Beer of the Week: Pirate’s Cove

Long before Oceanside was the booming, fast-developing municipality it’s come to be – a city now awash in hospitality businesses, including well over a dozen breweries – there was a small industrial-park operation introducing Osiders to a little-known beverage called “craft beer”. It was 2006 when career educator Mark Purciel started serving up his Buccaneer Blonde, San Luis Rey Red and Pier View Pale. While those core beers were – and remain – a draw for Oceanside Ale Works, Purciel has always been the number-one attraction. Warm-hearted and fun-loving, the North County trailblazer believes in keeping things simple, loose and enjoyable, and went full-bore with that business strategy when moving from OAW’s original single-unit home to a 6,000-square-foot brewing facility half-a-decade in. Shuttered during the pandemic, its tasting room reopened in 2021 and was immediately flooded with longtime regulars eager to see Purciel and get back to the good old days. While the atmosphere remained the same, the decor was notably different, as Purciel had spent roughly a year overhauling the interiors and adding black-light art for nighttime crowd enjoyment. Fans’ reactions to the new aesthetic were overwhelmingly positive. The same can be said for the reception of another piece of OAW’s modern DNA, Pirate’s Cove IPA. The newest of Purciel’s year-round brews, this West Coast model has the bitterness and malt backbone of IPAs that were the norm back when the business opened, which helps it fit right in with its longevous always-on tapmates. And like the majority of those staples, the beer’s name is a nod to the city it shares its name with, in this case the street Oceanside High School calls home.

Named for the street where Oceanside High School is located, Pirate’s Cove has an aggressive hop aroma. To back this up, we gave it a well-balanced light malt profile that makes for a crisp, delightful drinking IPA. Channeling our inner plunder of the high seas, we brewed this beer to be fit for a salty crew of misfits. Hoist your sails and get ready to go on a hoppy adventure!”

Mark Purciel, Owner & Brewmaster, Oceanside Ale Works

Oceanside Ale Works is located at 1800 Ord Way in Oceanside