, you can tweak and perfect lagers to have unique flavors. Lagers are delicate because the recipes are simple, but at a craft scale, you can really bring out the malt flavors.
Kelli Luu (05:49)
So which of your brews at GCB are the crowd favorites?
Michael Terrasi (06:03)
We have two clear favorites: the Baja Lager, our take on a Mexican-style lager, and the Sherman Oaks IPA, our West Coast IPA. The Baja Lager is perfect for a sports bar — it’s crushable, easy to drink, and super popular. The Sherman Oaks IPA is for people who like something hoppier, more bitter, and higher in alcohol.
Kelli Luu (06:34)
If someone walked into Game Changer, what’s the first beer you’d recommend?
Michael Terrasi (06:40)
Either the Sherman Oaks IPA or the Baja Lager, depending on what style they prefer.
Kelli Luu (07:02)
You’re half Japanese, right? Do you ever experiment with Japanese flavors?
Michael Terrasi (07:06)
Exactly, I am. I went to Japan for the first time last December and really got to experience the beer culture there. Their beer drinking culture is huge — everyone drinks beer. Their craft brewery scene is growing, but not as big as here.
Something I noticed was that a lot of their beers are lower alcohol, which makes sense because they like to drink more and enjoy it. When I came back, I spoke to the owners and we decided to make two Japanese-style lagers.
One is the Yumi Lager, a low-ABV 4% Japanese lager brewed with toasted rice flakes that give off a sake-like aroma. And next week, we’re making the Ya Lager, a 7% high-ABV Imperial Japanese lager. It’s not traditional, but it blends Japanese beer culture with American craft beer experimentation.
Kelli Luu (08:55)
So you’re doing a fusion. Cool. How do you come up with these flavors and recipes?
Michael Terrasi (09:13)
I work with the owners and our beverage consultant. We sample other beers for inspiration, and depending on the season, we’ll come up with ideas that fit that season.
Kelli Luu (09:35)
Is there one ingredient you’re really interested in incorporating at GCB?
Michael Terrasi (09:42)
We wanted to impart cherry blossom flavor into a Japanese lager, but it kept coming off too floral and fragrance-like. We’re still experimenting. The owners are Middle Eastern/Persian, and we’ve talked about using a Middle Eastern fruit for a fruited beer. We're still exploring those options.
Kelli Luu (10:20)
Interesting. When you're developing new beers, how do you test them? Small batches first?
Michael Terrasi (10:25)
We only have a seven-barrel brew system here — about 200 gallons per batch — so when we experiment, we brew half-batches of around 100 gallons. It’s still a lot, but manageable. Depending on customer feedback, we’ll either brew a full batch next time, tweak it, or retire it.
Kelli Luu (11:14)
When you're brewing, does it feel more like a science or an art?
Michael Terrasi (11:20)
It’s both. Brewing is a science — there’s a lot of chemistry involved — but it’s also an art. Every brewer can make the same beer, but everyone will do it differently. From the customer perspective, the creative tweaks are what make each beer unique.
Kelli Luu (11:53)
And pairing beer with food is an art too. What’s a good pairing on the menu right now?
Michael Terrasi (11:57)
I love the Baja Lager with any of our fried foods — especially the crispy cauliflower or the calamari. The saltiness makes you thirsty, and the Baja Lager is super refreshing with it.
Kelli Luu (12:14)
Cool. So the new seasonal flavor is the Dubai Chocolate Brew. How excited are you for people to try this one? What was the inspiration?
Michael Terrasi (12:35)
Super excited. The owners and I went to the Great American Beer Festival and sampled tons of beers. We tried several chocolate Imperial stouts that tasted more like dessert than beer — super rich and interesting.
When we came back, we wanted to make something similar. We originally planned a milk chocolate Imperial stout, but since the owners are Middle Eastern, they suggested a Dubai chocolate beer. Dubai chocolate is trending — it’s popular, premium, and fits our elevated sports bar theme. So we decided to try it.
We’re not adding Dubai chocolate bars, but we’re adding pistachios and hazelnut. For the kataifi flavor, the roasted malt and roasted barley give a biscuity, bready flavor similar to it.
Kelli Luu (14:12)
That sounds amazing. So what makes Game Changer’s craft beer stand out in the huge L.A. beer scene?
Michael Terrasi (14:32)
Right now, we haven’t experimented with super crazy beers, but we have high-quality, classic styles — which fit the sports bar environment perfectly. If you love beer and sports, this is the place.
We’re also the only brewery in Sherman Oaks making our own beer. And we plan to start distributing soon, which will really help our name grow.
Kelli Luu (15:24)
So right now, we can only get your beer on-site?
Michael Terrasi (15:31)
Exactly. Since opening in August of last year, we’ve only served beer on-site. We’re working on distribution now. We also have a rare setup — our beer goes straight from the serving tanks to the tap. No kegging, no canning. It’s probably the freshest beer you can drink.
Kelli Luu (16:02)
That’s awesome. What’s your go-to beer when you're not drinking your own?
Michael Terrasi (16:11)
I’m a macro beer guy — a little frugal — so Coors Banquet is my go-to. But I love craft lagers too. I’ve moved away from hoppy beers. I’m also a huge fan of heavily fruited sour beers, and we’re planning to experiment with those soon.
Kelli Luu (16:52)
Okay, last question. If you could share a toast with one person, who would it be and which of your beers would you use?
Michael Terrasi (17:02)
I’ve never thought about that, but from a brewer’s perspective, probably Ken Grossman, the founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. He started from nothing in his garage — similar to me — and grew it into one of the biggest craft breweries in America. Being able to talk with him would be amazing.
And I’d share the Baja Lager — it’s my favorite and easiest to drink.
Kelli Luu (17:51)
Well, that’s all I have for you today. Thank you so much, Michael, for being here on the Goldsea Podcast. And thanks to everyone listening. We’ll see you in the next episode.