Indian Joe Brewing owner and brewmaster Max Moran

One of Vista’s popular brewing companies is temporarily out of commission. After two years in business, nanobrewery Indian Joe Brewing is in search of a new base of operations. Owner Max Moran’s lease on his combination production facility and tasting room was up in January. Though Indian Joe has successfully drawn customers to its location, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. A number of the company’s neighbors have been vocal about their displeasure regarding having a brewery in their business park. On top of that, as Indian Joe has grown, it’s become more evident that the space won’t be large enough to expand the operation. Still, Moran was content to stay put for awhile as he pondered his next move. But that won’t be happening.

The building Indian Joe’s facility was in is up for sale. When Moran approached the owners for an extension, they requested he pay holdover rent at a rate of 200 percent. Moran says he isn’t willing to do that. He has been in the process of searching for a spot for months but has yet to find something ideal…or ideal for the other parties involved. Moran located a building in Vista, but the city would have prohibited food trucks. This was a deal-breaker for Moran. Soon after, he set his sights on the State Route 78-adjacent Piano Warehouse building in San Marcos, but last week the seller informed Moran that they had accepted another offer from a school, citing it as a more attractive business.

So, for now, Indian Joe is without a home and devoting all its resources to finding one. This is unfortunate, considering what a great job Moran and company did outfitting the tasting room portion of its space. Despite being one of San Diego’s smaller breweries, the sampling space was large and nicely appointed with a hanging marquee, plenty of seating, an olden-style bar area and fire features. If anybody out there has a space they think might be a good fit for Moran, they can reach him via email.