Toolbox Brewing Company

This is sour shangri-​la. If you’re into sours, this is as good as it gets. Great place, great beers. Good people working the tasting room as well. Bog Sauce, Purple Drink… they’re as great as advertised. The lesser knowns are done well, too. Wish they still did stouts, but understand they why they want to focus on their specialty. For sours, Toolbox is the best.

Thank you Danielle and all the brewers that made this delicious nectar! I’ll be back!

Like Sour, Tart, and some Funk? Look no more, this small batch craft brewery has incredible brews with available half pours (except for the barrel aged, which is full pour only). I was recently here and was really short on time and only had about 5 minutes in here. After harassing the guy over counter for a bit on questions and tastes, I got the Saison Chêné Rustique with Apricot, $ 8 full pour in a teku glass. Like having full tastes of apricot, it’s incredibly good! Also got the half pour of their famous «Purple Drink», tart wild ale with Boysenberries. Both Crazy Good!
They don’t do flights here and I don’t remember seeing food here. The brewery itself is situated in the industrial complex on a slight uphill. They have bottles to go on limited releases. I’ve tried their BOG sauce before and totally loved that too.
I really want to come back here, I didn’t get a chance to explore their beers fully. Good job on making these beers, TheSourScientist. Now I’ll have to make a 100 minute one way trek just for your beers!

Try the Bog Sauce if you love sour beer! Heck, don’t bother coming here if you don’t like sour beer.
Toolbox is known for their sours, which I am a huge fan of.
I also love that you can purchase the beer to go. Most places that brew the sour, don’t bottle it to go for you.
I can’t wait to come back, and find some more friends who love the sour beers.
I believe Brandon was the one who helped us. He was very informational and attentive to us even when a large beer tour got dropped off here.

Another brewery in north county… No! This one is actually interesting its the only brewery that specializes in just sour beers. Do not come in and expect IPAs, Pale Ales etc. I am not a sour beer fanatic but I will be stopping by again when I am feeling Sour!
Why 4 stars?
Before I visited the brewery I gave the owner an Über ride and he was a very cool guy. The day I went in the employees weren’t as cool they were too serious and not very welcoming.

Sour beer lovers in north county-​rejoice. All the wild ales, bretts, barrel aged, and sour goodness you want! A solid tap list of unique, fun beers to try. One of my favs so far here.

A little one dimensional.
Bramble on Rose is but everything else is jus aiiiite.
When you’re a purely sour brewery, spice up your life by adding some local guest taps. Throw in a bitchin lager or a fresh India Whale Pale. Too many sour beers can give you a poopoo tummy ache (not that I have one rn [maybe I do but I wouldn’t tell you] {I may have sharted}]).
Cool tap handles.

Super cute and quaint little place located in the Carlsbad/​Vista/​San Marcos borders.
Located inside the Vista Technology Center lays this beautiful store and all their delicious sour beers! They’ve got some great stuff and a lot of nice tastings.
The bartender here was super nice and friendly. I only wish I had caught his name. I’m the worse with names, but this is the place to come if you are a fan of sour beers.

Not going to lie… I have given a lot of business to Toolbox. During their first year, I frequented their tasting room numerous times sometimes just to try out their fresh line-​up of sours and other times to pickup bottles I had purchased from Brown Paper Ticket. Now they are growing bigger — they’ve expanded the tasting room into the space next door. This has been very constructive as the tasting room used to get insanely packed and it looks like they now have more room to house their barrel-​aged sours. More barrels = more sours.
A big change though would be that they no longer serve their 4−5oz tasters. Expect to get half pours of their beers at $ 4 – 5. From a business perspective, I get that this is the most reasonable decision especially for barrel-​aged sours. Just be glad they offer half pours because not all sour breweries do!
As far as my feelings for Toolbox, they have definitely changed since all that drama happened. It was a bit annoying when they hyped up their 1^st anniversary only to cancel it shortly after its announcement. I get their reasoning for their tasters, but other things I feel have been jacked up in pricing. Their bottles definitely are a lot more expensive and I get the sense that others might be turned off by the pricing as well. I’m not going to buy a ‘barrel-​aged’ chocolate stout at $ 22 either.
Despite my current feelings for Toolbox, it will always have a special little place in my heart. I still appreciate their beers although I won’t go too much out of my way anymore to buy their bottles. I haven’t been to the tasting room in awhile, but it was always super chill every time. I love bringing my dog here just to hang out and people watch too. Just be wary, it’s a tasting room, but also a brewery, so there won’t be any centralized air. It gets pretty hot in here during the summer time.
Lots of changes since last year, but still some pretty decent and enjoyable sours. The snobs may have other opinions, but Toolbox beers are definitely a good gateway into the world of sours, so give them a try for sure!

