Last week in an article focusing on the rapid of our local brewing industry, the San Diego Business Journal reported that Miramar-based nanobrewery Hess Brewing was planning to expand into a North Park facility with a 30-barrel brew house, tasting room and canning line. $1.5 million was said to have been raised from private investors, with 15 more employees to be added. Production for the new brewery, which Hess is hoping to open in August, will be about 3,000 barrels in the first year of operation.
Today, a public notice notice of application to sell alcoholic beverages appeared at 3812 Grim Ave., and Proprietor and CBO Mike Hess contacted West Coaster with more details on the project. “We’re very excited about expanding into this unique North Park building,” said Hess. “The beauty of this space is that it’s two stories, with a full basement — which isn’t evident from outside. We’re going to knock out a lot of concrete and build our brew house on the bottom level, plus a 50-foot skybridge going from the entrance to the tasting room in the back.” This skybridge, plus the nearly 3,000 square foot tasting room it’ll lead to, will give visitors a unique perspective on the brewing process from 10 feet off the ground.
Hess, who said that it had taken nearly six months to vet the building and ensure all the plans were structurally sound, is now in a race with Pizza Port’s planned fifth facility in Carlsbad to become the first brewing operation in San Diego to can its beers. “Our canning line will be a separate part of the tasting room, but close enough so you can see all the action,” said Hess, who plans to package his beers in 16 oz cans from Crown Cork & Seal Company. The current Hess Brewing facility in Miramar, a nanobrewery producing 1.6 barrels per batch, will remain operational.
Scooby Snax says
Great to hear that there will be a brew house in North Park! I’m also glad to hear now that Hess will be distributing in CANS! It’s just a hop & a skip away from home, so I can walk instead of having to drive. I wonder what the hours of the tasting room will be like & are pets going to be welcomed?
David says
The perception that Christianity and craft beer are at odds reflects an underdeveloped understanding of church history.
Brittany says
so excited!
been watching that sweet ass post office building & hoping it would be made into something involving great beer! the ‘for lease’ sign is gone so someone has snatched it up. i sure hope it was hess.
MRB says
2 things:
the last sentence of this article is key. My buddy’s shop is very close to Hess and if it went away, well that would suck.
Other thing, is if this is a bible store being converted to a brewpub, then that indeed is quite funny/cool.
Dan says
Good grief, ignorance is a terrible thing, especially when espoused by beer lovers. The brewing industry as we know it has been guided by Catholic monks since the middle ages well into modern times. Even today monks make some of the best beer around. There is not contradiction between being a Christian and drinking beer unless you are a bible thumping Baptist.
Jolie says
Note the “Evangelical” in the name of the bookstore. Protestant, not Catholic. Anglo-American Protestant revivalists were particularly interested in temperance and spawned wide scale temperance and/or prohibition movements.
Leah says
Excited! I share an alley with the post office, perfect.
Katie Barnes says
Yay for Hess! This is great for North Park, San Diego and craft beer all around. We love to see this kind of success in action.
Cheers, Katie
Jolie says
I had heard they were moving into the old Post Office, guess this was a better choice for them. Gotta say that I just love the fact that a bible book store is being turned into a brewery!