A cider brewery & gastropub inspired by the minimalist explorer is heading to North Park's 30th Street this summer. Bivouac Ciderworks will soon offer San Diego a stylishly designed 2,500 square-foot indoor/outdoor space to enjoy house brewed ciders, local craft beer, fine wine, a curated list of brandy, and a West Coast fueled food menu.
Bivouac Ciderworks owners Matthew Austin & Lara Worm are best friends who met years ago at a beach bonfire and bonded over a shared love of all things foodie and outdoor adventuring. Their passion for ciders from around the world has stoked a desire to bring their own version of timeless drink to San Diego.
Bivouac Ciderworks owners Matthew Austin & Lara Worm are best friends who met years ago at a beach bonfire and bonded over a shared love of all things foodie and outdoor adventuring. Their passion for ciders from around the world has stoked a desire to bring their own version of timeless drink to San Diego.
"Cider is an amazing beverage," explained Bivouac co-founder Lara Worm. "It has a long history and culture in America and many other countries, especially France, Spain, and the UK. We at Bivouac Ciderworks love the possibilities in cider, the food pairings, its connection to nature. What Bivouac strives to do is take the culture and flavors in cider from around the world, and put a southern California spin on it."
Matt, who is the company's Master Cidermaker, has spent 12 years home-fermenting cider, wine, home brewing, and experimenting with craft beverages. He also fit in an architecture degree, a career in the fly-fishing industry, and some surfing. Lara is a 3rd-generation San Diego entrepreneur, who grew up in a family-owned restaurant and worked in the service and alcohol industries for years before she ventured east to law school in Washington, DC. Lara spent a decade avoiding her entrepreneurial side as an attorney in the nation's capital, but was finally lured home by the sunshine in San Diego and has found herself back in the industry.
"We are focused on providing a place for cider experimentation and education, with awesome food to complement and enhance the cider experience," continued Lara. "We are customer-service oriented and look forward to creating an artistic and collaborative environment where friends come together over fantastic food and amazing cider. Our kitchen is focused on producing rustic dishes with fresh, local ingredients and west coast flavor. And like the warm glow of the campfire draws people in and invites conversation, the Bivouac taproom design is meant to be a place where San Diegans converge to quench their thirst for adventure."
The design elements implemented at Bivouac are inspired by "the minimalist explorer and the decadent foodie: rugged meets refined." The cider house and eatery has tasked San Diego design and fabrication firm, Tecture (The Patio Group, George's Californian, Kettner Exchange), for the design and front of house buildout with frequent brewery builder - CLTVT (AleSmith, Saint Archer) - as the project's general contractor. The space will feature light tubes, live plants, and a fully-open facade onto 30th street that will give the entire taproom an airy outdoor feel. Expect furnishings that give the illusion of impermanence, a rope system & clean gray plaster that mimick's a mountain-scape, and fire features throughout, representative of a campfire, as "Bivouac" translates to "a temporary camp without tents" and the fire is always necessary. There will also be a patio that will seat approximately 20 people.
Bivouac's cider will be less sweet than normal commercial cider and will feature exciting flavors and experimental twists on classic fermentation techniques - “infused with the spirit and adventure of the West.” A variety of Bivouac craft ciders will always be offered behind the bar on tap - including flagships, seasonals, specialty batches, and rotating experimentals, and there will also be a curated selection of San Diego craft beers, an eclectic wine list, and fruit brandies from around the world.
Bivouac Ciderworks is located at 3986 30th Street in North Park and hopes to have its cider widely available in kegs around San Diego establishments as soon as the doors open in late summer. For more information, visit bivouaccider.com and follow on Instagram.
