Former Reel Big Fish trombonist opens new brewery in Long Beach

As the trombonist for the Orange County ska/punk band Reel Big Fish, not only did Dan Regan see the world and play to thousands of music fans over the years, he also discovered something else he loved just about as much as music: beer.

And while he’s now retired from the band, the Long Beach resident is just getting started with his other passion.

“It’s great to have (people) finally here drinking, sitting down and drinking beer,” he said on the opening day of Liberation Brewing Company, the city’s latest brewery that Regan launched with his high school friend Michael Clements and brewer Eric McLaughlin.

Following a soft opening period, the 5,000-square-foot brewery started its regular operating hours at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 3, with about 30 people in the taproom just a few minutes after the official opening.

“It’s three o’clock on a school night, this isn’t a bad turnout so far,” Regan said.

Some of the customers had been waiting a long time for this moment.

Long Beach resident Doug Hughes heard about the new brewery about a year ago and has periodically come around to check on the progress.

On Thursday he was finally able to grab a spot at the bar and a couple of pints.

“I love it. I think it’s great for the neighborhood, it’s great for the Bixby Knolls/Cal Heights area that we’re getting like some nightlife here,” he said as he drank a glass of pale ale.

The new brewery joins other Long Beach spots like Beachwood Brewing, Belmont Brewing Company and  Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery.

Located in a space that formerly housed a 98 Cent store, the five-barrel facility includes a 750-square-foot tasting room where people will be able to try a variety of beers such as saisons, ales, IPAs, Belgians, porters among others.

“I would say as a vibe we’re like your classic pub style beers,” Regan said.

Brews on the road

Regan’s love of beer began before he was even old enough to drink as he was on tour with Reel Big Fish in his early teens.

“One of the benefits of joining a band in the early ’90s when you’re 16 is that you get free beers. After the Sublime guys made me chug cases of crappy beer I started getting the older guys in the band to buy me better stuff,” he said.

While on tour, Regan would check out breweries all over the country and he started to form the idea of opening one of his own.

He tried home brewing first but quickly found that McLaughlin, whom he met through his brother-in-law, was a better and more prolific brewer.

“He got really good really quick and started putting his beer into competitions,” Regan said.

It was back in 2013 that they decided to start the process of opening a brewery and Regan decided hang up his trombone to focus on brews.

Big growth

The brewery opened its doors with four beers on tap but plans call for eventually offering about a dozen choices in the taproom.

“There’s three more next week and we’ll just keep rolling them out,” Regan said.

The opening beers included a cream ale called Mostly Harmless, which is a light bitter beer made with corn.

Another one of the brews is the Figure 8, an American pale ale named after one of the earliest roller coasters at the Pike in Long Beach. Also on tap are the amber ale Autonomy and a dry stout called Fort Drum, named after a Civil War-era fort in Long Beach.

“I’m thrilled, this has been a long haul and there have certainly been ups and downs,” Regan said of his journey from musician to brewer.

Regan sees a lot of similarities between his old life as a touring musician and his new one as a brewery owner.

“This is basically putting on a show, Eric’s the band, I’m the record label and we’re bringing the people in to have beer and party,” he said.

Liberation Brewing Company

Where: 3630 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach

Hours:  3-9 p.m. Thursday, 3-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday

Information: 562-349-0133, liberationbrewing.com