USA, CA: BarrelHouse Brewing Co. to open new taproom in Fresno

BarrelHouse Brewing Co. plans to open a taproom in Fresno – but just where it’s opening is a secret, the Fresno Bee reported on September 11.

The popular Paso Robles-based craft brewery has a following in the Valley, with a large tap room in Visalia and another in San Luis Obispo.

BarrelHouse’s founders were at the California Food Expo on September 10 and decided to announce their news after interacting with the public and potential buyers, said Chris Vaughn, marketing manager and one of the founders. The founders are all from Lemoore, with one still living in the area.

BarrelHouse plans to open the tap room in summer of 2020.

But for now, you’ll just have to take guesses as to where it will be, Vaughn said.

“No, we’re keeping it a secret,” he said. “It’s something we’ve done with all of our locations.”

The tap room will be 6,000 square feet, with a large outdoor patio space. It will have a small stage for live bands and dogs will be allowed, he said. It won’t have a restaurant, but customers are encouraged to bring in food. Like the other tap rooms, it will have large roll-up doors that can be opened on nice days.

Vaughn knows keeping the location a secret will inspire speculation.

“Everybody’s like, ‘Is it Clovis, is it downtown, or is it north Fresno?” he said.

He won’t say, but he did share a pretty big hint.

“Typically, we’ve gone into areas that are more destination based. Basically, we go into an area that is on the verge of becoming a hot spot … This time we’re changing gears and going into an area that’s already a hot spot.”

It’s also in a location where they can’t bring in food trucks, he said.

He added: “At this point we’re going to leave it a little vague because, I don’t know, you can’t have Christmas every day.”

BarrelHouse hasn’t signed a lease at the location yet, but is close, Vaughn said.

“We are finalizing that right now,” he said. “All the terms have been agreed upon and now it’s just a matter of putting ink on paper.”

The Fresno tap room will have the same feel as the others, including lots of exposed brick and duct work, he said.

The news comes as craft beer is the talk of Fresno. A dust up over a Tweet by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s communication manager that appeared to insult Fresno has been on the lips of many Fresnans.

Also based in Paso Robles, Firestone Walker has since extended an olive branch, and its co-founder, David Walker, was at the food expo Tuesday. Mayor Lee Brand said Walker voiced his appreciation for Fresno and Brand posted a photo of the pair online.

BarrelHouse was founded in 2013 and has grown quickly. The brewery grew 39 percent in production and distribution last year, Vaughn noted.

Its Sunny Daze blonde ale and mango IPA are popular. At the food expo, the brewery was promoting its new Standard Ale. The brewery also does lots of sour beers.

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