In May, the founders of Escondido Brewing announced that, after three years of operating the smallest brewery in San Diego County, they would be shuttering the business. Built into the exterior of Escondido Feed and Pet Supply, the literal side-interest pumped out tiny batches of beer, including award-winners, garnering a devoted following along the way. Meeting the demand of that clientele was challenging on a one-and-a-half-barrel system, but the mostly local crowd kept coming back to enjoy the business’ all-outdoor service area during its weekend-only hours.
Recently, Escondido Feed and Pet Supply owner Evan Smith was having a casual chat about his vacant brewery space with an associate of Carlsbad’s Burgeon Beer Co., who suggested that Burgeon would be their foremost choice to occupy the brewery and patio. Smith opined that it would make for a favorable scenario. When Burgeon’s ownership heard about the conversation, they got in touch with Smith. Fast forward to today, and a deal has been struck for Burgeon to acquire Escondido Brewing’s former facility. They will call that venue The Oasis and operate it as a pilot brewery and beer garden.
Though its indoor space comes in at just 300 square feet and is devoted solely to brewery and cold-storage space, it boasts an extensive patio area that’s been expanded over the years. Given current pandemic regulations, having such an abundance of outdoor space is a big positive. As one would expect, the nature-driven brewery, which features a living wall and a tree at the center of its Carlsbad tasting room, will put its own stamp on the Escondido Brewing space care of cedar and green elements.
Once operational, The Oasis will be open Wednesday through Sunday with a food truck on-site at all times to meet pandemic-driven requirements. Burgeon plans to extend its can and bottle releases to the new location in concert with its Carlsbad tasting room. Similarly, The Oasis’ 12-tap draft menu will feature both core and special-release beers mirroring offerings from the Carlsbad flagship brewery, as well as small-batch creations from the pilot brewery available exclusively in Escondido.
“We’re excited about being able to get creative with the pilot system to really experiment and push the boundaries,” says Burgeon Marketing Director Mackenzie Graham.
This isn’t the only expansion project Burgeon is engaged in. In January, the company announced it will be opening a 2,000-square-foot, kitchen-equipped satellite tasting room on Kettner Boulevard in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. Dubbed The Arbor, it has been greatly delayed due to COVID-19, but is currently on-track for a March 2021 debut.
Burgeon hopes to open The Oasis in late-November. In noting the optimism of that time frame, ownership says that even if the venue’s debut takes longer, it’ll likely only be early-December before they’re hosting Escondido residents on their patio, including some of their own.
“Our company has a lot of roots in the community, with many of our team members residing in Escondido or the surrounding areas,” says Graham. “The Oasis is a place that we’re really excited about. We’ve had quite the audience in Escondido for a long time and it’s exciting to be able to reach new people in the area.”
The Oasis will be located at 649 Rock Springs Road, Suite B, in Escondido