E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA: Palomar Brewing Company to join Carlsbad community

California has long been a big supplier of quality craft beer, with one of the biggest craft-breweries in the nation, Stone Brewing Co., Coast News blog reported on May 30.

Vista is home to more craft breweries per capita than any other city in the nation.

Yet neighbouring Carlsbad is home to just four breweries.

Two Carlsbad residents are hoping to change that with the opening of Palomar Brewing Company, on Loker Avenue West.

Ben Fairweather and Mike Stevenson are hoping to open a tasting room to cater to the surrounding businesses and hotels.

They see Carlsbad as a good opportunity because of the amount of residents that go to the surrounding cities to eat and drink.

“There is a leakage to other coastal communities,” Stevenson said.

They both agree that the interest has already been high. Fairweather said people in the nearby business community pop in, almost daily, to check the progress and find out when they can taste the beers.

Stevenson is the head brewer and has been home-brewing with his dad since he was a kid.

He went to Germany to intern at a brewery and learn more about traditional brewing.

“It helped me get a job locally,” Stevenson said.

He spent two years at Twisted Manzanita Brewing Company and learned how to brew on a bigger system.

Once the brewery is up and running, he plans to focus on lagers, and other styles that aren’t brewed as heavily in the nearby area, like sour beers.

Fairweather stressed the importance of having unique offerings in a market that’s heavily saturated with IPAs.

Instead of having traditional American blonde ale, they’ll have a Belgium style blonde.

They have a 10-barrel system and will be able to produce about 1,000 to 1,500 barrels a year.

They received approval from the Planning Commission last week.

Their City Council hearing for the tasting room is going to be scheduled in late June or early July but they’re already approved as a brewery.

They hope to be up and running by September.


03 June, 2015