Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

First Look: Offbeat Brewing Company

Aside from the obvious lure of fine, hand-crafted beer, one of the most alluring facets of reporting on upcoming brewing companies is being able to tell the stories behind them. Recently, I heard one that was more touching than most. This moment came courtesy of a man named Tom Garcia. He and his wife Sarah told me about a conversation they’d had one night with a friend of theirs named Cory Denton. It was a lofty back-and-forth about grand aspirations and long-term goals. Cory shared his dream of traveling to Europe to set up a non-profit charity organization, while Sarah and Tom, a freelance brewery consultant and former cellar supervisor for Escondido’s Stone Brewing Company, talked about their goal of opening their own brewery someday. It was the last conversation the trio would have.

A short time later, Cory passed away from a severe heart condition he didn’t even know he had. For Garcia, total shock and heart-breaking loss gave way to the realization that one’s next breath is never guaranteed, and served as an accelerator for he and his wife to start planning and constructing what is now Offbeat Brewing Company (1223 Pacific Oaks Place, Suite 101). Located in an Escondido business park a mile southeast of Tom’s old Stone digs, the tasting room-affixed brewery held their grand opening last Saturday. Before they officially kicked things off, they invited me in to check out some beers and hear more about the business.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/19/31833/

Upon entry, the first thing I took notice of was a large mural sporting a mix of cartoonish characters both 3D and colorful, and 2D black-and-white, situated against a textured forest backdrop featuring a tree with leafy vines plugged into electrical outlets and an icy, craggy faraway mountain. One of the artists who produced the 16-by-30-foot interior piece, Chris Cleary (who teamed with Marc Allen and Mike McGaugh on the project) was putting the finishing touches on a one-shoed figure in the bottom left-hand corner (when you visit, be sure to search around for his other shoes).

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/19/31832/

All of the characters on the mural represent different beers the company will roll out. Other suds mascots include a strongman with bears for arms who, aptly, stands for the mild and flavorful Bear Arms Brown Ale. Meanwhile, a kitty with a horn spouting from its forehead has been sketched up for Caticorn IPA, a clean-tasting India pale ale with nice guava and passionfruit notes. It’s an interesting artistic approach that is in keeping with the company’s ambitions to fuse art and the art of beer under one roof.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/19/31834/

With the mural and rotating works from local artists, complete with custom-made bios and the opportunity to purchase their pieces, the facility is as much a brewery as it is a studio. A flair for the avant garde is also driven home with the interior design of the tasting space (salvaged woods from palettes as well as an extended family member’s waterbed grace the bar and partitions separating the brewery from the taproom). The same can be said for the brewing space where Garcia has fashioned a “punk rock” brewhouse complete with a lauter tun made from an old open-top fermenter tank as well as a brew kettle he says is, essentially, a 10-barrel deep-fryer.

That system will be used brew up roughly 1,000 barrels in Offbeat’s first year in operation, though the company’s maximum output capacity is 5,000 barrels annually. The beers Garcia will produce will be varied, but expect a mix of hoppy ales, sessionable brews, and experimental items—some utilizing local fauna. For the next few months, Offbeat’s beers will be available exclusively at their tasting room, but eventually, they will start shipping out kegs, staying in North County initially. It's the start of something big and, after sampling the company's beers...something promising. Cory would, indeed, be proud!

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Two poems by Marvin Bell

“To Dorothy” and “The Self and the Mulberry”
Next Article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1

Aside from the obvious lure of fine, hand-crafted beer, one of the most alluring facets of reporting on upcoming brewing companies is being able to tell the stories behind them. Recently, I heard one that was more touching than most. This moment came courtesy of a man named Tom Garcia. He and his wife Sarah told me about a conversation they’d had one night with a friend of theirs named Cory Denton. It was a lofty back-and-forth about grand aspirations and long-term goals. Cory shared his dream of traveling to Europe to set up a non-profit charity organization, while Sarah and Tom, a freelance brewery consultant and former cellar supervisor for Escondido’s Stone Brewing Company, talked about their goal of opening their own brewery someday. It was the last conversation the trio would have.

A short time later, Cory passed away from a severe heart condition he didn’t even know he had. For Garcia, total shock and heart-breaking loss gave way to the realization that one’s next breath is never guaranteed, and served as an accelerator for he and his wife to start planning and constructing what is now Offbeat Brewing Company (1223 Pacific Oaks Place, Suite 101). Located in an Escondido business park a mile southeast of Tom’s old Stone digs, the tasting room-affixed brewery held their grand opening last Saturday. Before they officially kicked things off, they invited me in to check out some beers and hear more about the business.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/19/31833/

Upon entry, the first thing I took notice of was a large mural sporting a mix of cartoonish characters both 3D and colorful, and 2D black-and-white, situated against a textured forest backdrop featuring a tree with leafy vines plugged into electrical outlets and an icy, craggy faraway mountain. One of the artists who produced the 16-by-30-foot interior piece, Chris Cleary (who teamed with Marc Allen and Mike McGaugh on the project) was putting the finishing touches on a one-shoed figure in the bottom left-hand corner (when you visit, be sure to search around for his other shoes).

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/19/31832/

All of the characters on the mural represent different beers the company will roll out. Other suds mascots include a strongman with bears for arms who, aptly, stands for the mild and flavorful Bear Arms Brown Ale. Meanwhile, a kitty with a horn spouting from its forehead has been sketched up for Caticorn IPA, a clean-tasting India pale ale with nice guava and passionfruit notes. It’s an interesting artistic approach that is in keeping with the company’s ambitions to fuse art and the art of beer under one roof.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/19/31834/

With the mural and rotating works from local artists, complete with custom-made bios and the opportunity to purchase their pieces, the facility is as much a brewery as it is a studio. A flair for the avant garde is also driven home with the interior design of the tasting space (salvaged woods from palettes as well as an extended family member’s waterbed grace the bar and partitions separating the brewery from the taproom). The same can be said for the brewing space where Garcia has fashioned a “punk rock” brewhouse complete with a lauter tun made from an old open-top fermenter tank as well as a brew kettle he says is, essentially, a 10-barrel deep-fryer.

That system will be used brew up roughly 1,000 barrels in Offbeat’s first year in operation, though the company’s maximum output capacity is 5,000 barrels annually. The beers Garcia will produce will be varied, but expect a mix of hoppy ales, sessionable brews, and experimental items—some utilizing local fauna. For the next few months, Offbeat’s beers will be available exclusively at their tasting room, but eventually, they will start shipping out kegs, staying in North County initially. It's the start of something big and, after sampling the company's beers...something promising. Cory would, indeed, be proud!

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Rocker helming new Kearny Mesa brewery

Next Article

Tales from the north: Inland Empire Brewing

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader