Every success-starved sports fan in San Diego County is abuzz about the Padres’ offseason activity. Through a flurry of trades and free-agent signings, General Manager A.J. Preller has made it known he intends for the Friars to compete for the Major League Baseball crown in 2021 and beyond. Among those who are thrilled over the franchise’s bold team-building tactics is Joshua Schreer, the owner of WestBrew. While his brewing company is headquartered in Vista, 40 miles from Petco Park, he and his team are working to open a satellite venue in downtown San Diego’s East Village, just two blocks up Island Avenue from the ballpark’s west entrance.
“We selected the space due to its location being right between the Gaslamp Quarter and Petco Park,” says Schreer. “We’re constructing the new spot in a 100-year-old historic brick building with huge roll-up doors and high ceilings. It has a great historic San Diego appeal to it.”
“WestBrew Gaslamp” is the working title for the roughly 2,000-square-foot tasting room. Schreer owns his own construction company, and it is in the midst of framing the interior walls of the space. He anticipates having all substantial construction completed by mid-April and hopes to open the new spot to the public in May.
When it debuts to the public, WestBrew Gaslamp will be equipped with a 20-handle draught system serving the company’s beers and a selection of local and West Coast wines from behind a long bar that can accommodate 30 patrons. There will be additional indoor seating and an outdoor patio, as well as light fare, including the company’s own brand of coffee, prepared in a small on-site kitchen helmed by WestBrew Executive Chef Lety Gonzalez.
Though they are all designed to pay tribute to West Coast culture, each WestBrew venue does so using a different motif. Says Schreer, “For the downtown location, we are leaning towards a western appeal and atmosphere, sort of a southwest-desert look. The interior of the building is made up of old historic wooden beams and red brick. We are big Padres fans and will definitely celebrate the baseball atmosphere with lots of TVs for menu display and sports, most notably baseball games.”
WestBrew acquired the location with an option to expand into an adjacent space and utilize it for hosting private events. Of course, plans for that are on hold due to the pandemic. So, too, are WestBrew’s future expansion plans. While the company has been on a tear, debuting a satellite, kitchen-equipped tasting room in downtown Del Mar just a few weeks after opening the doors to its Vista flagship, it will temporarily halt growth after WestBrew Gaslamp, even though it had plans to build a fourth location in Oceanside.
Even without that northern-coastal project, Schreer and his team remain optimistic and enthusiastic. Much of their ardor comes from being so well received by the craft-brewing community and public at-large. That includes residents of Del Mar, who are new to having a brewery-owned venue in their insulated center of commerce.
“The locals in Del Mar have been amazing. So have the City and the Del Mar Village Association, which has been a huge advocate for us,” says Schreer. “They are very involved in local businesses and the are constantly helping to get our name and product out in the community. Del Mar is a special town, and we are grateful to be a part of the community.”
Schreer feels the same way about downtown and San Diego’s beloved and suddenly much-more-competitive Padres, and looks forward to providing a pre- and post-game hangout for fellow Friar fans.
WestBrew Gaslamp will be located at 701 Island Avenue in the East Village