Phantom Carriage Brewery Grand Opens with Barrel-Aged Party in Carson

The South Bay’s craft beer scene is getting a massive boost this Saturday, with the (official) grand opening of Phantom Carriage in Carson. The somewhat spooky wild ale brewery has been softly serving since late December, but this weekend they’re blowing the barrelhouse doors off with a massive celebration.

First begun more than a year ago by founder Martin Svab and head brewer Simon Ford, Phantom Carriage has been on the radar of L.A. craft beer geeks for some time. The pair, along with assistant brewer Brendan Lake (formerly of The Dudes’ Brewing), rely on wild yeast fermentation for their ultra-strong beers. It’s the sort of limit-pushing brewing that has become more and more popular in recent years (see also: Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks on the Central Coast), which has only helped to elevate Phantom Carriage’s status as a top-notch South Bay producer.

In a recent interview with California Brew Masters, the trio lay out their beer philosophy and talk about the trials of starting up in relatively quiet Carson, as opposed to more beer-mad towns like Torrance. There’s also plenty of digital ink spilled on the spooky nature of the Phantom Carriage brand, including their spooktacular barrel house. In short: Svab is from Eastern Europe, the land of castles and vampires, and was born on Halloween, so what do you expect?

As for Saturday’s official unveiling, the plan is to really introduce the wild beer scene to anyone who may otherwise be used to weaker macro-brewed beer styles. A full 13 taps of Phantom Carriage beer (spooky number alert!) will be available, as well as 12 more taps from local guest breweries like Monkish. An on-site beer cooler will host another 100 bottles of rare beers, meads, and ciders, while the Phantom Carriage kitchen pushes out smoked meats and Eastern European favorites all day long.

The Phantom Carriage unveiling runs on Saturday, from noon to 11 p.m. Can’t make the party? Their Main Street brewery and tasting room is now open six days a week (they take Monday off). Head over here for updates on the grand opening party.