Came here for the first time with a group of friends. I saw the reviews on Unilocal and knew I had to come try this place out since they cater to more of the Sour beers which I love. They are hidden in a business plaza (behind Target), keep going towards the back area, passing the red telephone booth (Bit of Britain) and you will see this place on the left side. They have other options for the macho type guy, still has the sour taste but it has a bit of a kick to it which is tasty. We were able to try a variety of tasters.
My husband enjoyed their «Grass Fed Lettuce Beer». I liked their «Purple Drink». The owners here are very friendly, and down to earth. They told us a little bit about their company, and the whole idea behind the name. Plenty of seating stools, and chairs for everyone. The stools at the bar are really cool looks like the bottle cap of a beer. Inside is very spacious, you don’t get the feeling of being claustrophobic which is refreshing. This is a relaxed, dog-​friendly, cozy place in Vista. They sell t-​shirts, growlers, and glasses? There are two restrooms on each side of the room. They have a water station located close to the entrance. Although they don’t sell food here, there is «Bit of Britain» within walking distance if you are absolutely hungry, they are pricey however. Love, love, love this place. I can’t wait to go back.

If you’re looking for some sour beer made locally, this is the place to try. Tried out this brewery today with some friends.
I was pleasantly surprised to like a few of these beers. I’m not a huge beer fan, I’m more a cider or wine drinker but I liked both the apricot and blueberry beers. The blue beer had a little sour taste to me, but to most my friends it was very sour. A lot of my friends who enjoy mostly IPAs, enjoyed the «Grass feed lettuce» beer. It’s more of a cross over beer for those who aren’t into sour beers. They didn’t offer a taster tray but they gave us splashes of all the flavors they had, which was about 10 or more! The splashes were so big about 4 of us each tasted all the flavors. Very accommodating to new comers!
Both owners were there and chatted with us a lot, they were so friendly! They told us about how they’ve been building the business for a year or so and how they have been finding their niche among so many new breweries, how they came up with the name «Toolbox» and just every day talk with was great!
This location is dog friendly, has an excellent vibe with a splash of military and a local British restaurant/​deli a few shops down that delivers food to this brewery.
Over all, a win. Large and spacious so a lot of people can hang out, a mix of flavors, something for everyone with great costumer service! Definitely worth trying out if you’re in the area.

Outstanding IPA, knowledgable staff and cool atmosphere. They play music and have TVs to watch sports.
They have done eclectic beers too, cucumber and apricot. Not my thing, but good broad selection for beer lovers.

If you are in to craft beer this is the place to go! This establishment opened in 2014 but they have perfected the craft of sour beer and also other beers available as well.
I like the open space and relaxing atmosphere they got going on. When you are there you just feel relaxed and are able to enjoy a nice tasting beer. In addition to that when I went they had a really good food truck so I was sold immediately.
BEER + GOOD FOOD = HEAVEN
The service was great too! They are really helpful and will let you sample the beers if you are unsure what you want to order.
Personally my favorite is the purple drink, it is sooo good and definitely different from any other beer I’ve tried. It’s nice on the palette and I must say I really enjoyed drinking it. In fact I got another pour and even got a growler of it to go.
Toolbox really offers special craft beers and a nice relaxing time for their guests.
I have no complaints and believe they deserve nothing less than five stars :)

I’m a sour beer nut. When I heard about this place from a coworker, it became a must-​visit. Unfortunately, I left a little disappointed.
I usually like to get tasters in order to try as much as possible. They have so many on tap that a taster tray would have been perfect. At Toolbox, they only offer a full or half pour. Granted, the guy said that he could give me a free splash of whatever I wanted to try. I tried a splash of their Blueberry X and was underwhelmed.
I didn’t want to keep asking for splashes, so I decided to just order a half pour of Life Gose On, a half pour of Purple Drink, and their Chocolate Imperial Milk Stout. Strangely enough, the milk stout is only offered in a $ 2 taster tulip. Hey, can I just get all of your beers in that size glass?
Anyway, The Life Gose On was also underwhelming. I enjoyed the Purple Drink, though still not quite there as far as what I want in a sour. I actually thought the milk stout was the best beer we had there.
Don’t get me wrong. This is a cool place and certainly worth a visit if you seek the sours like I do. The taproom is dog-​friendly. The staff are very friendly and accommodating. I still left with three bottles – Haole Honey, Apropos, and Citrus Gose. I wasn’t going to get the Haole Honey, but I tried a splash and I enjoyed the sweetness.
I’m probably at a 3.5 but «A-​OK» summarizes my experience the best.

I don’t visit San Diego often, but when I do, it’s for a beer festival or bottle pickup’s from a brewery in the area. Toolbox is brewing some of the most tastiest fruited wild ale’s and saison’s I’ve had. There has been a variety of beer styles available in the tasting room and even select bottles to go each time I went.
The inside of the brewery is really tidy. I appreciate the multiple restrooms inside. Anyone who has ever been to a brewery with a tasting room will tell you how much a relief it is to see multiple restrooms. No food is served inside, but you can bring food from the outside in or place an order with the British grocery store conveniently located next door.
During my last visit, my friends and I had a nice chat with Spencer. It sounds like they have a lot planned out upcoming. I’m looking forward to upcoming beer releases.

