It was mid-2014 when I first reached out to the crew at Ebullition Brew Works after receiving a tip that the business was going in a space near a deli in San Marcos. They weren’t quite ready to talk. I remained persistent, but they stayed close-lipped over the past three years…and it’s probably good that they did. Plans for Ebullition shifted here and there, including a relocation to another municipality altogether. Today, Ebullition, which has been in soft-open mode since July, operates out of a business suite in Vista. An initial three-barrel system that would churn out just enough beer so ownership could open on the weekends has been replaced by a 10-barrel direct-fire model feeding into 10-barrel tanks. Yet, as much as the company has changed from a production standpoint, its thematic, approach and team remain the same.
The idea for Ebullition sprouted from co-founder Jesse Richardson’s discovery of craft beer and the joy of homebrewing. His wife took a job in the accounting department at Escondido’s Stone Brewing, allowing him exposure to world-class beer events as well as brands and styles of beer he had theretofore never heard of, much less experienced. He started down the rabbit hole and was soon brewing his own beer at home, to the point where he says he was “addicted.” This was just before the more intense stretch of the local boom that saw the number of brewhouses in the county rise sharply from roughly 40 to the 150-plus of today. A lot has changed since Richardson and a group of his colleagues decided to ditch the corporate world to give their brewing-industry dreams a go. Richardson and company admit they went a lot bigger than they originally expected, but so much changed from conceptualization to execution that they feel adjusting their business plan was necessary. Going big out of the gate was necessitated by the plethora of breweries in North County built to do just that, such as Mother Earth Brew Co. and Booze Brothers Brewing Company. Like those operations, the Ebullition team selected Vista in large part because of how welcoming and supportive local government is to breweries, and the fact they understand the positive impact breweries have on their City’s economy.
Beer-making is the domain of brewmaster Mike Reidy, a former teacher, certified beer judge and award-winning homebrewer of more than two decades. His goal is to focus on brewing clean, true-to-style ales and lagers, and eventually push boundaries with less familiar styles and modern-day creations such as Northeast-inspired India pale ales (IPAs). His first, simply dubbed Hazy IPA, is currently available and the best of a sextet of Ebullition beers I sampled during a recent visit. Aromas of gooseberries and grapefruit give way to a burst of citrus rind and a finish that’s wheaty, bitter and a touch peppery. Another favorite of mine was The General, a stout brewed with coffee that starts out Starbucks and ends out like a mouthful of Ghirardelli milk chocolate. Also impressive is a saison called Gidget with bright lemon and orange character. It’s rounder than it is dry, but brewed within style guidelines and plenty enjoyable. On the fun anomaly front, Deli Rye Pilsner takes one of today’s hottest styles in a different direction with the addition of moderately spicy rye. Nuances of banana make it taste a bit like a hefeweizen, making for a completely unique tasting experience.
IBU (international bittering unit) measures are presented down to the hundredth. Originally, that count was listed as EBU (ebullition bittering units), but it was too difficult for customers to wrap their heads around, so they changed it. But they’re sticking with Ebullition as an overriding theme. The team stumbled upon the term in an old encyclopedia. It refers to both the boiling of wort (unfermented beer) and hops as well as sudden, intense passion…like that of someone who would become so enamored with brewing they would change their entire life to chase that interest. Richardson and his partners hope patrons will celebrate ebullition-inspiring pursuits, realizing not everybody draws the intense feelings they do from beer. Numerous hobbies and interests are illustrated via murals on the walls of Ebullition’s tasting room, which is also equipped with scads of games and activities spanning far beyond those of the average sampling venue.
And though they love beer, Ebullition’s owners aren’t limiting their ebullition to ales and lagers. They purposely chose to refer to their business as “Brew Works” to leave the door open for delving into mead, cold-brew coffee, kombucha and other brewed beverages. But for now, Ebullition is focusing its energy on a long-time coming grand-opening celebration. That fete will take place over two weekends and kick off this Saturday, October 14 with a day packed full of promotional activities such as a brewer Q&A, brewery tour, live music and more, followed Saturday, October 21 by “Dia de Ebullition”, featuring a Mexican-inspired beer release, art show, face-painting and a live performance by The Sleepwalkers.