Many local breweries had big plans and works in progress before the pandemic struck, but few had as many things going on at once as Mike Hess Brewing (MHB). The North Park-based interest was pushing to complete expansion of a sizable outdoor area at its Imperial Beach tasting room, install another satellite operation at downtown’s Seaport Village, all while continuing to develop mechanisms to combat pediatric cancer, a scourge that hits close to home for the Hess family. Even with the gridlock, slow downs and obstacles COVID-19 has thrown at them, the MHB team has forged ahead and is making significant progress on all three fronts.
Since opening at 805 Ocean Lane in March of last year, MHB’s Imperial Beach venue has been a hit, servicing a community that only has one other brewery-owned venue, a bar-equipped eatery from Coronado Brewing (though Pizza Port has been working on plans to enter the county’s southwestern-most community). And that was with just 1,600 square feet of interior space and some picnic tables. Construction of phase two of the project, an outdoor area featuring a 60-foot deck overlooking Seacoast Drive, seating-equipped shipping containers, and a 3,000-square-foot beer garden with a dedicated bar, fire pits and a boardwalk, has been long anticipated. But it almost didn’t happen.
“The expansion was supposed to kick off this spring, but the initial COVID-19 shutdown put a pause on the build,” says MHB marketing consultant Alexis Diller. “Because of the pause, we were at risk of going past our permitted building time frame, but thanks to our quick thinking, the help of 1,300-plus locals that signed a petition, and a pro-business IB City Council, our permits were extended for six months. So now, everything is a go. We’ll be hitting it in earnest right after Labor Day.”
In the meantime, the containers that will form the bones of the project have been moved to the construction site, and the siding on the outside of the structures is nearly complete. Last month, concrete was poured for the upper deck as well as the staircase leading to it. Installation of a dozen columns, shading sailcloth, turf landscaping, a bamboo deck and pavers will all happen later this month, with the goal to be finished in time to host an Oktoberfest-themed “OktoberHessFest” event in late September.
“The IB community really came through when we needed signatures on the petition to extend the building permits, and more importantly, they have voted with their feet, by helping us launch one of the most successful restaurants in IB history,” says Diller.
By comparison, advancing on the Seaport Village project has been more of a slog. MHB is still in the process of getting plans approved by the City of San Diego, something that’s proven difficult in the age of the coronavirus. The delay has put the company 10 to 12 weeks behind schedule. Still, ownership remains excited to undertake the project and hit the ground running as soon as they have their permit in hand. MHB’s success in Imperial Beach has had much to do with teaming with culinary partners City Tacos. That beer-and-food partnership will extend to the Seaport Village venue.
On the charity front, MHB recently announced it will be making a $20,000 donation to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. That donation was made possible thanks to product donations from Yakima Chief Hops, Country Malt Group, Amoretti,PakTech and Saxco, toward the brewing and packaging of Rising Hope, a fruited, 6.5% alcohol-by-volume IPA that will be released on September 15, proceeds of which will make up the remainder of the NPCF contribution.
Earlier this year, MHB was able to raise more than $30,000, split into $15,000 contributions to the NPCF and MIB (Making It Better) Agents osteosarcoma research entity, through sales of its Mike’s Mist hand sanitizer. Last year, $7,000 was raised for The Pablove Foundation, a childhood cancer non-profit, through sales of a beer called Beet Cancer. Also in 2019, Team MHB drummed up more than $70,000 through its St. Baldricks Day head-shaving efforts.
“I can think of no higher cause than helping to find a cure for pediatric cancer, the number-one disease killer of children, which is so severely underfunded,” says co-founder and CBO Mike Hess. “Pediatric cancer research gets the short end of the stick when it comes to allocating money for the search for a cure because, quite frankly, there isn’t enough money for pharmaceutical companies to seek one, despite its devastating effects on kids and their families. So, we’re trying to change that and bring awareness to the public so they can consider when they are being philanthropic.”