Belching Beaver rewards brewery vet

Belching Beaver, the “Dam Good Time” brewery based in Oceanside, has promoted Thomas Peters to Head of Production and Quality Manager. Peters had been serving as Quality Manager since August 2022. Peters, who joined the brewery as a keg washer and volunteer brewer in 2013, now oversees all beer production at the company’s Oceanside manufacturing facility as well as its pair of brewing facilities in Vista.

From 2014-17, Peters served as Head Brewer at Belching Beaver’s original Vista location, which now goes by the name Pub980. In 2017, he was promoted to Head Brewer at Vista’s Tavern & Grill brewpub until his appointment as Quality Manager last year. He is a two-time champion of the U.S. Alpha King Challenge, an annual brewing competition held in Denver during the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), which recognizes beers balancing massive hoppiness with drinkability. Peters’ struck Alpha King gold in 2014 for Pound Town triple IPA and again in 2017 for Thizz Is What It Is double IPA.

“It’s been quite the fulfilling journey since my Belching Beaver beginnings,” says Peters, who recently welcomed his first child, Vercin, with his wife Heather, who also works at the brewery. “I believe wholeheartedly in our beer, and I take so much pride in making sure we are always renewing the love we see from our fans while looking to capture new love from new fans.”

Peters also is a GABF gold- and silver-medal award-winner. In 2021, he won gold for Unfrozen Caveman Lager in the German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock category and silver for Jan Quadrupel Vincent 16 in the Belgian-style Strong Specialty Ale category. In 2020, he won a GABF silver medal for Fresh Hop Ride the Pine in the Fresh Hop Beer category.

“When Thomas and Heather became parents, I figured I had him where I wanted him and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,” says Belching Beaver founder and CEO Tom Vogel. “But on a serious note, after 10 years in the Belching Beaver family I couldn’t think of a more qualified and deserving candidate to uphold our standard of excellence going forward. No beer leaves our facilities without Thomas’ stamp of approval, and consumers will always remain accustomed to getting our very best product.”

Peters is a Torrey Pines High School and UC Riverside alum. In 2017, he worked with Deftones lead singer Chino Moreno to create Phantom Bride IPA, one of the brewery’s first core beers that was named after the Deftones song.

“Thomas started with us almost at the brewery’s inception as a volunteer brewer,” says Brewmaster Troy Smith. “He is truly obsessed with the science of brewing and it shows in his work and dedication to quality.”

“With Troy creating new brews and Thomas overseeing production and quality control, we are really excited for the rest of 2023 and beyond,” says Director of Marketing Haley Smith. “Belching Beaver will have some fun announcements soon as we look to push the edge on new styles.”