Many brewing companies have utilized the beer-manufacturing facility at Mission Brewery Plaza over the past decade-and-a-half. From most recent tenants like Latchkey Brewing and Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment (now operating as Carlsbad Brewing) to stalwarts like Coronado Brewing, New English Brewing and Mission Brewing, it has come through, but it’s taken a beating. By the time restaurant-industry vet Rhett Terrebonne (pictured below) took it over last year, it had incurred a great deal of wear-and-tear. Enough that Terrebonne’s fledgling beer business, Niuhi Brewing, had to be put on hold while he overhauled the facility.
“I’ve been fixing and cleaning all of the equipment and putting in new seals. I’ve installed a new glycol compressor and put in new lines, because glycol was leaking everywhere. I’ve also had the boiler rebuilt and had to take down and reconstruct a walk-in cooler for the three bright tanks because all the wood was rotten,” says Terrebonne. “I’m currently waiting on a lauter rake motor and gearbox, but have a part that is being hand-made in Germany so it’s taking a little longer than I want.”
Terrebonne originally explored a different path to market entry, investing in Miramar-based Setting Sun Sake Brewery in a pseudo-partnership wherein that company’ owner, Josh Hembree, would work for him as Niuhi’s head brewer. Hembree brewed a handful of batches out of Mission Brewery Plaza. Those beers were primarily tapped at local beer festivals. The eventual plan had been for Terrebonne to install a kitchen at Setting Sun, which would have shifted licensing to allow Niuhi beers to be sold from that shared space. That plan was upended when Setting Sun went out of business last December, leaving Terrebonne to come up with a new plan.
Since his brewery only has space for a small tasting room capable of serving 10 or so customers, Terrebonne now plans to package the majority of his beer for distribution. He is good with the decision as he had no disillusions of being able to create a destination brewery, due to a severe lack of parking and past tenants’ inability to draw patrons beyond individuals working for neighboring businesses within Mission Brewery Plaza.
Once work on his facility’s 20-barrel brewery is complete, Terrebonne will get to work producing Niuhi’s first set of beers, which will include:
- Good Vibrations West Coast IPA, 6.5% ABV (alcohol-by-volume)
- Catching Sunsets Hazy IPA, 7%
- Desert Sunrise Pilsner, 4.8%
- Stay Frosty Kölsch, 4.8%
- The Spruce is Loose Double IPA, 9%
Terrebonne plans to bring on a head brewer in a couple of months. When he does, he will be looking for someone with plenty of professional brewing experience. He wants to find someone who will be in it for the long haul and looking to grow with the brand. And he’d like that individual to be female.
I would prefer to hire a woman. This industry is evolving, and we need more kick-ass women in it. There are so many skilled female brewers out there just waiting for the right opportunity. I would be honored to provide that opportunity.”
Rhett Terrebonne, Owner, Niuhi Brewing
Once Terrebonne is ready, Niuhi’s head brewer job posting will appear in the Career Opportunities section of San Diego Beer News’ weekly email newsletter. (Click here to subscribe.) For now, he is focused on making sure his eventual brewer has a quality setup in which to work.
It’s taken a great deal of work and expense, but Terrebonne stays focused and motivated by a set of short- and long-term goals. The first of those is to debut the aforementioned beers. That’s followed by a year-one production target of 5,000 barrels. And in 10 years, he would like Niuhi to be on industry trade organization, the Brewers Association’s, list of the top 50 U.S. craft breweries by production volume. They are lofty aspirations, and it’s been an admittedly rocky start, but he remains determined.
“I’ve had plenty of setbacks, but nothing will stop me from making this dream come true. It’s been my dream for over 20 years,” says Terrebonne. “Dreams without goals are just dreams, and, ultimately, they fuel disappointment. On the road to achieving your dreams, you must apply discipline, but more importantly, consistency. Without commitment you’ll never start, but without consistency you’ll never finish.”
Niuhi Brewing is located inside Mission Brewery Plaza at 1795 Hancock Street in Mission Hills