Shoots takes aim at Carlsbad

“We have been working hard for two years at our first location inside Bottle Craft at the Tremont Collective in Oceanside to dial in the menu and cost of goods, and come up with the best regular items and special items that people really love,” says Shoots Fish & Beer co-founder Chris Slowey, whose beer-and-food concept just opened a new location at the Cottages Roosevelt collective. “We look at Oceanside as our ‘test kitchen’ now, where the chefs can have fun and stay creative. But our plan was to always have a beer/wine bar with the Shoots Kitchen, and so once we got the menu items and kitchen concept dialed in, we were on the lookout for our first full-concept location, and Carlsbad Village was a great option for us.”

Shoots features a lineup of four beers that were developed in collaboration with local breweries, including a Japanese lager brewed with AleSmith. Slowey explains, “I have had a longstanding relationship with [owner] Peter Zien and [Director of Brewery Operations] Ryan Crisp at AleSmith. My design/build firm, CLTVT, did their original expansion at the Cabot location, and also built their current 100,000 square-foot production facility in Miramar. When I approached Ryan about partnering with Shoots to brew us the best Japanese lager we could make, they were all in.”a

A Shoots team, including Executive Chef Davin Waite, brought a plate of sushi to AleSmith with the goal of designing what Slowey calls “a back-to-the-roots/craft style Japanese Lager with a small-batch, handcrafted taste and feel to pair with our fresh fish menu items offered at Shoots.” The result is a 5.0% lager brewed with pilsner malt, toasted rice, and Sorachi Ace hops — a hop that was originally developed for Sapporo that imparts lemon and herbal notes.

Shoots paired with Embolden Beer Company for its other three house beers. Slowey continues, “Cody Morris and I were connected through mutual friends from Harland and Saint Archer Brewing. Cody is another very respected brewer here in SD. When we meet to talk about expanding the Shoots Beer offerings with three new styles, we came up with a easy drinking Cream Ale, a classic west coast ‘new school’ IPA, and a DIPA — inspired by one of our favorite DIPAs in town, the Mongo from Pizza Port. We did some test batches and dialed in the recipe to nail these three new offerings with the Shoots beer lineup.” The cream ale is a 4.5% blonde brewed with American 2 row malt, Cascade hops, and flaked maize to offer sweetness and balance out hoppy bitterness. Shoots’ IPA is a 6.5% offering with notes of coconut and key lime, courtesy of Mosaic, Waimea, Strata, and Sabro hops. Meanwhile, the double IPA comes in at 8.5% and features Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops.

Preserving palates for seafood-centric meals was top of mind when developing the beers, so Shoots’ house beers, even the DIPA, are designed to balanced to pair well with the locally sourced fish on the menu.