If you’ve been to the brewery in the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed something new in our space – and it’s a hell of a lot of dirt. That’s because since the end of last month, our parking lot has been shredded into pieces to be born again. And for this edition of “WTF is That?” we’re letting you know what it’s all for.
When we opened our Public House doors in 2013, the only space you could drink in was our main building, and only the bottom floor of it. The following year, we opened up the mezzanine above, for a more lounge-like feel. And then later that year, we finally opened up the Beer Hall next door for shows, festivals, and private events.
But there’s always been something missing – something that’s perfect for LA’s sunny weather. And that’s the opportunity to enjoy a cold pint of Angel City IPA outside on a nice hot day. Well, once this construction’s finished, we’re finally going to be able to do that. Starting in January (a month that’s almost synonymous with drinking outside), you’ll be able to enjoy Angel City al fresco when we open our brand new beer garden.
After over a year of planning, permitting, surveying, and contracting, we finally broke ground on a space that will fit 8-12 picnic tables, green space, more room for art, and a brand new fire pit created by Arts District-based sculptor David Hollen.
That last part we’re particularly excited about – and, because LA doesn’t always need the extra heat, David’s made sure to cover the whole thing in beautiful flames even when it’s off.
But that’s not the only construction going on right now – you may have noticed that there’s another big hole right by the entrance to the brewery as well. And this one is even more important to us, because it’s going to be the site of our brand new grain silo, which will carry over 200,000 pounds of grain when installed. And all that extra weight means we need to pour new concrete to keep it stable.
Look closely and you’ll notice that the excavation has uncovered the layer of bricks that lined the parking lot back when the brewery was still a wire rope warehouse.
The grain silo is one of those non-sexy improvements that you can really only get excited about if you’re a brewer, but in the long run, it will make us able to keep up with demand and brew better beer for you. We can’t wait for it to come in, and more importantly, we can’t wait to share a pint with you in our brand new beer garden.
