The Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. plans to open a tasting room at the corner of Fourth Street and University Avenue by the end of this year.
While it has always called Northern California home, the brewing company — whose pale ale is the second-best-selling craft beer in the country — decided to open its new establishment in Berkeley to share some of its more limited specialty beers outside its Chico facilities and beer festivals.
Because San Francisco and Oakland already have numerous establishments offering craft beer, Sierra Nevada decided to open a location in Berkeley’s relatively smaller market instead, said Ryan Arnold, communications manager for Sierra Nevada.
“What is intriguing about Berkeley is there is sort of a food and beverage renaissance,” Arnold said. “It already is a vibrant community, more diverse and showing to be a progressive place, and that’s an exciting place for us to weave into the fabric to share our beers in this small, intimate tasting room.”
The establishment at 2031 Fourth St. will be a small space with limited seating to encourage customers to approach the bar counter and engage with team members, ask questions and become educated about the variety of beers Sierra Nevada has to offer, Arnold said.
Trumer Brauerei, which brews a German-style Pilsner at its Berkeley location just several blocks north of the proposed Sierra Nevada, also currently has a tasting room, although it is not open to the public. Instead, the brewery offers tours during the weekdays, and guests may sample its products afterward, provided that they are 21 years of age or older.
“It’s great — the more the public gets educated about beer, I think overall the better the whole craft-brewing industry does,” said Jeff Eaton, production manager at Trumer, about Sierra Nevada. “I’m excited just because we only make a Pilsner here, and it’ll be fun to go down the street and get some of those rare beers that you don’t see on draft.”
While Berkeley currently has a few locations that offer beer-tasting experiences, several more are set to open over the course of the year, including The Rare Barrel on Carleton Street, Hoi Polloi Brew Pub on Alcatraz Avenue and the beer garden Moxy, which is set to open by the end of the month on Sacramento Street.
“I would say that I have definitely had trouble finding a good place to go,” said Gavin McCormick, a third-year UC Berkeley graduate student, of Berkeley’s current beer scene. “I wouldn’t say I’m a diehard fan (of Sierra Nevada), but I like it a lot. It’s a really good beer when you’re not really sure what situation you’re in. No one ever doesn’t like it.”
Megan Messerly covers city government. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @meganmesserly.