Portrait of a Brewer: Blake Masoner, Craft Coast Brewing

There are hundreds of talented brewing professionals giving their all to help maintain the San Diego beer industry’s storied reputation. While these industrious practitioners share numerous similarities, each is their own unique person with individual likes, dislikes, methodologies, techniques, inspirations, interests and philosophies. The goal of San Diego Beer News’ Portrait of a Brewer series is to not only introduce readers to local brewers, but dig in to help them gain a deeper appreciation for the people making their beer and how they have contributed to the county’s standout craft-brewing culture.

Today’s featured brewer is…

Blake Masoner
of Craft Coast Brewing

What is your current title?
Co-owner & Head Brewer

Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in the 760 – North County San Diego! I grew up and went to school in Vista, and I have lived in Leaucadia and Oceanside as an adult.

What was the first beer and/or alcoholic beverage you ever had?
My first beer was probably a sip of Coors Light from my dad or grandpa. Once I got a little older, the first time I got drunk was on a few King Cobra 32-ouncers that my buddy bought with his fake ID. That was intense…haha!

What was your a-ha moment that turned you on to craft beer?
A few of my friends and I liked drinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Torpedo IPA, Stone Pale Ale (the original red label) and Arrogant Bastard Ale well before we were 21. (Sorry, Mom!) I liked the taste. They were different and aggressive, and would get the job done much quicker than a bunch of light beers. Being from Vista, a bunch of breweries started to open right as I was turning 21, and I thought it was so rad that you could chill in a brewery and drink fresh beer right there in your neighborhood. 

What led you to consider a career in brewing?
My parents bought me a homebrew kit and let me brew in the granny flat downstairs. I really liked it! It was actually pretty good beer and everyone who tried it liked it, so it started getting my gears turning. I was going to school at Cal State San Marcos for business after college football didn’t work out when I had the “I want to own my own brewery someday” desire. A few people offered to help me start one but I wanted to learn first and dial in my profession, so I pursued that. Once I got a job in a brewery I knew I was hooked and eventually quit going to school to dedicate myself to a full-time brewing career. 

What was your first brewing/brewery position?
I applied for a bunch of jobs at various places and offered to intern or volunteer at a few local breweries, but none of them would take me up on it. I got hired at Pizza Port in Bressi Ranch as a barback (I was already working as a server at a restaurant) and took whatever position they had available, knowing I wanted to work my way into the back as quickly as possible. One Friday after a barback shift where I was training Will Cleary (who now brews for me at Craft Coast) on his first day, they pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to move to the brewery to be the new keg washer starting that Monday. I took it and the rest is history.

What breweries have you worked for over your career and in what roles?
I started my career at Pizza Port and legitimately have done every position and role that they had to offer. I started as a stocker/barback/pizza maker, then moved into the brewery where I washed kegs and put together distribution orders and cleaned the place up. I eventually got moved into the cellar and canning line, worked my way up to brewer, then to lead cellarmen, and ultimately head brewer at the production facility. I brewed a few short stints at Pizza Port Solana Beach to help out when their brewer was on vacation and that was always super fun. After I put in my notice that I was leaving to start my own gig, I bartended upstairs at Bressi Ranch and at Burgeon Beer Co. in Carlsbad to stay busy. During COVID, Thomas Peters from Belching Beaver Brewery called me and said he needed a brewer at their tavern brewpub, so I worked there and brewed in exchange for food, beer and experience so I could keep my EDD…haha. I learned a lot at Belching Beaver’s tavern, and it was perfect because it was equipped with a 10-barrel Premier Stainless pub system, which is exactly what I was installing at my business in Oceanside, so I got to learn the pub life before opening up Craft Coast.

