April 5, 2016 – A giant wall of 70 beer and wine taps is going in on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz. Build-out is now underway at the new Pour Taproom and restaurant, which is slated to open in May just two doors down from O’Neill’s surf shop.
Owner Chris Reno calls it “a self-activated, free-range tasting room” and is working on the project with childhood friend Nate Tomforde, who opened the first Pour Taproom two years ago in Asheville, North Carolina—one of the craft beer capitals of the country.
Reno, who grew up in Felton and now lives in Watsonville, says he spent time in England while in college and fell in love with British beer culture. He also discovered English literature and on returning home became an English teacher for the past 15 years at Monte Vista Christian School.
“Originally I was just trying to supplement my income as a teacher,” Reno says of his new venture. But last summer he gave up teaching to concentrate full-time on the taproom.
The high-tech concept works like this: when a customer enters, he or she will show an ID and use a credit card to open an account. Each customer will get an electronic bracelet than interacts with the beer wall.
Each tap will be equipped with a tablet than includes the name of the brew, its IBU and alcohol content, as well as tasting notes. After browsing for something interesting, the customer approaches a tap, pours the desired amount into a glass and is charged by the ounce.
Reno says special slow-pouring taps are used to minimize foam. Also on tap, customers will find eight wines, soda, cider, kombucha and water. Instead of bartenders, there will be hosts and hostesses to guide customers through the novel experience.
There’s enough space for a vast selection of craft beers from crowd pleasers like Sierra Nevada and Firestone to obscure regional micro-breweries. Reno says he also wants to feature as many local breweries as possible and serve as an information point for visitors to the area on the lively Santa Cruz beer scene.
Talented chef Ilona Wood Allison will be in charge of the kitchen, serving up hearty, beer-friendly comfort foods like braised short ribs with creamy polenta, and sausages.
Pour Taproom can accommodate 118 beer lovers and Reno doesn’t plan to install TVs. “There are already plenty of sports bars in town,” he says. Pour Taproom will be all about the beer.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
