By TR Robertson
Burgeon Beer Company’s newest location, called The Grove, is now open at the corner of 501 South Santa Fe Avenue and Guajome St. in Paseo Artist Village complex. If the packed Grand Opening last Saturday is any indication, lots of people are excited to see Burgeon open in Vista. Co-founder & President Matthew Zirpolo had this to say about their arrival to Vista; “Vista has been on our radar since the early stages of planning the brewery, and we were close to opening there originally but the location fell through. Since then, Burgeon has expanded to 4 locations across San Diego County and we have watched downtown Vista evolve into a vibrant shopping, dining, and entertainment district that we can’t wait to be a part of. We’re excited to grow in this unique community, and we look forward to attracting new consumers to the area with excellent customer service and high-quality craft beer.” Burgeon’s other locations are the Carlsbad Tap Room, Oasis in Escondido and Arbor in Little Italy. Burgeon was established in 2016 by three high school friends who dreamed of opening a brewery serving cold beer with warm vibes.
The Grove, in Vista, features 18 taps with unique beers covering the range of beer varieties, such as Mexican lagers, Hazy IPA’s, Nitros, Brown Ales, West Coast IPS’s, Pilsners and more. Some of the beer names are Rainbow Pulp, Grow House, Main Grove, Carlsbad Crush, Dutchman’s Pipe and Burl. I tried the Burl, a Nitro dark ale, and it was excellent. The complete list and descriptions of the beers is attached at the bottom of the article.
The Grove features an open-air atmosphere looking out on South Santa Fe Avenue. The dog-friendly taproom has 1,820 square feet of space and 300 square feet of outdoor space. Several large screen T.V.’s are placed above the long bar space and a very large four screen T.V. complex can show both a single program or four separate sporting events. Burgeon is known for their sustainable practices and have stated, “Our goal is to create the best bar in San Diego and our hearts are focused on giving back to the environment and the people in the city we know and love.” Several of their beers aid in specific ways. Reclaim the Sea has a portion of the sales go to restoring the kelp forests and Reclaim the Wild has a portion of their sales go to tree planting in National forests.
The Groves management staff and several of Burgeon’s other staff members assisting with the Grand Opening include:
Eric Shepard, Manager, The Grove
I’ve been involved in craft beer most of my adult life. From bussing tables at a Santa Rosa brewpub Third Street Aleworks at 20 years old, while attending junior college, to becoming the bar manager at said brewpub before moving to San Diego. From there I managed the tasting room at Coronado Brewing Co in Bay Park and helped open the Sanctuary at Lost Abbey. Needless to say, craft beer has been good to me.
Matt (Matty) Lawson, Assistant Manager, The Grove
I made the decision to move into the craft beer world after college. I started at the Alvarado Street brewpub in Monterey as a busser/food runner/barback. I worked my way into the production brewing as a keg washer and made my way to Lead Cellarman and then Lab Analysis/Quality Control. I’ve now been a part of the Burgeon crew for the past 3 years as a beertender in North County. I’m stoked to share Burgeon beer and our culture at our new location.
Jenni Jones, General Manager
Jenni has been with Burgeon for 3 years, first working in Carlsbad as a beertender, then promoted to Assistant Manager of that location 1.5 years ago, and recently promoted to GM. Her office is at the brewery in Carlsbad, and she works closely with all taproom teams & staff at all locations throughout the week.
Melody Campbell, Culture & Events Manager
Her office is in Carlsbad and she runs private events in The Greenhouse, in addition to managing all company events & our merch program.
Mackenzie Kline, Marketing Director
“Our goal as a San Diego-based brewery is to serve our local customers on a local level. We have 3 locations and a private events space, so adding a taproom in Vista will allow us to better serve our current customers while cultivating a new audience in a new part of the county.”
The Grove’s architect Garret van Leeuwen
“Architect Garrett van Leeuwen (awarded San Diego’s Young Architect of the Year in 2020 ) has been in the Burgeon Sphere since before the company existed. Brother to Co-founder Burgeon Derek, Garrett is not officially part of the company but prefers to go by his self-anointed title of “Advisory Minister of Design ” for Burgeon. When it came to The Grove Garrett synthesized the culmination of what their brand has been building over the past 8 years. Says Garrett “The Burgeon Team is such a fun creative group, I really think their culture shines through in the spaces they create. The Grove is a reflection of their team and their brand. I have to give credit to Derek, my brother. I’ve been able to visualize the space with a few renderings, and then he is able to take it and run with it. So many of the features are hand built custom elements that he’s crafted himself.”
