Sessions Public

For consideration: Sessions Public was among the first to catapult the burgeoning craft beer scene in Ocean Beach & Point Loma as the only brew hall and eatery that was refined yet approachable and lively. Since opening doors in July 2010, many other venues have followed, coming to the area and further cultivating the beer & dining community in a previously under served market.

The airy 1,800 square foot Sessions Public, nestled snugly between Ocean Beach and Point Loma, is the first venue for local entrepreneur Abel Kaase. In 2009 the former real estate developer and local native abruptly left his career in pursuit of his passion to bring a proper venue for good beer and tasty food to his hometown. To bring his vision to fruition, Abel banded together a dream team comprised of the best consultants in the business. Among them was local award-winning designer Michael Soriano (the Pearl, Vin de Syrah, Analog) who headed up the interior transformation.

The visionary dreamed up a comfortable space with clean lines and vintage accents all of which stemmed from one key item picked up by Kaase: a collection of reclaimed 1930's bar stools from an antique store in Detroit. Kaase spotted the stools and had the Detroit dealer track down the rest of the set, which were located in a warehouse outside the city, and transported to Sessions Public in California.

A quote from Soriano's website states, “I just thought, anyone who could come up with this bar stool for his place has an idea I find interesting, and I want to be a part of it,” said Soriano. Another draw for Soriano was the involvement of Kaase’s business partner, Tomas Ryan, an architect whose Core Design Studio created the schematic vision for Sessions Public.

Other details include a whimsical wallpaper graphic of bees in the front dining area. The bees were a Soriano choice that were also, coincidentally, already on the design wish-list for Kaase who wanted the bee theme to juxtapose the "worker bee" with the tight-knit Point Loma/OB community or "colony".

Session's interior also boasts Edison bulb sconces, reclaimed accents such as wood tables and shelves, old encyclopedia-lined windows, a large blackboard that covers the back wall for guests to doodle on, and the venue's signature taxidermy ducks.

The bold Copenhangen chairs found in the dining room were a cost-effective alternative to pricey "restaurant chairs". The items were found by Kaase who sourced them from a wood manufacturer and had them taken to a auto painter for a coat of high-gloss orange car paint. Kaase also had a hand in constructing the handles for their 20 tap system that regularly pours an abundance of rotating vintage ales, special releases and rare brews from craft breweries all over the country.

As anyone who steps in the doors of Sessions Public will tell you, the local haunt effortlessy evokes a sense of casual community paired with good food and even better beer.