Rich Link
Coronado Brewing Co.
170 Orange Ave.
Coronado, CA 92118
619-437-4452
coronadobrewingcompany.com
Green Flash Brewing Co.
1430 Vantage Ct., #104-A
Vista, CA 92803
760-597-9012
Left Coast Brewing Co.
245 Puerto del Sol
San Clemente, CA 92673
949-361-9972
leftcoastbrewing.com
Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co.
10155 Rancho Carmel Dr.
San Diego, CA 92128
858-592-7883
oggis.com
When you walk into a baseball stadium, you are greeted by vendors
yelling the famous line "You can't tell the players without a
program." Well, it's gotten to be like that around San Diego's brewing
community. Brewers have been moving around, breweries have changed
names, and others have closed. In this issue we'll try to get you up
to date on what's going on around here.
Starting off with personnel changes, Joe Cuozzo, who has worked at
more San Diego breweries than any other person, has moved on to a new
job: brewer at Coronado Brewing Company. I wrote about Joe's success
at CJ's Grill (formerly Sports City) in the October 2004 issue of the
Celebrator. Joe then went on to win a silver medal in the
Coffee-Flavored Beer category at the Great American Beer Festival. He
is bringing his lengthy résumé to Coronado with the intention of
"taking the beers to the next level." While Coronado's beers have
always been good, they were never really assertive.
I visited Joe at the brewpub recently and can attest that he has taken
the first steps to make Coronado's beers noteworthy. In addition to
six or seven brewpub standards, Joe has added a double IPA and a
barley wine. By the time you read this, all of the beers will have
been revamped. This includes the bottled beers brewed at the
atrociously ill-equipped Mission Brewery, where the bulk of Coronado's
bottled and kegged beers are brewed. I'll report back in a few months
to let you know how the changes are progressing.
Another big move has Chuck Silva brewing at Green Flash Brewing
Company in Vista. Chuck formerly brewed at Karl Strauss, On Tap, Hops!
and Hang Ten. Chuck takes over for John Stewart, who had been Green
Flash's brewer since the brewery opened in 2002. The brewery makes the
Green Flash line of beers as well as the Reaper Ales. The two brands
are one and the same brewery â€" just different marketing strategies and
recipes.
Chuck's initiation at Green Flash consisted of brewing about 30
batches of beer in the first two months. The brewery has expanded by
adding additional cold storage and fermenting capacity. In addition,
the Green Flash beers have gone through some changes. The beers now
have more body, more hoppiness and a more assertive character. Look
for the Green Flash and Reaper brands to make some big steps this
year.
San Diego brewers have been moving around, breweries have changed
names and others have closed.
Left Coast Brewing Company, the microbrewery that supplies much of the
beer for the Oggi's pizza locations, has a new head brewer. John
Wilson, who has brewed at Oggi's locations in Mission Viejo and San
Diego's Mission Valley, has replaced Tom Nickel. Wilson's beers have
won numerous awards in the past, and I would expect more will come in
the future. Nickel, proprietor of O'Brien's Pub, one of the top pubs
in Southern California, has not ruled out a return to brewing, but not
right away. Anyone who has been to O'Brien's knows that Tom puts in a
pretty hard day. If I were in his shoes, I think I'd sit back and have
a few beers before jumping back into the brewing game. He's worked
very hard over the past few years.
Speaking of Oggi's, Jeff Bagby, the brewer at the Vista location, has
now taken on the brewing duties at the Carmel Mountain Ranch location.
Jeff is currently pulling double duty at both locations. He brings his
world-class ability and passion for brewing to a location that has had
some ups and downs over the past couple of years.
CJ's Grill, which replaced Sports City last year with great hopes from
a big cash infusion, new equipment and new management, has bit the
dust. I have no official word on the closing, but it appears that
there was not enough cash to cover the needs of the business. Just
when it looked like the biggest disappointment on San Diego's brew
scene was turning around, it has crashed and burned. On Tap! Bistro &
Brewery has closed. New owners will be taking over, and by the time
you read this, a brewpub with a new name should be opened. Let's hope
the new ownership can deal with what must be staggeringly high rent
without pricing themselves out of the market.
© 2010 San Diego Brewers Guild