Thursday 7th of July 2016 03:30:42 PM

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On the Tracks Brewery came into being earlier in 2013, March in fact and they've been working hard to rack up a cluster of repeat customers.

Hard to find, they're in an industrial - business park off El Camino Real in Carlsbad and only open a few hours Thursday through Sunday.

They advertise their brews as ales, porters and stouts brewed in an old English way…but quite frankly, I didn't taste it.

Not that the beers were bad….just nothing to write home to Mother about.

They do offer a 14% ABV Mead that's carbonated and served cold…a different approach to that style of beer and I rather liked it but not enough to indulge myself with a full pint. The Golden Spike, a so-called "carmel" beer because a lot of carmel malt is used, was also a winner…as was the Baltic Pepper Porter - a few jalapenos but mostly peppercorns in the brewing that results in a dark, throaty brew that would be perfect with Mexican food. The others, I'm sorry to report, just left me cold. Nothing unique about any of them.

In these days of change, the folks who brew have to look long and hard to separate their beers from the pack; the bring in the customers because the brewer is offering something different - something that perhaps hasn't been tried before; a new ingredient, longer fermentation time, something that sets their particular beer or beers apart.

On the Tracks is a small place looking to advance…and they need to keep looking.

Don't be afraid to experiment guys. At this point in your "life" you really have nothing to lose.