Many East County residents drove down Prospect Avenue over the past several months, spied the extensive Polynesian-inspired façade of Pacific Islander Beer Company’s (8665 Argent Street, Santee) facility and logically wondered if the business is open. But the brewery was actually quite far from being ready. Thanks to family and friends who were able to help ownership construct that structure while its other permitting was underway, the outdoor portion of the venue was completed months ahead of the interior, creating the illusion of an operative—and rather stylish—brewery. But it wasn’t until mid-June that the facility’s indoor-outdoor tasting room began its lengthy soft-open period.
When I first visited in July, the brewing equipment had yet to be delivered, yet PIB had beer on tap thanks to an agreement with their neighbors less than a mile down the road, Twisted Manzanita Ales and Spirits. Utilizing Twisted Manzanita’s system, PIB brewmaster Will Fox III has been able to keep enough beer on to keep customers coming back while his 10-barrel brewhouse makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean. That production apparatus will be used to fill a quartet of 20-barrel fermenters with an array of beers that are mostly sessionable and purposely include “transitional beers” built to help convert macro drinkers over to craft creations.
When PIB goes live for real (slated to occur in late-September or early-October), the opening beer line-up figures to include a red ale called Sunset, a chocolate stout, a brown ale and an 8.5% alcohol-by-volume double India pale ale (IPA) Fox says is citrusy, floral and will come in at 110 IBUs (international bittering units). And sometime after that, expect a brownie bite chocolate stout, Mosaic-hopped double IPA and macadamia nut imperial stout. According to Fox, no matter the style, patrons can expect full-bodied brews as he despises thin beers.
Fox first started drinking craft beer 20 years ago. When his infatuation with ales and lagers hit the point where he decided to give homebrewing a go in 2010, it was Lars Gilman, the head brewer at Oceanside’s Breakwater Brewing Company who took Fox under his wing and showed him the ropes. And a year-and-a-half ago, when Fox told him he was going to start brewing on a professional level for his family business, Gilman trained him on Breakwater’s seven-barrel system. It’s no wonder he proudly regards Gilman as his mentor.
When considering the environment for consumption of PIB’s beers, Fox and his uncle, Ku’uipo Lawler, wanted three things: to convey pride in the cultures of various Pacific Islander nations via the venue’s aesthetic, to have an outdoor area, and to create a place that was both social and relaxing. The physical embodiment of this wish list comes in the form of a tiki, reclaimed wood, steel and surfboard anointed, 800-square-foot tasting bar giving way to an 1,100-square-foot patio outfitted with synthetic grass, hand-made wooden furniture emblazoned with PIB’s branding and island-style fencing complete with tiki totems.
Back inside, there is a second-story private event space with its own set of taps. On one side, it offers windowed views of PIB’s brewhouse, while the other side will eventually feature a manufactured view of the beaches of Waienae, Hawaii. Reserving the room will require nothing more than the purchase of at least $100-worth of house beer. And that’s not the only bargain at PIB. Wednesdays are “growler days” where visitors can get a 64-ounce growler for $3.99 and all fills are 10% off everyday pricing. From the source is the only way to taste PIB beer at present, but by the end of the year, the business hopes to start canning in 16-ounce tallboys.