John Moule 

NEW TIMES: What did you do before you decided to open a restaurant and brew beer?
MOULE: I was a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service. I’ve been home brewing for 15 years; I grow my own cascade hops. I should also mention that my business partner Eric Beaton is a professional beer tasting judge and longtime home brewer.

NEW TIMES: Wasn’t the brewery scheduled to open in the late fall?
MOULE: We were originally supposed to open in November, but then the Tax and Trade Bureau told us we had to put a full-scale locking security barrier around our brewing equipment. We installed seven feet of tempered glass around our brew equipment upstairs.

NEW TIMES: Why open another brewery in this area? Why SLO?
MOULE: We felt that this area would have the best customer pool and fell in love with the location on the creek.

NEW TIMES: You are located at 1040 Broad Street in downtown SLO, the former home of Grappolo. Can that location support heavy brewing equipment?
MOULE: We have made several improvements to the structural integrity of the building. We had to hire an architect and structural engineer because we were installing five tons of brewing equipment on the upper floor.

NEW TIMES: Is Creekside going to serve more than just beer?
MOULE: We are what you consider a brewpub. We are a sophisticated upscale brewery and will serve smokehouse comfort food. We’ll have six of our own beers and two guest beers on tap, and up to 30 bottle selections. ∆

NEW TIMES: What do you think your most popular beer will be?
MOULE: Our India Pale Ale. ∆