21st Amendment Bringing Packaging to Bay Area – W/ Commentary

SFGate broke the news a few days ago that 21st Amendment would bring their canning production “home” by opening a 95,000 square foot facility in San Leandro, 20 miles outside of San Francisco. The hop is to have this operating this year, and it be a public destination by 2015. Here’s an excerpt from SFGate.com, along with my own commentary on the matter. Cheers!

You probably know 21st Amendment as a San Francisco brewery, thanks to its popular outpost near the ballpark in SoMa, not to mention its now-ubiquitous beers, available everywhere from Safeway and Whole Foods to the chic beer bar in your neighborhood. But despite the brewpub’s 14 years of business, 21st Amendment has been doing much of its packaging in Minnesota for the last six years. Well, they’re coming home.

This year, 21st Amendment plans to open a huge 95,000 square foot facility in the East Bay. Designed by Aidlin Darling Design, it will be located in San Leandro’s old former Kellogg Cereal factory building, the former home of Pop Tarts, Raisin Bran and Eggos.

Dan’s thoughts: Ever since my first visit to 21st Amendment brewpub in 2010, I knew the beer they brewed in San Francisco was far superior to the canned product made in Minnesota. I am very happy to hear they are going to bring production to the bay area, as I feel their canned product will improve with the right love and attention. While I understand real-estate is at a premium in the 3rd most expensive city in the country, I would have loved for 21A to make home in San Francisco proper. They’ve been branding themselves as a San Francisco made product for years, and while it will finally made in the bay area, it will be made in San Leandro, not SF. I have a similar stance on the whole ‘New York Giants playing in New Jersey’ situation. I might be in the minority with this stance, but it is a peeve of mine. Any who, this is a positive for 21st Amendment Brewery and we wish them luck and love as they begin their next chapter in this craft beer boom period.

Click here to read the entire article on SFGate.com including sketches of their planned brewhouse.