Belching Beaver Brewery

Celebrating its second year anniversary, Belching Beaver is quickly making a name for themselves and is definitely one of the upcoming breweries in North County to watch. They’ve been on the move getting their brews in a lot of places such as Jerry’s Dogs in Carlsbad and Solterra Winery in Leucadia. Their beer selections range from pale ale to stout. No doubt, they have some of the best tasting stout around and stout is a great choice during the colder holiday season. A few of our favorites are their Peanut Butter Milk Stout, Pumpkin Spice Milk Stout and our absolute favorite, their Beavers Milk – Milk Stout. The Beavers Milk is so smooth, silky, and creamy you can almost eat it with a spoon. Their newest will be a Horchata Imperial Stout and we can’t wait to try it! Vista tasting room is open six days a week and closed on Tuesdays. They have live music Sun, a DJ on Wed, and food trucks and caterers Wed-Sun. They will be partying New Year’s Eve with a midnight Beaver Drop! Belching Beaver is located at 980 Park Center Drive, “A” Vista, CA 92081. Call (760) 599-5832 or visit www.belchinbeaver.com. 

Aztec Brewing Company

Aztec is the complete package and includes, great tasting craft beer, awesome artistically designed labels, friendly service, and very happy beer loving customers. The owners of Aztec are reviving an old style brand and making a big impression with the quality of their locally crafted brews. You can find their beers throughout San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties. They strive to be as green and natural as possible and use the choicest malts and hops. Their Aztec pyramid logo, day of the dead-style label artwork, and absolutely delicious beer will burn an indelible impression in your fondest beer memories. Our favorites are their El Dorado Aztec Blonde Ale and Noche de los Muertos Imperial Stout. During the holidays they’ll be releasing "Soul Sacrifice" — a barrel aged Red IPA spiced with ghost chiles, jalapeños, cilantro and lime peel. Other winter brews include Cacao Chocolate Porter and Kitchen Sink Triple IPA. Every Thrs is Open Mic Night; Fri features live music. Aztec Brewery is open five days a week and closed on Mon and Tues. They will be open Christmas Eve and will have a party with live music NYE. They’re located at 2330 La Mirada Dr, #300, Vista, CA 92081. Call (800) 706-6324 or visit www.aztecbrewery.com.

Arcana Brewing

Arcana is more than happy to be a little off the beaten path and an oddity in the brewery world. Their logo and theme are a mishmash of Steampunk, sci-fi, Victorian-style whimsy, and throwback technology. Their name, Arcana, is loosely derived from the word Archaic, meaning old, mysterious and unusual. Their beer lineup ranges from a lighter 4.5% Honey Pale Ale to an 8% Headbasher Wheat IPA, to a Pumpkin Beer and Barley Wine. For a seasonal treat, we recommend trying their cider-like Newton’s Graff Apple Ale weighing in at 5% ABV. Getting closer to Christmas, they have a Something Pumpkin release and a happy holiday Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine, and a Dark Xmas Ale. Arcana recently celebrated their two-year anniversary in Carlsbad. Check their site for upcoming events. They are open four days a week and closed M-W and will be closed for Christmas and New Years. If you are looking for something different, delicious, fun, and unusual, then try Arcana! They are located at 5621 Palmer Way, “C” Carlsbad, CA 92010. Visit www.arcanabrewing.com. 

Indian Joe Brewing

The name Indian Joe comes from Max Moran’s great uncle with Native American heritage from both the Pala and San Luis Rey Tribes in North County. Max’s great-great grandfather tended the grape vines at San Luis Rey Mission and had a passion for brewing beer in the 1800s. His recipes were infused with local natural ingredients. Indian Joe Brewing opened its doors in 2012 and as their logo states, they are “Chief of Them All” when it comes to quality and taste. The beers are native owned and native grown and we guarantee that you will be back for more. Beers offered include a wide selection of Hefeweizen, American Indian IPA, Sours, Stouts, Pumpkin Ale, and their Indian Joe Rita. The Indian Joe Rita is a tangy margarita-style beer made with wheat, lemons, limes, tangerines and oranges. For cold winter days and nights try their delicious Milk Stout, Chocolate Hazelnut Porter, Cinnamon Apple Honey Wheat, Coconut Stout, and their amazing Double Chocolate Stout. They always have lively events, food trucks, and catering. They’re open five days a week and closed Monday and Tuesday and open Christmas Eve. Check their website for details. Indian Joes is located at 2379 La Mirada Drive, Vista, CA 92081. Check their website for a new location at www.indianjoebrewing.com or call (760) 295-3945.  

Beer Brewing Company

The name Beer Brewing Company may sound generic, but there’s really nothing generic about this place. It is a bit hidden; located in the back of two restaurants, Bull Taco and Wrench and Rodent on Highway 101 in Oceanside. Owned and operated by a local husband/wife tag team, they offer quality ales and home crafted beers, hand crafted right before your eyes in small batches. What is really cool is that they seem to have nothing to hide, so you are able to watch master brewer, Haven Harris, make his craft brews just a few feet away. Blink, and you may find that they suddenly ran out of your favorite IPA. But have no fear, because Haven is brewing new concoctions daily. Beer Brewing Company is one of the innovative breweries that is collaborating with, not one, but two, neighboring restaurants and has overcome the problem of restaurant permits. Stop in and have a fish taco at Bull Taco or a sushi roll at the Wrench and Rodent, then walk to the back and have a craft beer at Beer Brewing and sit outside on their wide open patio and enjoy! Live music happens and the patio is kid and dog friendly. Beer Brewing is open Thrs – Sun and is conveniently located at 1813 ½ South Coast Hwy 101, Oceanside, CA 92054 (behind Bull Taco).Visit www.beerbrew.com. 

