While Jordan Hoffart was at the height of his professional skateboarding career, he was pursuing a second, much different interest: homebrewing. At the time, it was purely recreational. He had no idea that hobby or his ritualistic weekly bottle-shares with one of his beer buds would form the foundation of a second career and the birth of what has become one of North County’s most popular brewing companies. But as one door began its eventual swing toward the shut position, he saw an opportunity and set forth on the preemptive path which would birth Black Plague Brewing.
“Injuries were stacking up and my wife was pregnant with our second child. I wanted to transition into something that I was passionate about while also not being solely dependent on my body’s ability to perform at the highest level,” says Hoffart. “My good friend and now business partner, Jarred Doss, was working as a manager at Sony Entertainment at the time, which was a great career financially, but it didn’t scratch his creative and entrepreneurial itch. So, during one of our Sunday bottle-shares, we played around with the idea of starting a craft brewery. One beer led to another ‘crazy idea’, and here we are celebrating the six-year anniversary of Black Plague.”
Over the past six years, Black Plague has made a name for itself behind largely hoppy and refreshing beer styles and a motif blending street style and skate culture with the dark ages and elements of the macabre. Accolades, an energized fan base and an increased presence at retail through a partnership with Karl Strauss Distributing have kept the Oceanside-based company healthy and growing even during the pandemic years. Last September, Black Plague was able to open a second tasting room in downtown Escondido. That venue, the “Purgatory Lounge”, has been such a success that Hoffart and Doss are actively working to open another satellite spot.
There’s plenty for Black Plague to celebrate, so that’s just what the company plans to do. On Saturday, June 10, it will commandeer the outdoor space at its Oceanside headquarters to hold a full-scale anniversary festival featuring guest breweries pouring their beers to supplement a full board of Black Plague’s ales and lagers.
Since coming out of the COVID shutdowns it’s been quite a bizarre landscape, so we wanted to go big and bring everyone back together while involving all of the breweries and friends that we have done collaborations with or are slated to collaborate with this year. The synergy between all the brands is something we value greatly as all ships rise with the tide. Plus, this will be our first heavily promoted, major event since 2019, so we gotta go big!“
Jordan Hoffart, Co-founder, Black Plague Brewing
Due to space limitations, Black Plague couldn’t invite all 20 or so collaborators on their wish list, but Hoffart says he plans to include those that aren’t involved this year to their anniversary festivities in 2024. This year’s guest breweries are Abnormal Beer Co., Artifex Brewing, Ballast Point Brewing, Belching Beaver Brewery, Booze Brothers Brewing, Craft Coast Beer & Tacos, Embolden Beer Co., Eppig Brewing, Fall Brewing, Harland Brewing, June Lake Brewing, Karl Strauss Brewing, Mason Ale Works and South O Brewing. The majority of those operations will bring at least one seasonal, one-off or small-batch beer to pour at the event.
In addition to growth and collaboration, Hoffart is also celebrating those who have contributed their energy and creativity over the past six years. “There is an endless list of people who have contributed to making Black Plague a success that we owe our undying thanks to,” he says. “Our supportive wives and families, and our investors that believed in us when this was just an idea and a business plan. Our amazing brew team, which has dedicated their lives to finding ways to consistently better the quality and profiles of our beers while still being cognizant of the forever-increasing manufacturing costs. Our incredible taproom staff for consistently providing a five-star experience for all of our customers day-in and day-out. And, of course, all the customers that choose Black Plague tie and time again.”
Hoffart says quality taproom experiences and consistently positive encounters with Black Plague’s beers outside its venues have allowed the company to prosper. In addition to beer, he says Black Plague is in the business of building lasting, quality memories, and he hopes to create more for the company’s fans come June 10.
Black Plague’s anniversary event will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are available online. Admission includes unlimited five-ounce samples of beers, including an anniversary pilsner hopped with New Zealand varietals. Additionally, a tattoo bus will be onsite offering live tattoos (at an additional cost) and a DJ will set up inside the tasting room after the event when it reopens to the general public.
Black Plague Brewing’s headquarters is located at 2550 Jason Court in Oceanside