The Buzz

The day that many have been waiting for has arrived...the opening of the Auburn Alehouse!! On June 21st, Brian Ford (Founder and Brewmaster) opens the doors to the general public.

In talking with Brian, I can see the excitement and thrill in his eyes (and possibly relief) in seeing a more than four year old dream finally become reality. In fact, he spent about 2 years just looking for the perfect location. The shuttering of the Shanghai was the perfect opportunity and location he was looking for.

Though many might be sad that the Shanghai is gone, my bet is that it won't take long before people begin reminiscing about the good old days at the Auburn Alehouse. I forgot to ask Brian if he will allow people to put their personal...ahem...items on the ceilings and walls.

Maybe it was because I was too preoccupied admiring the craftmanship, interior design, and architecture. Steel, brick, wood, copper, glass, concrete, decorative ceilings, wow!

From the Auburn Alehouse website:

The ambiance of the Auburn Alehouse combines the charm and character of this historic brick and mortor building with the bold industrial elements of a gleaming 10 barrel microbrewery. Guests and friends can enjoy lunch, dinner, and libation while watching the freshly crafted beer they are drinking being produced just a few feet away.

Brian has indicated that this is a "soft launch". It will take a couple of weeks to get all of the kinks worked out and then they will announce a Grand Opening after that (possibly close to the 4th of July). New employees, new systems, new everything in fact, there's no doubt it will take a week or two for everything to start working like a well oiled machine. That's not to say, they won't be serving up some of the finest microbrew the Sierra Foothills have ever seen, but keep in mind that there are a lot of systems and procedures that will take a little time to work through.

Cheers Brian and congratulations!

Entryway

Beer Homage

Seating

Brewery