THE BREWSPAPER / SAN DIEGO’S NEWEST BREWERY--MAYBE

Greetings to one of San Diego's "newer" breweries.  Longship is set to open any day in Mira Mesa.

Editor’s note:  In our four year media partnership with West Coaster Craft Beer Magazine and website (www.westcoastersd.com for free issue) we’ve noted that a headline announcing “San Diego’s Newest Brewery” runs the chance of being outdated even before the sun sets.  Reason is there are about 120 breweries open in San Diego County with more on the way.  It’s genuinely thirsty work keeping up with all the soft and hard openings.  Posted here is West Coaster editor at large Brandon Hernandez’s take on the newest of the new—for now.

HELLO, LONGSHIP BREWERY

GUEST BLOG—By Brandon Hernandez, Editor at Large, West Coaster magazine and website--There are certain, seemingly nonsensical brewery names that challenge patrons to derive any meaning from them. But with upcoming project, Longship Brewery (10320 Camino Santa Fe, Suite C, Mira Mesa), what you hear is what you’ll get. Owner, brewer and jestingly self-proclaimed “captain” Dan Jachimowicz’s corner-suite tasting room is being outfitted to resemble—you guessed it—a long ship. A Viking vessel, to be exact.

Creative tap handle

A pair of communal bench-style tables will run down the middle of the high-ceilinged, hall-like room, flanked by rows of beer-filled oak barrels and wall-mounted shields. Further driving home the Nordic nautical theme will be a large Viking mural directly over the bar and a tall piece of thematic art near the entrance. The 750-square-foot room will have capacity for 49 indentured rowers…err, visitors, who will benefit from such modern innovations as purse-hooks, various games, electrical outlets and complimentary WiFi.

Longship’s entire space is 4,450-square-feet with a 10-barrel brewhouse (plus a 10-gallon pilot-system), three 10-barrel fermenters and a pair of 10-barrel bright tanks. This will allow the company to produce 500 barrels of beer per year (though the conservative estimate for Year One is 200-to-250), but the floor-plan includes room to install additional cellar equipment bringing with it the ability to increase annual barrelage to 1,000. Jachimowicz selected his Mira Mesa site with eventual expansion in mind, and likes that idea of taking over next-door suites as needed.

Brewer Dan Jachimowicz at Longship Brewery, one of San Diego's newest.

A UC Irvine graduate whose thesis was on the history and modernization of beer, Jachimowicz’s beer list takes great and varied influence form Europe. An English-style pale ale, mild ale and strong India pale ale (IPA) are in the mix along with a German-style doppelbock and two Belgian numbers—a witbier and IPA. Other beers are in the works, including an American strong ale and beers designed to go in those aforementioned barrels. Long-term, Longship is envisioned as a venture that will grow into a large production brewery and national brand. For now, San Diegans can expect to get their first taste when the business soft-opens in a few days.