Even small breweries can involve a great deal of upfront risk for entrepreneurs. From initial investment of funds for facility buildout and brewing equipment to the fact no money can be made until a business is fully licensed, operational and producing beer; the inhibitors are many. Local company H.G. Fenton recognized these obstacles and, in doing so, realized the potential in developing ready-to-use breweries so that prospective brewers can cut to the chase. Their answer, a two-brewery campus dubbed Brewery Igniter (9030 Kenamar Drive, Suites 308 & 309, Miramar).
In June, we broke the news that Pacific Beach’s Amplified Ale Works will be Brewery Igniter’s first tenant. Lease negotiations recently closed with the second tenant, Pure Project Brewing Co. After developing the Brewery Igniter suites, H.G. Fenton leveraged relationships with brokers who regularly work with brewing industry entrepreneurs to help locate potential clients. So far, the lease-to-brew concept has been well received by a number of them.
Brewery Igniter tenants each take run of a 1,625-square-foot space unit that includes a seven-barrel brewhouse, four 15-barrel fermenter, four 15-barrel bright tanks, a two-stage glycol chiller, mill, cold box, automatic keg-washer and bar-equipped tasting room. The brewhouses were produced by local company, Premier Stainless, and designed so that they would be approachable since they will likely be operated by brewers with less experience on larger-yield equipment.
Brewery Igniter’s aims were to eliminate what H.G. Fenton representatives cite as the three greatest inhibitors to entering the brewing industry: huge upfront cost, investment risk and long timelines to profitability. Adding to the attractiveness of the Brewery Igniter breweries are the fact they come with a good amount of parking, 10-foot-by-12-foot rollup rear doors and a strategic location in brewery-dense Miramar.