In 2017, Alta Brewing opened its doors at the base of the Bread and Salt building in Barrio Logan. Over its two-year lifespan it failed to attract all that many beer drinkers from near or far. That doesn’t figure to be the case with the interest that has taken its place, Mujeres Brew House. This sister brand of Border X Brewing has garnered a great deal of interest and—better yet—support as a beermaking operation that is run entirely by women. That team is led by co-founders, Carmen Favela and Esthela Davila, who have spent the past several months reaching out to women in the brewing community as well as members of the all-female Mujeres Brew Club beer-education group the new venue’s concept is based on. As a result, pop-up and open-house events where the public has been invited to check out Mujeres Brew House have been well attended, with site tourists going on to spread the word about the venue, which is scheduled to soft-open Saturday, November 7 from 1 to 5 p.m.
“Having so much support out of the gate has been overwhelming. The San Diego beer community has really stepped us and lent us their support, and Barrio Logan residents are literally waiting for us to roll up the gates,” says Davila. “We can’t wait for the actual opening. It’s something we’ve both worked very hard on and can’t wait to share with the public.”
When those gates go up, Mujeres Brew House’s taps will dispense a pair of collaboration beers. The first goes by the name Remission Possible and is an 8.2% alcohol-by-volume (ABV) sour hazy double IPA infused with raspberries and pink guava. It was brewed with Hopnonymous Brewing in Kearny Mesa, and proceeds will be donated to Angela Nguyen, an employee at North Park’s Fall Brewing, to assist with expenses related to her treatment for breast cancer. The other collab beer was brewed at Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing in Chula Vista and is a 6.5% ABV IPA dubbed La Casa Verde. The rest of the tap list will be rounded out with Border X beers and Bootstrap Kombucha.
Once Mujeres Brew House receives the go-ahead to begin brewing operations, beers will be manufactured in-house. Key to their conceptualization will be Production Mentor Samantha Olson, who is also currently Head Brewer for Lemon Grove’s 13 Point Brewing and Fermentation Czar at Bivouac Ciderworks in North Park. She and her colleagues are currently working on recipes for a quartet of straightforward styles they call “Las Básicas”: a blonde ale, pale ale, IPA and stout.
As all breweries must in the age of the novel coronavirus, Mujeres Brew House has developed a plan to remain compliant with pandemic-related restrictions. While the tasting room itself has limited seating, the drive-up portion of a loading dock allows a good amount of space for socially distanced tables. That outdoor space is also where Mujeres Brew Club members congregate during classes and meetings.
“We’re going to start our brewing classes with the club in January,” says Davila. “We’re also going to start holding hospitality classes where members will be able to jump behind the bar and really see how day-to-day functions go.”
Following the soft-open, Mujeres Brew House will be open weekly, Friday through Sunday. Hours are still being decided and visitors are advised to consult the company’s Instagram account for that information. An official grand-opening will take place on November 14.
Mujeres Brew House is located at 1983 Julian Avenue in Barrio Logan