Confession

I have a secret to confess. Not a large confession on the scale of possible sins, but more a confession of omission. Before today I had never been to O'Brien's Pub. For a San Diego beer blogger and self-described beer geek this is akin to blasphemy. A heretical act of beer douche baggery, as O'Brien's is San Diego's preeminent beer bar. From afar, I had eyed O'Brien's tap list and enjoyed stories of bacchanalian revelry. Today, I finally had the chance to enter this hallowed beer sanctuary. The Beer Rovette and I went for a late lunch to kick off the long Memorial Day weekend. It was packed with like-minded beer geeks taking long lunches and enjoying an early start to the weekend.

We split a jalapeno burger, beer chili and a side salad. All three were excellent. I had a New English Trooper ESB and a Russian River IPA, while the Beer Rovette had a Firestone Lil' Opal Wit (the link is to a Lil' Opal Saison). We split an unfiltered The Bruery's Saison de Lente to finish lunch. (New English is a new San Diego brewer and its Trooper ESB was good, an English-style ESB, but with enough hops to keep it interesting.)

What struck us about O'Brien's was its casualness. With the large, comfortable chairs, open feel, despite its small space, and laid back ambiance, it felt more like being at a friend's house than at a pub. The staff did not treat us any different than regulars and were pleasant despite the large crowd.

I plan to visit O'Brien's again soon to explore its quality tap list, or extensive and reasonably priced bottle list, and to enjoy a few moments of peace in a busy world.