This weekend was chock-full of exciting brewery news, ranging from a high-profile news item regarding San Diego’s most successful restaurant group to the under-the-radar return of a recently closed brewery.
In case you spent the weekend abstaining from social media, the internet was abuzz with the news Cohn Restaurant Group has purchased the work-in-progress La Mesa brewpub site meant to house Depot Spings Beer Co. The entrepreneur behind that ill-fated venture accepted a $1.8 million bid from CRG that will pave the way for Draft Republic Brewing. Named after the group’s tap-centric eatery concepts in La Jolla and Carlsbad, the business is scheduled to debut in fall of next year. In the meantime, the 25,000-square-foot (13,000 square feet of interior space) site will undergo $2 million worth of renovations. Those will include finalization of a brewery with a 15-barrel system that will be used to manufacture beers exclusively for distribution to CRG restaurants throughout San Diego County.
Check back later this week for Q&A with CRG founder David Cohn and further insight on this project and his decision to get back into the beer-making game. Fun Fact: He originally opened Hang Ten Brewing in the Gaslamp Quarter in the ‘90s, jumpstarting the careers of local legends, Paul Segura (Karl Strauss Brewing) and Chuck Silva (Silva Brewing, Green Flash Brewing). Draft Republic Brewing will be located at 9160 Fletcher Parkway.
This weekend, Amplified Ale Works officially opened its East Village Kitchen & Beer Garden to the public. Located at the intersection of 14th Street and Island Avenue, it’s the former home of the dual-concept Halcyon and Stella Public House, which Amplified took over last month and quickly got up and running. The new spot looks out onto Fault Line Park via a patio that will play host to musical acts in the future. Meanwhile, barrel-aging will occur in the building’s non-public subterranean area.
Finally, Alta Brewing’s Barrio Logan brewery and tasting room are once again open to the public after being temporarily shut down several weeks ago. That operational hiccup was caused when former head brewer Brett Stampf departed, leaving owner John Bull with some boots to fill. Bull says Alta is back on track. Be on the lookout for follow-up reporting on this development. Alta Brewing is located at 1983 Julian Avenue.