Last month, the owners of 10-year-old Rip Current Brewing announced that they had sold their San Marcos brewery to Oceanside interest, Craft Coast Beer & Tacos. Co-founder Paul Sangster and his team have since turned over the keys to Rip Current’s production facility to its new owners, who are in the process of updating the spot to meet their needs, adding a kitchen component that will support its existing locations as well as future satellite venues.
In announcing the sale, Sangster added that Rip Current’s satellite tasting room on North Park’s 30th Street thoroughfare would also be closing by year’s end. However, the company recently took to social media to share that its North Park location would remain open through January. The reasons for the change in plans have not been disclosed, but the taproom’s last day of business is now scheduled for Saturday, January 27.
This will provide fans of the award-winning business – which was named Very Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015 – more time to partake of a tap list that is still flush with rare barrel-aged beers from Rip Current’s archives. Those last-chance offerings include:
- 2023 Reserve Cuvee #2: A blend of Rescue Buoy imperial stout aged in Blanton’s and Weller bourbon barrels, Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel-aged End of the World imperial stout and Four Roses bourbon barrel-aged Riding Giants imperial stout
- 2023 Rescue Buoy Grand Cru: A blend of Rescue Buoy aged in Blanton’s, Heaven Hill and Four Roses bourbon barrels plus Blanton’s bourbon barrel-aged End of the World
- 2023 Rye Rescue Buoy: Rescue Buoy aged in Templeton Rye whiskey barrels for four-and-a-half years
- 2023 No Hope for Rescue: A double imperial stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels for nearly four years
- 2020 Rescue Buoy: Aged Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for over two years
- 2019 Black Lagoon: Scottish strong ale aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for over three-and-a-half years
- 2019 Down the Line: Barleywine aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for more than two years
- 2018 Reserve Cuvee #1: A blend of double imperial stout, old ale, Scotch ale and wheatwine
While Rip Current’s lifespan has been extended, a Grantville combo brewery and coffee-roasting operation’s days are numbered. One Season Brewing, a three-year-old nanobrewery installed at TRVLR Coffee Roasters, will close in the coming days according to owner and original brewer Dan Romeo.
Launched in 2021 during the initial thawing of the COVID-19 pandemic, One Season aimed to celebrate San Diego’s 365 days of sunny, recreation-ready weather. Its beers were geared to be easy-drinking, sessionable ales and lagers perfect for enjoying after a day spent hiking, biking or surfing. Visitors to Romeo’s industrial park haven, “The Roastarito”, reacted favorably to their java joint introducing beer, accomplishing the intended mission of making the business more of an all-day hangout than a mostly-mornings spot.
One Season was enough of a hit that Romeo did away with an on-site retail operation selling one-wheels, longboards and bicycles so he could expand his brewing capabilities and bring on a head brewer to increase production and the number of beers on tap. He was also planning to retire the TRVLR brand and bring his coffee business under One Season’s umbrella. Unfortunately, despite having a solid year in terms of sales, debt that mounted during the pandemic became unsurmountable.
“At the end of the day the pandemic did us in,” said Romeo in an official announcement to One Season’s email subscribers. “We would never have made it this far without your support. I am grateful beyond words for each and everyone [sic] of you. From the start this has been about community. It’s been a grassroots effort. Thank you for making it possible.”
Despite being forced to close the business, Romeo hasn’t ruled out a comeback. So, the San Diego sun may not be permanently setting on One Season. A firm closing date has yet to be announced, but until that comes the business will remain open Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rip Current Brewing is located at 4101 30th Street in North Park; One Season Brewing is located at 5839 Mission Gorge Road in Grantville