Need a palate cleanser and have a beer at the same time? The Toolbox has some of the most unique Sour brews going round.
Located along Poinsettia in the small industrial park next door to the British store. The Tookbox has a nice wet bar and high top seating area with awesome views of the brewery.
The brews here at the Toolbox are not your regular run of the mill beer, with brews like CUCUMBERLINER, GRASS FED LETTUCE and Purple Drink you will definitely be walking out of here with a unique education of what new beers can be possible.
The staff here are awesome and really took the time to go over what beers they have and educate the patrons on the Toolbox vision.
Overall
Drink: 4 – 5
Service: 5 – 5
Coming back: yes

Their beer is sour, all of them I think. With the plethora of IPAs, coffee & chocolate beers, this is refreshing. The Hop Highway needs some variety. TB delivers that.
The seating area is large with lots of tables & chairs. There’s a TV to monitor the current game. The staff is friendly. Good for groups. And there is an eatery close by that delivers, Bit O’ Britain.
I’ve tried their Haole Honey & Purple Drink (Wild Sour Ale with boysenberries). I liked them both. The Haole Honey is described as a Wild Tart Ale with Lehua Honey. I tasted no sweetness in this one (or any).
They also have coffee (Hair Raiser), tea (Iyerpadi Estate) & Kombucha (Guava Mango).
If you are looking for something different, this is your place.

Toolbox is a cute craft brewery in San Diego county. I had been excited to try it out as I had heard the beer were great and sour. We stopped in around the time they open on a Saturday (its actually 2 pm not noon like Unilocal says) and took a seat at the bar. The bartenders were nice but not particularly friendly, we decided to go with tasters of all 6 beers they had on tap and the tasters are pretty big.
Overall, I was not super impressed with their beers, I would definitely NOT call them sours as they are not sour at all! One or two have a very slight tart taste. There is definitely much better sours available in So Cal and internationally, I will stick to those.

Pretty cool merchandise. I bought my girlfriend a couple of taster glasses here.
The beers are good, but they focus a little too much on the sours. I was kind of soured out by the time I left the place. They do have fun logos next to each beer. I felt like each photo tried to capture the theme of each beer (if there is such a thing).
Try the Carlton because, well, it’s Carlton. The Peachin Camaro and the Lupus are also pretty bomb.
If you like sours, check the place out.

Seeing how this is for a small craft brewery in SD County, I knew I had to dedicate this review to a Unilocal Elite friend who has absolutely adored my opening paragraph to a whole slew of craft brewery reviews in SD County from late last year…
Bruery Weekend Trip to LA!
When the beer nerd friend I homebrew with (& fellow Unilocal Elite) planned a weekend flight down to LA to visit Bruery, he asked if I wanted to go too. Hmmm, a whole weekend of drinking Bruery beers? Oh Hell yeah!
Only we didn’t just drink Bruery beers all weekend. After getting more than our fill of Bruery on Saturday, we decided to branch out on Sunday. The debate, then, was whether to drive all over LA to the few breweries there we liked or… go down to San Diego!
I mean, c’mon, let’s face it. The LA beer scene is still nowhere near the SD beer scene. A prime example of that is the town of Vista toward the North end of SD County. Rolling into town, we hit up Mother Earth & Belching Beaver in short order with Toolbox Brewing Company as our 3^rd stop.
The possibility of sours in San Diego was intriguing. Toolbox is a tiny place located in the typical business/​industrial park. The tasting/​taproom was simple but clean. Staff was friendly & very informative about the beers, brewery setup & barrel program.
Getting down to it, we ordered tasters of everything on tap. Which ended up being 12 beers in all. Since this is SD County, there was an IPA, naturally, + a milk stout. & the remaining 10 beers were all various tart/​sours.
Both the IPA & the milk stout were very good (I rated both 4.25 on Untappd). But that’s not what sets Toolbox apart from everyone else in the SD beer scene. The star of the show here has to be the sours. & the sours were pretty good, though I think they still have a way to go to be amongst the best sours I’ve had.
I’m from NorCal. I work, literally, 2 blocks from the Rare Barrel. I’m there a lot. I also get my fair share of Russian River sours. Oh, & we were just at Bruery the day before. On Untappd, my ratings for sours from all 3 of those places are generally between 4.5 & 5. My average rating for Toolbox’s 10 sours was about 3.8
For Toolbox’s sours, there were a few standouts. I liked Smells like Nirvana (Hoppy Pale Wild Ale), Apricot X (Sour Blonde Wild Ale w/​Apricots) & Purple Drink (Sour Blonde Wild Ale w/​Boysenberries) (I rated each of those 4 on Untappd). & Grass Fed Lettuce (Dry-​Hopped Sour Blonde Wild Ale) was my favorite (I rated it 4.25 on Untappd).
Added all up, it’s a promising start for sour beers finally showing up in the SD beer scene. Just like how it was totally worth it to drive down to Vista from LA for beers, it was totally worth it to make Toolbox Brewing Company 1 of those stops out of the many brewery options available in Vista.