Latest reviews from Vista
| 90 /100 2575 PIONEER AVE #104 “Nick made a name for himself as a homebrewer, and he is continuing to produce a solid line-up of well-crafted beers. His wife Kandy greets patrons from behind the dealer table (a.k.a. bar). This is a family business as his daughter and parents are often at hand helping out. The Peruvian Lager, Al Tocque, was particularly well-made, and I ended up having a couple. I always have to grab a Pit BOS Hefeweizen, as it is a world-class example of the style. The casino and Las Vegas vibes create an interesting and lively atmosphere.“ |
| 80 /100 1347 KEYSTONE WAY UNIT C “We came here on 5.7.2022. Located in an industrial estate next to Dogleg brewing. This brewery is focused on German beers. Had a very good smoked Alt beer. The large brewery is behind the tap room. Very comfortable outside patio with a fire place. Attentive and friendly service.“ |
| 72 /100 1347 KEYSTONE WAY, SUITE A “We came here on 5th of July 2022. Next door to Eppic brewing in a typical CA industrial estate area this is a Goöf themed brewpub. Inside they have a Golf simulator and a putting green. 20 beers on tap. The Hazy pale ales we had were ok.“ |
| 86 /100 302 E BROADWAY “Visited December 2016.
This place is massive and located right in downtown Vista across from Mother Earth. The big bar in the front has a ton of beers on tap, and there is also a big outside beer garden sort of area. They do flights, which is nice since they have so much stuff on draft. I find Belching Beaver to be kind of hit or miss, which is another reason I appreciate the tasters. Huge variety of beer styles here. The main bar inside is more of a restaurant setup, but I was not hungry so I didn't really even pay attention to the food menu. The service was pretty good here and accommodated my indecisiveness and overall malaise from Strong Ale the day before and spending all day ticking with t0rin0. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.“ |
| 76 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Visited on a Friday evening in February 2018. A rather large place with a big patio. The service was nice and the beers decent. I liked the sliders from Pure Burger that were available for purchase during our visit. The place was quite crowded but we had a pleasant chat with a nice couple and also with the Brewmaster. Would like to have stayed longer but we had to leave early because we had to go to LAX the next morning.“ |
| 74 /100 2870 SCOTT ST #102 “A fairly small industrial park location houses one of Vista's newest breweries. BattleMage has a gaming theme if the name did not already alert you, and they even have a TV tuned to gaming competitions, almost ESPN like. And, they have a replica of the Game of Thrones throne. Solid beer and a diverse selection of house offerings. No food offered but they allow outside grub.“ |
| 46 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “Came here on 14.7.2017 to taste the Mexican Chocolate Peaner Butter Stout, which was quite good. However do not like the location. Inattentive service and not a good ambience.“ |
| 60 /100 236 MAIN ST “Literally steps from Mother Earth, this place is a fairly expansive, modern tasting room. Over a dozen on tap, available in flights for a reasonable price. Service is friendly and helpful. Beer quality was pretty weak though, with a few decent ones and a few real duds. Only reason to come here is due to its proximity to Mother Earth; otherwise, you can give it a miss.“ |
| 78 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “Expansive tasting room in an industrial park, with a pretty cool outside patio with fire pits. Reasonable selection of beers, of pretty good quality overall, including a few excellent ones. Flights of 4 available for a good price. Friendly service. Food trucks are often parked outside. Recommended.“ |
| 66 /100 1042 LA MIRADA CT “Brand new, modern tasting room that’s pretty compact, situated within an industrial park. They had 3 ciders and 6 meads on tap when I visited. You can order flights of 4 x 2oz. pours for $8, which is pretty good for this type of product. Wasn’t a big fan of the mead, but it was passable. Hopefully they’ll improve as they continue on their operations. Nice to see a cidery / meadery out here.“ |
| 76 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Pretty large tasting room in an industrial park. Large selection of taps to choose from, available in flights of 4. Beer quality was decent, with a standout or two. Friendly, quick service, and decent prices. Not a top tier place in Greater San Diego, but a fun little stop that’s worth it if you’re up in Vista.“ |
| 70 /100 1213 S SANTA FE AVE “I stopped in here primarily to buy grains for brewing but decided to have a sample or two for my troubles. The place is the last shop in a small strip center and the home brew supply part is fairly small. I was able, nonetheless, to find suitable grains for my beer thanks to some worker-bee assistance. The beer was fine, one of their stouts and the place picking up patrons during this early evening/late afternoon.“ |
| 70 /100 1213 S SANTA FE AVE “Visited August 27, 2016.
