The Beer Rover

New (Limited Edition) IPA at Pizza Port Ocean Beach

2012-02-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

If you're sick of running around San Diego trying to get a half pint of that once-a-year triple IPA, only to find that the bar you were racing to tapped the keg while you were at work and it blew five minutes before you arrived, Pizza Port Ocean Beach is releasing a new, limited edition IPA this Thursday evening, February 16, 2012. The IPA is The Burning of Rome IPA, and it was brewed to promote a band with the same name (obviously, without the IPA appendix).

I don't know anything about the band, but I am going to try to visit Pizza Port Ocean Beach over the weekend to grab a pint, as I can't see this beer selling out in one night. Port Brewing and its four Pizza Port locations brew multiple IPAs, many that are outstanding, and even its comparatively pedestrian IPAs (like PPOB's Jetty) are better than most brewers' best IPAs. PPOB's special IPAs and DIPAs - While the Wife's Away, While the Wife's Still Away, and Cho-Saiko - have been outstanding, and I'm hoping The Burning of Rome is a flavor bomb like some of these.

Over-Hype Reality Check

2012-02-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

The early February hype around Pliny the Younger is in full mania mode. When I linked to the Russian River website for my previous post, I noticed the twenty beers on tap at the Russian River Brewpub in Santa Rosa. I saved the tap list, and have copied and posted it below:

Beer	ABV	Description
O.V.L Stout	4.40%	Nitro Dry Irish Stout
Aud Blonde	4.50%	Blonde Ale
Gaffer's	4.50%	English Pale Ale
Rusian River Porter	5.75%	Robust Porter
Segal Select	5.75%	Pale Ale - Segal Hop Farm
Row 2, Hill 56	5.80%	100% Simcoe Hop Pale Ale
Blind Pig IPA	6.75%	IPA
Rusian River IPA	6.75%	IPA
Pliny the Elder	8.00%	Double IPA
Pliny the Younger	10.50%	Triple IPA
Redemption	4.80%	Blonde Ale
Perdition	6.10%	Biere de Sonoma
Rejection	6.30%	Belgian-Inspired Black Ale
Sanctification	6.75%	Blonde Ale w/ Brett
Supplication	7.00%	Sour Aged in Pinot Barrels
Defenstration	7.25%	Hoppy Blonde Ale
Damnation	7.00%	Golden Ale
Temptation	7.50%	Sour Aged in Chardonnay Barrels
Consecration	10.00%	Sour Aged in Cab Barrels
Damnation 23	10.75%	Triple Aged w/ Oak Chips

It's an amazing line-up of beers. I hope the people that went to Russian River to get a glass of the elusive PtY were able to see beyond the triple IPA myopia and try some of these beers. PtY is all well and good, but it would be the 16th or 17th beer I'd try given the choices above.

Pliny The Younger Dinner at El Take It Easy

2012-02-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

I just saw the below paragraph in an email from Jay Porter of The Linkery and El Take It Easy:

Coming up: A chef's dinner at El Take It Easy incorporating the famous Pliny the Younger beer and other rare/allocated beverages in late February; a pop-up on March 4 with Tijuana super-chef Javier Plascencia; and the Linkery's 7th Anniversary party at the end of February. More info on those coming up.

The craze behind Russian River's triple IPA Pliny the Younger is hard to believe, but this dinner sounds interesting. I followed Toronado's Pliny the Younger release today on Twitter and San Diego Beer Blog. Toronado was the first bar in San Diego go sell this year's release of the high octane beer. The frenzy started at 10.00 a.m., and two kegs were finished in less than three hours. A lot of useless people were stumbling around North Park this afternoon.

By late February the hype to get a pint of Pliny the Younger should have waned, making the El Take It Easy event all the better. I'll admit that when reading the email I was more intrigued by the olive oil from Ensenada than Pliny the Younger.

Update: The Pliny the Younger Chef's dinner at El Take It Easy is Monday, February 27th, and will feature rare/allocated drinks in addition to PtY.

Update Update: Here is the menu for the El Take It Easy dinner

Speedway Stout

2012-02-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

I felt like the Dos Equis guy last Friday night, except less interesting. I don't always want an imperial stout, but when I do, I want a good one. Alesmith's Speedway Stout is a good one. It is a sweet, black beer, brewed with Ryan Bros. Coffee, and the the rich taste of coffee is in every drink. This is not one of those nonsense "breakfast" beers, but a grown-up night capper. If you were numbskull enough to drink this beer for breakfast, after a pint, you'd curl up and go back for the rest of the day.

