Newport Avenue has played home to nearly all of Ocean Beach’s brewery-owned venues: four at its peak, with two more just a block off the main drag. Earlier this year, when Solana Beach-based Culture Brewing opted to move out in favor of opening its first out-of-town satellite space in L.A.’s Manhattan Beach, the tasting room it had occupied for five-plus years was quickly snatched up by another local brewery, NOVO Brewing (previously Novo Brazil Brewing). That South Bay business spent several months renovating the space before debuting it to the public on Saturday, October 17.
The most noticeable change to the venue is a massive infusion of color, including bright pastels in keeping with NOVO’s Copacabana-inspired motif, and a beachy mural lining the interior’s west wall. Those vivid tones extend to the multi-colored umbrellas shading a pet-friendly patio out front. Back inside, taps are split between an octet of NOVO beers and just as many varieties of NOVA Easy (AKA: alcoholic) Kombucha, all of which are produced at the company’s Chula Vista brewing facilities in the Eastlake and Otay Ranch communities.
“We are fortunate and happy that our NOVA Taproom in Ocean Beach is finally open for business. We have been doing our best to keep up our positivity during these uncertain times, and we are grateful for the warm welcome received from the OB community upon opening our doors,” says NOVO co-founder Tiago Carneiro. “Being a local business, we know how important it is to support and partner with the community and other local businesses, and we’re pleased to say we partnered with amazing local artist, Janis Ambrosiani, to paint our beautiful taproom wall, and with our neighbors, James Gang Company, for our staff’s stunning tie-dye shirts. Our goal is to bring happiness and good times alongside the best alcoholic kombuchas and beers for our OB family.”
And NOVO isn’t done expanding. In 2018, ownership started work to open a tasting room as part of a 9,000-square-foot National City hospitality collective called Market on 8th. That project is still underway with a hopeful debut date of the beginning of next year.
Hours of operation at the NOVA Taproom are noon to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For employee and customer safety, health screenings and temperature checks are conducted for all parties entering the OB venue. An official grand-opening event adhering to pandemic-era regulations is currently in the works.
Meanwhile, Ocean Beach’s Two Roots Brewing tasting room has shuttered. Located on the same block of Newport as the NOVA Taproom, it was originally opened by Helm’s Brewing in 2016. When that company sold to Two Roots—a producer of non-alcoholic and cannabis-infused beers rewed in Kearny Mesa—the satellite venue was part of the deal.
“Due to the impact of the pandemic and an expiring lease, we had to reevaluate our plans for 2021,” says Kevin Barnes, the company’s Executive Vice President of Brewing Operations. “While the Two Roots OB tasting room will be permanently closed, this won’t be ‘good-bye,’ just ‘see you later.’”
NOVA Kombucha Taproom is located at 4845 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach