Toolbox Brewing Co. - Vista, CA

From what I understand there was a supply for online sales and then a supply for those that got it inside the tasting room. I think when they close down the online sales they are then able to get the list for those that purchased and thus be able to fill those orders when they come in that day. I have been skeptical of a few of their releases in the past but this one was well worth it. Went yesterday, had a pour, quite good stuff. A lot of berry flavor, not too acidic either.

I max'd out in the tasting room and bought 4 bottles.

 

Spencer said that they sold about 1/3rd of the stock online.

 

I stopped by Toolbox on Saturday for my first time. Really nice place with great beers. Didn't even realize that it was a special release of the Bramble on Rose bottles. Just ended up buying a couple because it tasted good!

 

Will be in SD this weekend, does toolbox typically have non-special release bottles available (and if so, for how much?) Also their twitter indicates they do growler fills, how much are typical 32/64 fills?

 

From my trips there, usually... bottle prices depend on the nature of the beer...

http://www.toolboxbrewing.com/menu-1/

shows a couple available, not sure if they keep their site accurate tho so may want to call and ask.

 

Of the three that our listed, Bog Sauce is probably their best offering right now at $8 a bottle. The Chene Savage is also available, but is much pricier at $18 a bottle

 

Surprising how much the hype has dropped on Toolbox. Had ruby at Churchills and thought it was damn good. Bottles are still available on BPT today. Is it the limited pick up window, the price, or something else?

 

Might by the window. Two days isn't a lot of time.
toolboxaprilrelease.bpt.me
If anyone is interested in copping Ruby or Eau d'Vine the link is still up.

 

The pickup window is 2 weeks, not 2 days.

 

They just changed that this morning, the original window was two days and the Facebook event still reflects the old window.

 

I guess they figured it out.

 

This weekend I drank a bottle of X Lupus and I really enjoyed it. It got me thinking about the change that was made with the Head Brewer. Although I've liked the recent sour releases, I liked the regular tap offering before the change. The beers tasted cleaner and didn't have a certain aftertaste. Does anyone else feel the same way?

 

Different process. There's kettle souring going on now and there wasn't before.

 

Kettle Souring = They are able to pump out bigger volumes with a lower overhead. The BA stuff is great, but you can expect the berliner style stuff more regularly to keep the doors open.

 

Actually it might not be kettle souring necessarily but it's some kind of quick method to sour the beers.

But yeah, it's tough to keep the lights on if you don't have a huge stock of barrel aged beer to sell.

 

Hey guys, my name is Ehren, and I'm the head brewer at Toolbox. I want to come here and clarify a few things and also start a line of communication with you so if you have any questions/concerns I can address them now and in the future. Your input is valuable to us and I think its important to for us (the brewery) to have a direct line of communication with you (the public).

First and foremost, Toolbox doesn't kettle sour. All the magic of the Berliner Weisse style ales happens in the fermenter. We are really proud of these beers and think its a great inexpensive (in relative terms) way to produce some sour fruited ales to enjoy on a regular basis. We hope you enjoy them too!

Exactly, happens in the fermenter, and it is quicker, so we can make more. The idea is to have a nice tart wheat ale and highlight different fruits in them. We have started bottling those and distributing them. Look out for a new stone fruit variety in the near future.

[/QUOTE]But yeah, it's tough to keep the lights on if you don't have a huge stock of barrel aged beer to sell.[/QUOTE]

This is so true! Toolbox did not start out as an all wild brewery. We are currently stockpiling barrel aged beers so we can have more frequent releases and some more limited tasting room offerings. When I started at Toolbox back in August, there were 5 kegs in the walk in, and no beer anywhere near ready to serve. To be completely transparent with you, the fruited Berliner Weisse ales saved our business from closing, or straying away from the all wild model we adopted a short time before my arrival. Like I mentioned earlier, stay tuned for many more barrel aged offerings. It is my dream to someday be damn near a 100% barrel aged brewery. Things are getting close and I know they will be worth the wait.

Nailed it here! We use a ton of wheat in these beers to give them that authentic Berliner flavor profile. You get a lot of that cracked bread/ wheaty character on the back end.

I'm glad you guys like what we are doing. You've stuck with us through think and thin, and I know your patience will be rewarded with some truly world class offerings in the near future. If you have anything you'd like me to address, I urge you to reach out to me here on BA, through social media, or email me at [email protected]

Cheers!


Ehren Schmidt

 

I met Ehren a couple months ago when I stopped in at Toolbox. Place wasn't too crowded, and he was behind the bar. Super gracious and knowledgable dude, once he learned I spoke nerd he was more than happy to discuss the workings of the brewery with me and offer me some samples of things I hadn't ordered. Based on 2 visits to the taproom and a few bottles consumed thereafter, I thought their beers were consistently good, with a few standing out (Cucumberliner, Autumn Bliss, Grass Fed Lettuce off the top of my head). Shared the bottles with some friends from the East Coast and they liked them too. Anyway, thought I'd throw in my 2 cents after the cool post above. Looking forward to seeing what is released from the barrels.

 

I'm a big Toolbox guy. I've bought pretty much every release since Handful of Peter. Besides Woodwerx, which I thought was too buttery, I've enjoyed every release that they have had from awesome to average. Spent a lot of money on their releases and frequent the brewery regularly. But I have to say, West Coast Funk is one of the worst beers I've ever tasted. Tasted like green vegetables. A total drain pour (took two sips and my wife and I poured the rest out of our bottle). Just a warning. Waisted $16.

 

Disagree. West Coast Funk is a solid brett IPA.