Beer and baseball are a perfect match and the Giants say so is their new partnership with Anchor Brewing. The brewing company will become the Giant's first tenant for their $1.6 billion Mission Rock development project next to the ball park. "Pier 48 will enable us to quadruple our capacity and assure Anchor's future on the global beer stage," Anchor Brewing CEO Keith Greggor said.
The hope is that the Anchor facility will be a world class tourist destination. "We know that there is a lot of visitors who would like to come to see our brewery and we are not geared up for visitors. So, when we thought about a second brewer, we really wanted to make it a destination in San Francisco, a kind of must see attraction for locals and visitors alike," Greggor said.
Anchor plans production and distribution facilities, a restaurant, and museum on the 212,000-square foot space while keeping their existing plant on Potrero Hill. They will be the first tenant for a development that includes the Giant's parking lot and is expected to create a new neighborhood with hundreds of homes, offices, and green space. "And it will serve, in many ways, as the front door to the Mission Rock project. People will see it when they come to games. People will see it when they come to the neighborhood," said Giants CEO Larry Baer. The development could also bring 7,000 new jobs to the city.
While there is excitement about the Anchor Brewing project, which is expected to bring 200 new jobs, there is a labor dispute brewing among current concession workers at AT&T Park. Their union distributed a flyer during FanFest earlier this month that says while the Giants have won two World Series and team earnings are up as well as attendance, ticket prices, and amenities, the workers haven't had a raise in four years.
The negotiations are being handled by an out-of-state company, but Mayor Ed Lee is confident there will be a resolution. Asked if he had anything to say to those workers, he replied, "Well, go Giants, first, because you've got to be successful. Keep on working and have faith in the city that we always do right by our labor partners."
The concession company "Centerplate" released a statement to ABC7 News saying they are eager to begin contract talks with the union and will work in good faith to resolve any outstanding issues.
Anchor Brewing is already San Francisco's largest manufacturer and has been brewing beer in San Francisco since 1896. This will be their second facility in the city and they say it could allow them to increase their output from 180,000 to 680,000 barrels of beer a year. The project could be completed by 2016.
