Oggi's Pizza and Brewery, Carmel Mountain Ranch

This is the last of the Oggi’s to brew on-site–the rest are now getting their beer from San Clemente’s Left Coast Brewing, as I found out when I reviewed the Oggi’s Mission Valley location.

I made a point of drinking beers made at this location:

Torrey Pines (IPA, 6.9% ABV). Balanced malts and hops. Not as hoppy as most San Diego IPAs these days, but it was a trend-setter when it was launched back in the day. 3.25/5

Double Whammy (Imperial IPA, 9.7% ABV). First pint of a new batch: beer doesn’t get fresher! Slightly hazy and full of tropical/pine flavor/aroma, sweetness from malt, nice bitter finish. As it warmed up it became a little less good, starting to show Belgian-yeast-like flavors. 4/5

There was a third one on tap made at this location, California Gold cream ale if I remember correctly, which I didn’t have.

I thought the Whammy was excellent. My quibbles about claiming that beers are “award winning” when the awards were years ago, made by different brewers on different equipment, still stand. They offer a pretty large (and good) list of guest beers as well.

The location is entirely nondescript from the outside. It is in a very unexciting strip mall, and from the parking lot the only sign you can really see says “Sports Bar”: the Oggi’s sign on the windows is tiny and you can’t really see it until you are walking in. The inside is a bit dark (all the windows are tinted. The place felt a bit “tired”–probably in need of a renovation. The brewing tanks didn’t look as clean and shiny as most you see. I’m not sure if that just means they are old or if this location doesn’t spend as much effort making them look nice as other places do.

Service was acceptable. There are a lot of regulars and they get preferential treatment.

For a place that is supposed to specialize in pizza, I found the pie far below expectations. The toppings weren’t fully cooked and the crust was uninspired. The red tortilla soup was very good. Prices are very reasonable.

If you are in the area and want a beer while you watch a game, this might be a decent stop.

http://cmr.oggis.com/ 10155 Rancho Carmel Drive, San Diego, CA 92128