This month brought the bad news that Pacific Plate was pulling out of its Glendale taproom only location and that was followed by Kinetic Brewing up in Lancaster was closing up shop as well.
As I mentioned earlier this month, as nice as the PacPlate space was on the inside, it was stuck deep at the south end of Brand in a no mans land between Atwater Village to the sound and the Americana part of town to the north. It was small despite a nice patio that I bet many people didn’t even know about in the back.
Kinetic seemed to lose steam as Lucky Luke and Transplants along with GABF medal winner Bravery were the most talked of breweries from the land way up the freeway. The explosion of Ventura breweries probably did not help as did the additions of San Fernando and 8one8 and Hand-Brewed lured people to new destinations.
Churn is going to happen and it needs to be a word to add to your beer dictionary because it will happen more. Up to now, the only example we have had of it here in Los Angeles is when a brewer leaves for another brewery. But spaces are going to go open and equipment will be sold and it is a matter of whether the location didn’t work or the beer didn’t work or the marketing of both didn’t work.
The churn will open up opportunities for others. Kinetic could become a new brewpub with new owners and brewers. The PacPlate space, now spiffed up, could become a #independent beer bar or maybe (my (probably impossible) dream), an L.A. Brewers Guild Bar where you can taste rotating taps from places far and wide in Los Angeles. Mostly so I wouldn’t have to drive to far flung tap rooms.
With more breweries on the horizon, the amount of beer still is high for the consumer but the status quo won’t always be the same.