Brewery owners come up with names for their businesses in a variety of ways. For Darrel Brown it was happening upon an old photo of his dad dressed in “’80’s cool guy attire”—a tight t-shirt, trucker cap and corduroy short shorts with Aviator sunglasses and a cop mustache (to be fair, pops was a rookie cop when that pic was snapped). Finding the humor in that image, Brown’s dad said he should go undercover as “Lance Savagewood.” As soon as he heard it, Brown, a homebrewer since 2014, knew his someday fermentation operation would go by that fictitious surname. So far, that’s the most concrete part of Savagewood Brewing, but if all goes as planned, many other aspects of the business will be chiseled into certainties in the next few months.
Brown has set his sights on the north-inland San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo. He sees it as an underserved area with demographics that align with his company’s goals. Currently, the neighborhood is home to a single brewery, Abnormal Beer Company, which is located inside The Cork and Craft restaurant (which also houses a winery), and Second Chance Beer Company resides in bordering Carmel Mountain Ranch to the south, but there is certainly room for more homegrown beer in RB. Brown hopes to sign on a spot and begin construction of a brewery and family-friendly tasting room by fall. His current project team consists of CLTVT, Hauck Architecture and The Craft Beer Attorney (which last week joined forces with San Diego-based law firm Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP).
Early on, Brown will be responsible for brewing and business operations. He has a good deal of experience with the latter. He is currently a vice president of operations for a large data and technology company and has run his own businesses in the past. Once open, he plans on hiring an assistant brewer to help produce a line of beers that, like the company’s name, is already carved in…wood? They include WhIPA it Good white India pale ale (IPA), $500 Millionaire session IPA, Poppa’s Amber Ale, Sugar Daddy’s Brown Ale, Sunshine Tax West Coast pale ale, Orphic black IPA, Big Fat Dad wee heavy and Exquisite Blonde, a blonde ale that has won awards on the homebrew competition circuit and will be offered with various fruit additions.
Brown intends to start out with a 10-barrel brewhouse and aim for production of 2,000 barrels of beer annually, with its best-selling beers being packaged in cans and bottle releases of specialty or seasonal offerings. But the main focus will be at Savagewood’s taproom, which he hopes becomes an enjoyable neighborhood hangout. Distribution of packaged beer will be limited to accounts located in or near Savagewood’s home base.