Since its ownership restructuring and the installation of veteran management in 2021, one of San Diego’s most staid brewing companies has joined the mover-and-shaker sect. That operation is 18-year-old Mission Brewing.
Originally established in 1913, then revived in the modern day in 2007 and sited in a historic red-brick former Wonder Bread factory near Petco Park four years later, the business is a fixture in the East Village. But under current CEO Dan Partelow, Mission has looked to expand operations and its reach to locals, first opening a satellite tasting room in the former home of Kensington Brewing in the neighborhood of the same name in 2023, before purchasing Rough Draft Brewing last June. The latter included that 12-year-old company’s headquarters as well as taprooms at the open-air Brewers Deck atop Del Mar Highland Ranch’s SkyDeck and inside the Mesa Nueva student-housing complex at University of California, San Diego. Those satellites were activated mere days after the acquisition. Eight months later, Mission is readying to debut the tasting room at its Miramar HQ on Friday, February 28.
The new public area takes up 1,000 of the facility’s 6,000-square feet, with a front patio providing additional space. The rest is dedicated to production and office space, as the company has fully transitioned from its original location, save for its East Village tasting room, which remains fully open along with its upstairs private-event space. In renovating Rough Draft’s hospitality space, Mission’s management made sure to pay homage to that spot as well as the business’ other locations.
“When you walk in, you’ll notice a large mural with our name in front of a nautical San Diego landscape,” says Mission Director of Taproom Operations Eric Sipe. “Another nice design element is the brick facade we’ve applied to the cooler to tie us back to our original historic brick building’s history. We also have similar cozy leather-booth seating that relates to our other taprooms.”
With 24 total taps, Mission now has increased ability to produce small-batch, experimental and R&D batches of beer at its new HQ. Those creations will rotate through all of the company’s taprooms. When asked if Mission is interested in opening any other locations, Sipe says they are always on the lookout for new potential sites as long as the right opportunity presents itself.
Following the February 28 opening, the Miramar tasting room will be open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. Sipe says to expect daily specials geared toward the area’s traffic-hour crowd, followed by the rollout of events similar to those held at Mission’s other venues, including trivia nights and comedy shows
Mission Brewing is located at 8830 Recho Road, Suite D in Miramar