Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Thralls.
Hi Tim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started homebrewing beer in high school and fell in love with the craft. I had enjoyed “creating” (woodworking, restoring cars, cooking) and making beer was something that sparked my interest. The passion grew throughout and after college, which is when craft breweries first started opening up in Southern California. After visiting some of the first craft breweries in So. Cal (in the early 2000’s) it became a dream of mine to open a craft brewery of my own. I knew that it would take a long time and a lot more money than I had to make it happen, but I vowed to make it happen at some future date. My wife and I saved every penny for over the next decade, all the while visiting small breweries and tasting rooms. While visiting these breweries, my desire to start one was strengthened by the observed comradery and sense of community & collaboration within the industry.
For over a decade, I would formulate recipes and rebrew them over and over, sharing the beer with friends & family and entering homebrew competitions to gather feedback. A favorite pastime of my wife & I became coming up with brewery names and names of beers. After almost 15 years of planning and with all of our savings and an SBA loan we were able to start the brewery. We have been open for over four years now and are still so thankful to be able to be living out our dream. It has and continues to take an extreme amount of work (I also have a “day job” to help pay the bills), but the reward of being part of our community and having an extended family in our staff makes it all worthwhile.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like any business, there have been obstacles along the way. The permitting process was lengthy and we had to pay rent on our empty building for over six months while our Federal permits were being reviewed. Without the permits, we could not brew beer, and without the ability to brew beer there would be no reason to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment and construction. However, we needed to have the building in order to apply for the license. An ongoing obstacle is competition with the large conglomerate breweries. They have the presence and means to block small independently owned breweries from the marketplace and do a great job at masquerading some of their brands as “Craft Beer”.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lost Winds Brewing Company is a small, independently owned and operated craft brewery in San Clemente. The brewery was built with community in mind. We had aspired to be a gathering place where people could celebrate and destress at the same time. We strive to create a laid-back, welcoming environment for people of all walks of life. The theme of the brewery definitely emphasizes the beach culture of San Clemente. We set out to create a beachy “Cheers” bar. There are 20 beers on tap to allow variety for all taste preferences. Although IPAs are prevalent, Belgian and Light beers are also represented for those who prefer less hop character. All of our beers (except for our Hazy IPAs) are brewed with a natural enzyme that reduces gluten to levels of less than 20 ppm. Although we can’t call the beer “gluten free” it is gluten-reduced and we have a very appreciative gluten sensitive customer base. The walls of the brewery showcase art from local artists and the art is available for sale (the artists get all of the sales and we do not charge them to display their wares).
We also host pop up markets on site from time to time so that local makers have an outlet and audience to sell their goods to. The brewery and tasting room are within the same space, so customers can enjoy their beer while seeing the equipment it was crafted in. During COVID, the tasting room experience was shifted to an outdoor patio experience. The name Lost Winds comes from the street name of a local beach where the access is on Calle Lasuen (Named after a Franciscan monk). The beach was referred to as Lasuens (phonetically loss -wins), which morphed over time to “Lost Winds”. My wife & I wanted to pay homage to our city with the name of the brewery and this locally know beach name was perfect. We felt that Lost Winds also just sounded cool, even if people had never heard of that beach.
What makes you happy?
So many things… But primarily seeing people in the taproom enjoying our beer and each other’s company. It sounds very simple but means so much to me personally. Knowing that people are choosing to spend their time in a place that had dreamt of for so long and enjoying beer that I made is extremely fulfilling.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.lostwindsbrewing.com
- Instagram: @lostwindsbrewing
- Facebook: lostwindsbrewing
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lost-winds-brewing-san-clemente?osq=brewery
- Other: https://untappd.com/LostWindsBrewingCompany
