It’s commonplace in San Diego to walk into a brewery tasting room and find multiple India pale ales augmented by little more than a wheat beer and stout. Hoppy beers are the money-makers, after all. In 2016, IPAs accounted for 76.4% of total sales at grocery and convenience stores (according to scan data compiled by market-research company IRI). It makes sense that brewing companies lead with IPAs and stay mostly within the box where non-hoppy stock is concerned, which makes it all the more admirable when brewers dare to buck convention and instead follow their personal tastes and passions. I recently visited such an interest, Battlemage Brewing (2870 Scott Street, #102, Vista), where the beer menu looked like something from an entirely different realm…thanks only in part to the fact the place is essentially an RPG game room replete in fantasy regalia.
Established by gaming enthusiasts (who also brewed at Ballast Point Brewing before opening their own venture), Battlemage is the perfect setting for your next D&D session, but the real otherworldliness comes from a list of libations unlike any in the county. While there are two IPAs, standard and hazy (of course), and an extra pale ale that’s Northeastern in composition (gotta pay them bills), Battlemage also offers a dark mild, old ale, hoppy amber, coffee milk stout and two versions of a white ale (neither of which is a white ale) and even a beer that lists three question marks as its style descriptor. That’s as exotic as an aasimar druid decked out in a suit of armor. And it makes for an enjoyable day of drinking for someone who appreciates all styles versus merely those which are popular, particularly because many of Battlemage’s offerings are rather well crafted.
The aforementioned Divine Light white ale is a blonde ale and lager hybrid that’s well-attenuated and easy to drink. Those qualities help a version of that beer infused with blackberries and coffee show off its added ingredients, but honestly, the base beer is more enjoyable on its own. Muradin’s Mild is complex in its overall profile, with fruity and bready notes as well as low-grade, coffee-like roastiness. The Beer is Dark and Full of Caffeine (a contender for Best Beer Name) coffee milk stout is smooth with notes of nutty java and cola. And the hoppy amber ale, Summon Ifrit, presents big evergreen notes against a super-dry, biscuity canvas.
For all of my excitement over finding rarer styles, I have to admit that the hazy Chaotic Evil extra pale ale and non-murky Hopdouken IPA were two of my favorites from Battlemage. The former was reminiscent of orangeade with muted bitterness and only slightly bumped-up viscosity, while the IPA was super-clean with a mimosa-like character. My other top-scoring beer of the day couldn’t have been more different. It was Hooded Assassin, an English-style old ale that, though young and coming in at a whopping 10% alcohol-by-volume, was extremely drinkable, coming across with notes of red fruit, vanilla and banana, plus a touch of peppery spice in the finish. Hopefully they’re sitting on a keg or two of this gentle giant for unearthing at a later date.
You don’t have to be into role-playing games to enjoy Battlemage. Admittedly, it helps, but the beer is both good and very affordable (tasters are $1.50 or you can get get a flight of five for just $5), plus there’s a separate room with a Foosball table. Bottom line, you needn’t be a level 20 paladin to appreciate this new North County brewery.