The beer poured black and thick, with a frothy mocha foam (like how I'd picture cappuccino whip cream if it existed). The aroma of roasted coffee burst from the bottle as soon as I opened it. The first few sips were a jolt, but I quickly acclimated to the beer's boozy coffee and roasted malt flavor. The remainder of the bottle became a smooth, two hour sipper. I am always amazed at the sweetness of an imperial stout. Speedway, even with its bitter roast coffee, was dessert-like. I may have even picked up a hint of dark chocolate. Speedway's sweetness balances the bitterness from the roasted malts and coffee. Speedway is a big beer, and the alcohol was present throughout and was never shy, and it became more noticeable as the beer warmed. This beer is a wonderful cold weather beer.

(There are many Speedway Stouts available. The one above is, I think, the standard Speedway Stout. It had a silver foil over the bottle cap.)

Sensory Overload

2012-02-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

I don't like leaving dinner agitated, especially one that involves beer. This happened last night after dinner at Slater's 50/50 in Liberty Station. I know I am getting crotchety, but I can't handle loud music in restaurants anymore. Throw in the poor acoustics at Slater's and it's a cacophony of commotion. Don't get me wrong, Slater's food is good, its draft beer list extensive, and its staff is friendly and attentive (it could add a few more beers to its 1/2 price happy hour options). But the music was so loud we could barely have a conversation, and the music wasn't even good, just popular rock with a couple of country tracks for variety. The loud music means that everyone in the restaurant is shouting. I need a beer.

Slater's needs to decide if it's going to go the bar route or the restaurant route. After last night, I know that the two don't mix well. The bar side wins, and we were at Slater's early (around 5:00). There were plenty of other families and non-bar patrons, too, as the restaurant was nearly full by 6:00, so there is plenty of dining interest. Slater's has a large room separate from the main restaurant and bar area. It should make this room into a dining room for people that don't want to be bludgeoned by the roar in the front room. I should note that Slater's has plenty of outside seating, but even with the heaters it's still a few months before I'll be eating outside at night.

On a positive note, Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye IPA was quite good. It was hoppy and the strong rye malt pulled the beer together and gave it depth. I helped the Beer Rovette, who thought of the title to this post, with her Sam Adams' Alpine Spring, which was light, maybe too light, and grassy with a bit of lager funk. Slater's had two beers from now-defunct Airdale Brewing on tap, Angry Panda and Dark and Stormy. Grab a pint while you can.

Gypsy Ale Revealed

2012-01-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

A beer named Gypsy Ale doesn't give much of a clue as to what's in the bottle. This mystery element is why Telegraph Brewing's Gypsy Ale (Batch 57) sat in my beer cabinet for months. I was unsure what I had in Gypsy and didn't want to open it when I wanted something simple, and have it turn out complex; or have it turnout one dimensional when I was in the mood for some depth. In the spirit of "beer is for drinking, not thinking" I popped the cork on Gypsy Ale over the weekend. Mystery no more, Gypsy Ale was an amazing beer.

Gypsy was brewed with Brettanomyces yeast, which brought out sour, wild flavors. I didn't know it was a sour, what a treat. It poured a clear amber with a modest foam, which belied the flavor and complexity in the glass. The label says it was brewed with local (near Santa Barbara) plums and these showed in the beer's subtle, sweet flavor and in its aroma. Gypsy had a near perfect balance between sour and sweet, and the yeasty funkiness permeated the entire bottle. Its abv was 8%, which is at the high-end of my sour abv range, as higher abvs can be cloying, almost medicinal. Gypsy's first drink was as good as its last, a superb sour ale.

When I opened Gypsy Ale I didn't remember that the Beer Samizdat had ranked it as the No. 2 beer of 2011. I'm glad I didn't know this and came to the conclusion myself that Gypsy's one first-rate beer. Telegraph's website says Gypsy is available in late summer and early fall. I need to get my hands on another bottle this summer, and am not going to wait to drink it.

