According to records filed with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Eppig Brewing's longtime Shelter Island tasting room and biergarten at 2817 Dickens Street appears poised to become "Point Loma Beer Garden." The pending application would transfer the beer manufacturing license from Eppig Brewing Company LLC to Finest City Beverage, LLC, a newly listed operator that identifies Latitude Brewing LLC as a member.
A similar ABC filing was submitted the same day for Mason Ale Works' Barrio Logan tasting room, transferring that license to the same entity. Taken together, the filings represent far more than a simple liquor license transfer. They appear to signal yet another major transformation involving businesses that once formed the core of the House of Mason Beverage Collective and raise fresh questions about what remains of several once-prominent San Diego craft beer brands. For longtime followers of San Diego's brewery industry, the developments may feel strikingly familiar.
Founded in 2016 by Stephanie Eppig, Todd Warshaw, and brewer Clayton LeBlanc, Eppig Brewing quickly established itself as one of San Diego's most respected independent breweries. Named after Stephanie Eppig's great-grandfather, who operated a massive brewery in Brooklyn during the late nineteenth century, the company built a reputation around meticulously crafted lagers and traditional European brewing techniques.
What began as a small operation inside North Park's Brewery Igniter incubator eventually expanded into a waterfront biergarten on Shelter Island, a production brewery in Vista, and a tasting room in La Jolla. By virtually every outward measure, Eppig appeared poised for long-term success. Then came the partnership.
In late 2023, Stephanie Eppig and Todd Warshaw announced they were relinquishing operational control of the brewery through a strategic partnership with Newport Beach-based West Coast Ventures & Resources and its hospitality division, Tableside Partners. At the time, the arrangement was presented as an opportunity to accelerate growth, expand distribution, and open additional locations.
SanDiegoVille was among the only local media outlet that publicly questioned the move. The skepticism stemmed largely from West Coast Ventures' growing involvement in a variety of hospitality businesses and concerns that had already begun circulating within Southern California's restaurant and brewing industries regarding the company's management practices.
Almost immediately following the announcement, Eppig's La Jolla tasting room closed. Weeks later, the tasting room at the company's Vista headquarters was shuttered. The promised expansion materialized in the form of a short-lived East Village tasting room near Petco Park, which itself ultimately closed after only a brief run. The Vista production brewery was later transferred to The Lost Abbey. Now, the Shelter Island waterfront location that many consumers most closely associate with the Eppig brand could soon operate under an entirely different name.
The trajectory has led some industry observers to revisit questions that were first raised nearly three years ago. The story becomes even more complicated when viewed alongside the parallel evolution of Mason Ale Works and the broader House of Mason portfolio.
Mason Ale Works originated as part of the 3 Local Brothers restaurant group, which once operated a sizable collection of hospitality concepts including multiple Urge Gastropub locations, Brothers Provisions, The Barrel Room, and several brewery and tasting room locations throughout Southern California and Arizona.
Following the company's partnership with West Coast Ventures in 2021, nearly every single location associated with the original 3 Local Brothers portfolio ultimately closed. Urge Gastropub disappeared altogether. Brothers Provisions closed. The Barrel Room closed. Mason's San Marcos tasting room closed. Various satellite locations came and went.
Although some closures could reasonably be attributed to broader challenges facing the restaurant and craft beer industries, critics have long pointed to the cumulative pattern as evidence that many businesses emerging from partnerships with West Coast Ventures ultimately became significantly smaller than they were before entering those arrangements.
The latest license transfers also arrive against a backdrop of extensive litigation involving West Coast Ventures founder Randy Teffeteller and affiliated entities. Among the most significant legal disputes is ongoing litigation arising from the collapse of Southern California restaurant and brewery operator TAPS Fish House & Brewery, which filed for bankruptcy amid approximately $30 million in liabilities.
Court filings in that matter contain allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, gross negligence, improper transfers, mismanagement, and other claims against Teffeteller and various affiliated parties. Those allegations remain disputed, and the litigation is ongoing.
And now the waterfront biergarten that helped define the Eppig brand appears poised to lose the Eppig name as well. Readers can draw their own conclusions.
