Kelsey McNair — the brewer of Pershing Avenue

By Mike Shess

Kelsey McNair, the man behind North Park Beer Co., has enjoyed fame after winning Stone Brewery’s 2010 March Madness Homebrew Competition for his San Diego County Session Ale. McNair, who lives off Pershing Avenue, admits he was taken aback by all of the attention that Stone paid him. “They treated me like a rock star,” he says, standing next to his kitchen sink, where hoses and brewing paraphernalia hang to dry.
A refugee from Tampa, Fla., McNair lived in another area of San Diego that “was pretty sterile.” He was attracted to North Park for its urban and pedestrian setting, as well as for its Craftsman-style homes. McNair is well-read on the history of our neighborhood — a copy of Don Covington’s “North Park: A San Diego Urban Village” sits on his coffee table.
He began brewing in 2003 when he received a Mr. Beer Brewing Kit for Christmas. “It was rinky-dink, but after two batches I was addicted.” Kelsey dove in, purchased new equipment, and spent the following 10 months brewing 11 different beers.
In this brewing frenzy, he studied the art of brewing the IPA and Double IPA. Afterwards, McNair was confident in his abilities, but admitted, “I had lots to learn, so I looked to the larger breweries. What were they doing?” He continued researching, practicing and buying equipment, and this led to brewing all nine beers for his Aug. 8, 2008, wedding.
Thanks to his studies, McNair has a very sophisticated homebrew setup. “At this point, it’s like a pilot system for a larger brewery rather than a homebrewing setup.” In his living room, a multi-tap Beverage Air kegerator keeps select brews accessible. In the garage, there’s a meticulous setup: two hollowed out refrigerators house conical fermenters while another refrigerator holds yeast and an impressive stash of collected brews. Numerous bins store a variety of hops. A large cold box holds a collection of North Park Beer Co. brews.
The focal point, however, is the bar. Adorned with 10 taps, the bar takes up the entire east wall of his garage. Some of the best beer bars in town have a chalkboard with the tap selection lovingly written, and McNair’s North Park Beer Co. is no exception. Homage to his neighborhood is through beer names: Ray Street Red, Grim Imperial Stout, Pershing Pils and Dryden Imperial IPA. Their specs, including original gravity, style, as well as ABV/IBU measurements, are listed also. The tap handles are labeled in the Craftsman Glasgow font.
I asked Kelsey to elaborate on the fallout of his San Diego County Session Ale. “Aside from the well-wishers, people keep asking me what’s next with North Park Beer Co.” The answer: “I am currently exploring options to bring more of my beer to market in the future.” We can’t wait.
Mike Shess is the editor & co-publisher of West Coaster (westcoastersd.com), and has lived in North Park his entire life.

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