Craft Beer Keeps Moving Mainstream

2012-01-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a Financial Times article on craft beer bars in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. I just added a few more spots to the Beer Bucket List, especially Spuyten Duyvil (which needs to update its beers on tap list). I like how this article was on the same page as Jancis Robinson's wine column. One more step towards craft beers' world domination.

Writers no longer have to mention Stone Brewing's iconic Arrogant Bastard's label, where Stone tells us:

“This is an aggressive ale. You probably won’t like it”

Arrogant Bastard was released in late 1997, so the challenge is not new. Yes, we do like it, along with many other beers.

The Bruery Sour Video

2012-01-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Below is an informative video from The Bruery on sour beers. This video has been out for about a week but I just got around to watching it. The video has a high beer geek factor (good thing), but watch out for that '70s background soundtrack it's as funky as a Bruery sour ale:

The Bruery - On Sour Ales from The Bruery on Vimeo.

Angst Over West Coast IPAs

2012-01-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

This post from the Beervana blog and its comments over whether West Coast IPA is a unique style verge on a parody of Northwest blogger regional insecurity. The contemplation, earnestness and ultimate rejection of this non-style is laughable. West Coast IPA is a euphemism for a big, hopped-up IPA, nothing more. Maybe I missed the memo, but I have never heard of West Coast IPA being touted as its own style. The blog and comments show the Northwest's dismissal of terms that don't originate within their insular community, which is hypocritical coming from a group that latched on to a blogger-created fake style name, Cascadian Dark Ale. These guys need to relax and have a West Coast IPA or three, and they can safely start at home in the familiar confines of the Northwest with Pelican Pub and Brewery's India Pelican Ale, an excellent West Coast IPA.

The Beers of 2011 - Part II - The Bad?

2012-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

This post's title is misleading, I didn't have a horrible beer in 2011. (The one exception was a Mexican lager called Victoria, which I had at the end of the year, but it deserves its own post.) The title should read The Underwhelming rather than the Bad. I had high expectations for certain beers that were not matched when I drank the beer. Like my favorite beers of 2011, my list of the underwhelming beers is not in any particular order.

For the second year in a row Stone's Vertical Epic failed to impress.   I am not a fan of chili beers and 11.11.11 did not convert me. I wrote that it was "better than expected," which is not a ringing endorsement. I liked it enough to write that I wanted another, but have yet to pick it up. I feel that Stone is trying too hard to create strange beers in its Vertical Epic series.

Sierra Nevada's faux Belgian monastery Ovila Dubble was an uninspired dud. It was not a bad beer, just an average, forgettable beer. I haven't bothered to try the other two Ovila offerings due to the lackluster Dubble. If you partner with a non-Belgian monastery, it makes sense that the beers are not going to taste like real Belgian beers. In Ovila Dubble's favor, it did have a slick logo.

Monk's Cafe's Flemish Sour was a disappointment. I found it too sweet. I had read positive reviews on this beer, and was expecting more. Monk's Cafe taught me what I didn't like in a sour, so I guess that's positive. I didn't review this beer, but believe me, the review wouldn't have been positive.

I had a few beers where I didn't drink the whole beer, but where tastes alone were enough to frighten my taste buds. I know it's not fair to list and criticize a beer with such a small exposure, so I owe it to the two brewers to give these two beers the courtesy of a full pint or bottle.   In December, I wrote that Iron Fist's The Gauntlet was "shudder-inducing." Manzanita Brewing's Chaotic Double IPA had a fine upfront hop bitterness, but it had a long, nasty aftertaste - the taster that wouldn't end.

As I put the above list together, as well the Good from the previous post, I realized I just didn't have enough beer variety last year. There are plenty of beers to try, and the craft beer choices keep growing.   I need to get out more in 2012.

The Beers of 2011 - The Good

2012-01-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

OK, it's over two weeks into 2012 and I finally finished this post I started nearly a month ago. I did not have that adventurous of a beer drinking year in 2011. I tended to stick with the familiar, so my options for favorite beer were not that deep.

I am not not going to crown one favorite beer in 2011, instead I'll list the three beers I enjoyed the most. I can't honestly write that I liked one more of these more than the other, as each was different and unique. I included a style in my list of favorite beers, because I really came to appreciate and enjoy sour beers. In no particular order, here are my favorite beers of 2011:

Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA. I wrote about it here. This beer was huge, black, roasted, hoppy and best of all drinkable. An amazing, approachable beer at an 11% abv. Stone Brewing's best Anniversary Beer since its tenth anniversary, and one of its best special releases ever.

