Last year, New English Brewing owner Simon Lacey invited me into a nondescript, stripped-down business suite next to his brewery. He had just acquired it and had plans to convert it into a private-event space. His description of what he meant to do with the 2,700-square-foot space sounded grand, but was hard to envision. After nearly a year and tons of hard work on Lacey’s part, that suite is completely built out, has a name—The Barrel Room at New English—and is set to debut to the public as part of Sorrento Valley brewery’s 10-year anniversary festivities on Saturday, July 8.
The Barrel Room is accessible both from the parking lot as well as New English’s tasting room. Equipped with a 200-inch projection screen, audio-visual equipment, its own restrooms and 20 taps serving the brewery’s mix of Old and New World ales, the suite can be reserved for parties, weddings corporate events, banquets, art shows and a variety of other events, but it will also be utilized as an extension of the tasting room on particularly busy days.
The Barrel Room’s motif is “hip urban brewery”, and combines industrial elements such as concrete, raw wood and steel with modern, artisan details. The clean lines of the bar and tap tower as well as neutral-colored, geometric wallpaper, are armed up care of mood lighting, and bourbon barrels in two forms—filled with beer for oak-aging and emptied then converted into tables. The 32-foot bar is topped with natural stone, seats up to 15 people, and will soon be equipped with a pair of beer engines.
Tickets to the grand-opening’s VIP session will go on-sale online via New English’s Facebook page later this month. That session will take place from noon to 3 p.m., followed by a free general-admission session from 3 to 7 p.m. Both will feature a special 10-year anniversary hazy IPA. This will kick off a month of celebratory events at the brewery as well as New English’s accounts throughout San Diego County. To rent out The Barrel Room, interested parties can email the brewery directly.