Mad Lab Craft Brewing

Sorry to see this place close. The beer was decent. Daphne was super nice and friendly. Location was small but since it was close to work, it was nice to drop in now then to see what was on tap.

It is located in opposite from DMV, very small brewery in a business district. Fresh bitter beer served by super friendly people. I love this place!

Mike and Daphne are fun and I’m so glad they opened up a craft brewery across the street fm the DMV, otherwise I’m not sure if I would’ve ever made it so far south for craft beer. Mike was gracious enough to give me a half pint as he gave me a tour of their quaint establishment and introduced me to the brew process and what all of the equipment was for.
I LOVE their beer so much I will be carrying it at my work soon! I tried.
–peach blonde ale
–mango blonde ale
–serrano ale
–vanilla chocolate coffee porter
–diabolic IPA
–dirty brown (named after Imperial Beach, lol)
at this point, I can’t remember the rest but I LOVED them all, even the IPA.
Look for it soon at my workplace in La Jolla:)

This is a super small husband/​wife run craft brewery and a great example of the heart of craft brewing in San Diego. What they lack in size they make up for in spirit and great craft beer. When we visited they had about 8 of 6 beers on tap (2 were out). The had a range from pale ale’s to the a stout and porter and a couple in between. Daphne took care of us while were were there and was super friendly — sharing the details of everything that went into the beer and even went back to grab some hops for us to taste along side our beer.
From the reviews it sounds like your experience will depend a lot on the variety of beer they have on tap at the time. So I guess the thing to do is call ahead and make sure you’ll have a good experience.
Cheers!

Mike could have been a teacher instead of a brewer of great beer. I learned so much on my day drinking trip at mad lab brewery. Not only did I get a tour of the quant little brewery but he also took the time to explain the process of making the beer. It was more than I could have ever asked for.
Shortly after the tour I met Daphne, Mike’s wife such a sweet and knowledgeable woman! After a few beers I felt like a member of the family. I stayed a bit linger than expected but always felt comfortable :-) thank you guys!
I was partial to the sultry Venus. It was similar to a Belgian beer was what I was told. I think it was plain yummy! Daphne told me that the beer was made for her with less carbonation so she wouldn’t have those big burps and it was lighter and flavorful. It definitely was. It’s a perfect chick beer. Sistah called it the champagne of beers hee hee. I also liked the anniversary blend… ask for it!

I live down south, where there isn’t an abundance of craft breweries. So when I heard from a few of my good friends that there was a good brewery near the new dmv, I jumped at the opportunity to try out some of there beers. When I got there I find they r closed, so I called the number and was greeted by Daphne who offered to come open up the brewery on there 1 day off just to let me try some beers! Talk about great service, she had a great attitude and was very enthusiastic about their beers. I can’t say enough nice things about Daphne, she’s definitely a good person. I got to try a variety of there beers, favorites that stood out for me were the diabolic IPA, mango blonde (tropical mistress iirc), Serrano blonde. The IPA was nice and hoppy, I have to go by again to try there anarchy IPA that wasn’t on tap that day. The latter 2 blondes were very light and refreshing tasting for how high the abv% were, they did a good job balancing the flavors. Also they r planning to be a home brew supply store! I’ll definitely be going back. If your ever down south you should check out this hidden gem.

Small place with a variety of different style beers. The day I visited, only the IPA was available, and to my humble opinion needs improvement.

Living only a couple minutes away from this place, I have passed by this spot a few times and always wanted to stop in and see what it was about. Anyways, I was in need of some brew and decided to give it a shot. I came in at about 6:00 on a Friday, and yeah, the spot is tiny, but there were about 8 people in there chilling out and sipping on some drank. The establishment is super small, but from the time I walked in I got nothing but good vibes from not only the other customers in there but also from the server, (don’t remember his name), and the owner Mike. Glad that I finally stopped in and now I have a go to spot for some good Microbrew right next to the pad. They were out of hlaf gallon Growlers, but I swooped up a 32oz one and had a couple of pints while I was there for $ 4 each, (if you get there before 6:00 they are only $ 3), not bad for some microbrew. Will definitely be hitting this spot up again!

