Ocean Beach Brewery kegged its first house beer this week and officially opened July 1.
Newport Pizza owner Mike Tajran has been working since 2013 to bring his vision for the three-story brewpub to reality, and finally, his view from the top is spectacular.
Located on Newport Avenue directly across from Tajran’s pizza place, the brewery has three ADA accessible floors, a full kitchen, a five-barrel brewing system, a retail section and a stunning rooftop deck.
The first floor, with a beautifully crafted wave-inspired bar top, will serve as the main tasting room. The second floor, with a glass lined balcony, will have additional seating and a retail area. The rooftop lounge described as the money shot by general manager Katie Bither is the highest spot in Ocean Beach and offers sweeping views of the ocean and Newport Avenue.
“This view is just, I mean this is the best view in Ocean Beach,” Bither said, as she looked out at the unobstructed view of the pier. “We are higher than everything else, the sunsets here are just going to be killer.”
According to Bither, Ocean Beach Brewery intends to separate itself from the rest of the breweries and tasting rooms in the Ocean Beach area with their atmosphere, brewing system and full kitchen.
“We want this to be a cool OB spot,” Bither said. “For the opening, we invited local businesses, we made shirts, we developed our social media, we really want this to be great.”
The brewery will have three of their own house beers on tap as well as 17 guest beers. Tajran and James Millea have been working on the brewery’s three beers for more than a year now and are proud to have finally kegged their first.
“We do it all here and we were finally able to get the pale ale done this week. That is really exciting for us,” Millea said.
Chef Evan Sabin has created a menu with options for everyone when it comes to both taste and price.
“I haven’t had something I didn’t like,” Bither said. “It’s one of those things where you eat it and you wish you didn’t like it as much as you do.”
According to Bither, a friend and employee at Newport Pizza saw the lot across the street go up for sale years ago and urged Tajran to buy it. Initially hesitant to move the pizza shop, Tajran decided a full kitchen brewery was something he had always wanted to do, and this was his opportunity.
“Mike is a dreamer and a big success and Ocean Beach Brewery will be no different,” Bither said.
For more information and to stay up to date on events and promotions, visit www.obbrewing.com and follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Ocean Beach Brewery Where: 5041 Newport Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Info: www.obbrewingco.com