I’ve visited breweries that come in all different shapes and sizes. The largest I’ve traipsed through was Lagunitas Brewing. The size and scope is mind boggling, especially knowing where they’ve come from just 5 years ago. It’s not Anheuser Busch big, but walking through their tanks feels like walking down the nave of a cathedral.
On the flipside, the smallest brewery I’ve ever stepped into is pictured above. No, it’s not some homebrewers 20-gallon system tucked into the corner of a kitchen. It’s the brewing system operated by Cerveceria de MateVeza in San Francisco. Co-owners Jim Woods and Matt Coelho made over 50 experimental batches on this pilot system inside their small tasting room in less than a year, while their larger MateVeza brands are made up in Mendocino under contract.
This space isn’t nearly as big as the photo suggests. That’s the illusion created by my wide-angle lens and the spatial depth that’s accentuated by the ceramic tile lines, which created a nice little charming box. It’s one of my favorite brewery photos.
Despite the cramped quarters, they make it work and yield great beers.