Cellarmaker to start bottling.

They posted their Nelson hops might be a little different than other breweries Nelson hops because they actually few to NZ to check them out.

 

"Rumors have long circulated that Cellarmaker Brewing Company has been interested in opening a second taproom in San Francisco, but it wasn't until the closure of Old Bus Tavern, a Bernal Heights neighborhood brewpub, that a viable option presented itself. Now, after three months spent negotiating and planning, cofounder Connor Casey says, Cellarmaker is preparing to open a new location in early November — with a food menu, too.

"We have always been willing to listen to a pitch on a potential second location but realistically everything we were offered didn't feel sustainable because of price, location or both," Casey says, adding that the company wasn't actually actively looking for a new lease. "It's hard to find the right combination, (but) we feel that this location has a lot going for it."

The popular brewery long ago outgrew its modest, industrial taproom on Howard Street in the SoMa District of San Francisco. But the company, founded in 2013 by Casey, Tim Sciascia and Kelly Caveney, nevertheless continued to operate out of the tiny space while their fan base burgeoned.

It was imperative to find "a relatively turnkey situation," says Casey, both because working with the city's planning department can be difficult and because modifying a property in San Francisco to include a brewing system is expensive.

The Old Bus Tavern system, which is a 4-bbl brewhouse with three 8-bbl fermenters, adds substantial capacity to Cellarmaker's annual output (their SoMa location holds a 10-bbl brewing system). It's equipment that Casey says will allow the brewery to experiment with rare and obscure ingredients in smaller brewing batches that "would make no sense financially in a larger brewhouse." It will also allow the bar to "sustain the beer demands of its own patronage."

Here, that patronage will also be able to grab a bite along with their pints. Cellarmaker tapped Michael Malyniwsky, alum of Birch and Barley (a Churchkey restaurant) in Washington D.C. to head up the brewpub's food program, which will center around Detroit-style square pizzas topped with offerings from fresh and local Northern California agricultural producers.

"It sounds cliche but our goal is to source the best quality ingredients possible and do them justice," Casey adds. "We have always felt that folks can't visit the Howard St. location for too long because of the lack of food. We are hoping that the availability of quality food will allow people to stay longer and enjoy themselves."

That enjoyment, they hope, will come from the "more extensive and complete experience" of what they'll soon be able to offer. And it's not just the food that's new for them; unlike Cellarmaker's Howard Street taproom, this new space will be family-friendly. It will also offer an array of guest beers from breweries they respect, and a carefully curated cider and wine list for the ale-averse.

This is, after years of growth, a step that was a long time coming. It was always the goal to make great beer for the community, he says, but the idea of forced growth was not appealing. They weren't going to settle.

"We have been a little hesitant about finding the right opportunity rather than charging out there with intent of signing a lease right away," he says. "We feared we would've created a generic experience if we rushed into a second spot. These things take time and deliberation."

 

Just read about this. And if all goes well it will be a pretty quick turnaround to get the new site up and running!

 

They should take over the Black Sands space while they're at it.

 

I'll be surprised if they choose pizza considering Pizza Hacker is right around the corner.

 

I'd love this! Lower haight is much easier to get to from my neck of the woods.

 

First time at CM since last week's release. All Mango/Mosaic is gone. Oh well, at least they've been more aggressive in making sours this year as promised. In sure I'll see a few other attempts by year's end.

Don't sleep on that NZ hopped Pils they just tapped either. I think that's the happiest IPL I've ever had, and it still clocks in at a meager 5.1%

 

OMG gamechanger...

 

time to update the thread name?

 

Ha ok so I was a little out of order...

 

That's convenient but I don't know why folks can't get some stainless growlers and call it a day? I got a couple of double-walled 32 oz HydroFlask growlers from REI for about $20 each and use them at all the breweries I'm interested in. The only times I get crowler fills is when I make a last minute decision to hit a brewery. All other times I try to plan ahead. If folks can bring reusable bags to the grocery store, then they can bring growlers to a brewery.

 

I can't take a growler to/from a Giants game. This makes it easy when taking public transit, etc, if I can't stash a growler anywhere.

 

Of course there are instances, like the scenario you described, when crowlers are the only option. However, if you're consuming at home or at a party, growlers are more than adequate. I'm glad the crowler option is there, but I think most folks treat their availability as license to discontinue growler use. I often got fills at Fieldwork and there are times when the growler machine is running nonstop while growlers are nowhere to be found.

 

I travel to the bay area often, and almost always bring a growler for Cellarmaker, but very rarely actually use it. I'm happy to not have to pack that anymore.

 

That seems reasonable for a regular or for a person who already owns growlers, but if I'm simply a casual drinker it's cheaper to get a crowler. Why deal with paying for a growler that I may never use again?

I could see this scenario dissolving if cans were readily available. Alverado St has a crowler machine and last I was there they didn't seem to be filling as many, but the outdoor fridge was stocked with a variety of cans.

 

There are no words...

 

I'll be hitting cellarmaker now more often for crowlers to bring home. I just prefer crowlers over growlers I feel they keep the beer plenty fresh and carbed even if it's not as good as a real canning line. I had a galaxy juice from a 2-3 week old crowler last year that still held up very well.

 

That’s true, though I guess it depends on how you define casual. Like I said, I’m glad that the option’s there, but anyone who’s getting fills regularly would be better off investing in a refillable container as it’s cost effective in the long run. I didn’t even mention the environmental impact of aluminum packaging throughout its whole life cycle.

 

Next Tuesday. Finally C+C in cans.

 

No Dank Williams tomm based on an instagram update.