A pair of West Valley home brewers have a shared dream of moving their beloved hobby to the next level by opening a brewery and taproom somewhere in their backyard.
Old friends Ryan Rogers and Vic Chouchanian, two of the brains behind Street Sign Brewing, are shopping around Northridge and Chatsworth for an industrial space to brew their California Wheat, Domestic Stout and other beer offerings in bigger quantities.
"We're trying to bring brewing culture to the San Fernando Valley," said Chouchanian, a math teacher by day. "There's 1.7 million people in the valley and no brewing culture at all."
But there's no shortage of obstacles from the get go.
Though he's optimistic he and his partners will find a place to brew close to home, the concept of craft brewing sounds foreign to most landlords in the area, Chouchanian said.
"The number one reason owners of complexes don't want a brewery in their facility is because they either don't know what a microbrewery is or it brings a bad type of vibe like a criminal element," he said.
Rogers, a maintenance worker for the Los Angeles Unified School District, said he'd like to follow the example of Eagle Rock Brewing, which in November 2009 became the first production brewery to open in the city of Los Angeles in more than 60 years.
"Our goal is to be a production brewery with a taproom, pretty much on par with Eagle Rock," he said.
The goal for now is to have space big enough for more than a dozen 31-gallon barrels for bottling, a tap and filling growlers, Rogers said.
Many Southland communities like Torrance and Redondo Beach are welcoming breweries with open arms, but things seem to be a little trickier to get off the ground in LA.
In an interview with the Daily Breeze, the owners of an upcoming brewery in Van Nuys dubbed MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. had to deal with a morass of phone calls, meetings and other regulatory proceedings that pushed back their anticipated opening date from July to early 2014.
Local City Councilman Mitch Englander, however, is already offering his support to Street Sign Brewing.
"These breweries are a new trend in society meant to be more upscale establishments geared towards aficionados of craft brewing. While first and foremost, we want to promote responsible behavior; modern microbreweries are not nightclubs or the old fashioned watering holes," Englander said. "In fact, the Northwest San Fernando Valley is a hub for craft foods and host of the largest food truck night in Los Angeles. This is a continuation of that trend."
Once brewing space is secured, Chouchanian said he's ready to start working with the city on getting things moving toward his dream project despite a challenging road ahead.
"People want local breweries lust like local food and local drinks," he said. "It's all about local now. If LA refuses to get on that, they're going to lose out."
What do you think about having a brewery and a taproom in Northridge or Chatsworth?
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