There are some old-guard San Diego brewing companies, the influence of which on the county’s craft-beer scene extends well beyond their own walls. Ex-employees of Pizza Port, Stone Brewing, Karl Strauss Brewing and Ballast Point Brewing have gone on to take the skills they’ve learned and put them to use at new breweries, including those they themselves have founded. In Ballast Point’s case, so many former brewers have made their mark at other local operations, the company is at work on a family tree as part of this year’s 25th anniversary celebration. Among those who’ve started their own companies are the entrepreneurial brewers behind Eppig Brewing, Latchkey Brewing and BattleMage Brewing. And come Saturday, May 29, Daren Rudy will join that list when he and co-founding partner Alex Kim open their Ataraxia Aleworks to the public.
Rudy and Kim have spent the past three months working at a “record-breaking pace” since acquiring the former home of Circle Nine Brewing in Kearny Mesa. The duo say they feel fortunate to have found a turnkey situation where their biggest obstacle to date has been attaining the licensing necessary to proceed with brewing and service. This has allowed them to focus on remodeling the tasting room to convey an air of relaxation. It’s quite the departure from the Dante’s Inferno thematic Circle Nine had going.
“Customers can expect a completely different environment than the former tasting room,” says Kim. “We wanted to make the warehouse look less like a warehouse. In the construction phase, we added wood panels to places that were once just steel or aluminum surfaces and added some lattices and plants. We are excited to give our customers a tranquil environment in which to enjoy their beer.”
Speaking of beer, Rudy’s plan is to have four hoppy options: Pale McPaleface Pale Ale, Supremo Pale Ale, Cowbell IPA and Archie Red Pale Ale. The menu will be diversified by Harambe Helles Lager, Fun Haver Blonde Ale, Keytar Amber Lager, and a porter called The Great Deliverer. A hard seltzer may also make their way into the mix as well as a non-alcoholic house-made root beer, and this is just the beginning. Rudy has a variety of homebrew recipes he’s concocted over the years, many of which he intends to scale up and brew on a professional level. Among those are a hoppy Mexican-style lager, assorted Belgian-style ales and some style hybrids. He will also engage in collaborative brewing efforts.
“Having worked for Ballast Point for nearly a decade and seen so many brewers move on and contribute to the opening of their own breweries, we are very excited to reunite with some of the brewers I know personally and have brewed with in the past,” says Rudy. While he looks forward to collaborating with established local breweries, he also wants to brew beers with people like him who have yet to join the industry but hope to make their mark within it.
“We are passionate about beer and very excited to get our beer to the public,” says Kim.
Once open, Ataraxia Aleworks’ house of operation will be 3 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
Ataraxia Aleworks is located at 7292 Opportunity Road, Suite C, in Kearny Mesa