Since opening in North Park 12 years ago, Bottlecraft has maintained a top-tier reputation among beerophiles as a place at which to procure high-quality, hard-to-find ales and lagers from around the world. Not just in cans and bottles, as its name suggests, but on draft, care of a dozen well-stocked taps. Over the years, wines and spirits have been added to the venue’s shelves, along with fromage from in-store tenant Venissimo Cheese, making for well-rounded offerings which bolstered overall patronage.
In recent months, Bottlecraft owner Brian Jensen has noticed a dramatic behavioral shift at the North Park store, with a significant portion of its clientele ‒ particularly those who live and work nearby ‒ no longer just dropping in for to-go beverages, but instead looking to hang out for lengthy periods of time several days a week. Stop by the University Avenue business on any given weekend and it will be packed with customers overflowing onto the furnished outdoor parklet.
Just don’t stop by this weekend, because Bottlecraft is currently closed for renovations as Jensen and his team work to convert it into a combination retail outlet and public house. Having watched the North Park store evolve into a communal hub, Jensen has decided to accommodate that by renovating its interiors to include additional seating, while expanding the bar, increasing its total number of taps to 22 serving both beer and wine.
“We’re going from about 16 indoor seats to roughly 25, which doesn’t sound like a huge jump on paper, but the change is really about comfort and connection. Right now the seating is kind of pushed off to the side and feels a bit separate from what’s happening in the space,” says Jensen. “The new layout includes a proper bar as well as built-in booths, which we hope bring guests closer to the staff and to each other. It’s less about packing more people in and more about creating a seating setup that feels communal, relaxed and more in line with how we want people to experience the space.”
Jensen, a longtime craft-beer enthusiast, launched Bottlecraft’s first location in Little Italy in 2011. Its next-level beer selection and knowledgeable staffers earned it a stellar, lasting reputation. Jensen has gone on to open additional Bottlecraft locations (there are currently five stores, three of which are in San Diego) as well as several other concepts. Those include Little Italy wine bar Vino Carta and South Park beer bar Bock. Since opening last March, the latter has similarly become a nerve center for local imbibers.
“Watching Bock grow into a neighborhood gathering place has been fun and encouraging; a reminder of how much people value spaces that feel intentional, welcoming and rooted in the San Diego beer community,” says Jensen. “With what we learned building and opening Bock, we wanted to lean more fully into what we believe makes Bottlecraft different from places that simply sell beer. This renovation is about approaching the space more holistically and giving equal care to both the bar experience and the retail side. I hope the renovation helps those two parts feel more connected, where what’s happening at the bar naturally leads you into the shop, and where the shop supports the kinds of events and gatherings we love hosting.”
That programming includes cheese and beer classes, beer tastings, brewery spotlights and meet-the-brewer nights. Moving forward the new layout will allow the venue to host other types of events its crew has long wanted to introduce.
Jensen says that over time he’s noticed venues that willfully evolve before the need to do so is upon them are the types that generally thrive, while those that stand still eventually find themselves fighting for survival. His business partners at Venissimo agree, and are working on their own evolution within the North Park space.
“Going along with Bottlecraft’s renovation, Venissimo Cheese is expanding into dine-in service with new cheese-forward bar bites featuring specialty ingredients and a rotating lineup of seasonal specials,” says Venissimo Director of Operations and Cheesemonger Rachel deBerardinis. “We’re still cutting cheese to order and offering our full takeaway selection, but now there will be more ways for guests to enjoy artisan cheese either on-site or at home.”
The North Park location has been closed since the first of the year. Jensen expects to reopen the business by Friday, January 16. The store’s hours of operation are noon to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. To keep up on the progress of the project, interested parties can consult Bottlecraft North Park’s Instagram account.
Bottlecraft is located at 3007 University Avenue in North Park