The Grove is open Mon-Wed 3-8, Thurs 3-9, Fri-Sat 12-9 and Sun 12-8. Phone number 760-509-4035. At the present time food is available for delivery through ordering on QR code on The Grove tables from 508 Tavern, Best Pizza & Brew and Meches Fish Taco Truck. Meches is parked at a location across the street by the roundabout from 11am-7pm each day. 508 is directly across the street and Best Pizza and Brew is located at 230 South Santa Fe. You can also BYO food to The Grove.
THE GROVE TAPLIST
Destination Paradise
Clean and bright Blonde Ale | 5% ABV
Treevana
West Coast IPA hopped with Mosaic + Amarillo | 7.2% ABV
Invita
Mexican Lager brewed with light Pilsner malt, Vienna & Flaked Corn. Crisp, zippy and slightly floral hop presence | 4.5% ABV
Keep it Nelson
West Coast IPA loaded with hand-selected Nelson | 6.5% ABV
Pistil
German Pilsner hopped with Perle & Saphir | 5.2% ABV
Nature Calls!
West Coast IPA hopeed with Mosaic, Mosaic Cryo, Simcoe, Simcoe Cryo, Mosaic 702, Simcoe 702, Citra Incognito, Nelson Subzero Hop Kief + Chinook | 6.9% ABV
Clever Kiwi
Nelson dry-hopped Keller (unfiltered) Pilsner | 5% ABV
Rainbow Pulp
Hazy IPA hopped with Strata, Nelson, & Citra | collab with Great Notion | 6.8% ABV
Carlsbad Crush
West Coast Pale Ale brewed solely with Mosaic & Mosaic Cryo | 5.8% ABV
Grow House
Hazy IPA collab with Casa Agria, hopped with Galaxy, Amarillo & Motueka | 6.5% ABV
Hand Selected
West Coast Pale Ale hopped with Nelson + Motueka | 5.5% ABV
Juice Press
Hazy IPA hopped with Citra, Nelson & Mosaic | 6.8% ABV
Piña-Rita
Fruited sour conditioned on Pineapple, Lime & Orange | 6.0% ABV
Burl
Nitro Pour
Toasty, biscuity Nut Brown Ale on Nitro | 4.7% ABV
Seven Wonders
XPA – hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe, Citra, HBC 586, Nelson, Strata + Cascade | 5.1% ABV
Dutchman’s Pipe
Imperial Stout with Steady State Roasting coffee and Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans **Contains lactose** | 10.3% ABV
BEER TO-GO
Pistil 4-pk
$11.20
German Pilsner | 5.2% ABV
Treevana 4-pk
$15.20
West Coast IPA | Mosaic + Amarillo | 7.2% ABV
Clever Kiwi 4-pk
$13.20
Nelson Hopped Pilsner | 5.2% ABV
Juice Press 4-pk
$16.20
Hazy IPA | Citra, Nelson + Mosaic | 6.8% ABV
Destination Paradise 4-pk
$11.20
Blonde Ale | 5.0% ABV
Grow House 4-pk
$18.20
Hazy IPA with Galaxy, Amarillo + Motueka hops | 6.5% ABV
Invita 4-pk
$11.20
Mexican Lager | 4.5% ABV
Hand Selected 4-pk
$14.20
West Coast Pale Ale | Nelson + Motueka | 5.5% ABV
Carlsbad Crush 4-pk
$13.20
West Coast Pale Ale | Mosaic + Mosaic Cryo | 5.8% ABV
Rainbow Pulp 4-pk
$18.20
Hazy IPA | 6.8% ABV
Nature Calls! 4-pk
$17.20
West Coast IPA | 6.9% ABV
Seven Wonders 4-pk
$14.20
Nectaron, Citra + Mosaic | 5.1% ABV
Ask our team for 32 oz. and 64 oz. draft to-go availability and pricing.
