Dunbar Brewing to open new brewhouse in Santa Margarita

In 2012, Santa Margarita’s Dunbar Brewing moved from a cramped space behind Ancient Peaks Winery on El Camino Real to a 1,600-square-foot, three-barrel brewhouse and pub. That new location gave owner and brewmaster Chris Chambers more room to expand on the brand he’s been building since 1997.

Just three years later, Dunbar is ready for another expansion and will open a separate 6,000-square-foot, 10-barrel brewhouse at 22815 El Camino Real this month.

“We knew that brewing in the three-barrel brewhouse wasn’t going to be enough,” Chambers said.

So when a property just down the street from the pub opened up, Chambers jumped at the opportunity, investing about $200,000 in the new site.

The extra space has allowed Dunbar to install a new brewing system that Chambers designed. The new system will increase the brewery’s output from just a few hundred barrels of beer per year to between 3,000 and 4,000 barrels.

The brewery also plans to begin offering 22-ounce bottles of its four signature brews.

Chambers declined to disclose specific financial information but said Dunbar has seen an average of 15 percent growth in profits in the past year. With the additional space, the brewery hopes to add about six employees to its workforce, which now stands at four.

At the new site, Chambers plans to brew smaller batches at first to test the system and hopes the brewhouse will be functioning at full capacity by September. He plans to open the brewhouse to the public, offering tours that show the process. The tours would end in a new tasting area.

Dunbar’s four signature beers — Fear Naught IPA, Scottish Heavy, Brown Porter and Johnny Mash black IPA — will be the focus at the new location. Producing those beers at a greater capacity will give Dunbar the ability to increase its distribution. The brewery’s beers are now featured on tap at five bars in San Luis Obispo County, with Chambers aiming to increase distribution not only within the county, but also throughout California.

Despite the new addition, the nearby public house will remain largely the same, with 14 taps and a bottle shop featuring guest beers. However, Chambers said he will use the old three-barrel system to get a little more creative.

“That’s the advantage of taking our four core beers and brewing them at a larger capacity,” he said. “It will free me up to come back down to the pub and brew in three-barrel, do more experimenting and have a lot more fun down there.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Dunbar Brewing to open new brewhouse in Santa Margarita."