E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA: Garage Brewing to open production facility in Murrieta this year

Temecula-based Garage Brewing Co., which opened in 2013 inside a former tire shop, is opening a production facility in Murrieta later this year that will allow it to expand its packaging options and capacity, Press-Enterprise reported on August 7.

Garage owner Lou Kashmere said the facility will be housed in a 10,000-square-foot building at the southwest intersection of Fig Street and Jefferson Avenue in Murrieta. It will produce canned beer, kegs for restaurants and bottles of Garage Brewing’s most popular brews.

The flagship location at Temecula Parkway and Old Town Front Street, will be used to brew “one-offs,” experimental quaffs that are used to test out a concept, and small batch brews, which includes even more exotic flavour combinations.

In early 2016, Kashmere said he’ll open a tasting room at the new Murrieta facility, creating a destination on par with the tasting rooms run by area breweries such as Black Market, Wiens, Ironfire, Electric City, Refuge and Aftershock.

When Kashmere opened Garage Brewing, he thought the pizza side of the operation would be the most logical candidate for expansion and possible franchising. There are plenty of craft beer breweries, especially in Temecula and the North San Diego County region, and there was talk from some of his fellow owners about the very real potential for over-saturation of the market.

Garage Brewing, however, has thrived in the competitive environment, inking deals with supermarkets and liquor stores throughout the area, plus San Diego and Orange counties. It also has done well in competitions, picking up two awards in 2014 and seven so far this year.

Kashmere said Garage Brewing’s beer should be well-positioned to continue growing because it controls both sales and distribution. This combo allows for Kashmere’s team to make sure the beer is properly rotated for freshness and kept at the right temperature.

“I don’t want it to die on the shelf,” Kashmere said.


12 August, 2015