A group of local beer industry experts and entrepreneurs announced plans Tuesday to open a beer museum in San Diego’s East Village — perhaps becoming the first of its kind in America.
The Museum of Beer is the brainchild of Anthony and Molly Ridenhour, Mike and Christine Kociela and Bruce Glassman. The quintet say they have decades of combined experience in museum management and beer journalism.
Glassman, the museum’s curator of craft, intends the roughly 12,000-square-foot facility to be the city’s welcoming hub for its robust craft beer scene.
“It’s going to be that jumping-off place where everyone can come to begin their personal craft beer journey,” Glassman said. “It will seek to inspire hardcore beer fans and also educate those new to craft beer who have a thirst to learn more.”
The five co-founders launched a fundraising campaign on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo to help get the museum off the ground and begin construction of the venue. Donors to the campaign can receive perks like branded shirts, pint glasses, coasters and tickets to the museum’s opening night. As of Tuesday afternoon, the one-day-old campaign had raised $2,810 of its $150,000 goal, with 59 days remaining.
The co-founders envision a tasting room with 65 taps, an artisan pizza kitchen, an extensive bottle list, private event space, an outdoor area with a stage capable of hosting live music performances, and multiple interactive exhibits on topics like the process of brewing beer, the history of San Diego’s craft beer industry and international beer styles.
The founding group has already received at least one high-profile endorsement of their endeavor: San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
“San Diego is home to many of the world’s finest craft breweries and the Museum of Beer will be the place to tap into all that our region’s beer scene has to offer,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming and I hope all beer lovers will visit the museum for a taste and experience of what’s brewing right here in America’s Finest City.”
The co-founders plan to hold an open forum April 15 at Amplified Ale Works in the East Village to discuss the project. The museum is tentatively scheduled to open spring or summer of next year at a downtown location that has yet to be nailed down.
A similar project is under way in Pittsburgh, where Brew: The Museum of Beer also is raising money via indiegogo.com. Organizers have a website, Twitter feed and Facebook page — but apparently no physical home.
“Brew: The Museum of Beer will be a major tourist attraction designed by internationally recognized experts in museums and beer studies,” the site says. “Comparable in size and scope to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Brew will be able to accommodate 400,000+ visitors per year. State-of-the-art technology will underpin the entire experience, maximizing visitor engagement through interactive exhibits and activities.”
Other beer museums are envisioned for Austin, Texas. and Milwaukee.
But a beer can museum has already been established south of Boston.
In January 2018, USA Today listed beer museums and exhibits around the world.
— City News Service contributed to this report.