Pretty Things Jack D'Or. A hoppy American saison. I had it on the Fourth of July and it was the perfect beer for a quiet, relaxing day. It was refreshing, yet spicy enough to keep my attention. A wonderful beer that I discussed here.

Green Flash Le Freak. Whoa. I had seen this beer for years but had never bought one. What a waste. I had my first Le Freak on cask at The Linkery during San Diego Beer Week. This may be hyperbolic, but Le Freak was nearly transcendent. Transcendent to where I'm not sure, but I know I want to go there. Le Freak was one delicious, complex ale, and now I have some lost Le Freak beer drinking to recoup.

Sours - I paid more attention to sours in 2011, and came to enjoy them. My favorite sours have a moderate abv (6% to 8%), a tart, upfront sourness with a faint sweetness for balance. A few of the sours I liked were Allagash's Confluence, The Lost Abbey's Red Poppy and from Belgium, Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge. I can assure you I will be drinking more sours in 2012.

I will have a few more posts on the beer year that was, where I discuss the Bad and my favorite brewery in 2011.

Alpine Email

2012-01-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

I just received an email from Alpine Beer Company and have reprinted most of it below. There are some good beers coming soon, at least I suspect they are good. I'd like to try the Chez Monieux and whatever the heck "Whale" is. Enjoy:

This Friday, January 13th, along with our specials listed later, we’ll have a pin, which is a small cask, of specially dry-hopped “Whale” using Indie Hops Chinook and Nugget hops in the pin.

On Tuesday, January 17th, for your drinking and growler fills, we’re bringing back “Hoppy Birthday,” the most celebrated beer in the world. Our 5.2% strong pale ale is packed full of hoppy goodness, like our IPAs, but lower alcohol for sustained imbibing.

And, on the same day, Tuesday, we will, for the very first time, be releasing “Melonhead IPA.” This is our collaboration brew with Fat Head’s Brewery’s Matt Cole, a hell of a nice guy and a fantastic brewer. We used a new experimental hop HBC 342 exclusively in this 6.75% IPA. The descriptors indicated a citrusy, watermelon aroma which seems pretty accurate from our initial assessments. Growler fills, pints and pitchers only, no bottles. Shawn just reported that “melon” is a great descriptor and it tastes awesome.

Bottling of “Chez Monieux” starts next week. We will do some analytical work on it to determine stability and let you know when it is available. Draft may be happening very soon, though, with a possible sighting this weekend. “Chez Monieux,” pronounced [sheym][awn][yoo], is a 7% abv Belgian-style Kreik made with Balaton Cherries. Balatons are tarter than the Montmorency Cherries and offer a unique flavor to this classic style.

We are still on track to release “Exponential Hoppiness” on Friday, January 27th when doors open. Bottles will be the main supply as growler fills will be limited. We’ll also have it in the pub for as long as it lasts. Last time it lasted a whole week. For those unfamiliar, this is what we call our Triple IPA because its 11.25% abv. We dry-hop this monster a couple of times and even use body-bag sized mesh bags full of hop flowers for a dry-hop session with freshly cut American white oak chips for some vanillin and added complexity.

Dark Sybian IPA

2012-01-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

Noble Ale Works. A new brewery from Orange County? I thought The Bruery had the monopoly on Orange County's craft beer. I had never heard of this brewery until late last year when I saw its Dark Sybian IPA listed on the tap board at Pizza Port Ocean Beach. I tried Noble's black IPA and was impressed. It was assertive yet approachable. It struck the right note between its roasted malts and its hop bitterness. The best words I can use to describe Dark Sybian are smooth and drinkable. It had a satisfying full body richness that's a must in all quality stouts and porters, and now in black IPAs, which made it an enjoyable beer. Its abv was around 7%, so it's not an evening stopper, like some big, dark ales, and its approachability could easily make several pints a reality. I'd like to try more of Noble's beers, in particular, its Alpha Red imperial red ale.

