Last summer, Kearny Mesa’s Societe Brewing opened an indoor-outdoor tasting room on the 2400 block of San Diego Avenue. It was the first-ever satellite location for that business as well as the first-ever brewery-owned venue for the historic Old Town area. And it won’t be the last. Bolt Brewery has taken over the 2,000-square-foot bar and restaurant previously occupied by Hungry’s Kitchen & Tap, with plans to convert it into the La Mesa-based company’s third location.
“We’ve been looking at Old Town for many years, waiting for the right location to open up for us,” says Bolt co-owner Molly Rust. She and her husband and business partner, Clint Stromberg, have long frequented Old Town—a draw for tourists and locals alike—keeping an eye out for real estate while forging business relationships. One of those connections paid off when the spot they acquired hit the market. And though it’s early (they just filed their alcohol-license paperwork today), they are enthused about what the future holds.
“Clint and I are very excited. We have lots of contacts in Old Town and there is so much good energy there,” says Rust. “We think the neighborhood is going to be a good fit for us and that we’re going to be a good fit for the neighborhood.”
Bolt Brewery originally opened as a tiny beer interest operating out of a Quonset hut structure in Fallbrook in 1987. It closed in 1989, but Stromberg’s passion for beer and brewing raged on. In 2014, he and Rust revived Bolt in a new Quonset hut outfitted with a 10-barrel brewhouse and cellar in La Mesa, giving the East County community its first craft brewery.
Less than a year later, the couple expanded, taking over a high-profile kitchen-equipped bar on the corner of Grape Street and India Street in downtown’s Little Italy neighborhood. That venue has greatly extended Bolt’s reach and popularity, serving as reliable profit center thanks in part to numerous features Rust and Stromberg hope to duplicate in Old Town.
“We plan to implement the same menu that we have in Little Italy,” says Rust. “We’ll also bring over our Thursday flight nights, wing Wednesdays and all-day happy hour on Tuesdays.”
Bolt’s Old Town location will pour a dozen of the company’s beers, plus guest beers and alternative alcoholic beverages from other local companies. Additionally, several televisions will be installed for sports viewing.
Rust says she and Stromberg will be “ready to rock” when their licensing is complete, which should take around three months. Initially, it the venue open for business daily at 11 a.m. Once the location and its staff establish a rhythm, the plan is to open in the mornings for breakfast service.
“We look forward to further enhancing the craft-beer experience in Old Town, and giving locals and people from out of town an even more extensive taste of what the San Diego craft-beer scene has to offer.”
Bolt Brewery’s new bar and restaurant will be located at 2547 San Diego Avenue in Old Town