Del Mar Snags First Neighborhood Brewery, Complete With Restaurant

Friends of Eater turned us onto Vigilante Brewing, a new brewery restaurant which is opening just a few beats north of the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Though the name is still a working title, Vigilante is moving full steam ahead with the plan to be Del Mar's first brewery; its closest brewery neighbors are Sorrento Valley's New English Brewing Co. and Culture Brewing in Solana Beach.

Taking over a former pottery factory in a small industrial park at 2201 San Dieguito Drive, the brewpub is aiming to be open by August, just in time to catch some of the Del Mar Racetrack crowds.

Owner and head brewer Charles Koll is familiar with the neighborhood; a chef by training, he spent two years at Prepkitchen Del Mar and has cooked locally at Mille Fleurs and in kitchens from Colorado to San Francisco and South Africa.

Koll started homebrewing three years ago and plans on bringing his chef's knowledge of ingredients to his beer lineup. The 4,500-square-foot brewery will hold a seven to ten barrel brewhouse and indoor/outdoor bar, plus a full, semi-open kitchen and a communal dining room. A 2,000-square-foot patio, which overlooks the San Dieguito River Park, will have a bocce ball court, ping pong table and fire pits.

Koll says his core beers will likely include a kolsch and a rosemary red IPA; he plans to incorporate the beer into his farm-to-table menu for the restaurant, which he says will be seasonally-inspired, elevated pub grub.