In 2016, veteran brewer Brian Mitchell bet big on himself, signing a deal on a lease-to-brew suite at H.G. Fenton’s Brewery Igniter facility in North Park so he could open his own interest, Pariah Brewing. Doing so allowed him to skip the lengthy process of purchasing brewing and cellar equipment, building out a brewery and tasting room, and the other start-up hassles that come with starting a business. Instead, he was able to get right to work proving his concept, and prove it he has. Over the past four-plus years, Pariah has maxed out its Brewery Igniter capacity, creating a situation where expansion is a must. Earlier this week, Mitchell took to social media to announce that he will expand, though in a highly unexpected manner. Rather than secure a new or second manufacturing spot in San Diego County, he will move the bulk of his operation to Baltimore, Maryland.
When taking a step back, this move is not as unorthodox as it initially appears. Mitchell was born and raised in Baltimore and Pariah’s beers have been distributed there—albeit on a small basis—for the past two years. His grandparents recently passed, so even before he made this move, he had been feeling as though it were time for him to return home. Additionally, the space the company is taking over, which was previously operated by Union Craft Brewery, is fully built out and in a state where Pariah can get right to work from a manufacturing perspective. As Mitchell sees it, the most labor-intensive part of the project will be converting the design and feel of the place to match Pariah’s purple, semi-macabre motif. Also, Pariah was never supposed to be sited in San Diego in the first place.
“Honestly, the original business plan was to open Pariah in Sioux Falls, South Dakota,” says Mitchell. “Owning and operating a small business in California is incredibly difficult. Expanding within California was honestly never on the table for us. I’m incredibly proud of our team to have earned our place to be considered a high-quality company within this market, and I think that’s a major benefit when looking at how Pariah could operate within any other conditions.”
Mitchell says other breweries and businesses in the area have been welcoming and supportive of his impending arrival. As he noted in his online announcement, “We greatly look forward to joining the many other small businesses in the Baltimore community. Baltimore is an intensely beautiful city filled with rich history and an identity built on pride of their diverse culture, character and charm. We invite you all to visit us in our secondary home and experience the love, kindness and neighborly welcome that this city provides. We could not be more stoked to be a part of the fabric of two such amazing communities in both San Diego and Baltimore.”
Pariah Brewing is located at 3052 University Avenue in North Park