Since Pure Project Brewing’s December 2020 announcement it would be installing a tasting room in North Park, the project site has been under heavy surveillance by local beer fans slowing their roll along El Cajon Boulevard to survey construction progress. Gridlock within the community will soon come to a halt when the Vista-based brewery’s satellite location opens to the public this Friday, March 11.
Built in the 3,000-square-foot shell of an automotive paint shop with 4,000 square feet of outdoor space, this will be Pure Project’s fifth and largest taproom. Its al fresco biergarten features a variety of seating options from picnic tables and Adirondack rocking chairs to love seats and even porch swings. Roll-up doors provide access to that area from an indoor bar with 20 taps and seating for 30. It’s an oasis of sorts that, despite North Park’s wealth of hospitality venues, will bring new elements to the area.
“We are excited to bring a relaxing, outdoor biergarten of this scale to the North Park neighborhood,” says Pure Project co-founder Mat Robar. “The space is designed as a respite from the urban bustle. From the large, planted trees and warm wood tones to the laid-back furniture and firepits, we’re bringing the best parts of your favorite backyard into an urban setting.”
The aforementioned tipuana trees provide shade while conveying Pure Project’s established nature aesthetic. Furthering that is live-edge wood shelving, a merchandise area constructed from reclaimed local eucalyptus trees and a wall of sustainable cork lining an interior hallway. Other value-added touches include outdoor firepits and skylit restrooms. Though overlooked by many, the Pure Project team has always made a point of decking out its lavatories. That extra-mile attention has contributed to the company’s positive reputation and notable success.
Since debuting as the first tenant in local developer H.G. Fenton’s lease-to-brew Brewery Igniter facility in Miramar in 2016, Pure Project has grown quickly and steadily. In 2019, the company opened its first satellite space in Bankers Hill just blocks from Balboa Park. In 2020, when most brewing interests were battling to keep their doors open due to the challenges of the pandemic, Pure Project not only opened a Carlsbad Village tasting room but also secured a new, much larger base of operations in Vista (while continuing operation of its original Miramar brewery and taproom). The former home of Iron Fist Brewing, that facility went online a year ago, with its tasting room debuting to the public in July.
Through all of the above expansion, Pure Project’s ethos and aesthetic have traveled well. A 1% for the Planet company that has donated more than $160,000 to grassroots environmental organizations over its lifespan, Pure Project’s commitment to the planet is celebrated in its motif and respected by its clientele and contemporaries. Planting a flag in the heavily trafficked, high-profile North Park community should allow for greater reach and further invigoration of its charity efforts and eco-friendly initiatives.
“North Park is such an important part of San Diego craft beer, so we’re very honored to be able to join our peers in the neighborhood and complement the existing scene that they’ve built,” says Pure Project co-founder Jesse Pine. “El Cajon Boulevard itself has a lot of amazing projects in the works in addition to ours, so we’re really looing forward to being involved in the community.”
Following its debut, Pure Project’s North Park tasting room will be open 3 to 9 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, noon to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Fans are encouraged to follow the venue’s official Instagram account for updates on the project and the opening.
Pure Project Brewing’s new tasting room is located at 2867 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park