Pure Project Brewing, Vista, CA - 👟⬅️
This is a 14,000 square foot warehouse facility that includes brewing, bottling, and canning operations; and a tasting room with indoor and outdoor seating. Despite its size, it maintains a comfortable, local-hangout vibe. It's located in an industrial center, making it feel like an in-the-know location.You enter through a rollup door to find an ample bar with several taps, plants everywhere, and comfortable seating areas inside and out. Their Carlsbad location, by contrast, is small and often crowded. Carlsbad can be a fun location for people watching while the Vista location is large and open with ample seating and a more relaxed, local vibe.
This is definitely a place I would go back to visit but I would explore their beer selections a little more.
We tried the the Rain (Pilsner) 👟 and the Under the Oaks (Festbier) 👟🍺. For us, the Pilsner had no defining characteristic or flavor. It was almost too "clean." Perhaps that is what their website describes as "bone dry." The Festbier was better with a slightly spicy/rye flavor and medium feel. It was worth a pint.
I also sampled the Mystery Veils the Desert which I found very interesting and would categorize as a weird beer. I happen to like weird so if I went back I might opt for this beer when available. (It's a recurring collaboration beer with Wren House Brewing of Arizona.)
Booze Brothers Brewing, Fallbrook, CA - 🧦⏩🍕👫
This location has a bit of an identity problem. It's located at a funky intersection on a triangular lot with signage for The Mill which is a pizza joint which shares space with Booze Brothers as well as Owl Farm, an offshoot of Booze Brothers. The website describes the outdoor seating as lush and inviting when in reality it's mostly dirt which is particularly inviting to children. Indeed, they have set up play areas for the kiddos which include sand toys, trucks, and a structure that looks like Lucy's Psychiatry Booth but is easily imagined as a restaurant with a takeout window (as we witnessed while we were there).In italics, the website goes on to advise that indoor seating has only recently been made available.
It's funky but I can see why families would like going there. It's easy (once you figure out how to access its parking lot). The kids have something to do while the grownups sit in the sun with their beers and someone else makes dinner.
There are two other Booze Brothers locations in Oceanside and Vista which we have yet to visit.
We had the Pushing Daisies (Pilsner)🧦 and Penny Blonde (Blonde)👟. We found the Pilsner to be off the mark. It was cloudy, slightly hoppy, and had a medium mouthfeel rather than a clear, light, and slightly biscuity or doughy flavored beer. We liked the Blonde better and felt it was a better representation of its style.
If we were to go back, we would opt for one of their other locations and would try different beers.
If you're wondering where Beer Visit #1 was, it was La Quinta Brewing in Old Town La Quinta, CA, which will be featured in a separate post.
Happy beer hunting and remember to #beercareful and #drinklocal.