This is a homebrew shop in a strip mall but they also have a bar and a small brewery (maybe 2 bbl). Its kind of a half assed cross of the two since there isn’t a ton of homebrew equipment and ingredients and the bar isn’t all that big nor is there a lot of house beer to pick from. I guess it’s nice to be able to get a pint while you’re picking up some hops and grains for your next brew day. Be warned that there isn’t much parking here. It’s also only a mile or two from the Mother Earth homebrew shop and their newer tasting room, so if you cant find somewhere to park, or you drive by it and don’t feel like turning around you don’t have to. That said, they’ve done a lot of work to make this place look nice. The self serve grain is in clear plastic tubes and they have some nice displays on the wall for some of the equipment they sell. The bar area is nice too. The beers were OK and a little expensive at $7 a pint. Nothing bad but nothing I’d go out of my way for. The bartender was helpful in telling us which beers were still on tap since they had some crossed out, some not on the board, and some covered with a plank of wood.“ |
| 88 /100 302 E BROADWAY “Visited August 27, 2016.
This is a really cool spot. It’s like a smaller Stone Liberty Station. There is a huge bar in the front room with something like 60 taps, about a third of which are house beers. There is a counter with some fake flames coming out of it. It’s just fog with some lighting underneath (yes I put my hand in it). This must have been an old bank since there is what looks like a vault at the end of the bar. Outside s a garden area that seems to be dog friendly and another bar with some different beers than you’ll find inside including some interesting variants of the house beers. The food is small plates mostly that are expensive but interesting and good tasting. They of course had half a dozen versions of the peanut butter stout, a couple of saisons, and a bunch of IPAs. Lots of ticks to be had if you’re looking for new ratings. Prices are a bit high but the selection is worth it. I was pleasantly surprised by how quick the service was despite how many people were there. I don’t spend much time in Vista but this is definitely worth visiting more than once.“ |
| 86 /100 302 E BROADWAY “We spent a Saturday night with friends in Vista and had dinner at the newly opened Beav Tavern. This converted bank has a large outdoor patio area and a modern interior. There are about 50 or so beers on tap, some Belching Beaver, but the majority from local and regional brewers. The food is very good: Andouille sausage corndog appetizer, ahi poke, beef short rib sandwich with jicama slaw, etc. It was all very good. The beers are served either in 5, 10 or 16-ounce selections. This is a nice brewpub and one I plan to visit again.“ |
| 66 /100 236 MAIN ST “We dropped in Wavelength while waiting for our table at Belching Beaver (across the street). The tap room is large and open and contains rockets and space paraphernalia, along with a streaming image of the sun and a countdown to the next time the ISS passes overhead. The couple of beers we tried were average with the Low Earth Orbit (Session IPA w/Mosaic) being the best. They routinely host scientists/professors for talks and also look through their large telescope at the heavens. This is a nice geek place but only attracts a small fraction of what nearby Belching Beaver and Mother Earth attract. The adjoining restaurants deliver food right to your table or bar spot.“ |
| 76 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “Nice place with the brewery visible in the tasting room. Good beers and good service. Not very busy on a Wednesday afternoon.“ |
| 74 /100 2330 LA MIRADA DR, STE 300 “One of those places you don’t expect to hide. Taproom until you Re inside it. Simple but ok interior, with the bar alone one of the walls. Quite slow on a Wednesday afternoon. Beers were ok.“ |
| 64 /100 425 S MELROSE DR “Classic diner-interior. Decently busy on a Wednesday lunch. Pizza was nice, beers were so-so. Good service, prices were acceptable.“ |
| 76 /100 2330 LA MIRADA DR, STE 300 “A nice place. Good and knowledgeable service. Layed back. Good beer.“ |
