Craft Beer Favorite Simmzy’s Somehow Convinced Burbank to Let Them Brew Beer

Popular local gastropub chain Simmzy’s is expanding into the brewing game directly, lining up some of their Burbank square footage for a brand new, fully operational beer-making setup. The new system has gone live as of late last week, while a full slate of beers expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Uniquely enough, the seven-barrel system spans two floors of the larger Burbank facility, with the actual brewhouse upstairs and tanks down on the main dining floor, right when guests walk in. That means head brewer Brian Herbertson will be running brews through lines in the walls, and then on into kegs and ultimately taplines for customers to try.

The Simms family owners, along with partner Greg Bechtel, have already begun pouring some of their stuff at the Burbank location, with plans to expand the lineup down the line. They’ll likely keep things rather straightforward to start, landing on IPAs, pale ales, and maybe a stout or something darker. There are no plans (so far) to can or sell the beer made in Burbank anywhere else but at the restaurant.

What’s most surprising is the fact that Burbank let a brewery get built in such a dense part of the city to begin with. Though it’s a small system, city and county regulators have traditionally been hesitant to support truly urban breweries, though that does seem to be changing of late with similar facilities being set up at places like Echo Park’s Sage Vegan Bistro.

• Simmzy's Ready To Launch Populist Pub in Burbank Tonight [ELA]