I’ve by no means run out of breweries to visit, but I am making a special effort this year to include taprooms and restaurants that specialize in serving up some of San Diego’s finest beers.
That quest took me to Beer Town in north Oceanside just a couple of blocks from the beach. There I met owner Ryan Hood, who opened Beer Town in 2021 with the mission to serve excellent beers that aren’t easy to find around San Diego County.
With 36 taps and 80 can offerings, Hood has made it happen.
I sat down with Hood to hear his story and get a firsthand account of the lineup. Hood is an excellent host, so we sat down to a taster flight to get the conversation started.
ILB: Thanks for hosting—tell me about what we’re drinking.
Hood: First we’ve got the Plainview Premium Lager, everyone here in Oceanside loves Plainview. You can’t get more local. It’s our only permanent tap beer besides our house beer. And that’s a gluten-reduced beer as well. So, you can drink a couple, you don’t get bloated – a great, great beer!
ILB: One thing that got me here was your combination of local beers and hard to find beers from all around the country.
Hood: Anyone who says they don’t like beer just hasn’t found the right beer yet. I thought that was a really good premise to start a taproom on. I want rotating taps with local and hard to find beers.
ILB: What’s the Beer Town origin story?
Hood: I was working in the music industry when COVID happened. Then there were no more shows, no more events, no more bookings. That’s where my previous line of work ended. I decided to start my passion project which was to open a bar. And because of the rules at the time, you had to have food. So, now I’ve got a restaurant and a beer place. A dream come true sort of thing.
ILB: And the name?
Hood: My father is a businessman. I couldn’t figure out a name for the place at all, and I asked him. Being the dad he is, he said, ‘It’s gotta say what it is – what you do. You serve beer. Call it Beer Town.’
ILB: And that was it?
Hood: I thought in the back of my head, ‘There’s no way I’m doing that.’ A couple of weeks later and I thought: ‘[expletive!] That’s the one we have to go with.’ I think he was right: you’ve got to say what you do.
ILB: Gets a thumbs up from a guy with a column titled: I Like Beer.
ILB: How often are your taps rotating?
Hood: We have 36 drafts — six dedicated to sours, ciders, seltzers and kombuchas. So we always have something for non-beer drinkers. We have nine house options. The other taps rotate once or twice a month. I try never to put the same beer on twice. If it’s seasonal, I wait until the following season to put it on again.
ILB: Your Beer Town House Hazy, also delicious. Very approachable.
Hood: That’s brewed by Topa Topa out of Ventura. Nice blend of juiciness and a little hop forward.
with happy hour specials, meal deals and live music. Photo by Jeff Spanier
ILB: Where did this passion for craft beer come from?
Hood: When I was younger, I was never an alcohol person. But the diversity and versatility in beer really interested me. You can try something on the light end, dark end, sour end and IPA end and they taste nothing alike. I love the craft behind making the different styles and flavors. I wanted a way to be involved and support the industry.
It was the same thing when I was in the music industry. I didn’t play music, but I loved music. So I was doing bookings. Same here. I don’t know how to make beer, but I get to serve it from all these amazing places that know how to make it. Without opening my own brewery, this is the next best thing.
ILB: Maybe better! You’ve kept your music industry roots connected to what you’re offering here too.
Hood: We’ve got great live music in the evenings. (check the website to see what events are
upcoming).
The taster flight was rounded out with an Imperial Mexican lager, Agua Santa Imperial, by Figueroa Mountain Brewing (bold, strong but impressively drinkable for 8% abv) and a Nitro Rubaeus fruit beer from Founders Brewing (exceptional!).
Beer Town is located at 507 North Coast Highway in Oceanside. They are open seven days a week with happy hour specials, meal deals and live music.
Jeff Spanier is the co-host of I Like Beer the Podcast. For the entire interview, take a listen
wherever you get podcasts. Follow Spanier’s adventures on Instagram @ilikebeerthepodcast.
