Oakdale beer enthusiasts seek approval to open microbrewery
Josh Garcia and Brian Chiara enjoy brewing beer at home for fun, but now they want to turn pro by launching their own Oakdale microbrewery.
They propose opening Last Call Brewing Company in January in an industrial area at 944 Shepard Court. Whether the city should permit such a brewery will be considered at Wednesday’s Oakdale Planning Commission meeting.
The city’s planning staff recommends approval.
Chiara said he and Garcia are beer enthusiasts who brew 10- to-15-gallon batches to share with their families and friends. By opening a small commercial operation, they expect to craft 200-to-250-gallon batches they can sell to pubs and the public.
“Microbreweries are really doing well right now,” said Chiara, who is a paramedic. Garcia is a firefighter. They both would keep their first-responder jobs while running the brewery on the side. “This is the way a lot of microbreweries get started.”
The Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the City Council chambers at 277 N. Second Ave.
Bee staff writer J.N. Sbranti can be reached at jnsbranti@modbee.com or (209) 578-2196.
This story was originally published November 27, 2014 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Oakdale beer enthusiasts seek approval to open microbrewery."