Big Softies: Two Kids Brewing & Plan 9 Alehouse

These days, it seems like a new brewery is opening every week. Well, that’s just not true. Case in point—last week, when two new brewing companies entered their soft open stage. For the most part, they did so under the radar (and the creator of the soft open rests happily in his grave), but it’s my job to ring the bell and announce to the masses that there’s a pair of new beer drinking experiences in town.

The first to open its doors last week was Plan 9 Alehouse (155 East Grand Avenue, Escondido), a small brewpub with a nano-sized one-and-a-half-barrel brewing system that will allow for a wide variety of styles to be produced straight out of the gate. But it’s not all about the house beers here. Rather than rely only on what it can produce, Plan 9 has 25 craft beers from noted producers in and beyond San Diego. Add in dishes like bourbon sriracha duck wings, a BLT with root beer-braised pork belly and IPA-spiked mustard, and house-made ice creams, and it’s a whole new, much more modern animal for Escondido’s main drag. Early beer offerings include a witbier (a Belgian wheat beer more commonly referred to as a "wit") and an unfiltered hoppy American brown ale coming in at 7.5% alcohol-by-volume.

Down the 15 and tucked within the burgeoning Miramar brewing scene, is Two Kids Brewing Company (8680 Miralani Drive, #123, Mira Mesa), the nano product of a husband and wife and the ambitious friends and family who helped them pound out a basic but colorful business suite tasting room. Serving up an initial draft list that includes a cream ale, ordinary bitter, IPA, extra special bitter (ESB), and Scottish ale, it’s nicely stocked and even more nicely positioned to fit into beer enthusiasts’ touring itinerary. The spot is very near long-time standout Alesmith, as well as fellow neighbors Rough Draft Brewing Company, Mike Hess Brewing, Green Flash Brewing Company, and a number of others.