A notice of intent to sell alcohol was delivered to local residents who live around the Abbott Street Market in north Ocean Beach. From all appearances, it looks like the owners of the market want to set up a “tasting room” on their premises at 2074 Abbott Street, #100.
The market already sells beer and wine and distilled spirits, but now they wish to include what’s called “instructional tasting,” in other words, they want a license to pour the stuff.
The tasting room is planned to sell beer, wine and distilled spirits from 9am to 11pm.
The notice was from the ABC, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, dated April 18, 2019, and signed by Susan Isenman, licensing representative.
The notice states OB Pilot Inc., doing business as Abbott Street Market, has made an application for a license to sell alcoholic beverages on premises, for “all types”, between the hours of 9am and 11pm.
If anyone wishes to complain, object or ask questions, call Susan Isenman at 619-525-4591 or contact her by email by or before May 8.
Here is the notice delivered to residents:
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
This building is the oldest 2-floor building in OB. You can see it in those old airplane photos when the area was 80% vacant lots still.
Whaaat? Just not even worth inciting the same old divisive discourse! Its all been said before. At this point, just cut and paste the new applicant, and then all the pros and cons posts. Now just waiting for the STVR/Airbnb folks to amalgamate with the alcohol serving folks and the dockless bike folks and it will be wall to wall one stop tourist trap. Encroachment personified. UGH :(
It has a basement too..3 floors
NO-NO AND NO!
Why?
A tasting room in and of itself is not a bad idea. Hosting an event and having wine sampling, I would support. However, being able to drink alcohol on the premises from 9am until 11pm is extremely excessive and not necessary. Seems the only businesses that thrive in Ocean Beach are coffee shops and bars.
Tyler, your assessment is dead on. Calling this bar a tasting room is just an alternative fact. If it is a tasting room then require the $25 buy in for a small flight or a class and most certainly have a certified Sommelier or Mixologist on hand for these “tastings”. Walk the talk.
This is probably the same thing as when you go to a grocery store and there’s often someone representing a specific winery or distillery and offer very small tastings for people to try out their product.
This is deceptive, at best. This place makes most of their money on selling homeless their fix by the dollar. The last thing I want is a serving establishment at the end of my alley. I’ll be emailing Susan shortly.
A tasting license at a shop like Abbott is for vendors and suppliers to offer new products to customers. It’s not a tasting room, brewery, or bar. It’s a liquor store version of a Costco sample setup. Everyone needs to chill.
I think the confusion is having the tasting room open from 9 to 11. The Olive Tree has specific tasting events and only do that for very specific time frames. But yeah your point is valid in that this is not going to be the same thing as a bar.
They are applying for an instructional tasting license, not a tasting room. This only allows certain vendors to set up a table for a limited amount of time and sample new items for customers. The samples are portioned out to be minimal and only to taste. Sometimes they even give out free stuff to customers getting a sample. Its a cool idea and it helps people try out new alcohol drinks before they buy it. I think its a great idea and the good for the neighborhood. The guys at the store are already helpful when it comes to new drinks and now we can taste it for ourselves.
Inaccurate.
This would be a type 21/86 combo…. Jensen’s and Apple Tree and Litickers all have this currently. Are they tasting rooms? Whether or not Abbott Market may find some loophole to abuse the intent of the license is pure speculation.
per ABC:
INSTRUCTIONAL TASTING LICENSE–Issued to the holder of and premises of a Type 20 or Type 21 licensee, authorizes the tasting of alcoholic beverages as authorized to be sold from the off-sale premises, on a limited basis. Requires physical separation from the off-sale premises while tasting is taking place and generally requires the participation of a specifically-authorized manufacturer or wholesaler licensee.
Tasting rooms such as Culture and Hess and Kilowatt have a type 23 license.
SMALL BEER MANUFACTURER – (Brew Pub or Micro-brewery) Authorizes the same privileges and restrictions as a Type 01. A brewpub is typically a very small brewery with a restaurant. A micro-brewery is a small-scale brewery operation that typically is dedicated solely to the production of specialty beers, although some do have a restaurant or pub on their manufacturing plant.
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