SanDiegoVille has reached out to Eppig Brewing founders Stephanie Eppig and Todd Warshaw, representatives of Latitude Brewing, and parties associated with Finest City Beverage LLC seeking comment and will update this story if responses are received.
A similar ABC filing was submitted the same day for Mason Ale Works' Barrio Logan tasting room, transferring that license to the same entity. Taken together, the filings represent far more than a simple liquor license transfer. They appear to signal yet another major transformation involving businesses that once formed the core of the House of Mason Beverage Collective and raise fresh questions about what remains of several once-prominent San Diego craft beer brands. For longtime followers of San Diego's brewery industry, the developments may feel strikingly familiar.
Founded in 2016 by Stephanie Eppig, Todd Warshaw, and brewer Clayton LeBlanc, Eppig Brewing quickly established itself as one of San Diego's most respected independent breweries. Named after Stephanie Eppig's great-grandfather, who operated a massive brewery in Brooklyn during the late nineteenth century, the company built a reputation around meticulously crafted lagers and traditional European brewing techniques.
What began as a small operation inside North Park's Brewery Igniter incubator eventually expanded into a waterfront biergarten on Shelter Island, a production brewery in Vista, and a tasting room in La Jolla. By virtually every outward measure, Eppig appeared poised for long-term success. Then came the partnership.
In late 2023, Stephanie Eppig and Todd Warshaw announced they were relinquishing operational control of the brewery through a strategic partnership with Newport Beach-based West Coast Ventures & Resources and its hospitality division, Tableside Partners. At the time, the arrangement was presented as an opportunity to accelerate growth, expand distribution, and open additional locations.
SanDiegoVille was among the only local media outlet that publicly questioned the move. The skepticism stemmed largely from West Coast Ventures' growing involvement in a variety of hospitality businesses and concerns that had already begun circulating within Southern California's restaurant and brewing industries regarding the company's management practices.
Almost immediately following the announcement, Eppig's La Jolla tasting room closed. Weeks later, the tasting room at the company's Vista headquarters was shuttered. The promised expansion materialized in the form of a short-lived East Village tasting room near Petco Park, which itself ultimately closed after only a brief run. The Vista production brewery was later transferred to The Lost Abbey. Now, the Shelter Island waterfront location that many consumers most closely associate with the Eppig brand could soon operate under an entirely different name.
The trajectory has led some industry observers to revisit questions that were first raised nearly three years ago. The story becomes even more complicated when viewed alongside the parallel evolution of Mason Ale Works and the broader House of Mason portfolio.
Mason Ale Works originated as part of the 3 Local Brothers restaurant group, which once operated a sizable collection of hospitality concepts including multiple Urge Gastropub locations, Brothers Provisions, The Barrel Room, and several brewery and tasting room locations throughout Southern California and Arizona.
Following the company's partnership with West Coast Ventures in 2021, nearly every single location associated with the original 3 Local Brothers portfolio ultimately closed. Urge Gastropub disappeared altogether. Brothers Provisions closed. The Barrel Room closed. Mason's San Marcos tasting room closed. Various satellite locations came and went.
Although some closures could reasonably be attributed to broader challenges facing the restaurant and craft beer industries, critics have long pointed to the cumulative pattern as evidence that many businesses emerging from partnerships with West Coast Ventures ultimately became significantly smaller than they were before entering those arrangements.
The latest license transfers also arrive against a backdrop of extensive litigation involving West Coast Ventures founder Randy Teffeteller and affiliated entities. Among the most significant legal disputes is ongoing litigation arising from the collapse of Southern California restaurant and brewery operator TAPS Fish House & Brewery, which filed for bankruptcy amid approximately $30 million in liabilities.
Court filings in that matter contain allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, gross negligence, improper transfers, mismanagement, and other claims against Teffeteller and various affiliated parties. Those allegations remain disputed, and the litigation is ongoing.
Former TAPS founder Joe Manzella has been one of Teffeteller's most vocal critics, repeatedly warning SanDiegoVille over the past several years that he believed Eppig and other San Diego businesses were headed down a similar path. Many of Manzella's concerns he raised years ago centered on a pattern in which struggling businesses would enter management or operational partnerships, experience significant restructuring, lose locations, transfer assets, and eventually emerge in substantially altered forms.
