New Costa Mesa microbrewery gets OK to move in across the street from another
Costa Mesa planning commissioners unanimously signed off Monday on a second brewery in town, but not without hearing complaints from its potential competitor across the street.
Gunwhale Ales, which describes its product as “farmhouse-style ales” inspired both by European traditions and forward-thinking California practices, was approved to operate at 2960 Randolph Ave., an existing industrial building behind The Camp in Costa Mesa’s Sobeca District.
The 3,710-square-foot microbrewery will include a nearly 900-square-foot tasting room and 420-square-foot outdoor patio, with a food truck of varying types available in the parking lot.
Gunwhale, which has been operating as a homebrewing start-up, hopes to open its new facility this summer.
Given the facility’s size, Gunwhale owners say they will not have the entire brewing process onsite. Rather, an early stage of the beer will be made elsewhere and then finalized at the Randolph facility with fermentation, blending and packaging.
“This is primarily a place to experience the brand in its fullness,” said Bob Fitzgerald, one of Gunwhale’s three founders. The business expects to brew about 1,200 barrels a year.
Gunwhale Ales’ request to open in Costa Mesa was met with skepticism from Barley Forge Brewing Co. across the street at 2957 Randolph Ave. When Barley Forge opened in fall 2014, it was Costa Mesa’s first commercial microbrewery.
Barley Forge co-founders Greg Nylen and Mary Ann Frericks said they aren’t necessarily against a second brewery but claimed they were unfairly subject to restrictions that Gunwhale wasn’t, particularly its approval for outside food.
“That is why we went to the extreme expense and difficulty of opening an onsite licensed kitchen,” Frericks said.
“I’m not a NIMBY,” Nylen said, “but I do want a level playing field.”
In a letter Friday to the Planning Commission, Nylen noted how city staff had recommended that Gunwhale Ales also be allowed to have an outdoor patio, while the Commissary Lounge, an adjacent nightclub, is prohibited from having one. He said he worries that Commissary patrons — who he said improperly use Barley Forge’s parking lot when the nightclub’s lot is full — may loiter on Gunwhale’s patio.
City staff said each application is unique and not necessarily an apples-to-apples comparison. A city planner said a food truck was considered appropriate for Gunwhale Ales because the site has sufficient parking to host one truck at a time.
Nylen, Frericks and the homeowners association from Pentridge Cove, a nearby condominium complex off Baker Street, opposed Gunwhale’s approved parking plan.
City staff contended the brewery will have adequate parking — 48 spaces — and will be closed during times when the Commissary Lounge, which shares Gunwhale’s parking lot, is open. Approved hours for the tasting room are 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Commissary Lounge is open after 8:30 Thursday through Saturday nights.
However, Pentridge Cove HOA board member David Smith said, “There is no such thing as surplus parking in this area.” .
Despite the concerns, planning commissioners said they are optimistic and want to review Gunwhale’s progress in six months.
“I hope we can find a way to coexist and have everybody be successful,” commission Chairman Robert Dickson said.
Gunwhale Ales’ proposal does not need City Council approval, though it still needs state and federal approvals for an alcohol license.
