Last month the Thirsty Monk team announced they were closing their Gerber Village location for a new venture that would be unveiled in September. They said the new business will be an original concept unlike anything currently operating in the United States.
The new project, called Open Brewing, may well deliver on that promise. Owner Barry Bialik calls it “the first commercial brewpub in the country dedicated to open-source brewing.” Essentially he views it as a sort of incubator for homebrewers to develop and reformat recipes on a large scale. They can share their beers with a wider audience and receive feedback.
No numbers have been released, but Bialik says homebrewers will also be paid a royalty for each pint. “As the craft beer industry has taken off, so has homebrewing, and we have had a great relationship with the local homebrewing community [through Thirsty Monk] over the years,” said Bialik. ”Our intent is to create an avenue where homebrewers can reach new audiences, experience the brewing process on a larger scale and gain opportunity in the beer world that might not otherwise be available.”
