In the house at Mother Earth

The little nanobrewery that could, Mother Earth Brew Co., has been on a tear over the last year-plus. Once a single business suite operation with little more than three stock pots on portable propane burners as its brewhouse, the family-run interest has really grown up, adding a spacious combination tasting room and homebrew supply store in Vista’s old town district in 2012, before taking over additional space in its original business park home and putting in new brewing, fermenting and cold storage equipment to up production to meet increased demand brought on by a newly signed distribution deal. Installation of the new brewhouse required Mother Earth to temporarily close its original tasting room (2055 Thibodo Road, Vista), but it has since reopened and, during San Diego Beer Week, the company invited its faithful over to have a look at all that had changed.

Most impressive was the new 20-barrel brewhouse purchased from Premier Stainless Systems. Stationed in the suite’s northwest corner, it is the first system Premier has ever built in a triangular formation (though they have since designed several for other operations to similarly maximize space). This week, two new additions to the Mother Earth brew crew will brew their first batches on that system — Chris Baker who comes over from Stone Brewing Co. and Brant Austin, formerly of Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits.

Also impressive was a cold box that took up nearly its own entire suite, as well as the fact that it was nearly completely empty after having been fully stocked a mere 48 hours earlier; the aftermath of the first product delivery to their new distributor. In the future, Mother Earth hopes to take over every suite in the building it occupies (though, they are fine with keeping the church next door). That will allow for added ferementer tank and barrel space. Grain silos will likely be constructed out back as well.

On the beer front, the new tasting room remains intimate at the bar, but now includes multiple seating areas away from the bar with views of the outside world. Soon, the company will establish two new brewer’s taps to allow for creativity among the brewing team as they work to produce their core line of beers as well as specialties, including a quartet of beers set to debut around the times of equinoxes and solstices.