The tiny yet professional brewery located in the heart of Miramar, Hess Brewing, celebrated its first year of business on Saturday, August 13, 2011. Amid the festivities, we pulled Mike Hess, owner and brewer, aside for a few questions.
West Coaster: A year later, what do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning?
Mike Hess: That I needed more space.
WC: What was the highlight of the past year?
MH: Winning 2nd place in the 2010 TapHunter Brewery Awards was great for us. Also, seeing increasing turnout for events such as this [1st Anniversary] and F.A.C. is very rewarding.
WC: What’s on the radar for the next year?
MH: Getting into the new brewhouse. We’re scouting for a larger location, and we’ll announce it as soon as we sign the lease.
WC: How many barrels did you produce last year? How many barrels do you hope to produce next year?
MH: We brewed 105 barrels of beer last year. We’re planning on producing 3000 barrels a year, once we get in our new location.
For pictures from the event, please check out our Facebook photo album.