In April, California Wild Ales’ owners announced that, after eight years at their Sorrento Valley headquarters, they were moving into a building in Point Loma where they would share space with fellow tenants, Five Star Fish Processing. The relocation included installation of an oak foeder and procurement of all-new wine and spirit barrels for aging of the company’s array of matured and oft-fruited sour, wild and mixed-culture beers. It also necessitated construction of a tasting room allowing visitors to discover those beers—as well as a line of clean IPAs and lagers—at the source. After four months of intense work, that sampling space is near completion and set to soft-open this Friday, September 8.
“The soft opening will allow us to fine-tune our operations while also building connections within the community before the grand opening,” says co-owner Bill DeWitt. “We’re enthusiastic about sharing our innovative brews and creating lasting memories for our patrons.”
As has been the case over California Wild Ales’ lifespan, unique and abundantly creative interior design will help to forge memorable experiences. Highlights of the new 1,200-square-foot public venue include three-dimensional Lego sculptures from Mortarless Bricks, as well as mirrors and reclaimed wood that were brought over from Sorrento Valley and repurposed to provide callbacks to the original tasting room.
Activities and entertainment are a big focus of the Point Loma tasting room, which features a small arcade with a four-player retro-style cabinet that is loaded with 17,000 games. Three other video-game cabinets are on order. Even more old-school gaming options include a collection of board and bar-top games, including ring-toss, landslide, roller bowler, rolo, washers and more. Then there’s the pièce de resistance for the spectator sect, an 18-foot-by-10.5-foot movie screen.
This has got to be one of the largest screens outside of Petco Park. It’s downright massive and I think once people see it, it will become a major draw for this location. We will be showing live sporting events—the Gulls, the Padres, NFL games, et cetera—as ell as live-streaming concerts. Our new spot is going to be a fantastic place to catch live games, enjoy a craft beer and soak up the atmosphere.”
Bill DeWitt, Co-founder, California Wild Ales
The new tasting room is equipped with 20 taps. The following is the diverse assortment of beers that will be available on Friday:
- Warzone West Coast IPA
- The Point West Coast IPA
- Up the Hill Hazy IPA
- Rainbow Weather Double Hazy IPA
- Pesky Parrot Pale Ale
- Bike Lane Lager
- Dragon Fruit, Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry Sour Ale
- German Chocolate Cake Dark Sour
- Oak Barrel-aged Saison (collaboration with OB Brewery)
- Mead Barrel-aged Flanders-style Red Ale (collaboration with 13 Point Brewing)
- Super Cuvée Brewer’s Blend
- Sour Quadrupel with Kakawa Cold-brew Coffee
- Sour Meyer Lemon Radler
- Peach Hard Seltzer
Unlike its Sorrento Valley predecessor, the Point Loma tasting room will have a reliable everyday food menu provided by California Wild Ales’ neighbors at The Last Typewriter. Edible offerings will include gourmet burgers and fries, fusion-style fried chicken, toasted sandwiches and more. Patrons will be able to order from a wall-mounted tablet, then have their food delivered to the tasting room.
“We’ve created an inviting and exciting space that’s designed for both beer enthusiasts and those looking for a unique, community-oriented experience,” says General Manager, Monica DeWitt.
“There will be a bigger focus on events at this location,” says co-owner Zack Brager. “The space will allow us to be really creative, it’s going to be a lot of fun”.
The first set of events will revolve around the space’s debut, with Friday’s public soft-opening followed by an industry-night launch on Saturday, September 9, and a grand opening on Friday, September 15. The latter will feature a golden sour ale aged on Cabernet Franc grapes in barrels from Morena business, Lost Cause Meadery, as well as music from Tecolote Canyon from 4 to 6 p.m.
Following that, the aforementioned Mortarless Bricks will hold Bricks and Brews events twice a month, where patrons can design, build and even race their own creations. And all through October, California Wild Ales will air horror movies, while also inviting industry colleague Kelly Cashman to record a live, on-site episode of her podcast, B Movie and a Beer.
Hours of operation have yet to be finalized. DeWitt and his colleagues want to take things slow and familiarize themselves with patrons in their new neighborhood. Initially, the tasting room will be open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Adjustments will be made when concerts and sporting events take place at nearby Pechanga Arena.
California Wild Ales is located at 3826 Sherman Street in Point Loma