Brewery X marks the spot for Orange County’s newest brewery with their grand opening this Friday, September 6th. And passionate craft beer lovers can x-pect a family/pet friendly, comfortable venue with some excellent craft beers and hard seltzers.
What is Brewery X?
Located in Anaheim, Brewery X is composed of a patchwork of professional brewers and beer lovers who too often asked themselves – “If I wasn’t doing what I am doing now, what would I be doing?” Their answer – start a new brewery that would meet their wishes.
The principle brewing team consists of:
Trevor Walls – Director of Brewery Operations
“Trevor was born and raised in Laguna Niguel. He graduated from SDSU and was then formally educated in brewing at The Seibel Institute of Technology in Chicago and The Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany. Upon completion of his Master’s Degree in Brewing, Trevor joined the team at Ballast Point and has since worked with The Bruery, Pizza Port, and now runs Brewery X’s beer program and brewery.”
You can learn more about Trevor by reading my interview with him while he was Head Brewer at Pizza Port San Clemente. CLICK HERE to read the article.
Steven Hicks – Head Technical Brewer
“Steven was born and raised in Mission Viejo. He found his love for beer early in life and has devoted his adulthood to his family and beer. Steven started his career at Valiant Brewing and then worked for Karl Strauss as their head Brewpub Brewer. He has a wide breadth of scientific and technical knowledge pertaining to beer and is able to implement those strengths into ensuring Brewery X’s beer quality and consistency.”
Jon Siemens – Head Production Brewer
“Jon was born and raised in Riverside. He graduated from Culinary School. Jon spent 3 years in the food space before realizing his true love for beer. He began bottle sharing and learning about all of the ever changing styles of beer. He is driven by the connection that math and science have with beer and how it plays with food. Jon has been part of: Left Coast, Noble, and Monkish brewery teams. He has had many roles in the beer industry, from beer buyer, to bar manager, to brewer. If Jon isn’t brewing he is either catching up on soccer or serving beers at Brewery X’s tap room.”
Kyle Giannuzzi – Plant Manager
“Originally from Arizona and a graduate of Arizona State University, Kyle got his start in beer as a draft technician. He quickly found his way into the cellar. He has commissioned breweries, and has been an integral part of those brewery’s expansions. Most recently Kyle was the Senior and Lead Cellarman, as well as the Maintenance Technician at The Bruery.”
I visited Brewery X last week to meet with Trevor Walls and learn more. The Brewery X facility is 76,000 sq. ft. in size. Most of the facility offers room for future expansion. A comfortable 2000 sq. ft. tap room provides indoor seating. Within the next 30 days or so, the brewery will also include a 5000 sq. ft. beer hall that offers a more communal atmosphere. An outdoor patio provides additional space for customers.
Q & A with Trevor Walls
We are focused on creating good, drinkable and clean beer that people can enjoy while coming together to socialize and tell stories over. – Trevor Walls
What should people know about Brewery X?
Right off the bat, most people don’t know what the X means. It’s about beer and people coming together over beer. So the X represents people crossing paths and coming together over beer. And we are focused on creating good, drinkable and clean beer that people can enjoy while coming together to socialize and tell stories over.
You and your team built this brewery from the ground up. What have you learned from this experience?
Patience, vision and teamwork. There were so many moving parts and so many people involved in the effort. I enjoy working with teams and there are at least 20 people (or more) that have been integral to creating Brewery X. And the team has done an excellent job of buying into the vision and goals as well as working to bring Brewery X to fruition.
What’s the long-term plan for Brewery X?
The important thing for us is to grow organically. And our most important objective is to take care of our people and customers first. I know we are in a big facility with lots of room for expansion and we want to grow. But we’re not in a rush. We want to make certain that everyone in our backyard is taken care of first – all the customers, all the accounts, all the bars, all the restaurants and so on. Then we’ll grow naturally from that epicenter. Making a good craft beer, having a good culture and having a good brand every day is our focus.
What beers styles can we expect to find at Brewery X?
Light beers and hoppy beers. I’m a big fan of various German beer styles so when I say light beer I don’t mean a typical American lager. I mean Pilsner, Helles, Fest Beer, Kolsch, Dortmunder and so on. The intent is for people to be able to sit, have a conversation, enjoy some flavorful craft beer and not be blitzed after a couple of beers.
We also created some hard seltzers – made using natural fruit.
Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting
Come join the Brewery X community at their grand opening.
Date and Time
Friday Sep 6, 2019
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT
4 pm – 6 pm Refreshments will be served.
Ribbon Cutting at 5pm
Location
3191 E. La Palma
Anaheim, California 92806
Please join me in welcoming Brewery X to Orange County. I’m looking forward to some great craft beers.
A big THANK YOU to Trevor Walls for hosting my visit.