| 60 /100 425 S MELROSE DR “Date. . . . . . . . . . ...9.13.15 Type. . . . . . . . . . ..Chain Brewpub, Sportsbar Location. . . . . . . ..Stripmall Prices. . . . . . . . . ..Normal to Higher Tap Selection. . . .Large, 10 House Beers, 15+ Guest Taps Bottle Selection. .10 Guest Micro and Macro Full Bar. . . . . . . . .Yes Samplers. . . . . . ..Yes Full Pours. . . . . . .Yes Beer Level. . . . . ..Below Average Food Level. . . . ...Below Average Staff. . . . . . . . . . ..Friendly, On-Point Growlers. . . . . . ..Unclear Noise Level. . . . ..Louder Décor. . . . . . . . . ..Clean, High-Ceilings, 15 TVs Kid Friendly. . . . .Yes Dog Friendly. . . ..On Patio Parking. . . . . . . ...Private Lot Cash Only. . . . . ..No Recommended. ..No Comments: Came here to watch football with a group of 5. Our server was quite engaging and on-point even given the large amount of tables she had. I was advised to not try the hot wings or their house beers. I ordered Port Wipeout IPA on tap. Beer came out and was an un-hopped (non-bitter) honey ale of sorts that tasted like unsweetened tea. So not even an old or heat damaged keg of Port Wipeout; simply not the right beer. I asked the server about this and was told that was the beer she put in. I don’t doubt it, but the keg lines were probably switched around with something else, probably one of their house beers. Went for Ballast Point Sculpin instead (older keg but drinkable). Moved on to Belching Beaver Great Lei, finally, something fresh. Kid friendly stuffed the place with kids while parents watched football, but it seemed to be a non-issue. We ordered the BBQ Chicken Pizza and the crust tasted like raw dough. Sauce was very salty. The cheese sort of slid off the crust trying to eat it. Total bill for a medium pizza and 3 beers with tax and tip was $50. So overall, I was disappointed and probably will not be back. Pizza Port is sounding like a perfect substitute right about now.“ |
| 80 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Probablement le plus brillant salon de dégustation du nord de San Diego. Les bières sont encore inégales pour le moment mais j’y ai goûté quelques beaux flash. J’adore l’âme de la place, c’est déjà énorme, surtout dans un arrondissement industriel.“ |
| 74 /100 1305 HOT SPRING WAY, STE 1010 “mmaculate, large brewery with tasting room inside with ample seating. Dog-friendly inside is a big plus for us. 10 house beers on tap only, sample flights available for $7 for x4 4-5oz tasters in nice glassware in wooden palates for organization.
House beers were of "okay" quality with 1 of 8 we sampled being very good and 1 of 8 being quite bad. The rest fell in the average range. I would say about half of the beers on tap were non-bottled special editions. The others were core brands that you can easily find in any reputable bottle shop.
Food truck available on Saturday starting at noon. Nice.
Resident hot-shot brewer Ken Schmidt graced us with his presence today, which was very cool.“ |
| 86 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Another industrial park brewery with an unassuming entrance into a world of craft beer heaven. The large, open bar area offers ample seating in a multitude of options: bar, table, couch. All is decorated with recycled wood and metals giving a rustic charm to this place. Outside is another bar and several picinc tables and a food vendor. There is spacious standing room if lines were to form and get long. A diverse set of craft beers are neatly listed on a large chalkboard, complete with individual statistics. The beers are solid and I look forward to many more visits here.“ |
| 76 /100 1305 HOT SPRING WAY, STE 1010 “A nice brewer tucked neatly in Vista offering a large, open tasting room. There was a local food vendor onsite during our visit and plenty of fresh ales flowing. Their barrels offer a nice backdrop to the seating area.“ |
| 54 /100 1305 HOT SPRING WAY, STE 1010 “cool place on the inside...not crazy about the beers or the price point of said beers. friendly service, but in that neck of the woods the beer just ain’t cuttin it.“ |
| 60 /100 236 MAIN ST “Just a couple doors down from the Mother Earth downtown taproom. So, I guess if you go to one, you sort of have to go to the other.
