MIKE HESS BREWING ACQUIRES ALPINE BEER COMPANY’S OUTPOST, SAVES JOBS

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By Miriam Raftery

February 1, 2022 (Alpine) – Beer lovers in East County will soon have more to cheer about.  Mike Hess Brewing of San Diego (www.mikehessbrewing.com) is expanding through their acquisition of Alpine Beer Company’s Outpost. The announcement comes after Alpine Beer Co. sold its Green Flash and Alpine brands in late December to Canada’s Tilray.

Tilray “privately let it be known they’d be shuttering that location,” Hess’s press release states, adding that Hess plans to retain all of the “amazing staff” at the popular Alpine brewery and eatery. The site gives Hess  a 4,000 square foot tasting room with a full kitchen and a 5,000 square foot patio to their portfolio.

We couldn’t be more excited about MHB in East County. My family and I lived in East County for 10 years and we have always wanted a presence for our brand there,” says the brewery’s Chief Brewing Officer, Mike Hess. “We love East County and the adventurous and outdoor lifestyle that East County embodies. We’re looking forward to welcoming the families, mountain bikers, hikers, and beer enthusiasts to our spot! And, we cannot wait to fold the employees there into the MHB team.”

Hess told ECM, “We definitely are expanding the menu.” He adds that while Alpine Beer stopped making gluten-free beers, “all of our beers are gluten-free.”

The new Mike Hess Brewing space will include their full draft list on tap with popular choices like Hop Cloud Hazy IPA, Steel Beach Lager and Into the Sunset Blood Orange IPA, their newly released Free Flow hard seltzers, and will accompany an expanded menu of gastropub-inspired foods including pizzas, burgers (including a grass-fed burger), salads, and more kid-friendly and allergy-friendly options. As with all Mike Hess Brewing locations, the new East County location will be family and pet-friendly. 

Hess says he asked Green Flash to keep everyone on the payroll until February 26, a month after the 30-day notice to sell alcohol was posted, so that nobody would be without work. The site will be closed the last two days in February and is expected to reopen under the Hess name on March 1st, pending approval from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC). 

Lynda Hess, Co-Founder and Culture Czar at Hess, says, For more than 11 years, our purpose has been To Bring People Together Over Great Beer Around Great Causes. We cannot wait to share this mission with the residents of Alpine and East County San Diego. We have been so blessed by our fans and in turn, have been able to really make an impact on so many great causes and foundations through our combined efforts.”

Mike Hess Brewing, an award-winning craft brewery with products distributed statewide, started in 2010 as San Diego’s first nano-brewery. It is now the 35th largest craft brewer in California, with six locations including the Alpine site at 1347 Tavern Road.

Besides making a wide range of premier beers, the company is also known for its

philanthropic efforts, which have raised almost a quarter-million dollars for worthy foundations just in the past three years.

For more information, visit www.mikehessbrewing.com.   

 


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