North San Diego Trip: Pizza Port Carlsbad, Belching Beaver, Aztec Brewing

Just a quick trip down to San Diego County with some friends on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago.

We started off at Pizza Port - Carlsbad because we know that they always have a great selection of beer, awesome pizza, and a relaxed atmosphere (although it was really crowded). The Grapefruit Puncher was probably my favorite. Instead of the grapefruit coming from the hops, it tasted like they used real grapefruit juice. My other favorite was the Schanerberry (Belgian blond with passion fruit & blackberries). For pizza we knocked out a large Lahaina (Canadian bacon, pineapple, green bell peppers & onions).


While eating, we took a look at the Pacific Beer Map and noticed that there were about 5 breweries within a mile or so of each other in an industrial area just a few miles inland in Vista, CA. So we headed out for a little adventure...

First stop was Belching Beaver. I suppose we couldn't resist the name! They have a nice little set up going on there with the brewery in view in the back and a tasting counter and tables in the front. Outside they had a food vendor cooking up so good smelling snacks.

We went ahead and tried samplers of all 11 beers they had on tap that night. We liked the Saison de Beaver, Me So Honey (honey wheat), and the Peanut Butter Milk Stout was also interesting. After enjoying the tasters, picking up a few souvenirs, and posing for some pictures with the comical beaver art... we were off.






The next closest place we saw on our map was Indian Joe Brewing. We were excited to try the place because you could see the flashing LED open sign from way down the street. Sadly though we were met head on at the front door at 8:57 pm where we were told that they were closed. The half way open front door was pulled out of our hands and then the lady walked over and turned off the open sign. It actually worked out well though because.....


Right down the street was Aztec Brewing. We didn't realize it, but it was their 2nd Anniversary party and the place was busy. They had live music and food for the party. I saw a flyer that said they were selling tickets for the event, but I guess they just let us in because it was getting later in the evening.

We went for a taster of all 12 of their beers on tap (there was a lager that wasn't on the tasting menu). They were all nice beers and did a great job of showcasing different malt profiles. I'm not a big coffee fan at all, but surprisingly on of my favorites was the Coffee Blond. We also liked the Sacrifice Red IPA and the Poco Gigante IPA.

Too much fun for one night. Hopefully we will get a chance to make it back down to San Diego County soon. It seems like new breweries pop up faster that I can visit them. I will accept the challenge though!