Pretty large space with some sparse seating. They also have a set up for live music, which is cool. From talking to the guy at the bar, seems like the people who run the brewery are also audiophiles. Tame. They had maybe ten to a dozen taps on. I tried a set of six beers and then the guy let me try their grand opening beer as well. I was not really impressed with the beers here. Most of the ones I had were not good and a number where very oddly smokey. Though, a couple of the fruited IPAs were okay...mostly due to them just tasting like fruit juice. The guy working the bar was at least nice and friendly. But, I don’t know how often I’d choose to come back here given that I didn’t care for any of their beers.“ |
| 52 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “if you are a bar, and you close at 7:00, not serving people who walk in at 6:31 is BS. Who are you? Lost Abbey? Cool looking outside but pour til close to closing. Won’t go out of my way to visit again...“ |
| 64 /100 236 MAIN ST “Visited February 28, 2015.
This was meant to be a quick stop on the way to GT2’s place but between talking to the employees, checking out the Mother Earth homebrew shop, and buying 15 tamales at the Mexican market (as well as finding a sweet present for GT in the parking lot) I spent a fair amount of time in this complex. There are three ratable places in the same building here; two breweries and a homebrew shop. Mother Earth has gotten considerably better in the past couple years but Wavelength still has a long way to go. At the moment they’re in their soft opening phase so the walls are barren and they’re still building some things. They do have one wall that they’re intentionally leaving blank so they can project movies onto it. They have some interesting track lighting which is going to be used when they start having live music here (I guess there is some permitting still required for that). There are some tables scattered around the room and a long counter. Naturally I sat at the bar. They had 10 beers on during my visit, 6 of which were IPAs. Kind of neat , except that all the IPAs tasted like cedar and in one or two cases smoked meat. Not a good sign. The woody flavor is likely just a yeast off flavor but the smoky flavor could very well be an infection. In any event none were overly enjoyable. The two fruited IPAs (pineapple and grapefruit) were the most enjoyable where as the regular and the black IPAs were the least enjoyable. Note that they do both a "regular" and a "west coast" IPA. They also have a rye double IPA. As for non-IPAs they have a rye strong ale, a Czech golden ale, and a brown ale. The bartender told me that they’re brewing on a 3 bbl system and judging by the flavors I’m assuming the fermenters are in a refrigerator rather than a proper glycol cooled steel fermenter. The most enjoyable parts of the visit were the company and the slogan (So Good It Hz). That and the tamales at the market down the way. I’ll check back in a year to see if they’ve figured out the brewing, or if by some chance they get a big name music act in there that I want to see (and travel all the way to SD for).“ |
| 76 /100 1305 HOT SPRING WAY, STE 1010 “Great place awesome service fair selection, sure it is great and slim as breweries are. No fault to them. Great food trucks great ambiance. Only thing sucks is parking. But did not rate in that“ |
| 90 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Probably the coolest hipster vibe in north county. Super groovy!! Wood everywhere great sections to relax and suck some suds. Great outside environment. As the get bigger selection will rise I am sure. Great help behind bar. A must go when you are in north county!“ |
| 80 /100 2004 E VISTA WAY “Food was outstanding, large portions, lots of options to choose from. Vegetarian options. Decor is prohibition era photos etc. Various picnic style tables. Service was upbeat and helpful. Beers were enjoyable and selection was decent. Overall great experience each time we’ve visited.“ |
| 80 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “Awesome outdoor seating area with fire pits. Inside tasting room seemed a bit crowded, but it was a Saturday night. Service was distracted, but we got our beers ok. Selection of styles was varied and all were enjoyable. Location is a bit of the beaten path, but easily found. Overall enjoyable.“ |
| 96 /100 236 MAIN ST “Great atmosphere, great people, even better beer!“ |
| 66 /100 425 S MELROSE DR “Visited December 6, 2014.
