Insider's View into the Upcoming Call to Arms Brewery

The old and new, vibrant local community, and fantastic beer scene is what attracted the founders of Call to Arms Brewery to their Berkeley location. Three ex Avery brewers, Jesse Brookstein, Jon Cross, and Chris Bell, believe it is their call to arms, their duty, to brew stellar beer and give back to the community that supports them.

We hear the term community tossed around so often and arbitrarily that it loses its meaning at times. This is not the case for the fine gentleman of Call to Arms. They plan to institute community-based programs at the brewery that will play well into the development of the neighborhood. The "Good Samaritan Program" will offer free beer and goodies in exchange for community service hours. The brewery has also already initiated a "Chairholder" project in which members of the community, both individuals and businesses, can pay to put their names on a chair or piece of furniture in the brewery, similarly to season ticket holders at Coors Field or the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. In this way, Call to Arms will feel like home to those who have offered their support.

Another important and unique aspect to the Berkeley brewery will be the offering of local provisions. By drawing inspiration from their roots in the northeast, the fellas hope to replicate the feel of a down-home country store in Vermont and other northeastern states. Any local company selling artisanal provisions, such as The Real Dill pickles, will be invited to sell their goods at Call to Arms.

Now let's talk beer. Avery Brewing is undoubtedly a leader of the craft beer scene in Colorado as well as nationwide. Brookstein, Cross, and Bell are taking the expertise and experience from their years at the popular Boulder brewhouse to create a business that is uniquely theirs. Call to Arms will have a ten barrel brew system, fifteen taps, and an opening lineup featuring an IPA, a session pale ale, an open-fermented dunkelweizen, a dry-hopped Vienna lager, and an oatmeal porter, among others.

When asked about the ultimate goals for their brewery, the guys replied immediately that the biggest goal for them is quality. Quality of beer, quality of community, and quality of craft. Now all we have to do is wait impatiently for the grand opening scheduled for late summer or early fall. If you absolutely cannot wait to feast your taste buds on this new brew, check out the Berkeley Beer & Spirits Mini-Fest happening at Local 46 on Saturday May 9 from 2 to 6 p.m., where Call to Arms will be pouring their collaboration brew with Station 26 Brewing Company, Salute your Shwarz.