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| Courtesy of Firestone Walker Brewing Co |
Venice, CA: Beer is finally flowing through Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Propagator brewhouse in Venice, California, and a familiar face is at the helm as brewer Ben Maushardt takes the reins of Firestone Walker’s R&D program.
The
Propagator will operate as a pilot brewhouse for experimental beers,
setting the pace for what is next from Firestone Walker. It will also
serve as a working neighborhood brewery to produce unique one-off beers
available solely at the Venice location.
The switch was flipped on the Propagator last week, and the first true batch is being brewed this week.
The
launch of the brewhouse signifies a happy conclusion to an arduous
permitting journey that resulted in ongoing delays. Firestone Walker
invested more than $1 million in acquiring a state-of-the-art small
scale Kaspar Schulz brewhouse from Germany. The original plan was to
begin brewing in Venice in tandem with the opening of the adjacent
brewery restaurant last April.
“We
stayed the course, stuck to our vision and, most important, received a
lot of support from our neighbors,” said Adam Firestone. “It will prove
to be worth the wait.”Added
David Walker, “The Propagator is the next step in our brewery
evolution. It will be our idea laboratory, and hopefully an integral
contributor to the local brewing community.”
The
Propagator falls into capable hands with Maushardt, who has been with
Firestone Walker for more than two years, and who is now making the move
from Paso Robles to Venice.
“We
chose Ben because it’s important that we have one of our best-trained
and talented team members take on this role,” said Brewmaster Matt
Brynildson.
