North County’s Belching Beaver Brewery has spent much of the past two years focused on a multi-pronged expansion that’s seen it open a headquarters and production facility in Oceanside, brewpub in Vista and tasting room in Ocean Beach. Now that those pieces are in place, the company is ready to shift its attention to a new slate of rather large undertakings.
The first of those initiatives is a brand refresh. The company will roll-out its new logo in March, but West Coaster has been granted a sneak-peek at it as well as packaging and advertisements the new design will grace. The new mark represents a paring down of the original beaver. Now his head carries the day surrounded by arched typography. Together, these elements provide a circular visual that should work for the brand from a utilitarian placement standpoint.
As far as packaging goes, 22- and 12-ounce bottles, plus the cardboard holders for the latter, give the beaver back a bit of body. Each beer-style features graphic elements pertaining to the liquid inside. The refresh is the work of Belching Beaver artist Tyler Soule. Owner Tom Vogel brought him on specifically for this job and told him to “have some fun”. It would appear he did just that.
Also having fun will be Peter Perrecone, the brewer in charge of Belching Beaver’s barrel-aged sour-beer program. Vogel says the company is adding fermentation capacity by installing a pair of 60-barrel oak foudres at its original brewery on Park Center Drive in Vista. If all goes as planned, Belching Beaver will release new sour ales on a monthly basis.
But that’s far from all. The company is also taking steps to get into both the spirits and cider business. Vogel has been pushing for the former for years, while the head of his brewpub, Thomas Peters, has wanted to experiment with the latter. The decision was made to explore both last year. Vogel expects the spirits to come on first, with vodka as its introductory product, followed by whiskey.
Liquor and cider production will take place at the original Vista brewery, which will be gutted and reconfigured. Much of this was motivated by Belching Beaver acquiring the space next-door to that venue. In addition to mechanical and storage upgrades, expect a redesigned, upgraded tasting room.