Mikkeller to open SD brewery

Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a celebrated Danish brewer who roams the globe making beer under the Mikkeller label, is forming a partnership with Miramar’s AleSmith to produce his beers in San Diego.

The as-yet-unnamed brewery will open June 1 in the plant now occupied by AleSmith. AleSmith is moving to larger facilities nearby, still in the Miramar area.

Bjergsø, who owns a beer bar in San Francisco and operates a Copenhagen brewery, Warpigs, with Indiana’s Three Floyds, said he intends to continue brewing at numerous European breweries.

But in the U.S., his base will be San Diego. “It comes down to the fact that I am able to work with one of the best brewers in the world,” he said, referring to Peter Zien, owner and brewer at AleSmith. “Peter is a great, great brewer and AleSmith makes some of the best beers in the world.”

Zien said he is a longtime friend of Bjergsø, who annually invites him to a brewing party in Copenhagen. While writing his regrets last year, Zien wondered if he could entice his Danish friend to visit San Diego on a regular basis.

Their talks eventually arrived at this idea: They would form a new company, with equity held by Mikkeller and AleSmith. The as-yet-unnamed brewery will make Beer Geek Breakfast and other Mikkeller mainstays, plus experiment with new beers.

Making his beers in Europe and shipping them to the U.S., Bjergsø said, “it’s hard to keep them fresh and keep them at a fair price.”

Source: DiscoverSD