Burning Beard Brewing closes taproom as new brewery project stalls

Burning Beard Brewing will shut its El Cajon taproom after service on Sunday, April 26, because the lease at 785 Vernon Way ends before its new headquarters is ready. For breweries planning a move, the lesson is blunt: permitting delays, lease timing, and construction overlap can create a service gap even when the beer, staff, and customer base are still strong.

The new site at 1835 and 1845 North Marshall Avenue sits less than a mile from the current taproom, but the project has been slowed by a yearlong permitting process. One unit is described as relatively straightforward, while the other has faced airport-related requirements because the property looks out onto Gillespie Field’s air strip. Gillespie Field is the oldest and largest of San Diego County’s seven airports, and that proximity has added another layer of review to a project that was already running against the clock.

Burning Beard’s plan is bigger than a simple relocation. The new facility is expected to total about 11,500 square feet, with a 3,500-square-foot taproom and an 8,000-square-foot outdoor area that will become a German-style biergarten. That scale suggests the shutdown is a bridge to a more event-friendly operation, not a retreat from East County. The brewery’s identity has long been tied to punk-rock aesthetics, live music, and community events, so the new footprint is meant to preserve that culture while upgrading the physical plant.

Owners Mike Maass and Jeff Wiederkehr have spent years pushing the project forward. Burning Beard soft-opened on Leap Day, February 29, 2016, after the idea of opening an actual brewery first took shape on July 14, 2013. In July 2025, the brewery said it had signed a lease on the new location after a two-year search, with the existing lease reported to expire in 2026. That timeline now leaves the business with a temporary shutdown before the new space is operational.

To mark the transition, Burning Beard moved its 10-year anniversary celebration up to March 28 and drew roughly 500 people to the party. For staff and regulars, the pause means an immediate break in service, a scramble to manage schedules and cash flow, and a wait to see when the next chapter opens. The brewery says the staff and contractors are ready to move quickly once approvals land, and the new Marshall Avenue site remains the destination for Burning Beard’s next pour.