Surveying Bagby Beer Co.'s New Oceanside Wonderland

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One of the most highly-anticipated and much talked-about beer openings of the year is Bagby Beer Company, which is just putting finishing touches on an ambitious and exciting new brewery restaurant that spans a half-block in Oceanside.

Jeff and Dande Bagby are prepping for a mid-to-late August debut of their passion project that's been years in the making. Jeff, an admired brewer, racked up numerous GABF awards during his tenure as director of brewery operations at Pizza Port Carlsbad.

The Bagbys say that they originally picked out a site in Encinitas, where Jeff's family is from, before choosing the 8,500-square-foot space in Oceanside, which comes with its own nearby parking lot. Bagby's beer complex is impressive, starting with the two-story restaurant building that includes a 41-tap casual eating space on the ground level and a more upscale upstairs dining room with another 40-tap bar and an outdoor patio with ocean views.

Their kitchen, led by Brad Davis (Pacifica Del Mar), will do an all-day menu of "approchable and elevated tavern food" that ranges from salads using local produce, sandwiches with beer mustard and in-house smoked meats, tacos, and thin crust pizzas from their signature green Woodstone oven, which can be viewed from one of the multiple outdoor patios.

There are a whopping 130 to 140 beer taps at bars throughout the property, including 26 taps in the tasting room of the 1,500-square-foot brewery that houses a customized and oversized 20 BBL brewing system. Their capacity is currently at 3,000 barrels, but there's infrastructure in place to easily bump up production to 10,000.

Bagby Beer Co. doesn't have any plans to package their beer, but intends to produce 15 to 20 styles of house brews, including an English brown, cream ale, Irish dry stout and an imperial red.
· Bagby Beer Company [Official Site]
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