Manzanita Brewing Co. Opens Expanded Brewery and Tasting Room in Santee

Santee's only commercial , , recently made the move to a larger facility down the road in order to their beer production and tasting room seating.

A will be held July 21 from 2-10 p.m. with a selection of food trucks offerings. The event will also ring in the brewery's second anniversary. Expect drink specials and raffle prizes- the big prize is free beer for a month! What exactly free beer for a month means, I don't know, but I'd do with a pint a day!

This expansion increases Manzanita's beer production by nearly ten-fold, up to 9,000 barrels at any given time. So, expect to see more bottles bearing Santee's name at your local stores. The tasting room is beefed up to 1,500 sq. feet, with another 700 sq. ft. outside coming soon.

The new brewery is located at 10151 Prospect Avenue, just down the road from the old location, and the owners say it should allow them room to grow for the next decade. The tasting room is now open, with the same hours as before: Thurs. 4-8pm, Fri. 4-10pm, Sat. 1-10pm and Sun. 1-6pm.

The opening of the new location comes about six months later than originally scheduled, but the brewers can't be blamed- they were busy at the San Diego County Fair this year.

The plan on selling their first brewery, equipment and all. So, Santee may be more than a one brewery town in the not so distant future- or Santee's first distillery may make a home there, according to co-owner Jeff Trevaskis.

Big news to go with the big move: Manzanita is starting to look for distributors outside of the San Diego area.