The thematic of Carlsbad’s Rouleur Brewing is competitive cycling, but its beers have proven popular beyond the two-wheeling crowd. Enough that in 2020 owner and Brewmaster Rawley Macias was able to graduate from operating a lease-to-brew Brewery Igniter facility by taking it and the brewery-and-tasting-room combo suite next door over from developer H.G. Fenton. That provided the four-year-old business with double the space for both manufacturing and serving customers, but the company’s goal of finding a satellite venue to extend Rouleur’s reach has yet to be realized…until now. Macias will be pedaling 37 miles south to set up a tasting room on North Park’s bustling University Avenue.
“We are honored to be joining a neighborhood where art, craft and culture are cherished,” says Macias. “There is a strong representation of world-class beer in North Park, and we don’t take that lightly. We’ll have to be at the top of our game to fit in.”
Macias won’t be riding solo. He’s added some very capable consultants to his team to take care of amenities going beyond ales and lagers. The upcoming venue is equipped with a kitchen, offerings from which will be devised by local chef Tyson Blake (who is also co-owner of O’Brien’s Pub, West Coast Smoke and Tap House and Keg Seeker, as well as a contributor to San Diego Beer News). Blake and Macias first collaborated when the former created the menu for Rouleur’s anniversary food-and-beer-pairing dinner.
Coffee will also be on the menu at the North Park tasting room. Coming aboard to establish that program will be Nikki Peterson, a java professional with years of experience owning and operating a pair of coffee shops in Wyoming. Sunset Magazine named her business, Old Town Coffee, one of the top coffee shops to visit in the US. Under Peterson’s direction, Rouleur will utilize third-wave coffee beans from notable Direct Trade roasters throughout San Diego County.
“Having the help of Nikki and Tyson will definitely help us sleep better at night,” says Macias. “Anything we introduce at Rouleur needs to be of the same caliber as our beer. We are confident that Nikki and Tyson will help make that happen.”
The tasting room space comes in at 1,700 square feet, including a permanent patio and arched floor-to-ceiling windows. It is located in the same building as popular live-entertainment venue, The Observatory. Prior to the pandemic, that site held 14-to-28 shows per month. Once such events are again allowable, that should provide a valuable built-in revenue stream for Rouleur.
Leaning on advantageous situations is in keeping with Macias’ business practices to date. Rouleur’s success to this point has come in part from a years-long partnership with San Marcos’ Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey, wherein the dual-brand operation utilizes Macias’ services and facility for research and development projects as well as a means to increase production capacity through contract brewing. This symbiotic relationship has helped insulate Rouleur from would-be pitfalls, weather the COVID-19 storm and expand at a time when survival spells success for most brewing companies.
Rather than focus on competitive cycling like the Carlsbad flagship, Rouleur’s North Park tasting room will be adorned with imagery and artwork referencing bike messengers and couriers, urban riding and cruisers, a nod to its bike-friendly new environs. If all goes as planned, the new venue will open in mid-summer of this year.
Rouleur Brewing’s satellite tasting room will be located at 2899 University Avenue in North Park