Calicraft Opens Temporary Taproom & Beer Garden While New Facility is Under Construction
Calicraft Brewing Co. cuts the ribbon for its temporary taproom and beer garden while its expanded, state-of-the-art facility is built at the original 2700 Mitchell Drive location. Holding the big scissors is Calicraft owner & CEO Blaine Landberg, surrounded by Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and City leadership. Thomas Vo (far right) is Calicraft’s director of marketing and innovation.
On a warm spring evening in May, more than 100 people gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting and official opening of Calicraft Brewing Co’s temporary taproom and beer garden, which will live at 390 N. Wiget Lane for the next 18 months. During that time, Calicraft’s original building at 2700 Mitchell Drive will be demolished and its new, highly anticipated, and much-expanded state-of-the-art facility will be built.
Established in 2012, Calicraft Brewing Co. has long been a popular meeting place and drinking establishment in Shadelands, welcoming family and friends who come together to enjoy Calicraft's innovative California-inspired microbrews, ciders, and spritzers; guest food trucks; and family friendly community events.
Calicraft owner & CEO Blaine Landberg enjoys a Calicraft microbrew at the temporary taproom built inside a 40ft shipping container.
Owner, operator, and visionary behind the Calicraft brand Blaine Landberg and his team are keeping the taps flowing for customers during the months-long construction. They moved operations a few hundred yards away, across the brewery’s parking lot, into a space that now seems a natural fit as a community gathering place for family and friends.
During its major reconstruction, Calicraft moved operations into a 6,500sf outdoor beer garden, complete with a 40ft shipping container bar and an outdoor covered and heated picnic area. [Courtesy Calicraft Brewing Co.]
Nestled into a comfortable corner at the back of 390 N. Wiget Lane, where Calicraft has offices, Calicraft’s temporary location is a 6,500sf outdoor beer garden complete with a 40ft branded shipping container bar, outdoor covered and heated picnic tables, a play area for children, and open air Adirondack chairs that cozy up to fire pits. Customers use the parking lot at 390 N. Wiget Lane to access the new, temporary space.
Fire pits and comfy Adirondack chairs welcome visitors to the new (temporary) Calicraft beer garden. [Courtesy Calicraft Brewing Co.]
(l) Blaine Landberg, owner of Calicraft Brewing Co., accepts Walnut Creek’s Certificate of Recognition from Walnut Creek Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Wilk,
During the evening’s ribbon cutting festivities, Walnut Creek Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Wilk presented Blaine and Calicraft with a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Walnut Creek, thanking Blaine for the investment he has made in Shadelands. “Yours was a new and innovative vision for Shadelands, which was mostly a business park when you first opened your taproom and brewery in Shadelands,” said Mayor Pro Tem Wilk. “Now you’re surrounded by Shadelands’ growth and transformation, with something new popping up every day. Congratulations—can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Then Blaine took the microphone in hand and greeted the enthusiastic crowd.
Blaine Landberg, owner of Calicraft Brewing Co., addressed the crowd of enthusiastic supporters at the taproom’s temporary location ribbon cutting.
“What a ride. Holy cow! First and foremost I want to thank the City of Walnut Creek. We truly would not still be here if it were not for the City of Walnut Creek. They basically wouldn’t let anybody kick us out of that building over there [the future site of SecureSpace Self Storage, sharing walls with the original Calicraft] unless they figured out what to do with us! Thank you to the City for always having our back and for pushing us forward as a member of the community.”
Blaine thanked Bob Linscheid, president & CEO of the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce, and Chamber leadership for all they do for businesses and the community. “This is a fantastic place to have a business. And we are so happy to be one of the catalysts who have helped to drive change and transformation in Shadelands. There’s no end to the possibilities here.”
Blaine thanked his team many times over. “My staff are the true leaders of the organization. We were supposed to have five weeks to move from our original location into this temporary taproom and beer garden. And we actually had one week and five days. Somehow, someway this entire team came through and pulled it off. And I thank them—for the move and for everything they do for all of us every day!”
Calicraft team members celebrating the new taproom with one last beer in the old taproom. [Courtesy Calicraft Brewing Co.]
“I started with a desk and a dream and a side of a building in the middle of nowhere, and in the middle of everywhere at the same time. To have the support of folks who believed in the vision of what we were trying to do, and to have our customers and our community lean in like they have, well this has been absolutely amazing.
“This is a book we’re writing. So yes, we’re closing the first chapter of the book. But most importantly we’re opening the next. We like to color outside the lines. And we like to use a lot of pages. So let’s look forward and talk about what’s coming up.”
Customers can look forward to an expanded taproom and restaurant in Calicraft’s new two-story building, expected to open in 2026. [Artist’s rendering, courtesy Calicraft Brewing Co.]
Slated to be completed in 2026, Calicraft’s redesign will feature a newly constructed 10,000-square-foot, two-story building with an R&D brewery, winery, and distillery; 30-person bar; tasting room; indoor restaurant; and covered and heated outdoor beer garden. In addition to serving up its specialty microbrews, Calicraft will launch its first wines, spirits, and ready-to-drink cocktails under its own name. Calicraft’s construction plans were featured in the March 2025 of The Shadelands Scene.
An expansive outdoor beer garden, fire pits, and dining area are part of Calicraft’s major construction plans, expected to be completed in 2026. [Artist’s rendering, courtesy Calicraft Brewing Co.]
During the Shadelands construction, Blaine and his team are also working with Brian Hirahara, owner of B&H Development and Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar at 1511 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Blaine is building a rooftop venue for beer, wine, and cocktails atop Va de Vi, under the Calicraft brand, with an opening date in August or September 2025.
And finally, Calicraft is opening a large location in Davis, across from UC Davis, 4,000 square feet inside and 4,000 square feet outside. “So if you’re making a trip up to Tahoe or back and there’s traffic, you’ve got a halfway point!”
Calicraft has been brewing California-inspired, award-winning beers and beverages since 2012. [Courtesy Calicraft Brewing Co.]
“We’re not just about beer—though we do that very, very well,” said Blaine. “We’re about bringing people together; we’re about representing the best of California in a glass; and we’re about trying to make a difference, one drink at a time, one conversation at a time, one community meeting place at a time. So let’s do it together and have some fun. It’s just getting started!”
Look for construction news and updates from Calicraft in future issues of The Shadelands Scene.
