Matter of Craft – Huntington Beach has replaced SeaLegs Wine Bar in February 2020. Matter of Craft focuses on craft beers, wine, cocktails, and bites.
Matter of Craft Bottle Shop, Tap Room & Scratch Kitchen is a craft beer and artisan pizza concept now open at 21022 Beach Blvd. #105 in Huntington Beach, just a few blocks from the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway and Surf City’s famed beaches. The new restaurant and ‘beer paradise’ has postponed its Grand Opening scheduled for Wednesday, March 25 from 4-10 p.m. with $5 draft beers, $5 off all pizzas and 25% off bottles and cans from the coolers. Check back for the updated Grand Opening date.
Matter of Craft is the brainchild of three ‘soccer dads’ and longtime Huntington Beach residents – Jim Pilkington, Jim Perkins and Tom Briggs – who first bonded over post-game beers and a love for sharing their latest craft brew finds with one another after their daughters’ games. Their mutual passion and excitement for craft beer began to ferment into the idea of creating a place they couldn’t find – one where they could enjoy a great selection of craft beers, wine and liquor paired with artisan eats and a welcoming atmosphere. The soccer sideline idea quickly became a reality, and Matter of Craft was born: a concept where beer aficionados can find their favorite brews on rotating taps or in the beer fridges stocked with over 120 bottle and can varieties, and where beer novices can develop a craft beer obsession in a welcoming environment. Plus, with hand-selected wine and spirits offerings, wine lovers can sip on red, white and rosé and cocktail lovers can imbibe on hand-crafted creations. 
As the name and backstory implies, Matter of Craft specializes in offering craft beers for all palettes. More than 120 cans and bottles of craft beer can be purchased from the retail fridges and taken home at a discounted price to be sipped on later, cracked open in-store, or enjoyed as a create-your-own flight or customizable six pack to share with friends. Behind the bar, a brand new beer system with 20 taps will change frequently and focus on featuring both popular and up-and-coming breweries from California and beyond, as well as special releases and brewery collaborations. Gluten-reduced beers, hard ciders, hard kombuchas and hard seltzers are also offered in the front-of-house coolers.
Not wanting to stop at just craft beer, Matter of Craft also offers high quality, chef-crafted food from Executive Chef Adam Schmalz, an award-winning and locally known chef who joins the team by way of Long Beach’s The 4th Horseman restaurant. The menu features more than a dozen varieties of 12- or 16-inch artisan pizzas including the rich Duck Confit, spicy Hell Fire, 
kimchi-topped Korean and staff favorite Sausage and Mushroom with scratch-made sausage, all of which are made with housemade sauce and pizza dough that is prepared in-house and cold fermented for two days. Other menu standouts include shared plates like housemade Meatballs, Lobster Bites, Crispy Ravioli and Mozzarella Sticks, as well as salads, a burger, and desserts to finish on a sweet note. To accommodate a variety of dietary preferences, Matter of Craft offers gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options across the menu.
“We’ve come a long way from being just three dads on the sideline of our daughters’ soccer games. We’ve been in this city for nearly 20 years, raised our kids here and sent them to schools here, so to see Matter of Craft open and be part of the Huntington Beach community is a really special moment for us all,” said Pilkington. “Jim, Tom and myself are so proud to open a restaurant, bottle shop and tap room that is exactly the place we’d want to frequent, and we can’t wait to welcome lovers of craft beer, good food and great times to Matter of Craft.”
Matter of Craft is open from 4-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 2-8 p.m. on Sunday, with plans to introduce weekend brunch in the near future. For more information on the concept, call 714.587.9002, visit www.matter-of-craft.com and follow @MatterOfCraftHB on Instagram and Facebook to stay current with the latest happenings, events, and beers on tap. 
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