When a brewery sells, it’s usually big news—especially when it’s for a billion dollars—but when a nanobrewery sells, it’s a pretty quiet affair. Most people didn’t even know that Quantum Brewing (5375 Kearny Villa Road, #116, Kearny Mesa) was for-sale last year, but then-homebrewer Martin Beaulieu took notice and acquired the business in August. Since then, he’s kept a low-profile while working on improving a handful of holdover brands from the old Quantum while adding new staples of his own devising. Beer-quality is up from the original operation, as is the state of the tasting room, which now sports two large high-definition TVs, more comfortable seating options and an assortment of games.
It took a while for Beaulieu to get to the point where he was ready for an official coming-out party for Quantum 2.0, but that time is nigh. Starting on March 15—Beaulieu’s birthday—the business will hold an eight-day stretch of events and promotions to celebrate Quantum’s official “re-opening”. The schedule is as follows…
- Wed., March 15 | Brewer’s Birthday Special: Pale’s Constant Pale Ale will be $3 per pint
- Thu., March 16 | Giant Game Night: Jenga and Connect Four tournament with prizes
- Fri., March 17 | St. Patrick’s Day: Special green beer and wearing shamrocks get first pint for $3
- Sat., March 18 | March Madness: NCAA on TV and wearing college-gear gets first pint for $3
- Sun., March 19 | Growler-Fill Special: $9.99 for 64-ounce growler fills beginning at noon
- Mon., March 20 | Cheese & Food Pairing: Le Bistro de Louisa chef will lead 6 p.m. pairing
- Tue., March 21 | Trivia Night: A tournament with prizes for top performers starts at 7 p.m.
- Wed., March 22 | Cask Tapping: A first-ever cask of Pale’s Constant will be tapped at 6 p.m.
There are numerous improvements, but not everything has changed at Quantum. Beaulieu kept some of the best features, most notable of all, a chalkboard running along the east wall that’s prime for tagging. He liked that as well as the business’ science-theme, having made the shift to brewery-owner after spending 20 years in the biotech industry. His plan is to keep brewing and eventually expand the business by taking over the storefront just south of his. That would allow him to double Quantum’s capacity by installing a larger brewhouse in the new space, while expand the existing tasting room. If all goes as planned, the expansion would take place next year.