Who have been the individuals that have helped you the most to learn and advance in your career, and how?
This is going to be insane but it’s extremely important to me to give credit where credit’s due! First and foremost, my parents and family for allowing me to pursue a career in brewing and for supporting every move I’ve made. I couldn’t have done it without them. My friends and business partners, Brian Gillen and Lars Erickson, for building a company with me and letting me do my thing. The entire crew at Pizza Port for taking a chance on me, allowing me to grow and develop as a brewer, and continuing to support my own endeavor. Vince and Gina Marsaglia for creating a rad company that turns out amazing brewers. Sean Farrell, Nacho Cervantes, Dr. Ann Spevacek, and all the brewers I started with for taking me under their guidance and teaching me how to brew world-class beer. Jilly Olesh for not only becoming a close friend but for getting me involved in the industry early, and showing me the importance of networking and meeting like-minded craft-beer professionals. Will Cleary and Adam Morasse for understanding the assignment and brewing world-class beer while being great friends. Johnny Johur for teaching me and my brother-in-law how to homebrew, eventually becoming a close friend and mentor. Scotty Hargrave from Balter Brewing for sharing an immense amount of knowledge in both brewing and life, and for inviting me into the Balter family as their “honorary Aussie”. Anthony Tallman, Derek Van Leeuwen and Matt Zirpolo from Burgeon for helping me out in every aspect from brewing to business plans to washing my kegs for me when we couldn’t yet afford a keg washer. Mike Stevenson and Ben Fairweather from Culver Beer Co. for helping us with our business plan and giving us advice on opening a brewery. Dave and Donny Firth from Booze Brothers Brewing for showing me how to run a legit business while having fun. Thomas, Troy Smith and Tom Vogel from Belching Beaver for letting me work at the tavern and learn the system, and for helping Craft Coast early on in every aspect. Mike Aubuchon (formerly head brewer at Pizza Port Carlsbad, now the owner of Koakai Brewing) for the advice, constructive criticism and friendship that we established. Because of him I met some amazing brewers, all of whom have taught me so much and supported me the entire time. Mike Hunsaker from Grains of Wrath Brewing, Jake Gardner and Alex Bakken from Westbound & Down Brewing, Phil Joyce from Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Brian “Hutch” Hutchinson at Cannonball Creek Brewing, and the whole crew at Comrade Brewing. Without those people making amazing beer I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today. Also, Doug for teaching me how awesome dry yeast is and that lagers are in fact cool! I learned a ton early on at the brewer’s seminars that were part of Modern Times’ Festival of Dankness and Carnival of Caffeination. Anothey Chen at AleSmith Brewing taught me how to analyze beer and look at beer from a judge’s perspective at his Beer Judge Certification Program classes. All the brewers and breweries I’ve collaborated with at any point in my career I learned an immense amount from. Anyone who I worked with, I learned from and I’m thankful for most of them. Terry Little and Jim Wiggins from RahrBSG have always been insanely supportive. Luke Edward, Blaze Ruud and the entire team and Yakima Chief Hops for getting me dialed in with the best hops. Alan Sheppard from Premier for teaching me how to build two breweries and work on all my own shit! All of our investors for believing in our vision and trusting the process…I’ll be forever grateful! Anyone not mentioned, you know who you are and that you’re important to me!

What singular piece of advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a professional brewer?
Be passionate about the industry! Know what you’re getting into and how much hard work it takes. Historically, the pay is small early on but possibilities are endless if you truly give a shit. 

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve?
I have basically achieved everything I’ve ever hoped for: a career as a brewer, opening my own business, winning national and international awards for my beers. I’m so grateful. Someday I would love to author a book about brewing in some aspect. I appreciate history and I hope that someday a beer or some of the beers I’ve created stand the test of time.

What is your favorite beer you’ve ever brewed, be it on a professional or amateur level?
Our most popular beer at Craft Coast since day one is our Mexican lager, Agua Baja. From the first brew until now, the recipe hasn’t changed and it hasn’t needed to. I didn’t come from a background of lager brewing and, quite frankly, I barely drank any lagers, so it was important to do my research, talk to respected lager brewers and refine my craft. That allowed me the ability to brew the beer that our customers and fellow brewers love. A close second would be the current rendition of XPA (extra pale ale).

What is your least-favorite beer you’ve ever brewed on any level?
A whole bunch of them unfortunately…haha! But there’s one that stands out among the rest. I thought it would be cool to brew a tiki-inspired sour ale, and add in toasted coconut and blue spirulina. It was awful. I think it was called Sneaky Tiki or something like that. Either way, it was trash and I’m ashamed that I created such an atrocious beverage. 

What are your favorite and least-favorite hop varietals at present?
My favorite is no secret: Mosaic! I also love Simcoe, Strata and Krush. Unpopular opinion: my least favorite hop is Nelson. 

What are some of your favorite brewing ingredients that aren’t hops?
Everything we put into beer is important, but I think yeast is extremely important, and the way it’s used and handled can make or break a well-brewed beer. A clean and sanitary brewery is the home to healthy yeast, and that’s my favorite thing.

If you weren’t a brewer, what do you think you would do for a living?
I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I’d probably have started some kind of business. I also wanted to follow in my great grandpa’s footsteps and become a firefighter, so maybe that. I also love to cook, so maybe a chef or restaurateur. 

In your opinion, what non-brewing position is of great importance at a craft-beer company but often gets overlooked or less credit than those making the beer?
Bartenders and servers. Without a friendly person selling and pushing our beer, we’d have no job.

What is your favorite beer style?
West Coast IPA and macro-lagers from around the world.

