1. What is Port Brewing’s relationship with The Lost Abbey?
2. Isn’t Port Brewing the same as Pizza Port?
3. Aren’t you guys Stone Brewing?
4. What does that sign over your barrel room mean?
5. Can we have a party or pub crawl there?

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What is Port Brewing’s relationship with The Lost Abbey?

The Lost Abbey and Port Brewing are both brands of Port Brewing Company. Like Chevrolet and Cadillac, or Taco Bell and KFC, both are produced by the same company, but targeted for different markets.

Our American / West Coast-style beers (Wipeout, Old Viscosity, Shark Attack, etc.) are package in 22 ounce bottles and released under the Port Brewing label. Our Belgian-inspired and premium beers (Avant Garde, Judgment Day, most of the barrel releases, etc.) are packaged in 375ml or 750ml corked bottles and released under the Lost Abbey label.

Either way, they’re all produced in the same brewery by the same staff.

Aren’t Port Brewing and Pizza Port the same?

Nope. Two of our founders, Vince and Gina Marsaglia, are the owners of the Pizza Port empire, and a third Port Brewing founder — Tomme Arthur — used to be head brewer at Pizza Port.

It’s true that Port Brewing spun-off of Pizza Port several years ago, but it’s a completely separate company with its own brewers, employees and direction. Even the beer names we share with Pizza Port – Hop 15, Shark Attack, Wipeout (holdovers from when our head brewer was theirs) – have gone in different directions.

Sure, we’re proud to have “Port” in our name, and we still stay in contact with the extended family. But like any member that grows up and moves out on their own, we’ve established our own identity and we’re making a unique mark on the world on our own terms.

Pizza Port is an awesome place both for their tasty grub and fine grog, but if you want to know more about what’s going on there, you’ll have to check out their website (www.pizzaport.com) or give one of their locations a visit. (And if you do drop into a Pizza Port, can you do us a favor tell them we said “hi” and we’re sorry we haven’t called. We know we should, but we’ve just been really busy.)

Aren’t you guys Stone Brewing?

No. We took over Stone Brewing’s old brewhouse when they moved to their new digs in Escondido, CA back in 2006. And while the building (and some of the equipment) is the same, we’ve made quite a few additions and changes (including a massive barrel room and a 42 foot tasting bar) since Stone was here.

Unfortunately, some online map companies, and quite a few websites, haven’t updated in the past half-decade or so, so we do end up with quite a few confused folks from out-of-town. But we’re always happy to serve a few of our own tasters and give the proper directions to the new Stone facility.

If you’re looking for directions to Stone Brewing, click here for their website.

What does that sign over your barrel room mean?

A lot of people ask about the 8 foot sign over the threshold to our barrel room that reads In Illa Brettanomyces Nos Fides. It’s a Latin phrase that roughly translates to “In the Wild Yeast We Believe” (okay, for you purists it technically means “in this place we have faith in British fungus”, but that’s nowhere near as cool sounding).

For those of you who aren’t current on your yeast strains, Brettanomyces (or “Brett” as its friends call it) is a wild yeast prized for the complex flavors and sensory compounds it produces.

Unlike other yeasts commonly used in brewing and winemaking, Brett can be unpredictable — producing a wide variety of flavors from clove and spices to sweaty feet and old band-aids — as well as notoriously difficult to control (a Brett breakout can taint an entire brewery or winery for years). As a result most brewers (and nearly all winemakers) avoid it at all costs.

Here at Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey, however, we make liberal use of it (as well as other microscopic critters with cool names like Pediococcus and Lactobacillus) to produce some of our most interesting and sought after beers.

And sticking an 8 foot homage over the threshold of a barrel room holding thousands of gallons of beer filled with the little bugger, well that’s just our way of saying “Afraid? No way. We love the funk!”

Can we have a party or tour group there?

Yes, we can host parties, tour groups and even things like wedding receptions. You can either host your event in the tasting room area after hours or have a private party in the barrel room — either way, we can comfortably host 75 – 100 people along with food and drink.

If you’d like to hold an event at the brewery and want more information on prices and availability, please contact our tasting room and special events manager by clicking here.