With so many brewery openings, closings, contractions and restructuring efforts, a number of fermentation professionals have changed their business addresses in recent months. The following is an update on a pair of local brewing companies that have welcomed new head brewers from elsewhere in the county.
Late last year, San Diego’s only tribal-owned-and-operated beer concern, Rincon Reservation Road Brewery, brought on Dustin Hendrick to oversee its brewing operations. His arrival came months after the departure of Matt Dale, who had served as head brewer for four years before moving on. Hendrick was most recently the headman for Vista-based WestBrew, where he worked from 2022 to 2024. Last year saw that business scale back, shuttering its combination bar and eatery in Del Mar before winding down operations at its satellite taproom in downtown San Diego’s East Village. At present, WestBrew’s Vista headquarters is closed as ownership determines a path forward.
At “3R Brewery”, which is based in a ground-floor building that’s physically connected to – yet legally separate from – Valley Center’s Harrah’s Southern California Resort, Hendrick has so far been responsible for production of the five-year-old company’s core beers. Once everything is in order on that front, he will be able to begin crafting his own recipes for specialty creations beyond those offerings, all of which are available throughout the resort and 3R’s distribution network.
Back in the incorporated portion of North County, decade-old San Marcos business Dos Desperados Brewery has found a qualified individual to serve as its head brewer. That position has been open since longtime Desperado, Hayden Weir, departed the company last summer so he and his wife could open their own business, Weir Beer Co., in Vista. In finding the right fit, Dos Desperados owner Steve Munson didn’t need to look far – just a single city block, in fact. That’s where veteran brewer Ryan Talbert has been trying his darndest to get his own business, Ten-75 Brewing, back open after it briefly debuted then closed for mandated renovations in 2022.
After 26 months of submitting multiple rounds of plan designs only to have them come back littered with notes, Talbert – a longtime fan of Dos Desperados and its beers – was happy to accept Munson’s employment offer.
“I’m super-excited about this opportunity. I started a month ago and everything has been fantastic,” says Talbert. “I intend to return to my business once I have an approved set of blueprints, but I have no idea when that’s happening, so I’m preparing to be at Dos Desperados for the immediate future and I’d be shocked if I left anytime soon.”
Prior to launching Ten-75, Talbert cut his teeth working for his cousin’s Douglas, Michigan business, Saugatuck Brewing. In stepping into Weir’s boots, he replaces a brewer who was much beloved (including by Talbert) after creating award-winning beers of all ilks during his nine-year tenure. That reputation has helped the aforementioned Weir Beer Co., which opened last October in the former home of Helia Brewing, become a runaway hit from the jump.
Rincon Reservation Road Brewery is located at Harrah’s Southern California Resort at 777 South Resort Drive in Valley Center, and Dos Desperados Brewery is located at 1241 Linda Vista Drive in San Marcos