Earlier this month, news broke that Gordon Biersch’s Mission Valley brewpub was closing after 20 years in business. Discovering one of San Diego’s longest continually-operating brewing facilities was closing sent ripples throughout the local brewing industry and beer fans alike. Numerous questions arose, most notably: Who will take over the brewpub? Turns out local Mexican cuisine chain Puesto has assumed control of the space and will make it the base of operations for its upcoming brewing arm, Puesto Cerveceria.
The plan on the brewing side is to start out by supplying beer produced at the Mission Valley brewery to Puesto’s other seven locations in San Diego, Orange, and Contra Costa counties. Ownership will also consider distributing packaged beer further down the line. As far as who will handle brewing operations, it will be a very familiar individual in the San Diego beer scene and the Mission Valley brewpub, Doug Hasker. He is the only person who has ever helmed the brewhouse they have inherited, making him the perfect individual to see it into its next chapter.
“We opened in 2012 and have had the fortune of expanding throughout California, but have always wanted to keep expanding in San Diego, which is where we all live,” says co-founder Eric Adler, when asked why he and his family selected the Gordon Biersh site. “Mission Valley is an amazing location that is central to so many San Diegans, and the former Gordon Biersch space is perfect for what we want to do. It’s been a dream of ours to brew beer to pair with our tacos. Beer has always been a part of our family traditions.”
When the brewpub opens to the public—which Adler and company say will happen by year’s end—it will do so under the name Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen and Bar. The menu will be similar to Puesto’s existing restaurants, focusing on Mexico City-style tacos with sustainable proteins, local produce, from-scratch condiments and house-made, non-GMO, organic blue-corn tortillas. A complete redesign will outfit the 9,000-square-foot space in a modern motif inspired by Mexico City. That design will be implemented by local standout Paul Basile, a veteran of numerous Puesto projects.
“Since our concept is rooted in Mexican cuisine and culture, we’ll of course brew traditional Mexican styles of beer, including lagers. We will also continue collaborating with our friends who brew in Mexico, including Agua Mala, who we’ve created collaboration beers with in the past. There will be a lot of R&D in this early phase and we will aspire to do both traditional and unique styles,” says Adler. “From the start, we’ve had amazing relationships with so many brewers in San Diego and Mexico, and we cannot wait to become a part of what we think is the greatest beer community in the world.”
Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen and Bar will be located at 5010 Mission Center Road. From now through July 14, the space will remain in operation as Gordon Biersch.