Unilocal brought me here. Was in search for some fresh locally made beer. All I can say is wow! For such a small brewery they have quite a powerful lineup of beers. All the beers are good but the two that stood out were their anarchy ipa and the porter but the name doesn’t come to mind. I ended up buying 2 1 liter growlers of each. I’m actually drinking the porter as I write this! All in all the owners are great and so is their beer. Go out and see for yourself. Support your local breweries!

I guess it isn’t the same without Daphne?
Pretty ho-​hum if you ask me. Certainly not worth skating to Otay Mesa.
They had three beers to taste today at the smallest tasting room this side of Smurfville. A cloudy blonde that left a bitter aftertaste. A not awful Scottish red. And a whimpy stout — if such a thing is even conceivable. And all poured in thimble-​sized tasters that perfectly match the wee tiny tasting room.

dave c. (first reviewer!) says it all. daphne loves her ladies (beers) and her husband. and i love couples who follow their dreams and open up a small business in south bay. and dang, setting a standard for the gaggle of north county brewers mad lab! i’ll get back soon to taste the blend that’s passion fruit and until then taste the RLD nitro in my dreams.

After endlessly lamenting the fact that most if not all breweries in San Diego were located way up north beyond the reach of public transit, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that a new brewery opened up in my backyard! (within 3 – 5 miles)
Eager to try them out, I went out to Otay Mesa and traversed through the highly confusing Otay Freeway, riding through the broken and lonely streets of Otay Mesa Rd, finally making it to my destination. (Which is situated within a few feet of the DMV, which is quite convenient! ;)) Upon entering the establishment I was greeted by Daphne, the wife and business partner of head brewer Mike McFarland.
She was about the nicest gal I’ve ever had the pleasure of being served by. Very knowledgeable about her own beers, and wasn’t afraid to give her own personal opinions on her least favorite and favorite brews. Being the beer explorer that I am, I had basically sampled each of their offered ales. Many were good, a small few were not to my liking, and a couple were pretty excellent. My personal favorite was the Sultry Venus, which is a Belgian-​style Golden Ale. It had the right amount of yeasty fruitiness to it, and was easy to drink. Our group ended up buying 3 growlers, which were nicely priced! $ 20 for a half-​gallon of goodness, with $ 8 refills. For a newly opened brewery, that’s a steal.
I look forward to making many frequent trips, as a place like this can only improve and expand their horizons. Judging from my inaugural visit, they’re off to a good start!

First things first. I have no relation to the owners. I’m a guy that travels on business to San Diego 1 – 2 times a month. I do my meetings and then hit a different craft brewery every time. Call it a quest. So a few weeks ago I was in Imperial Beach and the closest and most southern brewer is a tiny little place called Mad Lab. The fun starts now! I arrived to a warehouse facility. Pretty standard fare for a lot of the craft scene in the SD region. Walked inside and there, all by herself, was… wait for it… Daphne. Folks let me tell you. grab a car, a skateboard, a broom, whatever, and head to Mad Lab for some GREAT beer… and Daphne. Let’s discuss the beer first shall we.
They’re brewing some really awesome stuff. While all of the beers were great, a particular shout out has to be done for the RLD (Scottish Red) and the IB Blonde. The IB Blonde is an exceptional example of a light beer made craft style. Beautifully balanced flavors. A unique set of ale and fruit flavors. Really a unique treat, Similarly, the RLD was amazing. Very complex. Slightly smokey, rich, exceptional. To top it off, Daphne (more on her later) poured me a tap version of the RLD and a bottle conditioned version. What a kick to compare the flavors. The bottle conditioned has less carbonation and as such, the flavors lingered on the tongue longer. It was really a unique opportunity.
Now…about Daphne. Please, please please trust me when I tell you that every once in a while, you by meet by chance, a special and blessed soul. Someone who if you give them a few minutes to be in your space, you find that this is a rare and special human being. That is Daphne. The story of her and her husband is a love supreme. Her background is facsinating. Her energy contagious. Her life experiences are amazing. Her capacity to care for people is inspiring. She’s «good people» as my grandpa used to say. The beer is already great. Daphne makes the experience awesome.
So…bottom line. Make the beer pilgrimage to Otay Mesa. If you care about craft beer… if you care about the joy you can find from unexpected encounters with unique people… make the drive. And when you speak of me… you’ll speak well.