On The Tracks Brewery

We love to tell you about local family-operated breweries and On the Tracks Brewery, located in Carlsbad, has a long family history in North County San Diego. Great grandpa made a living working on the railroad and hails from Oklahoma, and grandpa was born in a train car “on the tracks”. Both great grandpa and grandpa relocated to Carlsbad in the 1920s. After ten years of backbreaking hard labor on the tracks, great grandpa was given a ticket by the railroad to any place he wanted to go, and he chose Carlsbad. Today, their decedents, father and son, John and Greg own and operate On The Tracks Brewery and provide thirsty customers with great tasting handcrafted beers. They are a small craft brewery that shares their labor of love with locals and visitors. They brew ales, stouts, porters, and IPAs. Their English-style tap room has two flat screen TVs and Backgammon. Stop in and try a flight, a pint, or fill a growler. Check their website for special events. They are open daily and have live music on Saturdays. They are located at 5674 “G” El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92008 (near Faraday and El Camino Real). Call (760) 550-9688 or visit www.ottbrew.com.  

Barrel Harbor Brewing

At Barrel Harbor Brewing you will be pleased to discover new beers in the old world style. Founded by a group of craft beer lovers that wanted to bring something new to the San Diego beer scene, and a love of the European style of ales and lagers, their brew master draws from a decade of experience brewing in an old world style and delivers exceptionally crafted, traditional and seasonal European style brews. In addition to their India Pale Ales, they offer many beers that you will not easily find around town. They pride themselves on their Pilsner, brewed with traditional lager yeasts from Scandinavia and fermented at lagering temperatures; their Irish Red Ale (their most popular beer by far); and their Irish Dry Stout on Nitrogen. Their tasting room in Vista serves a wide variety of styles throughout the year, such as their American Sour also known as a Framboise, to a very tropical IPA brewed with 100% Mosaic hops. During the cooler weather you can enjoy special releases like their Gotlandsdricka, an ancient Viking Ale brewed using smoked malts and juniper, their winter Pumpkin Porter, or possibly their Thunderclap Barrel Aged Imperial Stout that stands at 12.5% ABV. Sail in to Barrel Harbor and enjoy complex, flavorful beers that are sure to satisfy. Their brewery and tasting room is located at 2575 Pioneer Ave, #104 Vista 92081. Call (760) 734-3949 or visit www.barrelharborbrewing.com. 

Oggi’s Vista –Sports-Brewhouse-Pizza

Oggi’s has officially opened its 18th location in Vista on S. Melrose Drive (near the Vista Courthouse).  Sports fans, football fans, craft beer aficionados, and pizza lovers are all enjoying the best things in life: football, pizza, and beer! Oggi’s has won more than 45 medals in the craft beer industry over the past 15 years with inventive microbrews ranging from IPAs to Barrel-Aged beers. The new Vista location features 10 Oggi’s craft beers on tap and well as 20 rotating favorites from local breweries. They also serve several domestic and imported bottled beers. Oggis is one of the most decorated in the world. They age select beers in custom American Oak Whiskey and Bourbon barrels. The oak truly enhances the flavor and aroma! Like all the others, the new Oggi’s in Vista is family-friendly. On any given day you’ll see local teams enjoying the sports atmosphere and, of course, their famous specialty pizzas made with fresh hand-tossed dough, the finest Mozzarella, and freshest ingredients. A couple of our favorites are their Triathlon and The Works. Other pizza specialties include The Heavy Weight, The Sports Fan, March Madness, and World Series. They have an amazing assortment of appetizers including their famous Oggi’s Stix. Other menu items include sandwiches, pasta, burgers, soups, salads, and desserts such as the Oggi’s Brownie. Clip their $5 and $10 OFF discount coupon from our Coupon Pages or download from our website. Holiday Party Catering and Gift Cards are available. They are open everyday! Oggi’s Vista is located at

425 S. Melrose Drive, Vista CA 92084. Call (760) 295-3500 or visit www.vista.oggis.com. 

San Marcos Brewery & Grill
One of the original breweries in North County, located in Old California Restaurant Row in San Marcos, San Marcos Brewery and Grill offers some of the finest handcrafted ales from their on-premise brewery along with delicious grilled steaks and burgers, pasta, seafood, sandwiches and salads. Appetizers include their classic and famous Hot Wings, Rattle Snake Shrimp, Calamari, and Fish Tacos.  The menu is plentiful and includes a kid’s menu. Some of their fine brews include: Pompous Imperial Brown Ale; German Amber; Golden Premium; Wild Honey Ale; Hefeweizen; and Double IPA. Their California Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout are distinctly similar to authentic cask English Ales because they are dispensed through traditional hand pumps. They also offer a variety of local guest tapped brews. Happy Hour is every day from 3-7pm and offers discounts on select ales and appetizers. Football games and bowl games are always on! The restaurant serves lunch from 11am, Sunday Brunch at 10:30am, and dinner is served from 4pm. The brewery also stays open later than most restaurants in Old Cal. They will be open Christmas Eve and closed Christmas Day.  The Brewery is open New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day, serving their regular menu along with their famous brunch menu. San Marcos Brewery is located at 1080 W. San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos 92078. Call (760) 471-0050 for Reservations, especially for larger groups and parties, or visit www.sanmarcosbrewery.com.