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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Brewery Has Big Plans For Micro Craze

When does a microbrew turn into a macro? After nearly four years of operating their brewpub in downtown Lancaster, Kinetic Brewing Co. co-owners Myrle McLernon and Steve Kinsey are planning to build a $6 million destination brewery to make more award-winning beer, in addition to having a tasting room and event space. Construction is expected to take much of next year with an opening by spring 2017. At the bar, Kinetic serves 10 beers brewed onsite in addition to five beers from guest breweries elsewhere in California. During its first year, the new large-scale production brewery will produce 4,000 barrels and at full buildout will produce 70,000 barrels, said Kinsey, master brewer of the operation. The co-owners are in talks with distributors to get Kinetic beer to regions beyond where it now reaches in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. “When the beer rolls out, we’ll be able to cover all of Southern California,” Kinsey said. Kinetic is one of a small but growing cadre of craft breweries in the Antelope Valley. Lancaster is also home to Bravery Brewing Co. and neighboring Palmdale will host soon-to-open Transplants Brewing Co. and Lucky Luke Brewing Co. Kinsey and McLernon opened their pub on Lancaster Boulevard in 2011. Its product has won awards at the Great American Beer Festival, Los Angeles International Beer Competition and Bistro Double IPA Festival. The beers come flavored with hints of chocolate, coffee, apricot, citrus and caramel. They range in alcohol content from 4.8 percent for the German-Style Potential Blonde to a heavy 9.3 percent with the Infrared ale. The city of Lancaster is selling the company land at Avenue H and Trevor Avenue for its new facility. McLernon, an architect, will design and act as general contractor on the 14,000-square-foot project. Most of that space will be taken up by the brewery, but the facility will have a 1,600-square-foot tasting room and administrative offices. – Mark R. Madler

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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