The Story of BJ's Handcrafted Beer
BJ’s Handcrafted Beer was first introduced when our Brea, CA restaurant opened in 1996 and we continue to take great pride in the unique, award-winning craft beers that we create for our guests.
The BJ’s beer story is a pretty amazing one and I’m proud to be a part of it. When I started working with BJ’s, they operated just eight little restaurants specializing in deep dish pizza. The craft beer movement inspired the owners to pair BJ’s Pizza with BJ’s own Handcrafted Beers. BJ’s first brewery was sized to supply the surrounding restaurants with beer, so we developed a “hub & spoke” brewing model that has been a key strategy for growth over the years. Centralizing our brewing operations is cost-effective, and the biggest advantage from my perspective is quality control. Today we have grown to 98 restaurants across the country! Although we’re a big restaurant company now and my job has changed radically from the days when I brewed beer on a daily basis, I can honestly say that I am more passionate than ever about being a craft brewer. What excites me most is research & development. We’re always looking for more variety in our beer offerings and new beer experiences for our guests.
The beers served at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse are made with the finest domestic and imported ingredients to ensure the best tasting brews around. I hope you find our beers to be as fresh and flavorful as I do. Enjoy!
Alex Puchner
SVP of Brewing Operations
BJ's Restaurants, Inc.