Smoking Cannon Brewery moving ahead with plans to open Main Street tasting room

Although having a tasting room wasn’t part of the plans for Eric and Cassie Goforth when they purchased Smoking Cannon Brewery, they quickly got on board with the idea after a call from Jennifer Lane, owner of Pamo Valley Winery. 

“Jennifer called me to let me know the business next door to hers was for sale, and the idea of a tasting room for the brewery made sense for both of us,” Cassie Goforth said.

The space for sale was the former home of Ramona Workspace at 638 Main St. Pamo Valley Winery’s tasting room is at 636 Main St., while Smoking Cannon is at 780 Main St. The entrance to the brewery is around the corner on 8th Street.

“Although the timing isn’t what we planned, the availability and location is ideal,” Goforth said.

For the brewery, having a tasting room will help in a couple of different ways, such as allowing for more production and the ability to hold bigger events.

With their craft brews appearing in an increasing number of restaurants and bars, Smoking Cannon has also expanded with canned beers at Ramona Family Naturals and The Cooler in Julian.

“We have more demand than our current production can meet, so we need to expand production,” Goforth said. “Once we get our volume up, we can get our costs down and improve our distribution.”

The Goforths purchased the brewery in May from previous owners Mike Nelson and Natallie Phillips. 

“We aren’t even a micro-brewery, but more like a nano-brewery at this point, a true craft brewery,” Cassie Goforth joked.

Having the brewery tasting room next door to the winery’s tasting room can help grow both businesses, Lane said. 

Lane took over operations of Pamo Valley, one of the first woman-owned wineries in Ramona, in 2007. The original tasting room opened in 2011, moving to its present location in 2022.

“We often get male customers who prefer a beer, while their female companions want wine,” she said. “With a brewery tasting room right next door, both can be happy.”

Neither business sells food, but they both have food venues next door that deliver to their customers. 

“Not only can each person drink what they want, they can get the food they want,” Lane said.

Lane has also proposed the idea of the winery and brewery sharing the outdoor back patio for musical and other events. 

“We hope to be able to host bigger and better events, while sharing the costs and cross promotions,” Goforth said.

Having the two businesses side by side will also help boost the visibility of both, the women said.

Goforth is hoping to be open by the spring of 2026, with remodeling plans for the tasting room in the very beginning stages.

“Nothing is set in stone, it’s just too early in the process,” she said. “But we’re excited about the floor space and visibility of being on Main Street.”