It’s been eight years since Artifex Brewing opened in a San Clemente industrial complex. Despite being 25 miles away in Orange County, the company has made a reputable name for itself among San Diego County beer-drinkers. Artifex beers are distributed to San Diego accounts, Head Brewer Johnny Johur regularly collaborates with local breweries, and all the company’s owners live in coastal North County.
It’s quite a presence, but Johur and co-founders Tom and Nicholas Cordato have wanted to take it to the next level by opening an Artifex venue in San Diego County for some time. In 2021, they signed on to be part of a new-construction collective in South Oceanside and have spent the better part of the past two years on the project. The process has been fraught with distractions and delays, but the trio is happy to report that the new space may open to the public as soon as this weekend.
Located in the easternmost of two buildings making up the art-deco Freeman Collective on the corner of Vista Way and South Freeman Street, Artifex’s taproom comes in at 1,200 square feet and features an L-shaped bar equipped with two dozen taps plus a bank of tables along the opposite wall. A roll-up garage door gives way to an outdoor patio with an additional 400-square-foot of space.
The majority of Artifex’s liquid assets skew hoppy, but are augmented by lighter fare including Artifex’s Great American Beer Festival bronze-garnering Artifexican Mexican-style lager as well as dark beers like two-time World Beer Cup medal-winning HoliDAVE imperial stout. The latter is named for former Mother Earth Brew Co. and The Lost Abbey front-of-house staffer David Dixon, who has come aboard to manage Artifex’s Oceanside tasting room. Dixon is but one member of the San Diego brewing industry that Artifex’s owners have deep ties to.
Tom Cordato says when he and his partners were starting out, several individuals at established brewing companies welcomed them into the fold, answered their questions and did everything in their power to help ease their entrance into the industry. Among them were brewery owners Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey, Ron Chapman of Coronado Brewing, Dan Love of Mother Earth, and Jeff and Dande Bagby from Bagby Beer Co.
The Bagbys were in the process of constructing their sprawling brewpub on Oceanside’s stretch of Coast Highway at the same time that Artifex was getting up and running in San Clemente. In addition to being able to relate—and even commiserate—with one another, Johur had come up under Bagby when the pair worked for local brewpub chain Pizza Port. It’s a longstanding relationship Artifex is looking to celebrate care of an Italian-style pilsner called Forza O-side, which Johur brewed with Bagby to tap at the new venue.
“We were really stoked to do that collab with Jeff. He and Dande are near and dear to our hearts,” says Tom. “I can’t say enough good things about all the people who have been so warm and endearing to us throughout the years. When I need something, I call them, and they pick up. They’ve become our close friends.”
Johur worked with friends and colleagues to brew three other collaboration beers for the Oceanside taproom’s opening. One is a Mosaic- and Citra-hopped cold IPA called Chillveza, which was brewed with Oceanside brewpub Craft Coast Beer & Tacos. That business is owned by brewer Blake Masoner, another in Johur’s network of Pizza Port alums. Collabs with two other Oceanside operations, Black Plague Brewing and South O Brewing, are also in the works.
In addition to beer, Artifex will offer food from their next-door neighbors at Corner Pizza. Their menu includes pizzas, salads, meatballs and gelato.
Cordato hopes to have Artifex’s Oceanside tasting room open to the public no later than Friday, June 2, and says the best way to keep up on its debut is by following the company’s social-media platforms.
Artifex Brewing’s tasting room is located at 1940 South Freeman Street, Suite 102, in Oceanside