Council Brewing Company aiming for a kickstart

It was o-dark-hundred hours and I was driving through Kearny Mesa en route to a local television station to film a spot about San Diego Beer Week. A navigational miscalculation took me down Convoy Court. As I cursed my error in judgment and the fact I had to be up so early, I spied a business park and thought to myself, “I wonder why a brewery hasn’t locked up one of those suites. This would be a good spot for a smaller operation.”

Literally, the very next day, I received an email from Curtis Chism, the male half of the husband-wife duo working on upcoming business Council Brewing Company, that they’d signed a lease on a 2,600 square foot business suite. The address…7705 Convoy Court. It was a bit eerie, but not so much considering the fact that it really is a very sensible spot for a new brewery.

So what makes it so good? First off, it’s close to numerous freeways—State Route 52, State Route 163, and Interstate 805—so it’s easy to get in and get out. Secondly, it’s close to two other established breweries, namely, Societe Brewing Company and Helm’s Brewing Company (which just celebrated its one-year anniversary over the weekend). It’s also less than a mile from popular craft beer bar O’Brien’s Pub, an establishment that, in addition to bringing in suds fans, has been notably supportive of new breweries entering the Kearny Mesa area. But, most importantly, there is plenty of parking and space for the couple to install its equipment and build a decent tasting room.

But here’s the thing. They have their lease and, thanks to immersing themselves in study (including attaining beer judge status through the Beer Judge Certification Program so that they can understand and apply quality assessment to their future products), brewing know-how. Now, all they need is another very important ingredient—money.

To this point, the Chisms have utilized their savings to get to this point, but those funds have been expended, leading them to go a popular route among small businesses—Kickstarter. In doing so, the Chisms join recent Kickstarter adopters Modern Times Beer, Plan 9 Alehouse and Two Kids Brewing Company, all of which have opened for business in the past year. Council Brewing Company’s campaign is live and will run through December 15.