2018- Update #1

Hey There Hop Dogma Family,

Welcome to the first blog on our progress of opening up the new brewery and tasting room.  Before we go into that though, I'd like to take a moment to share with you some reasoning behind the move. 

While I'm not at liberty to discuss every little detail, a situation arose at our previous location that was becoming increasingly problematic and concerning. For the sake of our employees and our own wellness, we made the very difficult decision to move.  We loved our cozy little taproom and all of its quirky character.  There were even plans to expand our operation there just weeks before making the decision to leave.  Let's just say that due to reasons beyond our control we had to leave or we would continue to be victimized and would not be able to support our business much longer anyways.  

So, we did some research and found an amazing option just right across the highway that was zoned correctly (there are VERY little options on the coast for producing beer) and offered us a chance to start fresh.  While,  admittedly, the Harbor Village has struggled at times, we know that we are just the type of business that could thrive here. We acquired a 2200 sq/ft warehouse space for brewing operations and a 1600 sq/ft taproom space with an option to expand in the near future.  We are working tirelessly to beautify everything and make this a truly special place.  There are also plans to purchase a brand new 10bbl brewing system for onsite brewing.  We will still do some contract brewing at our trusted partners facilities to keep bringing you fun canned beer options and get more beer to the masses.  There is also some HUGE news coming in the near future about even more delicious Hop Dogma beer coming your way soon. 

The new space is already proving to be much better in terms of space, utilities, resources, etc.  Also, there are many food options right in the area and even a new pizza and Peruvian fusion joint going into the mall area itself called Lama's Pizza! They were giving free samples out last weekend and I kid you not these were some of the best Peruvian dishes I've had outside of Peru (and I lived in Peru!). They are also doing Mexican style street tacos that blew us away. We look forward to partnering with them and other vendors to bring the community closer and create a special environment on the coastside just like we did at the previous location, only on a much greater scale.  

Of course, there are a lot of hurdles to get over here.  Moving a brewery is akin to starting over again in many ways.  We had to file new paperwork with the TTB and ABC. Approvals can take months so we are crossing our fingers that it does not.  We have construction crews working very hard to make the new space a beautiful, functional, and cozy place to enjoy one another's company and special brews.

On the beer front, we recently did some collaborations that we are really stoked about! We teamed up with Morgan Territory Brewing Company out of Tracy, CA and Benoit-Casper Brewing out of Richmond, CA.  Both these breweries are ones we truly look up to in many ways.  We did a hazy IPA collab with all three of us called "The Dog Ate My Finings". It's the clearest beer you will ever see! Actually, no, it's not.  It's a hazy little sucker that is the juiciest thing we've ever made or possibly even tasted! We also collaborated with Benoit-Casper at their space making a fun new beer called "Bloody Ripper" with all southern hemisphere hops including Nelson, galaxy, and Enigma! Finally, yesterday we went down to Alvarado Street Brewing Co's Salinas location and worked with them, Discretion Brewing, and Humble Sea Brewing Co.  This was to make a tribute beer to one of our favorite beer drinking spots in not only Santa Cruz but the world, Beer Thirty! We had such a blast and Alvarado was the most gracious hosts imaginable.  Stay tuned for details on that one because it's going to be a sexy beast of a beer!

Stand by for more updates.  We will soon be adding lots of progress pictures and more.  

Cheers,
Dan

 

Ethan Martini