If I have one knock on this beer it's that Noble calls Dark Sybian IPA a Cascadian Dark Ale. Call it a black IPA, a hoppy porter, a bitter stout, anything but a Cascadian Dark Ale. No brewer outside the Willamette Valley should use this term, especially one from Orange County, which is probably the most antithetical area of the country to someone from Portland. If Noble is looking for credibility from the Northwest, it won't happen, especially a brewer from the crass, commercial home of Disneyland and endless strip malls. It's unfortunate that the myopic beer elitists in Portland dismiss most brewers that can't see the Willamette River from their brewery, because Dark Sybian IPA is worth trying.

San Diego's Secret Is Out

2012-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

San Diego ranks 14th on the New York Times' 45 places to visit in 2012, all because of craft beer. Here is the entry:

Even in times of tight budgets, finely crafted beer remains a relatively approachable luxury, and few American regions have more brewing momentum than San Diego County. Maybe it’s time, then, to think about building a beer safari in the land of sunshine, fish tacos and hopped-up American IPAs. Long established craft breweries like Karl Strauss Brewing Company and the cheeky Stone Brewing Company have mentored brewmasters and created demand for some seriously offbeat ales.

The area has long been a hotbed of garage-based hobbyists, so it’s no surprise that the region also has a tradition of dedicated home brewing. The result is a cluster of small breweries, like the tiny but soon-to-expand Hess Brewing.

And there are numerous opportunities for rigorous but never dour beer tastings, at staggeringly comprehensive shops like Bottlecraft Beer Shop & Tasting Room and Pizza Port Bottle Shop, as well as beer-obsessed taverns like Hamilton’s and O’Brien’s and restaurants like Local Habit. Those looking for full immersion can pack a stein for the fourth annual San Diego Beer Week in November. SARA DICKERMAN

"The cheeky Stone Brewing Company," that's funny. Make sure to checkout the slide show related to the above entry, as it gives particular props to Bottlecraft and Hess Brewing.

The Power of Craft Beer

2012-01-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

Here is an article worth reading from the Atlantic on a Seattle convenience store that is thriving due its owner's decision to promote and sell craft beer. The article's author, Christopher Solomon, sure knows his craft beer, and knows how to write about it. He describes the scene at the Super Deli Mart in West Seattle, which has become a community destination due to good craft beer:

Min Chung (owner) saw this new revolution coming and jumped aboard. Chung, 38, is a son of Korean immigrants with a business degree, a nose for marketing, and a mouth that loves to talk and drink good beer. He can usually be found wearing his preferred uniform of cargo shorts and running shoes, a sport vest stretched a little taut across a midsection that hasn't been denied the occasional pint. Chung bought the tired convenience store in early 2009 with the vision of sprucing it up and, among the Slim Jims and Red Bull, selling bottles of high-end brew to the Amazon workers and Boeing engineers who live near Puget Sound. Soon he thought, Why not pour beer so people could taste first? "Would people pay 11, 12 bucks a bottle if they didn't know what it is?" he asks. After much back-and-forth with the nonplussed Liquor Control Board, Chung got licensed as a restaurant (the "deli" in Super Deli Mart) and started pouring beer that August -- a first in the state for a mini-mart, as far as he knows.

What Chung didn't predict is what happened next. By last summer Super Deli Mart was burning though up to 25 kegs per week as people came to the store not just to pick up a six-pack of Dale's Pale Ale and a Snickers, but just to quaff pints and hang out.

Min Chung was able to obtain a keg of Pliny the Younger:

In the last two years Chung has served beers that are near the top of the list for any beer snob, from Dogfish Head's 120-Minute IPA, to Port Brewing's Older Viscosity, a dark strong ale aged in bourbon barrels. He's tapped beers brewed with figs. Beer with blueberries. "We even had bacon beer," he says. "I think customers tasted more of that beer than any other beer."

His biggest coup yet was last March, when acclaimed California brewer Russian River released Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA that Beer Advocate has rated the best beer in the world. All of Seattle received about 20 kegs, by one estimate (Russian River declined to provide numbers, not wanting to spur discord among bars); people nearly rioted at bars like the Dray to get a small pour. Super Deli Mart got one of the kegs.

It's amazing the impact that craft beer can have on a store or restaurant. Who ever heard of hanging out a convenience store on purpose? I'll be the first to admit that if the 7-11 down the street from me served pints of Pliny the Younger and Stone's Double-Dry Hopped Ruination, I'd think all kinds of excuses to go knock back a pint. If a store or restaurant has a thoughtful, varied selection of quality craft beer, people will visit, repeatedly.

