The next wave of new breweries in San Diego may not make beer. Currently brewing in San Marcos in North County for a Fall 2017 opening is Raging Cider & Mead.
When longtime homebrewer & Renaissance man Dave Carr's wife came down with a gluten intolerance, he tried to brew a good gluten-free beer, but it didn't work out too well so he started making naturally gluten-free cider. After years of cider and mead making, Carr decided to harness his skill and combine that passion with his love of punk music and Raging Cider & Mead was born next to his custom stainless sheetmetal fabrication company in San Marcos.
"Our 'Raging' name comes from our punk rock days as youth and our continued belief in looking at society and our relationships in new ways which can be beneficial for all, to 'Rage Against the Machine'", explained Carr. "We also like how that concept ties in with our wild fermentation processes. The process is largely uncontrolled and yet the end product is generally excellent and full of nuances."
Raging Cider & Mead will use only local fruit and honey for their ciders and meads. In addition to Dave Carr's own orchard of 55 trees, all watered by roof catchments, the company is working with local farmers and bee keepers. Raging Cider will utilize fruit which is not "pretty" enough to sell to consumers, giving farmers an additional income stream on fruit that would otherwise go to waste. They are also using 100% wild fermentation on all the ciders and perrys (pear cider), which means that rather than using conventional methods in the brewing process, they will rely on naturally occurring bacteria and yeast to ferment.
The tasting room design will be a crossover between industrial and farmhouse, offering 1,200 square-feet of interior space with a 300 square-foot patio that will eventually be enclosed by passionfruit vines. The front of the building features apple trees and eventually will also include herb planting to use in recipes. The tasting room will offer an array of hard cider and honey meads on tap in interesting flavor combinations, as well as fruit wines, non-alcoholic juices and soft drinks. The company will also work with various food trucks and popups to provide food for customers.
Raging Cider & Mead is anticipated to open at 177 Newport Drive, Suite B in San Marcos in mid to late October 2017. For more information, visit ragingcidermead.com.
