Timeless Pints has some of the most interesting beer names in the Southland. Count The Bear Reader, The Expeditious Guest, A Taste of Fate and A Precarious Proposal among them. Recently, I e-mailed founder and brewer Chris Sparacio, who spent 17 years in the postal service, to learn more about the Lakewood brewery.

Sean Inman: At what point did you know you’d work with beer for a living?

Chris Sparacio: I believe I truly knew I’d be working with beer for a living when all of that stainless steel came rolling up to our space on that 40′ flatbed trailer. It was a damp night from recent showers, so you could see the stainless reflecting off the ground as well. It was quite an awesome site.

Sean Inman: Is there anybody who mentored you along the way?

Chris Sparacio: My wife Merri was a great mentor. I had butterflies about quitting my postal job of 17 years.  She is a strong woman and a business owner herself. She assured me that no matter what happened with this brewery venture… We would be OK!

Sean Inman: What was the first beer you ever brewed, and how did it turn out?

Chris Sparacio: The first beer I ever brewed was a can of West Coast Pale Ale that came with my new Mr. Beer home brew kit. A Father’s Day gift. I added a little honey to the mix. It turned out quite well.

Sean Inman: What’s the criteria for a beer that you brew at your brewery? What does a beer have to be?

Chris Sparacio: I try to keep my beers spot on for their style, but not boring or run of the mill. If that makes sense?  I may add just a little something to a recipe to make it different from the rest, but not crazy. I make what I like and hope our tap room guests enjoy as well. I’m also very critical about the cleanliness of everything our beer touches during the entire brewing process.

Sean Inman: What beer or brewery is a current inspiration for you?

Chris Sparacio: I get inspiration from the success of the Craft Beer industry as a whole. There are so many sources for help and information. Most of all, fellow brewers and brewery workers have stopped in to visit, offer compliments, and wish us well.

Sean Inman: How do you go about naming your beers?

Chris Sparacio: We paid a team of professionals to name and develop a story line for our signature beers. It became a bit pricey, so we started to come up with our own names for our latest brews. A graphics company in our complex has helped us with the logos to go along with the names.

Sean Inman: What was the most recent beer that you brewed, and what was your inspiration and approach?

Chris Sparacio: The most recent new beer that we brewed is our Roctoberfest. As with all of our beer, I tried to keep the ingredients traditionally German. I’ve never made a beer of this style, and with very little time before the fall season, I had to wing this one. I have to admit I am pleased with the result.

Sean Inman: Where do you see the LA beer scene in 5 years?

Chris Sparacio: I don’t see the L.A. area catching up with San Diego in five years, but certainly expect major growth.People come to our tap room all the time commenting that they can’t believe we are the first brewery in Lakewood. And the only one of our kind in the greater Long Beach area.