The status of Intergalactic Brewing Company remains uncertain at present, but one fact about its future is clear: its tasting room will soon pour beers of a new brand, Oeuvre Artisan Ales. Intergalactic owner Alex Van Horne has entered into a licensing agreement with local tech professional, musician and amateur producer of beers, ciders and meads, Ted Apollo, which will allow the latter to realize his vision for a line of beers fermented with Brettanomyces at the Miramar brewery.
Apollo has been mulling the notion of brewing professionally for years, but felt it was important not to rush into anything. He has spent that contemplative period getting to know members of the brewing community, chief among them Van Horne, and owner of The Homebrewer and Home Brewing Company, George Thornton, both of whom have been generous with their time and advisement. Apollo signed on to contract-brew at Van Horne’s brewery before he announced he was putting his business up for sale.
Eventually, Apollo would like to become a full-time brewer, but has no interest in becoming the next big thing from a production standpoint. Through conversations with Thornton (who also teaches the Beer Styles I and Basics of Brewing courses as part of San Diego State University’s Business of Craft Beer program), he believes breweries producing 1,000-barrels-per-year or less are in an ideal position for stability and success. His annual production goals contract brewing at Intergalactic sit at 100-to-200 barrels, but that barrelage will increase if he opens his own spot.
Should Apollo and his wife-and-partner Franchesca take that next step, they are not interested in sufficiently serviced communities such as North Park. They would rather explore options on Chula Vista’s suddenly sudsy Third Avenue or only-recently brewery-adorned Rancho Bernardo or Carmel Mountain Ranch.
“I just want to keep things manageable and do what I do well; focus on certain beers and build some accounts early instead of making 16-plus beers to sustain my tasting room,” says Apollo. He feels it’s important not to overreach, and prefers to specialize in one area that he can build customers around and cater to on an intimate level. “I want to get a loyal fan base and then never do anything to disenfranchise them.”
If Intergalactic sells, all steps will be taken to ensure Apollo is still able to brew his beers at the Miramar facility, but in the immediate future, Oeuvre’s first 100% Brett beer, Batch One, is set to debut in the next few weeks. It will be on-sale in four-packs and on-tap at Intergalactic’s tasting room with limited distribution at off-site accounts.