After less than a month, the group that took over Oceanside Ale Works (1800 Ord Way, Oceanside) have ceased operations. This leaves the building, which is owned by OAW co-founder Mark Purciel, without a tenant. Purciel shut down OAW operations in January after 11 years in business. He saw it as the best course of action while dealing with legal matters concerning the company and his co-founding partner.
At that time, he envisioned reopening the business once everything was squared away on the legal front. But by early March, Purciel changed his mind, handing over the OAW brand and leasing its tasting-room-equipped facility to Richard Bell and his fiancé Leah Dardis. That duo had originally planned to start a small-batch, Mexican-themed operation called Papi Chulo Brew Works, but abandoned that project in favor of the turnkey opportunity presented by OAW. Industry veteran Lance Jergensen was brought aboard as a partner to direct brewing operations, and OAW reopened on St. Patrick’s Day.
According to Purciel, on Tuesday of this week, OAW employee David Napier reported to work and found the administrative offices “cleaned out.” Later that day, Purciel received an email from Bell stating he would not continue with the business or his lease due to a “long list” of reasons, “involving multiple legal issues” and resultant “insurability issues.” That email communicated that a pair of OAW beer orders had been completed and final payroll would be paid out at the end of this week.
The presumed next phase of OAW ended as quickly and simply as it began. Purciel says he sold the brand for just $250. Even after doing so, he had hoped to rejoin the business in some capacity once he was able. With Bell’s team out of the picture, Purciel is open to inquiries from interested parties, and can be reached here.