Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Masoner.
Hi Blake, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Craft Coast Beer & Tacos is the dream turned into reality by three lifelong friends and North County San Diego natives: Blake Masoner, Brian Gillen, and Lars Erickson. The goal was to merge two iconic Southern California staples, craft beer and tacos, in a simple yet effective way. Our background of brewing and our love for great Mexican food led us to the creation of Craft Coast in our garage in Encinitas, California.
In 2020 we founded our first location in Oceanside, California in the heart of downtown just a few blocks away from the pier. Although we had to navigate the Covid 19 pandemic, Craft Coast was an immediate success, drawing in crowds of thirsty locals and tourists who were ready to get back to a normal life.
From the start our beers have claimed many accolades and awards particularly at the two largest competitions in the world: The Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. We always strive to brew the highest quality and most drinkable beer possible; it’s the foundation on which we were built.
In 2024 we opened our second location in San Marcos, California just off the 78 freeway. This location allows for a larger brewing capacity, commissary, and serves as our company headquarters. It is extremely popular amongst North County locals who are looking for a casual and friendly hangout with great beer and excellent tacos.
This year, in 2026 we will be debuting our newest location at the intersection of Coast Highway 101 and D Street in Encinitas, CA at the former Filiberto’s Drive-thru location. We are converting the space into a well-integrated taproom, kitchen, and large outdoor patio focused on serving our award winning beer and delicious tacos to locals and tourist alike. We are hoping to open this location mid-year.
Our goal is to grow into several more locations and continue to keep it simple, friendly, and effective!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The start of our journey was not the easiest by any means. Just as we broke ground on our fist location in Oceanside in early 2020, the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. Because construction was considered essential during that time we were able to continue building out while navigating the many new rules and regulations put in place by the shut downs. Once restaurants were able to re-open with “outdoor dining only” we opened our doors in September of 2020 on Labor Day Weekend. We grinded it out and pushed as hard as we could and made it through all the hurdles and we are extremely grateful for where we’ve ended up today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Craft Coast Beer & Tacos?
Craft Coast Beer & Tacos is built on the simple foundation of award winning beer, authentic Baja-style tacos, and great service in a friendly and community driven atmosphere.
Our beer consists of a variety of approachable lagers and IPAs, accumulating several major awards at the two largest competitions in the world: World Beer Cup and The Great American Beer Festival. Our most popular beer is our Mexican Lager, Agua Baja, an extremely light and crisp traditional lager with a clean and easy drinkability. It’s the perfect beer to pair with our delicious tacos. Our core lineup consist of several different lagers and ales including: Agua Baja | Mexican Lager 4.5%, Oscura | Lager Negra 5%, XPA 5%, Sunset Market | Rotating Fruited Sour 5.3%, Shootz Mahalo | Hazy IPA 6.5%, Local Motion | WC IPA 7%, Old West |IPA 7.4%
All of our food is made in house using fresh and authentic ingredients. From the seasoning on the meat to the salsas everything is made by hand and our tacos and mulitas offer hand-pressed corn or flour tortillas. Our food is driven by authenticity and quality made by some of the best in the business.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Seeing our customers enjoying our beer and food while conversing is such an awesome experience. We don’t need a bunc of TVs or anything crazy, just a simple space built for the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.craftcoast.co
- Instagram: @craftcoast, @craftcoastcatering
- Facebook: @craftcoast, @craftcoastcatering
Image Credits
Credit: Brian Gillen, Co-founder
