Editor's Note: This article appeared in our Oct/Nov 2017 issue. Since its original publication Derek Gallanosa has departed Abnormal Beer Co. for a new brewery in Sacramento, California.
It’s a typically busy Friday night at The Cork and Craft, home of Abnormal Beer Company, and Head Brewer Derek Gallanosa is making the rounds. Where some brewers might prefer hanging back among the stainless and hoses, Gallanosa is very much a man of the people. Hopping from table to table, passing on hellos, or sharing beer recommendations with regulars, he seems to be most at ease when talking about beer, especially theorizing on IPAs.
Abnormal lives up to its name. In a city long known for beer, especially the dank hops-forward West Coast IPA, the owners also chose to open up a winery embracing the other California beverage of note. Coupled with what they call the “fine restaurant” experience, the business does indeed stand out in a landscape dotted with more traditional brewery tasting rooms—all while being located in an office park twenty miles north of San Diego’s old town.