Many beer fans’ hearts sank last May when they learned that Lee Chase was moving to Portugal. A fixture in the local beer community who made a name for himself as a young, talented brewer at Stone Brewing in the early-2000s before moving on to head his own Automatic Brewing, he inspired many with his quality beers and positive, outgoingly hospitable attitude. Automatic’s beers were crafted on a patchwork system housed in the back of Blind Lady Ale House, the business Chase co-founded with business partners Jeff and Clea Motch in 2009. That Normal Heights pie-and-pints spot remains a bastion for top-notch beer thanks to a robust tap list that now includes house beers for the first time since Chase’s departure.
Late last year, Jeff Motch started talking with fellow entrepreneur George Thornton, the founder of recently shuttered homebrew-supply store and nanobrewery, Home Brewing Co., about bringing brewing back to Blind Lady. Intrigued at the notion, Thornton teamed with Motch to erect and install a one-barrel system with four two-barrel fermenters in the back of the venue. That setup is now pumping out beers under the moniker BLAH Draft Beer.
“When Lee left, we really thought we wouldn’t brew and that we’d utilize the space for other things since we’re constantly busting at the seams around here,” says Motch. “Then, after thinking about it and realizing that BLAH is the oldest, and, I believe, the first brewing license in Uptown, we felt letting go of it would be a bummer. So, I approached George with questions about smaller systems and, before I knew it, we were talking about working together to build a small system and get BLAH brewing again.”
Thornton walked Motch through the first several brew days on the new system. Now, Motch says he’s mostly flying solo, but that he looks forward to getting his employees involved. There’s an open invitation for staff to participate in the brewing process, and a couple have taken him up on it. Motch says he’d also like to try to bring in former staff from Home Brewing Co. to brew at Blind Lady.
Due to the small size of the system, production of two-barrel batches takes place once a week (though some weeks brewing doesn’t take place due to unforeseen circumstances) and the resultant beers are tapped exclusively at Blind Lady. To date, BLAH Draft Beer releases have included a variety of assorted IPAs and pilsners. When asked about his brewing style and methodology in comparison to Chase’s, Motch notes a sharp contrast.
“Lee was way beyond what we’re doing here now. He was more into experimentation with ingredients and process than I plan on being, mostly because I don’t have 20-plus years of brewing experience,” says Motch. “For me it’s more about just having fun and taking on a new, additional role in the company.”
The latest BLAH Draft Beer to hit Blind Lady’s taps goes by the name “Rattled by the Rush”. A West Coast IPA, it was quadruple dry-hopped over a four-day period with a “Zamba Blend” of hops. That melange of varietals was selected by local brewers and used to produce a variety of beers in honor of the first ever SD Beer Weekend, a companion fundraising promotion to November’s annual San Diego Beer Week.
The next special-occasion beer release for BLAH Draft Beer will be called “See You Next Time”. Described as “a drinkable dark beer”, it was brewed last week in collaboration with and as a send-off for Thornton (pictured above), who will be moving to Spain. The beer will be released on Wednesday, June 29 . Thornton will be in attendance and musical act Good Gravy Street will be playing in The Hamm’s Room from 7 to 9 p.m.
Blind Lady Ale House is located at 3416 Adams Avenue in Normal Heights