Muristek
Santa Barbara County brewing company to manage Los Angeles brewpubs KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOPeople walk past Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. The company recently announced its new deal to manage Los Angeles brew pubs for Artisanal Brewers Collective.
Santa Barbara County-based Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. has announced a deal with Artisanal Brewers Collective to manage the latter’s Los Angeles brewpubs.
Figueroa Mountain will also manage the collective’s Echo Park mainstay Mohawk Bend.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. is an independent brewery with taprooms in Buellton, Los Olivos, Santa Barbara and Westlake Village.
The new deal includes West Los Angeles’s Stalking Horse Brewery and Pub, as well as Westwood Village’s Broxton Brewery & Public House. Also included in the agreement is the Sherman Oaks space formerly occupied by Bluebird Brasserie, which closed early in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The rest of the Artisanal Brewers Collective’s locations — including Brennan’s, Library Bar and Ojai Pub — will remain under ABC ownership-and-operation and are not affected by the change.
All current locations will remain open as usual for the time being. However, current plans are to evolve the brewpubs into Figueroa Mountain taprooms in the coming months.
According to a news release, the Figueroa team will be using these brewpubs to showcase and experiment with a wide range of beers, including award-winning recipes such as Hoppy Poppy IPA and Danish Red Lager. There will be no operational changes to Mohawk Bend, which is known for its focus on California beer and spirits as well as vegan-first food.
“We’re really excited to have found a partner like ABC,” Jaime Dietenhofer, president and founder of Figueroa Mountain, said in the news release.
“We’re not interested in expansion for expansion’s sake, but a match like this really makes sense. They share our values of creating great communities, great environments, and great beer,” Mr. Dietenhofer said. “And we know their team is the one to help us share our brewing experience with the people of L.A.
“While the transition of each brewpub is still in progress, the group has begun to plan out what each space will look like,” he said. “Westwood’s location, right next to the UCLA campus, will serve as a pilot brewery for experimental new beers. The former Stalking Horse location will become Agua Santa Cervecería, a Mexican restaurant highlighting the company’s Agua Santa Mexican Lager.
“And in the former Bluebird Brasserie location, the team plans to create an elevated beer experience they’re calling the Figueroa Mountain Lagerhaus, focusing on craft lagers designed by brewer Brian Waters and Figueroa Mountain Brewmaster Kevin Ashford,” he said.
Figueroa Mountain announced that no staff will be laid off. In fact, it plans to add staff at all locations.
And with the Ventura Boulevard location soon coming back into operation, Sherman Oaks residents will have a neighborhood brewery once again.
As part of the agreement, ABC founder Tony Yanow will stay actively involved in the Los Angeles locations.
“I’ve known Jamie and the Fig Fam for years, and I’m excited to be partnering with them on these brewpubs and the brewery,” Mr. Yanow said. “They are real pros who make top notch beers. Blending these companies will ensure that all of our guests keep getting great experiences for years to come. When Fig Mountain beers start coming off the tanks at these locations, I’ll be the first one standing in line for a pint.”
Figueroa Mountain said it has seen a surge of growth coming out of the pandemic, with distribution increasing in the Southland and more guests visiting the taprooms in Buellton, Los Olivos, Santa Barbara and Westlake Village.
Additionally, the brewery last month won two medals at the World Beer Cup, bringing its total medal count to nearly 200.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
The post Figueroa Mountain’s new venture appeared first on Santa Barbara News-Press.