It’s the Worst of Times, but GreyWolf Brewing Makes Acclaimed Start

Believe it or not, there’s been quite a bit of activity on the Inland Empire beer front – even during Covid. Oscar’s Brewing (Temecula), Hops & Spokes (Yucaipa), and Lake Arrowhead Brewing have all opened this summer. Solaris (Murrieta), Joshua Tree Brewery, and Three Marm (Crestline) have expanded their soft openings. And Temecula Brewing is currently clearing its final hurdles. If you’re keeping score at home, Brew Rebellion and Sanctum have closed.

February 2020 seems like another era. That’s when GreyWolf Brewing opened up in Norco. I’d been talking to Chad Adams prior to the opening. We knew that the Inland Empire was ripe for growth, all you needed to do was make good beer. Covid had other plans.

Circumstances deferred my first visit until June, but I’d been getting rave feedback from trusted sources. A homebrewer turned pro, Adams had hit the ground running. It helped that he landed on the location vacated by Sons of Liberty Aleworks, after they moved to Tennessee. He had to install his own equipment, but it was logistically perfect and already had a well-primed, thirsty clientele. More importantly, he was making great beer, right from the outset.

It’s a diverse portfolio that ranges from solid lagers to exceptional IPA’s and strong ales. Adams likes traditional styles, but he also has his own ideas of how things should taste. Tartarus Warhammer has already established itself as the brewery’s flagship. It was originally Adams’ homebrew award-winning Belgian Tripel. Leading with a Tripel is rare and unintentional, but Warhammer is already crafting its own fan club and reputation across the IE. I’ll let Chad tell the rest.

BEER PAPER: Thanks for talking to us today, Chad. You opened your brewery right before the pandemic hit. Has that changed your business model?

ADAMS: 100%. Initially, my plan was all onsite sales, with cans as a supplement. After five weeks, the pandemic changed all of that. Thankfully, I’d built flexibility into the business and was able to switch over to can sales, without actually missing any business days.

BEER PAPER: You probably haven’t sold as much beer as planned, but have you found it to be more work than you envisaged?

ADAMS: Sales are at about 35% of projections. The amount of work is about two to three times greater. I had intended to hire on at least one taproom assistant by this point, but with the reduced income, cannot afford the expense. Canning manually takes up a lot of time, but is absolutely essential. The frustrating part about the changes are that it takes some time to figure out exactly what the requirements are, develop a plan to comply, and implement.

BEER PAPER: You’ve quickly developed a strong reputation in your immediate surroundings. How has the reception been?

ADAMS: The community of Norco is AMAZING. They really do love their craft brewery. They are the reason I am still able to stay open. Norco is very community focused, call it a small-town vibe. They take care of each other, and have included me and the brewery in that community. Making great beer and a memorable experience, I believe, are the main ingredients in the recipe.

BEER PAPER: Covid really hindered everyone’s travel plans, but have you seen drinkers coming from further afield?

ADAMS: I have started to see an increase, yes. Partially due to social media presence, but also with partnering food trucks from outside the area. Great beer and the experience help keep people interested. The issue is letting people know we are here. Word of mouth, or organic growth was part of the plan. With all that has happened, the consumer is more critical about where they spend their money, and whether it is worth the risk. Customers telling your story and how focused you are about safety and sanitation are key to calming those fears.

BEER PAPER: You’re one of very few brewers I can think of that leads with a Belgian Tripel. I think it’s one of your favorites too. Can you tell us the story behind it?

ADAMS: Tartarus Warhammer was my first original recipe as a homebrewer. I have always been an incessant researcher when it comes to the history of a style. I had picked up “Brew Like A Monk” by Stan Hieronymus as I was curious about the general Belgian theory of creating recipes. Belgian brewers view style guidelines as just that, a guideline, compared to the German laser focus on adhering to tradition. I feel that the Belgians allow for a little more personal expression. The other side of this is that I was not 100% pleased with commercial offerings. To my palate, each offering either had too much of one character or lacked what I felt the style should have. Today’s version is actually the same recipe I first created. I scaled it up to my 5-barrel system, and despite years of experimentation, have never improved upon the original. Some of the techniques used in the process go against the grain of “how beer is supposed to be brewed,” but I think the results speak for themselves.

BEER PAPER: When I tasted your Oatmeal Pale – which I enjoyed – I immediately asked you if it was a hazy that didn’t haze. Can you tell us more about that and how it relates to your brewing styles?

ADAMS: Appropriate to the style, I prefer my beers to be as clean and bright as possible. The development of this recipe stems from the understanding of what each ingredient provides to the overall result. One of my tenets is that if you don’t know what an ingredient will provide, don’t use it. To me, American Pale Ale is generally too bitter and thin. I wanted to create a fuller experience, which generally is provided by today’s NEIPA style. I jokingly call this beer a double marketing fail. People see Oatmeal and immediately move to the next menu item. Those who get past that, see Pale Ale and, again, keep reading.

BEER PAPER: You’ve got a few good brewery cities around you (Corona, Riverside, Redlands, Cucamonga), but you’re the only one in Norco. What made you decide to set up there?

ADAMS: As my wife pointed out, Norco chose us more than we chose Norco. We are both outdoorsy. My wife actually spent her teenage years and her college years living in Norco, so we were familiar with the mentality of the community. The main factor was that the previous brewery in this location, Sons of Liberty, had announced that they would be moving. I had been actively searching for a location for about a year, so the timing was right.

BEER PAPER: Can you tell us more about your secondary hobbies, like gardening and DIY, and how they translate into what you do at the brewery?

ADAMS: The gardening stems from my mother. Growing up, we didn’t have a whole lot, and this was a way to help provide food for the family. It also taught me that fresh produce tasted better, and started me down the path of cooking and ultimately to creating recipes for wine and beer. I actually started making wine three years before my first attempt at beer. The DIY side came from my father. He was always working on projects in the garage or fixing something that had broken. I am curious by nature, so I was always taking things apart to figure out how they worked. When it came time to install and run a brewery, those lessons I learned continue to help me out. This is the business part of me speaking, but when one can fix a problem without having to “call a guy,” you save money and time.

BEER PAPER: How do you feel about our Inland Empire beer scene? Is there a message you’d like to send to our larger readership further west?

ADAMS: Our beer game is strong out here. Many of us are fairly young in our brewing careers, but we have a solid understanding of the process and are focused on quality. Many of us share ideas and work together, in addition to each having our specialties and strengths. We are focused on raising the bar and sharing our talents with the world.

BEER PAPER: When we spoke last you said you were working on Saisons – I see you have one on tap now. What else do you have planned?

ADAMS: I have a Festbier and an Italian Pilsner on my current brew schedule, once I have fermenters open up. With the decrease in sales, I have had to use my tanks for storage. I also just picked up some Kveik yeast that I will be using to make a Hazy IPA; hopefully, I will have this brewed in the next month. I am making my first seltzer this week (pilot batch). I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Raised in England, Andrew Smith “thought” he knew everything about beer before moving to the United States. He covers food for Locale Magazine and runs a local Coachella Valley blog at CVBeerScene.com