On the first of August, Mikkeller Brewing San Diego soft-opened a satellite tasting room in downtown’s Little Italy neighborhood. Located at 2021 India Street, it’s rather petite (just 698 square feet) but is packed to the gills with the extensive array of diverse and often envelope-expanding beers from the Miramar-based brewing interest. Eighteen taps’ worth, to be exact.
Though it’s in the heart of a community celebrating Italian culture, the interiors are inspired by the hygge concept from founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø’s Danish homeland, loosely defined as a cozy or charming atmosphere. Mikkeller uses natural light from tall, street-facing windows, light oak, touches of greenery and simple furniture to convey that aura to guests. The overarching Mikkeller brand operates an interconnected network of bars across the globe. This latest link in that chain takes a bit of inspiration from Mikkeller Bars in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark.
“A Mikkeller location in Little Italy is extremely exciting, because it gives us the opportunity to reach tourists, restaurant connoisseurs and all craft beer lovers who are unable to come to the brewery further north,” says Brittney Sinha, who manages all the company’s San Diego venues. “This tasting room is a snapshot of us and allows us to bring our passion for experimental brews to new customers as well as loyal patrons.”
The Little Italy tasting room is open daily until midnight, opening at noon Sunday through Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturdays to serve patrons of the Little Italy Mercato farmer’s market two blocks away. In addition to draft beers, packaged offerings, including weekly can-released specialties, are available.
This isn’t the last local venue for Mikkeller. The company plans to add another San Diego satellite to its universe sometime next year. And back at Mikkeller San Diego’s Miramar mothership, the team is planning a renovation of its original tasting room. Stay tuned for more news on those projects.
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