From its humble beginnings nine years ago, Kilowatt Brewing has been far more than simply a producer of ales and lagers. This has everything to do with co-founder Steve Kozyk. An unflaggingly creative lighting and technology expert, Kozyk has made his business into something truly one-of-a-kind by adding in elements playing to his wide-ranging interests in astronomy, science, design, fermentation, cocktail culture and the culinary arts.
Kilowatt’s Kearny Mesa headquarters features a tiki-tipple speakeasy called Forbidden Cove, the success of which inspired him to install a second spirited hideaway at the company’s satellite tasting room in Oceanside. The latter goes by the name The Space Pad and has a playful sci-fi motif paying homage to a local legend popular at Kilowatt’s other satellite location in Ocean Beach, the Spaceman of OB. Both speakeasies are replete with audio-visual treats for the senses, including complex illusionistic elements, all of which were conceived and constructed by Kozyk.
That hands-on quality is a hallmark of Kilowatt and a chief reason that, despite being one of San Diego’s most off-center brewing concerns, it appeals to the masses. Kozyk and his team hope visitors will also embrace a pair of culinary concepts making their debut at the company’s Kearny Mesa and Oceanside venues this week. While different in terms of cuisine, like everything at Kilowatt, they were dreamt up by Kozyk and his team, including a pair of chefs who tweaked, tested and fine-tuned both menus into something they are excited to show off.
“The kitchens at both our Kearny Mesa and Oceanside locations started off simply as legal requirements for us to serve liquor at our speakeasies, but over time they have become real passion projects for us,” says Kozyk, who spent the past year-and-a-half – not to mention a quarter-million dollars – expanding and upgrading both kitchens, and developing both concepts. “It’s been a blast and opened up so may possibilities, allowing us to innovate in all three areas of the business – the brewery, speakeasies and kitchens – in ways we never would have been able to before.”
The first of Kilowatt’s dual concepts is called Kālua Hawaiian Plates & Poke, and serves just that: build-your-own mixed plates of kālua pork or teriyaki chicken with sides such as macaroni salad, coconut rice, ginger coleslaw and seaweed salad, plus poke towers and bowls, as well as assorted tapas, including fusion takes on tacos and nachos. Like the Polynesian-themed Forbidden Cove, Kālua is partially inspired by Kozyk’s upbringing. Prior to his arrival, his parents lived in Hawaii for years, bringing The Aloha State’s culture and ‘ohana spirit back with them. But even with that deep personal influence, he says it’s not all about him.
With so many members of our team making key contributions, it’s truly been a collaborative effort getting the menu developed and launched. Our Director of Operations, Caitlyn Freeman, managed several poke restaurants over her career, while one of our chefs served as a fisherman and cook on a local tuna boat. Getting to put our spin on the traditional kālua method of cooking has also been a super-rewarding process.”
Steve Kozyk, Co-founder & Owner, Kilowatt Brewing
A key to the concept comes in the form of an authentic teriyaki recipe passed down for generations by the ancestors of one of Kilowatt’s Samoan bartenders. Kozyk says his team put in a lot of R&D hours developing their own with mixed results, leading their comrade to take mercy on them and let them in on his family’s secret sauce.
While the teriyaki condiment and other components of Kālua’s menu will be 100% authentic, it is impossible to replicate the imu (underground oven) cooking method at Kilowatt’s facility. To get around that, their culinary team employs a multi-step process, which starts with seasoning proteins with red clay sea salt and traditional Hawaiian spices then par-cooking them via the zero-contact sous-vide method. Then the proteins are wrapped in banana leaves with fresh pineapple and lightly smoked with a blend of kiawe, guava and lychee woods sourced from Oahu. From there, they are seared à la minute using a kitchen-grade blowtorch.
Prep for Kilowatt’s other culinary concept will be much simpler. Dubbed Bangers & Franks, its menu is made up of artisan sausages and all-beef hot dogs, mac-and-cheese bowls, barbecue pork and chicken sliders, and shareable fare, including soft pretzels loaded tater tots and house-made chicharrons. The menu was brought into its finalized form by Chef Jorge Salazar, who also contributed some family recipes when helping with the Kālua menu.
“The kitchen, cocktail and beer programs are intimately tied together with inspiration, ideas and ingredients flowing back and forth on a regular basis,” says Kozyk. “Similarly, when pairing beverages with menu items, it’s been a two-way street with transfer of knowledge and one influencing the other.”
After a great deal of testing, Kozyk says the following are the best beer-and-food pairings for items off of Bangers & Franks’ menu:
- Kilowatt Guava 250 kWh IPA with Jalapeño Volcaño, a jalapeño-cheddar sausage with guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro, salsa, jalapeño and pickled red onion
- Kilowatt K-Pop Korean-style Lager with The Convoy, a beef frank with nori, micro wasabi, sriracha aioli, Kewpie mayonnaise and togarashi
- Kilowatt Maple Smoked Maibock with Pirate Klaus, a Nuremberg-style bratwurst with sauerkraut, 250 kWh IPA spicy mustard and onion
- Kilowatt Pineapple Coconut Blonde Ale with The Hawaiian, a beef frank with umeboshi pineapple, sriracha aioli and togarashi
- Kilowatt Pale Ale with Papa Mac Daddy, a Polish-style sausage with mac and cheese, bacon crumbles and pickled red onion
Food items from both of Kilowatt’s new concepts will be available for dine-in at its Kearny Mesa and Oceanside locations, as well as delivery via DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. To celebrate the launch of Kālua and Bangers & Franks, the company is offering a number of deals and discounts. In Kearny Mesa, customers can upgrade any pint-size order of beer to a 32-ounce pitcher for $3 extra on Mondays and Tuesdays, and get 50% off all food items with any full-sized beverage purchase on Wednesday through Saturday, from 4 to 6 p.m. In Oceanside, the aforementioned pint-to-pitcher deal is available on Mondays, while the half-off food discount is available Tuesday through Sunday, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Kilowatt Brewing / Forbidden Cove is located at 7576 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in Kearny Mesa, Kilowatt Brewing Taproom & Provisions / The Space Pad is located at 406 Mission Avenue in Oceanside, and its satellite tasting room is located at 1875 Cable Street in Ocean Beach