E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA: Two new pint-sized breweries preparing to launch in California

A couple of new, pint-sized additions to the East Bay’s burgeoning beer scene are set to open this summer, Inside Scoop reported on May 8.

Cleophus Quealy Beer Company: Peter Baker and Dan Watson, who met as engineers at Google in 2005, are currently in construction on a small brewery and 1,600-square-feet tasting room at 448 Hester Street in San Leandro. The plan for Cleophus Quealy (a combination of two old family names), according to Baker, is for a small neighborhood-focused brewery that will churn out multiple small batches of eclectic, often seasonal beers, that will switch up frequently—they hope rotate the 8–12 handles on a weekly basis.

The idea, at least at first, is to take a page out of the tech engineering playbook by developing their recipes incrementally via multiple small batches with plenty of customer feedback. As for the beer itself, Baker says they would lean more towards Belgian and French styles, in addition to plenty of “funky, sour beers.”

“We’re really hoping to bring more variety to what we feel is a pretty top-heavy beer world,” Baker says.

Look for a soft opening in mid summer.

Independent Brewing Company: Meanwhile Steve McDaniel, co-founder of Oakland Brewing Company, is working on a microbrewery, taproom, and beer garden, at 444 Harrison Street on the edge of Jack London Square. The plan for Independent Brewing Company, McDaniel says, is to get the production portion up and running in the next few weeks, followed by a 1,000-square-foot tap room and 5,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden later in the summer. He plans to have four to six taps pouring both Oakland Brewing Company beer (which he contract brews out of San Jose) and more experimental, limited edition beers (sours and barrel aged, plus pale ales and IPAs) under the Independent label, which will be brewed in very small batches at the Jack London Square facility.

The longtime Oakland resident says he’s hoping to contribute to a craft beer comeback for his home town, which historically was a hub for beer production prior to Prohibition.

“I think given the number of people who live here, it’s a terribly underserved market in terms of locally produced craft beer,” he says. “I’d love to be able to help put Oakland back on the map as an actual brewing center on the west coast.”


09 May, 2014