Calexico Brewing Co. to open
CALEXICO – An avid home brewer since 2012, Calexico resident Jose Luis Yepez said he never gave much consideration to establishing a commercial brewery during his initial experimental years.
Eventually, as the quality of his home brew improved, so did the desire to share it with other local beer enthusiasts.
“That was the main thing that made me want to start (Calexico Brewing Co.) and make great beer for the Imperial Valley,” said Yepez, chief executive officer and co-founder.
Calexico Brewing Co. will officially open its doors to the public Saturday, becoming the third craft brewery to open in the Valley in as many years.
Its opening had been anticipated sooner, but was delayed by the lengthy alcohol licensing and permitting process.
“It was one of those learning-by-doing type of things,” he said.
Yepez said he is anticipating a large turnout on Saturday, based on interest the event has generated on the company’s social media accounts.
The brewery had hosted a soft opening in late January, which was well attended despite having been advertised as a small private affair.
“The Bulldog was a best seller,” Yepez said.
The aptly-named Bulldog is an English brown ale that patrons will be able to enjoy along with the brewery’s yet-unnamed blonde ale, its Monday Mornings golden coffee ale, Hopped Over IPA, and — hopefully — a hazy IPA that last stood at about 8.2 percent in alcohol and was still in the process of fermenting, Yepez said.
On Monday, Yepez was busy at the brewery and tasting room making last-minute preparations. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will kick off the brewery’s opening at 5 p.m., which will also include live music and food trucks.
Even prior to its scheduled opening, Calexico Brewing Co. (CBC) was able to build some buzz and a following, thanks in part to having served its products at prior community events within Calexico and elsewhere in the Valley.
Now with its opening date secured, Yepez has turned his attention elsewhere.
“There’s a bunch of stuff I already want to start doing,” he said.
Chief among those plans are designing future beer styles that will be released to the public three at a time. The industrial park where the brewery is situated does not allow for the on-site preparation and sale of food, prompting Yepez to already envision an alternate site where patrons can enjoy food with their beer.
Yepez’s close ties to Mexicali-based craft brewers are also likely to result in collaborative brews in the near future as well, he said.
Such collaboration hadn’t initially crossed his mind in the past, on account of having thought of other breweries as potential competitors, Yepez said.
Yet, experiences in Mexicali and in San Diego in recent years have convinced Yepez that those within the craft beer industry are more than willing to help one another hone their skills for the benefit of the consuming public.
“I’ve experienced it firsthand,” Yepez said. “It’s a very inclusive community.”
The brewery operates on a five-barrel brewing system, which can make about 150 gallons of beer at a time. CBC also has a one-barrel pilot system at its disposal, which is used to make small test batches that are then ramped up to scale on the bigger brew system.
Yepez is tasked with designing recipes for CBC, and counts his brother Robert and father, Jose Luis Yepez, as well as friend Ramiro Salas, as business partners.
The brewery’s layout was designed by Yepez’s father, a licensed contractor whose Desert Building & Design office is found next door to the brewery, located at 2320 Martin Luther King St., Calexico.
The tasting room’s appearance had resulted from a tour of San Diego breweries the Yepezes had taken together.
Saturday’s grand opening will have pints and two-ounce tasters available for purchase, as well as the opportunity to take beer home in growlers that are either blank or purchased at CBC.
The grand opening also promises to have a guest beer on tap: a barrel-aged imperial stout from Firestone Walker Brewing Co. that will be poured from CBC’s dedicated nitrogen tap.
City officials have also been invited to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Yepez said city officials have been supportive of the company since it announced its intentions a few years back.
“They’re really happy to have a brewery in Calexico now,” Yepez said.