436: Blake Masoner of Craft Coast Strives for Excellence Beer After Beer, Taco After Taco

Sep 19, 2025

Blake Masoner, founder and head brewer at Craft Coast, has created a beer-and-taco paradise in California, winning multiple awards for his innovative brews. He dives into the evolution of Craft Coast from unique one-offs to core beers, inspired by customer feedback. Discover his creative methods, including using dry lager yeast for consistency, and his adventurous approaches to brewing an XPA without Southern Hemisphere hops. Blake also shares why Craft Coast tacos deserve a spot on your plate, proving that great food pairs perfectly with exceptional beer.

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ANECDOTE

From Keg Washer To Founder

Blake Masoner started as a keg washer at Pizza Port and rose to head brewer within four years before founding Craft Coast.
A dirt-bike injury gave him time to write the business plan that became Craft Coast, focused on tacos and beer.

ADVICE

Let Customers Decide Core Beers

Let customers drive which beers become core by tracking consistent sales data and feedback.
Keep experimenting with one-offs, but add repeat winners as core beers to meet demand and grow sales.

INSIGHT

Dark Lager Built From The Pale Base

Oscura (dark Mexican-style lager) uses the same base as the pale lager but with added specialty malts and slightly higher terminal gravity.
That malt richness pairs with tacos by cutting fat and acidity while keeping drinkability.

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At Craft Coast in Oceanside and San Marcos, California, Blake Masoner is happy if you show up for tacos and stay for a beer. The fairly priced tacos are scratch-made, down to the tortillas themselves, packing loads of flavor into every bite. Fellow San Diego–area brewers refer to them as “The best tacos between here and Tijuana”—but the beer they brew here is anything but an afterthought.

Eight medals in four years at the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festical—in competitive categories such as hazy pale ale, American IPA, and international pilsener—are evidence of the brewery’s ambition on the quality side, and they’ve modified both classic and modern brewing techniques to serve their flavor and aroma goals.

In this episode, Masoner discusses:

abandoning a “no core beer” policy to keep customers happy
brewing Mexican-style dark lager with dry yeast and vorlauf-only dark malts
mitigating sulfur production with 34/70 yeast
Australian-inspired XPA design without Southern Hemisphere hops
using Mosaic at different times for different effects in West Coast IPA
knockout hopping to find the true heart of new varieties
pinpointing flavors through dry hopping
building a team-wide winning mindset

And more.

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