Here’s something to look forward to next year: Barebottle Brew Co. will open a brand-new brewery and brew pub in February or March in the empty warehouse building at 1525 Cortland, along the east end of the street near Peralta.
Barebottle’s co-founders, Lester Koga, Michael Seitz and Ben Sterling, met as students at Cornell’s business school. While pursuing other careers — Seitz at Proctor & Gamble, Koga in counterterrorism strategy — the friends all became avid homebrewers, and got involved as judges in competitions through the Homebrewers Association. “As we started judging these homebrewing events, we began to think that the quality of beer made by homebrewers far surpasses what [some] production brewers are doing right now,” Koga says. “But it’s hard for homebrewers to get on the shelf.”
At Barebottle, they’ll host a monthly competition for homebrewers, each month based on a different beer style. A few winners, determined by a panel of judges, will have their recipes produced at Barebottle and poured in its taproom. Those deemed successful after some time in the taproom will become permanent Barebottle fixtures. Koga says they’re still working out how exactly the homebrewers will be rewarded for their winning recipes.
Cortlandt Toczylowski (Drake’s, E.J. Phair) has joined as head brewer, and is kicking off Barebottle’s proprietary portfolio with beers including a Russian imperial stout and a bourbon barrel-aged honey brown ale.
The 1,600-square-foot space, on Cortland Ave. near Peralta Ave., will incorporate the taproom within the production brewery. “Essentially, you drink around the brew house,” Koga explains. “We thought it would be cool to have that production process front and center.”
Super cool. To track Barebottle’s progress, check out all the construction photos at @barebottlebeer.
BONUS: Via EaterSF, here’s a photo of Barebottle’s new fermenters, installed in their new 17,000 square-foot facility. Sexy!
PHOTO: Team Barebottle greets the arrival of their new fermenters, via @barebottlebeer
Bernalwood 
I love that bernal is quickly becoming a craft beer Mecca! Welcome Barebottle!
Thanks Michael! Please stop in for a beer soon – it’s on us!
I agree, Michael. Healthy Spirits, the soon – to – come Old Devil Moon craft beer and spirits resto at the foot of Cortland, Holy Water on Cortland along with Bel and Old Bus on Mission.
Congrats! Looking forward to having a beer there!
Wow wow wow! Super amazing news! Welcome to Bernal Heights, Barebottle–thrilled you picked our little neighborhood!
Thanks! We are honestly very lucky to be part of the neighborhood, thank you for the warm welcome. Please stop by for a drink – on us!
Amazing. So glad someone is taking the risk and moving down the hill towards bayshore. It seems like there is so much opportunity all the way to butchertown.
I will not shed a tear if the smoke shop at bayshore and cortland gets displaced.
Yes, NSFW! Let’s hope that those nice people who run an apparently profitable business selling things people apparently want get displaced! That seems fair.
I don’t like ’em. They aren’t locally sourced, curated or nano-scale. Most of all, they’re unattractive and vagrants hang out in front.
Sweep them away!
When I need an e-cig or my s.o. needs a ‘Do-rag after 6pm (fun fact: people with cornrows often like to wrap them up when they sleep so they don’t start looking messy), I’m sure we can just pop into one of the new boutique shops up the hill…
🙂
Haha your entire comment was just a way for you to demonstrate your understanding of cornrow maintenance. You are so noble. Check your privilege, nsfw!
I don’t think it’s evil to wish for a business that offered more than e-cigs and do-rags if the locals vote that way with their wallets.
How about a little “peace on earth” and perhaps a little goodwill?
Angry much? I was making a specific point:
There are actual human people behind those store fronts, and actual human people who patronize them. Those peoples’ lives are affected when they get swept away. Though it may not directly affect us, we should pause and consider other humans before we so casually wish for their businesses to be destroyed.
THAT idea gets you angry?
Also: Cornrows are noble? That’s an interesting axe you’re grinding…
hmmm, so when it’s a working class neighborhood and there’s bars and liquor stores up and down the street, that’s bad. But when we drive out the working class, move in the entitled class, and have bars, and liquor stores with fancy names up and down the street (healthy spirits, epicurean trader, vino rosso, barebotttle, etc.), that’s good. There’s a lesson in there somewhere… I’m just too drunk on success to figure it out.
+1
No you’re too much of a cliche. Who said anything along those lines? You sound like a bitter loser who reflexively hates on new businesses (I’ll go out on a limb and assume you hate yourself too). You remind me of that idiot cyclist who lashed out and attacked that car + driver during a recent Critical Mass. I have no skin in this game but felt like pointing out that your attitude is so tired, misguided, superficial. Keep standing up for liquor stores and bars via blog comments, you working class hero!
Oh Alex… so cranky, my goodness. Have a drink and live a little.
Rather than thinking of the new breweries as some newfangled invention of gentrification, think of it as Bernal returning to its roots, e.g., North Star Brewing Company:
https://bernalwood.com/2012/12/05/time-travel-exploring-the-intersection-of-mission-at-army-streets-in-1888/
Hey, Obtusely Angry Dude:
He made an interesting point. Liquor stores and dive bars = bad neighborhood. Artisan spirits and wine bars = upscale enclave. Both sets of businesses do the same thing: get alcohol into people’s bloodstreams. Yet the latter is considered an improvement over the former.
Worthy idea, stated calmly. Could you please not harsh the discussion?