E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA: California’s Central Coast enjoying craft beer revolution

There's something brewing on the Central Coast. It's a craft beer revolution, Keyt reported.

"We're making beer as fast as we can and selling out of it as quickly as we can get it into the kegs and into your bottles," said Deshia Heibner, owner of ManRock Brewing Company.

With nearly two dozen breweries in the area, and more on the way, it's safe to say, local beer is booming!

"The fervor behind craft beer consumption has taken a lot of people by surprise," said Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company founder/CEO Jaime Dietenhofer. "All the breweries are trying to adjust to it and trying to harness that demand."

Figueroa Mountain is bottling up and meeting that demand. Since its creation in 2010, the Buellton-based company has become of one California's most successful breweries, growing nearly 900 percent over the past three years.

"Looking back at the old business plans, I had envisioned growth, I didn't think we'd be here this fast, but I don't think we thought the industry would be here this fast," said Dietenhofer.

In an industry long ruled by macrobrews, such as Budweiser, Coors and Miller, now it's all about microbrews.

"I think the younger demographic of beer drinkers now have developed a palette for what good beer tastes like," said Santa Maria Brewing Company owner Byron Moles.

With demand soaring, Santa Maria Brewing is betting big on craft beer, pouring $2 million into a brand new production facility in its namesake city. For the past several years, the Santa Maria Brewing has been brewing its beer at a facility in Irvine. That will all change when the new brewery on Fairway Drive is fully operational.

"It's taken a long time, two years in the making. We've been sitting in here building this brewery, but we're finally ready to turn the switch on and see what we can do."

When operating at full capacity, Santa Maria Brewing will dramatically increase its production from 1500 barrels a year to 60,000 barrels.

"We have big plans to get our beer at other locations outside Santa Maria," said Moles. "Liquor stores for sure, grocery stores, we have an amusement park on the east coast committed to our beer. Absolutely, you'll see it everywhere.

As the industry expands, many are seeing dollar signs and are hopping into the business.

"There's an array of people getting into it," said Dietenhofer. "Some people are getting into it just for the business standpoint, but there's a lot of home brewers converting."

Home brewing is where it all began for Mike and Deshia Heibner, who created ManRock Brewing Company in 2012.

"It was home brewing and dabbling in the garage to talking about it for a few years and then just making the leap of faith," said Deshia Heibner.

Now three years old, the Grover Beach business produces about 2500 barrels a year its serves at its popular taproom and restaurant.

"For us it's a passion, we just really enjoy it," said Heibner. "We're growing slowly, we hope to one day distribute some day as well. We're baby stepping it, but it's working for what we're doing."

Now that beer has become such a popular draw, local breweries are enjoying a new beer tourism industry, that's following in the footsteps of wine.

"It will be a reason to come to the Central Coast to try 15 to 20 different breweries and that's going to help spur that growth on," said Moles.

With the growth in local craft beer comes a significant contribution to the local economy, totally into the millions.

"From your taprooms, to your service staff, to the brewers, to the selling staff, there's so many areas within a brewery that creates growth," said Dietenhofer.

Even with the massive growth over the last few years, those in the industry say there's room for even more as demand continues to increase.

"There's plenty of room for as many craft brewers that can open," said Moles. "As long as people are out experiencing and looking for the beers that they enjoy, craft beer here on the central coast will continue to grow."

The seemingly non-stop growth, though, could be coming to head, thanks to massive beverage conglomerates, which are fighting back, purchasing microbreweries. The merging of macrobrews with microbrews has the potential to create significant problems for local brewers.

"Our raw goods, our inputs, our supplies, cans, bottles, hops will become scarce if we aren't planning out far enough, so I think that's a big pressure on the small guys if we aren't careful enough," said Dietenhofer.

But right now, with several more breweries scheduled to open over the next two years along the Central Coast, there appears to be no end in sight to the craft beer revolution.

"It's here to stay, it's not something that's going to be a quick bubble and then burst," said Moles.

"I don't see it letting up for quite some time. I just think there's so many great ideas and so many new and up coming brewers," said Heibner.


13 November, 2015