If you could wipe one style of beer off the face of the earth, what would it be?
Unpopular opinion #2: West Coast Pilsner, hoppy lager or whatever you want to call them. I don’t like them.

What single brewing company’s beers and/or ethos/style has been most influential on your style?
I should say Pizza Port…haha. Balter Brewing from Australia makes some of the cleanest, most sessionable beers I’ve ever had. Their XPA is my desert-island beer. Their founder and head brewer Scotty has a wealth of knowledge, and his commitment to brewing the best beer using fine-tuned techniques propelled them to a massive scale, eventually being purchased by Asahi Beverages. They were actually able to retire, which is unheard of in this industry! Their beers, branding and personnel are all exceptional.

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company?
Depends on when you’re asking me. I love a visit to Mcilhenney Brewing after a good day dirt-biking at McCain Valley or Corral Canyon. North Park Beer Co. anytime I’m down south, and Burgeon every other day of the week.

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego?
I love me some fresh West Coast IPA at Alvarado Street Brewery in Monterrey, Grains of Wrath in the Pacific Northwest, Westbound & Down and Cannonball Creek in Denver, and lagers at Bierstadt and Pfriem Family Brewers.

What three breweries that you haven’t yet visited—local or elsewhere—are on your current must-see bucket list?
I would love to see some of the large macrobreweries in action, and drink some fresh Pabst and Hamms. I also want to visit Russian River Brewing and Pinthouse Brewing.

What are your favorite local beer events?
Burgeon’s Anniversary Invitational is so rad. So many friends from outside of San Diego come in for it and it’s always a good time.

If you were to leave San Diego, where would be the next-best place you’d want to brew?
Somewhere on the coast of Baja.

Which musical genre or artists are on your brew-day soundtrack/playlist?
If you ask anyone I’ve ever worked with they’d definitely say Men at Work, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Lots of reggae, ‘90s rock, Queens of the Stone Age, ‘80s, and to get the blood flowing, any classic metal band: Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, System of a Down, Tool.

What motto rules the way you brew and approach brewing in a professional brewhouse?
Do your research, figure out what other people who are more successful than you are doing, develop a strategy to compete and create your own identity. Too many people try to imitate. In this industry, originality is the key to separating yourself from the rest. Never stop learning!

What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments?
Building out a brewpub and opening a business smack dab in the middle of fucking COVID and grinding it out. We were completely out of money and behind schedule. All we could do was get creative and get open. Once we got open, it was time to pivot and learn how to run a business, navigate through the regulations of COVID, and hire and train a staff, little by little. I think I worked everyday for almost two years straight. We stuck to our gameplan and, in my eyes, we came out successful in many ways. Here we are five years in and on the heels of opening our third location, with more on the horizon. Our beers have accumulated multiple Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup awards, our food has won competitions and is loved by all, and our team has grown to nearly 50 employees. I’m very proud to say that we’ve created a place that provides for our employees and their livelihoods. We took the risk, got out of our comfort zone and made it happen. 

What are you proud of having achieved in your personal life?
Not dying yet…I’ve come close…haha!

When you’re not at work, what do you like to do for fun?
I love riding dirt bikes and watching motocross racing. I try to camp as much as possible. When it’s nice out, I’m at the beach pretty much every day. Hanging out with family and friends. I love to play sports and basically do anything outdoors. Taking my pup on beach walks. I’ve been in bands and love playing music. Life’s short, so I always try to stay busy!

Where do you like to drink off-the-clock?
I’m stoked to have Green Cheek Beer Co. in the neighborhood and bummed that Bottlecraft closed. That was my go-to. The Regal Seagull when I’m in the Leu, and anywhere that makes a good espresso martini.

What is your favorite beer-and-food pairing of all time?
Beer and tacos are a timeless classic!

If you could somehow plan your last beer dinner before dying, what would you drink and eat, and who would you invite to join you?
It might be a terrible pairing but it’s my pairing: I’d have an unlimited Panda Express buffet and a world-class bartender shaking up fresh espresso martinis. There would be an absurd amount of beers from all of my favorite breweries around the world. Alanis Morissette would perform an acoustic set while we ate and Queens of the Stone Age would play the after-party until my last dying breath. I’d be surrounded by family and friends. My dog Ranger would have the rarest and most expensive Japanese Wagyu money could buy. It would be such an insane party that nobody would even remember I was dying.

Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question)?
I’m not perfect, but I try my best to be a good person, a good friend and a good partner. I’m here for a good time, not a long time!\

If you’re a brewer at a San Diego brewing company and would like to be featured in our Portrait of a Brewer series, drop us a line at [email protected].