When TapRoom Beer Co. (TRBC) opened its doors in 2020, the North Park brewpub did so with the name of its head brewer brandished on glassware and members of the local beer intelligentsia excited to see what they would bring to the table. That individual was Bill Batten, an AleSmith Brewing alum who helped open Mikkeller Brewing San Diego (MBSD) prior to getting in on the ground floor at TRBC. When Batten moved on to join Fall Brewing’s team in January of 2022, that left a gaping hole which was immediately filled by another brewer with solid pedigree in the San Diego suds scene, Daniel Cady (pictured below, at right). An alum of several small breweries who had most recently headed beermaking at, coincidentally enough, MBSD, Cady quickly made his new environs his own. That included inviting one of his MBSD coworkers to come on board as his right-hand man. Now, that trusted comrade, Justin Pribbenow (pictured above), is taking up the mantle as TRBC’s new head brewer following Cady’s recent resignation to pursue a job at Holy Mountain Brewery in Seattle, Washington.
“I’m excited and looking forward to the challenge,” says Pribbenow, who has been brewing at TRBC for three years. “It’s going to be hard to replace Dan, and I will definitely miss his input, but the best part of brewing is always learning new things.”
When Pribbenow moved to San Diego from Wisconsin in 2015, he was an IT professional, but wanted to pursue a new career path. An avid homebrewer, he decided to see if he could get his foot in the door at one of the county’s numerous breweries. In 2016, he was hired to work on the bottling line at Mission Brewery in the East Village, where he climbed the ladder, earning a pro brewer position before moving back to Wisconsin for a short stint, where he worked for Karben4 Brewing in Madison. Missing San Diego and the friendships he’d made in the brewing community, he returned, landing a job at MBSD, where he worked until the business closed in 2022. His next stop was Miramar-based Duck Foot Brewing, which is where he was employed when Cady called to see if he’d be interested in reuniting.
“During our time working together, we’ve operated a little differently than at some places,” says Pribbenow. “Dan has always respected my ideas and we collaborate on most things like recipes and processes.”
Over the past three years, Pribbenow has played a key role in TRBC’s brewing program, helping produce beers that have garnered accolades at high-profile competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, Best of Craft Beer Awards and Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beers. In 2023, TRBC took gold at the latter competition for a barleywine-wheatwine blend called “Moments of Silent Banter”. That same year house hazy IPA “PB Haze” took gold at GABF, and this year they nabbed a bronze at that same contest for a fresh-hop IPA called “DAMP.” Medals aside, a beer of Pribbenow’s conception which he is especially proud of is an American Pilsner brewed with Linc malt called “Below the Asteroids”.
When asked what may change under his leadership, Pribbenow says, “There will be no more beer flights and all of the beer will be far more bitter. I’m just kidding, but I will definitely be bringing back some of my favorite beers I’ve brewed over the years while also focusing on our flagship beers.”
“Justin has maintained a functionally impressive foundation in my career. The years have repeatedly been highlighted by amazing triumph and fun. If I champion anyone, that’s my guy,” says Cady when asked about his longtime peer ascending to the head brewer position. “We have been through the ringer. We have brought the product, together, always. TapRoom is in good hands.”
TapRoom Beer Co. is located at 2000 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park