This isn’t far from the freeway but it’s kind of out of the way for any beer tourism and it’s not like Oggi’s is a beer nerd destination these days. If you’re heading down Melrose all you’ll see from the road is the word pizza so head towards that. This originally closed in 2006 or so, then it went through at least a couple different ownerships and names (you can reference the yelp ratings if you want to follow the progression), and now it’s Oggi’s again. According to the bartender the chain was not happy with the way the replacement ran so they removed the name. Not all that exciting but it’s all stuff I learned while trying to figure out if this place was still open. This is in a large shopping center but off to one end and this portion of the parking lot is a lot smaller than the rest. Inside is very new looking. Lots of tables spread across several eating areas and a bar with stools around 3 sides of it. They have a number of both house and guest beers. They had two new beers for us to try: the imperial India pale lager (just tasted like a malt liquor, minimal hop presence) and the oaked version of the Torrey Pines IPA (tasted very woody). Apparently the barrel aged IPA was aged in bourbon and wine barrels, but it really tasted like oak chips with no spirit/wine character. Oh well. Not a fan of either. We watched a bit of the college football games (don’t even remember who it was to be honest) and took off. Didn’t eat. The service was friendly and as helpful as they could be without knowing much about the beer. This is definitely not a beer nerd destination.“ |
| 50 /100 Costco - Vista (Grocery Store) 1755 HACIENDA DR “Type. . . . . . . . . . ..Grocery Store Level. . . . . . . . . . .Low Location. . . . . . . .Poor Prices. . . . . . . . . ..Lower Tap Selection. . . .None Bottle Selection. .20-30 Samplers. . . . . . ...No Full Pours. . . . . . .No Beer Level. . . . . ...Medium Food. . . . . . . . . . .Cash Only, Cheap Food Level. . . . ...Decent Staff. . . . . . . . . . ..Excellent Growlers. . . . . . ...No Noise Level. . . . ..Quiet Décor. . . . . . . . . ..Spartan Industrial Good for Kids. . ..No Parking. . . . . . . ...Private Lot WiFi. . . . . . . . . . ..No Cash Only. . . . . ..For Food Court Yes Recommended. ..No Comments: It’s Costco, so if you are not a member with a card you cannot go inside. But they stock a lot of local beer and more special releases than you’d imagine. They go Stone Enjoy By, RuinTen, Serpents Stout, Port Brewing Wipeout, Port Anniversary DIPA. Cases of Ballast Point, Stone, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams. Cheap prices. But nothing is refrigerated so beware on IPAs. Found Beer Camp Across America variety case, which was a tough find all over the country. So added this to RB so I could add availability. “ |
| 70 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “Situated in an industrial area. Inside is a typical brewery space with their beers only on tap. Reasonable prices. Outside is a cool sitting area with log style chairs and a fire pit. Very relaxing. Quality of their beers seems to be improving. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.“ |
| 78 /100 2330 LA MIRADA DR, STE 300 “We came after going to Stumblefoot, where the beers were really bad, so imagine my excitement when I found well made beers and servers who actually were glad we were there. Fun place, good time overall.“ |
| 80 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Overall this place was great! Cool bar, awesome interior, food truck, cheap flight with big glasses. Nice!“ |
| 78 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “> Popular, well decorated, open tasting room with fun to try average quality beers >> Fairly crowded area, open and inviting, board games, happy staff and regular crowd. Large house beer tap list with sampler flights available. Samplers came in massive near 5oz tumblers with excellent custom wood organizer trays. Beers ranged from not so great to quite good with their apple ale pretty boss and the favorite of our group. Overall, would recommend on your North County SD beer tour. “ |
| 52 /100 15 MAIN ST “Located in an outdoor mall with lots of food options. Nice outdoor patio seating with fire pit. Inside is Irish pub theme. About 5 house beers on tap with average quality. Tasting flights available. Menu was heavy, over extended, and highly caloric. Service was very slow and we were not waited on for quite awhile. Probably won’t be back.“ |
| 70 /100 2330 LA MIRADA DR, STE 300 “Hidden in the back of an industrial park along with Indian Joe’s world class beer heaven. Small attempt at interior decorating, open air with tables to sit at unlike some tasting rooms. Around 10-12 house beers on tap. Quality was average to above average. Lots of tap only stuff only with tap versions of what is easily found in bombers around the area. Wasn’t so busy when I was there. Seems like Mexican flavors are their theme but very few beers followed through on that theme so I’m not sure what the deal is. They had a very good quality Vietnamese food truck there, which was a welcome relief from the other tasting rooms with no such symbiosis. All beers available in tasting flight including their barrel aged specialties.“ |
