Something new and original is brewing in Solvang, where residents Chris and Sandy Kelly are preparing to open their store, Valley Brewers. While the name would suggest the store is a new brewery, Chris and Sandy will be leaving that work to the customers.
Chris and Sandy are members of the small Valley Brewers Club—a group of six people that share the same passion for brewing their own beer in the comfort of home.
That’s where they got the idea to open their own store, where they’ll be selling homebrew equipment and supplies for wine, beer, and cheese—the staples of life. With few places in South County offering these wares, Chris and Sandy score points for originality.
While Sandy said she’s still diligently learning the ropes of home beer brewing, Chris got involved in home beer making through a friend. He began brewing on his own, and hasn’t stopped since. According to Chris, they usually have four or five different home brews on tap at their house.
With the craft beer scene becoming increasingly popular and the Buellton Brew Fest just around the corner, Chris and Sandy couldn’t have picked a better time to open. With the store already set up and ready for action, Sandy said they hope to have it open to the public by the third week of May, with a grand opening scheduled for a later date.
The shop is outfitted with everything a wine-, cheese-, or home beer-making enthusiast could need, and then some. The shop’s back room is outfitted with a room that looks like a laboratory, where customers get to pick their poison. They have a variety of yeasts, hops, and malts to choose from, not to mention a wide selection of grape juices for wine, from a Cabernet to a Riesling. If customers want to pair some cheese with their wine or beer, Valley Brewers offers kits to make a variety of fresh cheeses, including Bleu cheese.
While making your own beer, wine, and cheese may seem difficult, Chris and Sandy have the knowledge and equipment to help make home brewing user-friendly. They offer a variety of basic beer, wine, and cheese kits that contain all the ingredients and instructions, as well as some deluxe kits that come with the needed equipment.
“So far we’ve had a really good response. People stop in and [say] they had no idea you could make this stuff yourself,” Chris said.
Wanting to add some flair to their store, Chris and Sandy also have a variety of beer paraphernalia for sale, from “hop-flavored” hard candy and Guinness beer soap, to root beer bubble baths and humorous shirts.
Valley Brewers will make its first appearance at Buellton Brew Fest, where the Kellys will hold brew demonstrations and selling kits to make black India Pale Ale. With their passion for good homebrew and their extensive knowledge, Chris and Sandy will have customers brewing up a storm in no time.
Valley Brewers is at 515 Fourth Place in Solvang. For more information, call 325-6320.
Highlights
• For the fourth time since 2004, Firestone Walker Brewing Company and brewmaster Matt Brynildson were named Champion Brewery and Brewmaster, respectively, in the category of Mid-Size Brewing Company at the 2012 World Beer Cup.
The World Beer Cup is a global competition staged bi-annually by the Brewers Association. This time, nearly 800 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states participated. Judging was done by blind taste tests, and winners were announced on May 5. The category of Mid-Size Brewing Company includes breweries producing between 15,000 and 6 million barrels annually.
Firestone Walker previously won the same honors at the 2004, 2006, and 2010 World Beer Cup events.
For more information, visit firestonebeer.com.
Staff Writer Kristina Sewell wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas compiled Highlights. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 10-17, 2012.