CoLab Public House shakes up San Diego beer scene with multi-brewery concept

CoLab Public House is exactly what it sounds like: a home base for multiple breweries on a mission to collaborate. The new concept in Vista will house three breweries — Barrel & Stave Pour House, Breakwater Brewing, and Laguna Beach Beer Co. — along with Propaganda Wine Co. and Baby’s Badass Burgers.

San Diego is a saturated beer market — and Joe Deutsch knows that. But Deutsch, the project’s developer, said CoLab’s innovative approach sets it apart from other breweries. To make it as a brewery, he adds, you have to do four things: brew great beer, make the customers feel at home, offer food, and have parking on-site, which are all incorporated into CoLab’s concept.

CoLab Public House is a multi-brewery concept opening in Vista next month.

(Spot Hopper)

While it is certainly an ambitious project, Deutsch is confident in the endeavor. The tenants he chose — out of the nearly 100 breweries he visited — are well-respected establishments with lots of combined experience.
“Everybody has another location, so it’s not like they haven’t been through this rodeo before,” Deutsch said. “It’s just that they’ve never done it together.”

While CoLab is beer-forward, it turns out that Deutsch actually prefers wine. However, since the breweries were picked by a wine drinker, the project may bridge the gap between the two cohorts of people.

“When people go to a brewery, there’s always somebody in the group who wants wine,” Deutsch said. “Oddly enough, a little over 10 percent of the sales of a brewpub is wine. If you go out of your way to actually put in an urban winery that makes good wine, people will not only come for the wine, but when they’re going out for wine, there’s somebody in that group who wants beer. So we figure all (the businesses) are going to do well.”

The 5,000-square-foot tasting room — which has two stories, a 100-foot contiguous bar and a large patio — is located off the State Route 78. In total, the structure is 12,500 square feet; CoLab’s tasting room shares the property with its 10-barrel brewhouse, cellar, dry- and cold-storage space, and an in-house kitchen.

To celebrate CoLab’s debut, a three-day grand opening party is slated for June 10-12, which will be full of beer, wine and burgers, plus family-friendly games in the mezzanine. Future plans for the space include live music and other events. Also on the horizon: red wine and hard seltzer slushies in the summertime.

CoLab Public House is at 2129 Industrial Court in Vista. Opening weekend will be held 3 to 10 p.m. June 10, noon to 10 p.m. June 11, and noon to 9 p.m. on June 12. Learn more at colabpublichouse.com.