| 78 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “An extremely popular brewery tasting room with excellent food truck symbiosis. Quality of beers were higher than its peers in Vista. Flights available for all beers, nice flutes for tasting with organized holders. Lots of fun, but beers weren’t good enough to make me a regular. Easy to find, easy parking. In an industrial park per usual.“ |
| 66 /100 2330 LA MIRADA DR, STE 300 “Decent pub, lots of good beers, food truck“ |
| 76 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “A nice little setup. Decent range of beers on tap. The quality level is somewhat average but the value for tasters is great. I think my favorite beer was the hoppy lager (cant recall the name and cant be bothered to check). Friendly staff, wifi, nice Western-influenced decor. There was a food vendor set up,outside the brewery though I dont know ifnit is always there. Quite near to several other breweries so would fit nicely into a crawl.“ |
| 68 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Found this place while driving from Barrel Harbor to the nearest McRib Depot to cleanse our palates. Saw a sign on the side of the road, slammed the breaks, threw it in reverse, and made my way into the parking lot (which is really about 5 parking spaces). They were having a soft opening of sorts, so just three beers on tap, but they have room for a lot more. The IPA and Pale ale need some work, but the coffee porter was okay. The guy was really friendly and happy to talk about the beers. Interesting decor with a rifle hanging over the taps, tap handles of antler pieces...Will probably come back once they get into the swing of things and have some more beers on tap.“ |
| 30 /100 980 PARK CENTER DR, STE A “Situated in an industrial park, it’s hidden away so much so that we drove by it three times before we realized we were there (our GPS brought us a block away). The service was quick and friendly. The beer selection was pretty minuscule, and those that we tried were pretty all motor oil. I LOVE their name, and want to get some of their t-shirts and bumper sticker. I’m just not that enamored with their beer.“ |
| 70 /100 2545 PROGRESS ST, STE D “Visited November 2, 2013.
This was a complete accidental find. 20piecenuggetscantsail and I were heading from Barrel Harbor to the nearest McDonalds for some McRibs when we drove by a sign that said "brewery tasting room". He slams the brakes, backs up, and we visit our fourth brewery on the trip from the Black Tuesday event at the Bruery heading towards the barrel dinner at Lost Abbey. That trip did in fact include a McRib stop. Two McRbis a piece to be exact. This is another of about 200 warehouse-breweries in California trying to differentiate themselves by brewing on a tiny system. The problem with this type of cookie cutter setup is (aside from the fact that they can’t make enough beer to be profitable) that you as the consumer never know what you’re walking into. Some are hilariously bad and some are pretty damned good. These guys fall somewhere in between. The beers were all first runs and they have already kicked three of the six by the time we got there, so I’m not even sure what the more popular beers tasted like. The IPA was decent but needs work, but had enough potential to get me to come back and try it. The Coffee Oatmeal Porter (COP) was heavy on the coffee but fine for what it was. The pale was less inspiring. Like I said, the beers are first batches so I’ll have to come back at some point. That said, at this time they don’t offer flights so you’re supposed to buy full glasses. The bartender was nice enough to give us a couple oz taster in a pint glass of each of the three beers. He said it was free, so I just left him a buck a taster. I could see parking becoming an issue here if the place ever takes off but there is always street parking. Also, I like the decor, or at least what little decor was present. They have antlers for tap handles, some wood paneling over the walk in, and a random double barrel shotgun on the wall. Nice people, the pricing seemed about right, they’re just missing flights now. Oh and by the looks of it they’re working on the patio out back. Add one more brewery to the insane list already present in/around Vista (13 other breweries within a 3 or 4 mile radius...).“ |
| 80 /100 1305 HOT SPRING WAY, STE 1010 “Typical Joint, I enjoyed visiting all the Vista places. They are all worth the trip. I’d love to do a bus to them all. Staff was very nice. Great to see tanks close by. Had great food...sushi bus thingie.“ |
