La Jolla Brewing Company, La Jolla [CLOSED]

[Note added 1/4/18: According to Yelp and WestCoastersd.com, this business closed permanently around New Years Eve.]

[Note added 2/19/2018: A new brew pub has opened in this location, Absolution by the Sea.]

{Note added 6/10/2019: After about a year in operation, Absolution re-branded as CAVU Brewing under the same owners.>

La Jolla Brewing Co. has a nice-looking covered patio with fires and heaters, a big bright main room, and a back room with additional tables.

Watching the staff, my impression is that they don’t like each other and that is affecting how they do their work. That’s just an impression. Yelpers complain about the service; my bartender was fine.

The happy hour specials are good. $4 wine and house pints (pouring four), $5 cocktails, $6-8 appetizers. I had a Sunny Jim’s IPA (6.8% ABV; my rating, 3/5). It was fine but unremarkable.

I had the happy hour nachos. They we very odd: Served in a thick metal bowl that made it hard to get to the food, with powdered Parmesan and no other cheese, an aioli that is probably supposed to be beer cheese (they are called brewer nachos) that isn’t very good and serves mainly to turn the apparently-house-baked nachos soggy. The toppings are copious and individually good (diced tomato, green pepper and onion with olives, black beans, jalapeños and Italian sausage). But it really doesn’t work as a cohesive whole. It seems like they poured a whole jar of Jalapeños in the bowl, there is so much vinegar. I want melted cheese on my nachos. At least tell me what I’m getting it in the description. The serving is way too large (food waste is a huge contributor to global warming; restaurants need to get this under control).

The ceiling fans are like jet engines, making the bar (and I assume the rest of the room) cold and uncomfortably windy. They are on a dial, but the bartender says they only go off or on–he did turn them off for me when I asked.

The after-work crowd on a Thursday is pretty large and they seem to be having a good time. Football on the five TVs in the main room.

If you are in the area, need a craft beer and don’t want to go to the Karl Strauss down the street, come here.

LaJollaBeer.com     7536 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037

 

Don’t Just Take My Word For It (Links to Related Beer Writing)

San Diego Brewery guide entry.

San Diego Brew Review liked it a lot better than I did: here’s the article.