They say if you can make a living doing something you are passionate about you will never work a day in your life. Entrepreneur Andrew Hannegan has doubled down on that adage, building a business that brings together his two favorite indulgences: beer and ice cream. It goes by Hannegan’s House Beer Co. and Creamery and, though it opened in April under the limitations of the pandemic, it has taken off in a big way. It took Hannegan three months to increase production to meet customer demand for his beers and beer-infused ice cream, but he’s found a groove and is bringing something unique to the municipality his business calls home.
“I wanted to fill the gap between Chula Vista and Barrio Logan, and I always wanted to be near the coast and train tracks. I was able to accomplish both while staying in the South Bay where I grew up,” says Hannegan. “Although I did not grow up in National City, I spent a lot of time there with my friends.”
Hannegan’s House is National City’s lone brewery, but not its first. Embarcadero Brewing and Supply (which was located about a mile from Hannegan’s brewery and tasting room) expanded from a homebrew shop to a nanobrewery in September of 2018. Despite solid patronage, it closed just shy of a year into operation. Hannegan had a good relationship and admiration for the owners of Embarcadero and was sad to see them go but is happy to pick up the torch for National City beer enthusiasts.
To date, Hannegan, who also handles brewing on his one-barrel system, has churned out eight beers and has more on the way. Those that have already hit the taps are as follows:
- Verdant Blonde Ale (5.9% alcohol-by-volume)
- I’m Not the White Boy You Think I Am Pale Ale (5.9%)
- The Color We’re Meant to Bleed Irish Red Ale (5.5%)
- Beautiful Day IPA (5.5%)
- Seven Sins Saison (7.6%)
- Watcha Call Me Hefeweizen (5%)
- Daddy’s Juice Lite Lager (4.2%)
- Where the Stout Has No Name Irish Stout (4.9%)
So far, five beers have made it into Hannegan’s House ice creams. The initial quintet consists of Chocolate Chip Mint Stout, Strawberry Chipotle Red Ale, Blood Orange Saison, Coconut Raspberry Hefeweizen and Peach Blonde. As of press time, Hannegan was readying to release two new ice cream flavors, one of which will feature tamarind and pair well with a guava-infused beer that’s also about to make its debut.
When asked about the challenges of infusing beer into frozen confections, Hannegan says there really aren’t any…at least not from a procedural standpoint. “The challenge with higher-ABV beers is temperature, so I don’t infuse anything higher than nine percent, but adding beer to ice cream is not very difficult. The key is making all the flavors come through in the finished product.”
Considering the relative simplicity of marrying two wildly popular consumables, it’s almost a wonder a combination brewery and ice cream operation didn’t already exist, but as with his status as National City’s only brewery owner, he’s one-of-a-kind in San Diego County where his concept is concerned, as well.
Hannegan’s House is open from 3 to 9 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays and 1 to 9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. The business is located off-street with sufficient outdoor space to fit all of the business’ tables and chairs under a trio of shade canopies. Following the pandemic, Hannegan hopes to extend his license to maintain those outdoor options.
Hannegan’s House Beer Co. & Creamery is located at 1535 Tidelands Avenue, Suite C, in National City