LAGUNA BEACH : Planning Panel OKs Brewery Installation

Plans to install a small brewery in a historic building in the downtown area have been unanimously approved by the Planning Commission.

The unusual new business--the first of its kind in this city--will be installed in a 60-year-old “Heisler Building” on South Coast Highway, which also houses the Jolly Roger restaurant.

The new Laguna Beach Brewing Co. will feature two-story fermenting tanks at the back of the building and an upstairs “brew pub” in the space where the Sail Loft was previously located. Patrons will be able to watch as barley and hops are transformed into lager and ale.

“It is an interesting use, (and) it’s going to be wildly successful,” said Planning Commissioner Norm Grossman, who with his colleagues endorsed the project last week. “They really have no competition. When you look at some uses and see there’s an opening in the market, this seems to be one of those.”

The beer will not be bottled to go since Laguna Beach has a law restricting the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption within 200 yards of Main Beach.

The owners of the new business, who for the past year and a half also have operated the Huntington Beach Beer Co. near that city’s pier, say they hope to open in Laguna Beach on Sept. 1.

“We’re really excited about coming to Laguna,” said architect Jeff Bergsma, who is starting the business with his partners Michael Fein and Peter Andreit. “We think that the people in Laguna will be the kind of people who would enjoy a hand-crafted beer, and we like being in beach cities.”

As a condition of approval, planning commissioners instructed the business owners to install equipment to ensure that the odor of hops doesn’t leak into the air and annoy neighbors.

They also will restore the 11,082-square-foot building, which is listed on the city’s Historic Register with the highest rating due to its historical significance.

“The E-rated provincial revival building contributes greatly to the quality of downtown Laguna,” city staff member Ann Larson said. “It’s in excellent condition and is a prime historic architectural example.”