Vista’s Belching Beaver to construct second brewery in Oceanside

Few brewing companies have shown such a burning desire to grow — and grow now — as Vista-based Belching Beaver Brewery. Less than a year after their early 2012 debut, they became one of the first local beer interests to open a satellite tasting room. That project went into the suds-saturated North Park community, which has since seen two other remote sampling spaces installed by Modern Times Beer and Rip Current Brewing.

Shortly after, they gussied up their North County tasting room, adding an inviting outdoor patio that is one of the better al fresco brewery spots around. And currently, the company is in the process of finishing up a brewpub project at a former downtown Vista bank. That project is scheduled to open mid-summer, first as a type 23 eatery, but later with a full liquor license. But wait, there’s more.

Owner Tom Vogel reports he just finalized a purchase agreement that will allow Belching Beaver to build a five-vessel, 30-barrel production brewery at 1334 Rocky Point in Oceanside. This move will more than double the company’s production capacity, adding on to the Vista brewery’s 15-barrel system and its sister brewpub’s 10-barrel brewhouse. Both of those and the North Park tasting room will remain open, making this the company’s fourth facility.

Belching Beaver is one of many San Diego County breweries struggling to meet customer demand. That demand has increased since the company added 12-ounce cans (packaged by consulting company, Mobile Canning West). Initially, Vogel and company hope to produce 30,000 barrels a year between their trio of facilities, but will ultimately be able to max-out at 60,000 barrels.