Three Weavers brewmaster Alexandra Nowell welcomed Arts District brewmaster Devon Randall to town from Pizza Port Solana Beach by collaborating on the outstanding Return of Sassy Rye IPA, a 6.7% ABV ale that is spicy and golden, with a beautifully bitter finish.

Arts District Brewing, run by 213 Hospitality and Blue Palms Brewhouse proprietor Brian Lenzo, is under construction, so Nowell and Randall brewed Return of Sassy at Three Weavers, which resides in an Inglewood industrial park near LAX (and Randy’s Donuts). The space features an elevated patio with picnic tables, exposed rafters, and framed photos of brewing legends like Vinnie Cilurzo and Ken Grossman, which must serve as inspiration. Three Weavers rotates 12 house beers on tap. Luckily, I was there for the Return of Sassy.

Nowell and Randall first brewed Sassy while she was still head brewer at Pizza Port Solana Beach. Nowell said, “Being a hardcore hop lover like myself, Devon had a lot of access to experimental hop varieties so we decided to build a beer based off of that.” This time, they changed the hops and swapped out La Cruda yeast for California Ale yeast, Three Weavers’ house IPA strain. Nowell said this switch “allowed the hops to shine through the heavy rye malt grist a bit more brightly.” Simcoe, Mosaic, Galaxy, and Equinox hops combine on a “super bright, tropical punch of hoppiness.” Nowell and Randall are so high on Return of Sassy that they’ve entered the beer into Great American Beer Festival’s rye beer category.

The Three Weavers blackboard menu depicts Sassy as a unicorn with flowing purple hair and hooves and rainbow colored wings. The connection to rye or India Pale Ale is unclear, but if Sassy exists in an alternate universe, I’d gladly drink a pint of Rye IPA while rising to the sky.