The legal scrutiny surrounding businesses associated with Teffeteller has not remained confined to the TAPS matter. In March 2026, another lawsuit was filed against Teffeteller and affiliated entities, adding to a growing list of disputes that have followed West Coast Ventures and its hospitality operations in recent years. The latest complaint alleges misconduct related to business operations and financial dealings, allegations that have not been proven in court and remain contested. Nevertheless, the filing further expands a litigation history that has increasingly become part of the backdrop surrounding the House of Mason portfolio and the businesses that have fallen under its umbrella.
What is noteworthy about the current ABC filings is not necessarily that businesses change hands. That happens routinely throughout the hospitality industry. Rather, it is that these transfers appear to represent another chapter in a long series of ownership changes, restructurings, closures, and rebrandings involving the same collection of businesses.
Industry observers have also noted that several licenses associated with House of Mason operations were, at various points, transferred into entities controlled by younger family members and affiliated companies. While such arrangements can occur for entirely legitimate business reasons, they have contributed to ongoing questions among critics attempting to understand how ownership and operational control evolved throughout the various transactions.
The newest filings may finally provide the clearest public indication yet of who will control these businesses moving forward. Although reports earlier this year suggested Latitude Brewing had acquired portions of the House of Mason portfolio, public ABC records at the time did not reflect corresponding ownership changes. The June filings now appear to establish a direct connection between Latitude Brewing and the future operation of both the Point Loma and Barrio Logan locations.
Whether the move ultimately represents a fresh start for the businesses or simply another step in a longer corporate evolution remains to be seen. What is undeniable is that many of the concerns voiced when Eppig first entered its partnership with West Coast Ventures have aged remarkably well.
When SanDiegoVille first raised concerns about Eppig's partnership with West Coast Ventures in late 2023, critics accused us of being overly skeptical. At the time, the arrangement was presented as a growth strategy. Since then, Eppig's La Jolla tasting room has closed, its Vista tasting room has closed, its East Village outpost has come and gone, its production facility has changed hands, multiple House of Mason assets have been transferred to new ownership structures, and new litigation has continued to emerge involving key figures behind the operation.
What is noteworthy about the current ABC filings is not necessarily that businesses change hands. That happens routinely throughout the hospitality industry. Rather, it is that these transfers appear to represent another chapter in a long series of ownership changes, restructurings, closures, and rebrandings involving the same collection of businesses.
Industry observers have also noted that several licenses associated with House of Mason operations were, at various points, transferred into entities controlled by younger family members and affiliated companies. While such arrangements can occur for entirely legitimate business reasons, they have contributed to ongoing questions among critics attempting to understand how ownership and operational control evolved throughout the various transactions.
The newest filings may finally provide the clearest public indication yet of who will control these businesses moving forward. Although reports earlier this year suggested Latitude Brewing had acquired portions of the House of Mason portfolio, public ABC records at the time did not reflect corresponding ownership changes. The June filings now appear to establish a direct connection between Latitude Brewing and the future operation of both the Point Loma and Barrio Logan locations.
Whether the move ultimately represents a fresh start for the businesses or simply another step in a longer corporate evolution remains to be seen. What is undeniable is that many of the concerns voiced when Eppig first entered its partnership with West Coast Ventures have aged remarkably well.
When SanDiegoVille first raised concerns about Eppig's partnership with West Coast Ventures in late 2023, critics accused us of being overly skeptical. At the time, the arrangement was presented as a growth strategy. Since then, Eppig's La Jolla tasting room has closed, its Vista tasting room has closed, its East Village outpost has come and gone, its production facility has changed hands, multiple House of Mason assets have been transferred to new ownership structures, and new litigation has continued to emerge involving key figures behind the operation.
And now the waterfront biergarten that helped define the Eppig brand appears poised to lose the Eppig name as well. Readers can draw their own conclusions.
SanDiegoVille has reached out to Eppig Brewing founders Stephanie Eppig and Todd Warshaw, representatives of Latitude Brewing, and parties associated with Finest City Beverage LLC seeking comment and will update this story if responses are received.
Point Loma Beer Garden appears to be taking over the former Eppig Brewing waterfront tasting room at 2817 Dickens Street, Suite A101, in San Diego's Point Loma community.
Originally published on June 11, 2026.