San Diego and Vicinity (2023)

There's a Pure Project in Vista.

 

Burgeon at the Oasis is a nice little spot if the weather is good. I also am looking forward to checking out the new Karl Strauss spot in San Marcos https://timesofsandiego.com/busines...-sprawling-outdoor-beer-garden-in-san-marcos/

 

Anyone hitting up Strong Ale Fest next weekend?

 

This guy....VIP session. It's the 25th anniversary too.

 

Say hi. I’ll be the bearded white guy in a brewery shirt.

 

Bummed that I'm finally back in SD, but I fly back to Baltimore for work that weekend of the Strong Ale Fest.

It certainly used to be the best festival in SD, hands down. How has it been the last few years?

 

I’ve been in SD for seven years but this is my first, just has never worked out. Definitely curious what folks who’ve been have as thoughts/tips/etc. I’m coming off AWS re:Invent so pray for me.

 

My advice is to get there early and leave early. Not surprisingly, people can get pretty sloppy toward the end.

 

were you referring to pizza port or other? Please clarify.

 

Pizza Port. Is there another and can I get tickets?

 

Visited Harland Brewing for the first time over the weekend, by North City, amazing atmosphere and staff. They had an amazing stout called Lost Translation, too bad they didn't have cans or I would of taken a case. Their flagship Hazy IPA is really solid for the price point there, idk about liquor store price though. I would definitely go there again.

 

Looks like Rip Current in San Marcos was sold to Craft Coast Beer and Tacos in Oceanside and will be going away. I've had many great beers from over the years and will be sad to see them go.

 

I really enjoy Harland every time I go there, I think their IPAs are always pretty solid but I've never gotten to try their sours or stouts. I love going to the one in Bay Park and grabbing a burrito from Santana's across the street.

 

While I'm sad for Rip, I'm excited to have those tacos closer to home. I think those are my favorite tacos I've had in north county. The beers are all very good, no turds in their lineup.

 

Another HUGE blow to North County beer scene---my favorite lagers around.....

https://sandiegobeer.news/eppig-brewing-closing-vista-tasting-room/

 

The amount of beers on tap and can selection were always up and down. I love their beers but hard to get and canning was limited. I hope they stabilize and put some kind of food in there with their tap room. I was expecting Dogleg to have issues before Eppig.

 

The SD Beer news article I posted above doesn't have the full story. Today is the last day of Vista Eppig, the entire operation is closed after tonight. No more beers from Eppig, the company that took over operations basically fired everyone on Friday. They will now be 'contract brewed' by Alesmith, so Alesmith brewed Eppig recipes for cans and the Point Loma tasting room. I feel very sad for the wonderful folks I've met who work there, and I will greatly miss their beers. I probably spent more time and money there in the last 3 years than any other brewery.

 

i never really 'got' eppig. when i moved to SD in 2018, it was definitely considered an industry hotspot because post-shift lagers were picking up steam with the industry folk. as a lover of such things, i visited shortly after arriving. i found the lagers to be just ok, and the hoppy/sour/dark beers to be a little below average. my visits became solely focused on the marina/tasting room experience and solely for visiting out-of-town guests. eventually i stopped going and would just drink beer at mitch's when in the area.

i'm guessing there was a level of excitement to a menu with 7-8 lagers all the time, but it just never matched the beer quality. i eventually starting hitting GB (then puesto) for lager needs and stocking up on cans at radiant when up north.

still agree its sad for the staff and fans...