Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Spring beer boom

Those looking to call the craft bubble burst may have to wait until next year.

A colorful taster flight at Indian Joe Brewing in Vista heralds a variety of beers on tap for San Diego.
A colorful taster flight at Indian Joe Brewing in Vista heralds a variety of beers on tap for San Diego.

Over the past five months, news of brewery closings, layoffs, and sales have seemed to outpace the opening of new breweries in San Diego. With only six new brewhouses opening in that time, it was starting to look like the trend of accelerated growth — more than 20 new brewhouses launching in each of the past two years — had started to move the other direction, even as heavy rains moved in for an uncharacteristically wet winter.

But as spring approaches, and we now return to our regularly scheduled craft-beer boom. Over the next three months, San Diego beer fans will get as many as nine new brewhouses to visit, including the return of a couple favorites.

Indian Joe Brewing returns in early March following a two-year hiatus. Contentious leasing issues forced the Vista brewery out of its original location in 2015. Getting back to brewing has been slow, but Indian Joe returns with several upgrades, including ownership of a two-story tasting room visible from SR-78, aka the "hops highway," and a 15-barrel brewhouse, up from the 20-gallon homebrew rig used in its first go-round.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Thr3e Punk Ales will also soon return, as the first Chula Vista brewery to open on Third Avenue. The brand didn't lie dormant long — it launched late 2015, making beer as an alternating proprietorship at Butcher's Brewing in Santee. Thr3e Punks stopped distributing beer last spring, when Butcher's upgraded its system and changed its name to Finest Made Ales. The Punks are currently putting the finishing touches on its tasting room and ten-barrel brewhouse, where it will serve multiple takes on Mexican lager and continue its series of rock-band collaboration beers.

Back in Vista, SpecHops Brewing Company has soft-opened with a trio of clean, to style, sessionable beers brewed on a 15-barrel, electric-powered steam-brew system. Operated by a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, the brewery provides a welcoming environment for military and other public servants and vets to connect over beer.

Brewing began in late February at the next two beer companies to launch in turnkey brewhouses assembled by Brewery Igniter, located in the burgeoning beer district around El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. Wiseguy Brewing got underway on a mission to brew a mix of beers led by hoppy and German styles.

Meanwhile, neighbor Rouleur Brewing broke in its identical ten-barrel brewhouse a day later. While its cycling enthusiast founder spent many years as a BJCP certified beer judge, as a brewer he favors tweaking styles, often through variations of Belgian yeast. Both breweries aim to soft-open ahead of official launches in March.

Del Mar's first brewery, originally hoping to open last year as Vigilante Brewing, has made its way through the red tape and will reportedly launch April 1st as Viewpoint Brewing. The 15-barrel brewpub is the vision of a brewer with high-end restaurant experience, which should serve the Del Mar culinary scene well.

Finally, while Vista has been one of the most brewery-dense communities in the county for years, since 2014 it's been relatively quiet on the new brewery front. But a new wave of breweries in 2017 make it even more of a hotbed for beer. In addition to SpecHops and Indian Joe, two new Vista companies received ABC approval to start brewing in February: Battlemage Brewing, and the originally intended for San Marcos Ebullition Brew Works. Meanwhile, the pro-skater-affiliated Black Plague Brewing has also received permits to brew in Oceanside.

Questions may remain on how sustainable the market will be for 140-plus county brewhouses, but those looking to call the craft bubble burst may have to wait until next year.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity
A colorful taster flight at Indian Joe Brewing in Vista heralds a variety of beers on tap for San Diego.
A colorful taster flight at Indian Joe Brewing in Vista heralds a variety of beers on tap for San Diego.

Over the past five months, news of brewery closings, layoffs, and sales have seemed to outpace the opening of new breweries in San Diego. With only six new brewhouses opening in that time, it was starting to look like the trend of accelerated growth — more than 20 new brewhouses launching in each of the past two years — had started to move the other direction, even as heavy rains moved in for an uncharacteristically wet winter.

But as spring approaches, and we now return to our regularly scheduled craft-beer boom. Over the next three months, San Diego beer fans will get as many as nine new brewhouses to visit, including the return of a couple favorites.

Indian Joe Brewing returns in early March following a two-year hiatus. Contentious leasing issues forced the Vista brewery out of its original location in 2015. Getting back to brewing has been slow, but Indian Joe returns with several upgrades, including ownership of a two-story tasting room visible from SR-78, aka the "hops highway," and a 15-barrel brewhouse, up from the 20-gallon homebrew rig used in its first go-round.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Thr3e Punk Ales will also soon return, as the first Chula Vista brewery to open on Third Avenue. The brand didn't lie dormant long — it launched late 2015, making beer as an alternating proprietorship at Butcher's Brewing in Santee. Thr3e Punks stopped distributing beer last spring, when Butcher's upgraded its system and changed its name to Finest Made Ales. The Punks are currently putting the finishing touches on its tasting room and ten-barrel brewhouse, where it will serve multiple takes on Mexican lager and continue its series of rock-band collaboration beers.

Back in Vista, SpecHops Brewing Company has soft-opened with a trio of clean, to style, sessionable beers brewed on a 15-barrel, electric-powered steam-brew system. Operated by a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, the brewery provides a welcoming environment for military and other public servants and vets to connect over beer.

Brewing began in late February at the next two beer companies to launch in turnkey brewhouses assembled by Brewery Igniter, located in the burgeoning beer district around El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. Wiseguy Brewing got underway on a mission to brew a mix of beers led by hoppy and German styles.

Meanwhile, neighbor Rouleur Brewing broke in its identical ten-barrel brewhouse a day later. While its cycling enthusiast founder spent many years as a BJCP certified beer judge, as a brewer he favors tweaking styles, often through variations of Belgian yeast. Both breweries aim to soft-open ahead of official launches in March.

Del Mar's first brewery, originally hoping to open last year as Vigilante Brewing, has made its way through the red tape and will reportedly launch April 1st as Viewpoint Brewing. The 15-barrel brewpub is the vision of a brewer with high-end restaurant experience, which should serve the Del Mar culinary scene well.

Finally, while Vista has been one of the most brewery-dense communities in the county for years, since 2014 it's been relatively quiet on the new brewery front. But a new wave of breweries in 2017 make it even more of a hotbed for beer. In addition to SpecHops and Indian Joe, two new Vista companies received ABC approval to start brewing in February: Battlemage Brewing, and the originally intended for San Marcos Ebullition Brew Works. Meanwhile, the pro-skater-affiliated Black Plague Brewing has also received permits to brew in Oceanside.

Questions may remain on how sustainable the market will be for 140-plus county brewhouses, but those looking to call the craft bubble burst may have to wait until next year.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)
Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.