On April 1, Tipping Pint Brewing Company in Oceanside will be celebrating its first year. Located in Hangar 76, Tipping Pint Brewing shares space with Carruth Cellars Winery. Co-owner and head brewer, Adam Jester sat down with me to discuss the first year, the upcoming celebration, and what’s next for Tipping Pint.
Cheers!: Adam, thanks for taking a moment to share your story, your expertise and your beer!
Jester: Welcome!
Cheers!: We’ve started off with a beer–what are we drinking here?
Jester: This is Thanks Honey Blonde Ale. It’s a blonde ale made with local honey and some honey malt. Some honey sweetness in there, but still nice and dry and drinkable.
Cheers!: On the maltier side of blonde ales versus the hoppy. And just a little bit of the honey, not too sweet.
Jester: Right, it’s honey-flavored, not honey-sweet.
Cheers! Every brewer has a story to share. Tell us a little about your journey in beer.
Jester: I started homebrewing in the early 2000s. I have a cafe in Carlsbad [Vinaka] and I had a little free time, my stepdad and I started brewing together. I was a beer nerd before that. And when we started home brewing I thought, Wow! You can make this stuff!
Cheers!: And then?
Jester: Then I went down the rabbit hole. I read every book I could get, read every website, and listened to every podcast. I was making beer and going over to Pizza Port and talking to the brewers there for advice. And I told them to give me a call if they ever need any help.
Cheers!: And suddenly you were cleaning up brewing equipment. I’ve heard this one before…
Jester: Yes. But one day Mike Aubuchon [now of Heritage BBQ and Beer Company] called me up and said a couple of people called in sick and he needed a hand. At the end of the day, he offered me a job and that’s how I started brewing for Pizza Port. I became the assistant brewer and eventually the head brewer in Solana Beach.
Cheers!: And what about the Tipping Pint origin story?
Jester: A friend of mine from the cafe said he just bought a place in the valley with a winery and a brewery, and would I like to be a part of it? And I said, definitely. That sounds amazing.
Cheers!: Where did the name Tipping Pint come from?
Jester: Coming up with a name is a lot harder than it seems. We even started with a different name, and before we opened we received a cease and desist. So, we started brainstorming…one friend mentioned Tipping Point, and I thought: what about Tipping Pint?
Cheers!: And the dog on your logo?
Jester: That’s our dog, Otis.
Cheers!: Namesake of the chocolate porter? Tell me about Otis, the chocolate porter.
Jester: It has a lot of chocolate in it. It’s roasty, and should remind you of a mocha without the milk. Roasted malts and 25 lbs of cocoa nibs. It finishes a little smoother and sweeter than our other beers.
Cheers!: What was the draw to this venue? And what do you hope patrons experience?
Jester: We set out to make a comfortable place that was family-friendly where you could relax and grab a beer or wine with the kids and/or the dog. I hope people feel that when they visit.
Cheers!: You have found the key to family and kid-friendly: space. And you have it here. There’s a part that feels like a tap room, winery space, quiet space, and extensive outdoor space.
Jester: Our goal here was to be for our community right here. Let’s make it special for our community. My partner, Dominic Burns, has kids too and we wanted it to be a place for families. And it’s paying off, we have a lot of families here, especially on the weekends.
Cheers!: What has been a highlight from year one?
Jester: The ability to experiment with new beers is cool, but ultimately it’s meeting all the new people who come in.
Cheers!: The first-anniversary celebration?
Jester: April 1st. Come on out for woodfire pizza and live music by Trouble in the Wind!
Tipping Pint Brewing Company is located at 3229 Roymar Road in Oceanside. Jeff Spanier is the host of I Like Beer the Podcast. To hear the full interview, take a listen wherever you get podcasts. Follow Spanier’s adventures @ilikebeerthepodcast on Instagram.
