Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirk Nishikawa.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We (Sherwin and Kirk) became friends way back in high school when huge baggy pants, Cool Water cologne and Tommy Hilfiger Jackets were still in fashion. We quickly discovered a shared love for cars and disobeying our parents. Sherwin was known as the “go to guy” when it came to fixing our friends cars, and I (Kirk) was always there to help with stubborn rusty bolts and stuck axels. This partnership eventually progressed to a point where we began meticulously restoring classic cars together.
After cars, we formed a very very very amateur garage band with our friends. You might be fortunate/unfortunate enough to see us bang on the drumset above the office during taproom hours. After the garage band it was home brewing craft beer and tinkering on Sherwin’s fixer-upper house.
For our day jobs, Sherwin worked as an ASC Master Certified Mechanic for over 20 years and I an Architect for 8 years and restaurant manager for my mom’s restaurant for 4 years.
Sherwin’s love for beer and passion for brewing is what initially inspired me and many of our friends to become beer fanatics in their own right. It all started with a Mr. Beer kit that so many of us are given as a Secret Santa gift at an office party and then regifted years later. Eventually brewing moved to his stove. As Sherwin became more and more sophisticated with his brewing, he began to enter home brewing competitions and accrued a large collection of medals. It was only a matter of time before an ill-advised drunken promise locked both Sherwin and I down a path to opening a brewery together. In a strange way, it literally took massive amounts of craft beer to start this business. It started out as a joke really, then a dream, then a realistic dream. As the pieces of the puzzle started to come together, we decided to quit our careers and go all-in on building out our brewery.
On December 5, 2015, we opened the doors to Glendale’s very first micro-brewery, Brewyard. Since then, we’ve enjoyed welcoming folks in to be a part of our craft brew-loving extended family.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding the capital to start this brewery was a struggle. It took leveraging several houses and cashing in nest eggs to get this brewery up and running.
Finding the right spot was also a struggle since there is no right spot. There is always compromises that we had to assess to ensure that they wouldn’t cripple the project.
Dealing with so many different entities was also difficult to juggle and keep track of. No single city/state or federal department was difficult to navigate but all of them combined can be a handful.
Learning how to brew on such a large system was pretty jarring. It was almost like learning how to brew all over again. Luckily, we had guidance from a lot of very experienced brewers to help us adjust to the larger quantities.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Brewyard Beer Company – what should we know?
Brewyard – a craft brewery in a tucked-away converted warehouse with one simple mission: Redefine and rediscover a style of beer that was invented in California during the 1800s for Californians – The “Common” style Lager. They are beautiful hybrids that offer strong flavor like an ale but still retain a lighter crisper finish of a lager. Originally this type of Lager had one champion, the California Common. During our home brewing days, we experimented with lager yeast and fermentation techniques to create a large variety of these “Commons”. We expanded this category of lagers to encompass over a dozen flavors from Hoppy, Roasty, Smoky, Malty, Coffee-y, Honey sweet and Pale. We like to call them Ale’d Lagers for short.
The outer fringes of craft beer can be strong and often intimidating at times. We want to expose people that are traditionally lighter Pale Ale/Lager drinkers to the possibilities of what beer can be and set them off on their craft beer journey. We will also be here waiting when you are finished destroying your pallet on those triple IPAs and barrel aged double imperial coffee sour stouts.
Being lovers of all craft beer we also like to dabble in Belgian Ales, Barrel aging and various other styles of beer that tickle our fancy at any given time.
When you visit us, it is our hope that you feel like a part of the family! Sit and shoot the shit-ake-mushrooms with your friends at our long tables, play a board game with people you meet in the tap room and order from visiting food trucks or some delivery from one of the amazing local restaurants.
The open layout of the brewery & taproom was designed intentionally so you can see and follow the brewing process all the way from the milling of the grain down to the kegging out of the fermentation tanks full of Brewyard beer. If you catch us brewing or working the taproom, don’t be bashful. If you ask, we’ll probably give you an energetic impromptu tour of the brewery.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Strong Work Ethic. Willingness to roll with punches to just get things done.
Pricing:
- $6-8 Pints/Tulips
- $2-4 Tasters
- $16-25 Growlers
- $7-$10 22 oz Bottles
Contact Info:
- Address: 906 Western Ave.,
Glendale, CA 91201 - Website: www.brewyardbeercompany.com
- Phone: 818-409-9448
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brewyardbeerco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrewyardBeerCo/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrewyardBeerCo/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/brewyard-beer-company-glendale-2
Image Credit:
Clifford Williams
Mike Sagun
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