Breweries expanding homebrewers’ options
When trusted Escondido homebrewing supply outlet Smokin Beaver Brew Shop closed during the pandemic, Tim McClintic set out on a mission to not only preserve the space but create a business model that might help to save the shrinking homebrew-store industry. He started by taking ownership of the Smokin Beaver store and reopening it as Wild West Homebrew Supply Co., holding numerous events and promotions to establish the brand. It worked, allowing McClintic to move on to phase two of his plan, presenting Wild West as a franchise-ready model to be replicated anywhere in the country.
Those plans were dashed the week of Christmas 2022 when, as McClintic puts it, “an elderly gentleman parked his car in my store,” referencing the day a driver accidentally plowed into Wild West, crashing through the front window and doing major damage to the structure and merchandise inside. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but the damage was extensive enough that McClintic was left with no option but to close the store.
By then, he was running it remotely, having relocated his family to Silver Lake, Wisconsin. He selected that locale, feeling a Midwest city would make a good hub from which to manage and reach franchise locations in any part of the nation. Though he turned his back on the original Wild West, he still intended to establish a network of homebrew stores. His new idea was to restart the project from Wisconsin, until an Escondidian homebrewer-turned-pro that he’d met at the shop offered to install a new Wild West location inside his business, Backyard Brewery.
Backyard owner Bill Carter homebrewed for 30 years before opening his down-home professional beermaking business in the Hidden Hills area of Escondido in April 2022. McClintic would regularly visit Backyard to talk beer recipes with him. He and Carter even brewed several together, including a hazy IPA called Hazeadelic which remains on tap to this day. Over the past several months, their collaboration has extended into the business realm, with Carter transforming his brewery’s back patio into a homebrew-supply store.
“I have a 20-foot shipping container that I’ve added air-conditioning to in order to use it as a climate-controlled grain storage unit,” says Carter. “I’ve put in shelves, racks, counters and a pair of coolers—one for hops and another for yeast.” For the latter, he carries products from Miramar company, White Labs, as well as Imperial Yeast and Omega Yeast.
Carter says it’s important for him, as a former homebrewer, to make sure there are plenty of ingredients for local homebrewers and members of homebrew clubs like QUAFF, the Society of Barley Engineers and Temecula Valley Homebrewers Association to be able to tackle a wide range of styles.
McClintic echoes that and notes that the new Wild West, which opened for business last Saturday, offers delivery to customers’ doorsteps via Uber, as well as an “after-pay” option. The latter allows customers to brew now and pay later, splitting purchases of $50 to $2,000 into four interest-free monthly payments.
Backyard’s not the only Escondido brewery providing a retail outlet for homebrewers. Earlier this year, Jacked Up Brewery built its very own homebrew store. It was a natural extension for the seven-year-old business, which has held annual homebrew competitions since 2018. The first of those contests was coordinated in collaboration with Smokin Beaver owner, Brad Sales.
“We are currently selling materials to brew with from White Labs and BSG CraftBrewing, but no equipment. We feel most homebrewers already have their equipment or can get it quickly online,” says Jacked Up owner Michael Poulson. “We carry all the basics, will weight them out for you, and will order malt, hops and yeast that we don’t have in stock on homebrewers’ request.”
After years of watching San Diego County’s homebrew retail outlets go out of business, McClintic is happy to see spots opening, and pleased that breweries are the ones leading the charge.
“I kept watching other homebrew shops close. We lost a great one when The Homebrewer in North Park closed up,” says McClintic. “I love that Jacked Up can help people get interested in homebrewing and get into it, just like Bear Roots Brewing in Vista has with its little homebrew shop. And I love that all of the customers and friends we had at the original Wild West now have a quality spot to go to. And it’s even better because it has a brewery.”
Both breweries’ homebrew-supply arms are open the same hours as their tasting rooms. For Backyard, that’s 3 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. For Jacked Up, that’s noon to 10 p.m. daily. Though open, Wild West will hold a formal grand-opening celebration sometime during the summer and will provide updates about that event on Instagram.
Backyard Brewery is located at 2229 Micro Place, and Jacked Up Brewery is located at 800 West Grand Avenue in Escondido