Alesmith's Tasting Room Remodel

2012-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

Alesmith Brewing Company is remodeling its tasting room, and the remodel is expected to reopen January 19th. Here is part of an Alesmith newsletter I received this morning:

Tasting Room Closure/Remodel

The AleSmith tasting room will be closed until January 19th, 2012. But before you get too disappointed, please read on for all of the exciting changes to come in 2012!

2011 saw some great growth for AleSmith. The AleSmith team has grown from six to twelve people, we received our brand new bottling line in August, we won 3 Silver Medals at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival and our new 90bbl fermenters started arriving in November! These changes will allow us to increase our capacity to 12,000bbls per year!

In addition to all of the brewhouse changes, we've just started a complete remodel of the AleSmith tasting room! As we previously mentioned, the tasting room will be closed January 1-18th for the remodel. Some of the changes in store for the new tasting room are a larger bar (with built in beer engine), two restrooms and awards display area. We will re-open on January 19th at 2pm. Some construction will still be underway when we re-open, so we've decided to hold a grand re-opening party in mid-February.

As we finish up the final touches on the remodel, stay tuned to the AleSmith Anvil Newsletter for the formal re-opening party announcement and for more information about expanded tasting room hours, food truck events and more one-off beers being produced.

It looks like Alesmith is expanding its tasting room hours, too. The current tasting room hours are:

Thursday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Friday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

It was not too long ago when Alesmith's tasting room consisted of a makeshift bar at the back of the brewery.

Green Flash's Winter's Folly

2012-01-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

I had never heard of Green Flash's Winter's Folly (beer on the right in the picture) until about two weeks ago. I didn't know Green Flash offered a holiday beer. I still don't know anything about this beer other than it's freaking excellent. I had it at Slater's 50/50, where it was being offered for $3 a pint as part of a happy hour special. The best way to describe this full-bodied, mahogany beer is that it's a big, hoppy red ale. It reminded me of Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard. Winter Folly is an aggressive beer, like other Green Flash beers, but it was also approachable, a difficult characteristic that Green Flash manages to capture in its big beers. It's rich roasted malts are well balanced with a strong hop profile, which gave the beer a welcome drinkability and prevented taste bud fatigue. This was important because at $3 a pint, a second Winter's Folly was a must.

I'd like to know more about this beer, like whether it's going to be a regular seasonal offering, or if it was just a beautiful one-off. If you get a chance to try this beer, take it.

A quick note on Slater's 50/50. I had Winter's Folly on my second visit, and there was no sophomore jinx. Concerns about tap rotation seem unfounded, as there were plenty of different beers on tap from my first visit in late November.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Beer Geeks

2011-12-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

If you're not into beer but know a beer geek and want to buy a present to indulge his or her hobby, here are a few gift ideas, and ones to avoid, for this holiday season.

1. Don't Give Beer. Unless you have been given a specific beer request, you should avoid direct beer gifts. The beer geek is at heart a snob and if you don't know the beer your giving, the chances of choosing a beer the geek will like is slim. Stella Artois and Newcastle Brown Ale are not special, and Cost Plus' Beers-of-the World twelve packs are lame.

2. Beer Store Gift Certificates. If you are set on giving beer, a gift certificate to a good beer store or grocery store with wide beer selection is a better gift idea than randomly trying to choose strange beers. You should budget around $25, which will let the geek buy two to four beers.

3. Brewery Gift Certificates. If you're lucky enough to live near a brewery you should think about a gift certificate. A gift certificate from a local brewery will allow the geek to fill growlers, or buy bottled beer or pickup up glassware, logoed clothes or other beer swag.

4. Glassware. Quality beer glassware is hard to find, but makes a great gift. Crate & Barrel finally has as decent selection of beer glassware. I'd recommend the Hops, the Bruges (picture), or imperial Pint Tumbler. Many breweries now sell special glassware, and again, if you live near a brewery, you should investigate this option. Avoid the ubiquitous Shaker pint glasss, the tall pilsner glasses or any glasses with handles. Any respectable beer geek has plenty of Shaker pint glasses and won't need any more. Stores like Target and Macy's only offer the tall pilsner glass, but while these glasses look elegant they're a pain to use, plus beer geeks don't tend to drink many pilsners, which these glasses were designed for, and if they do it's usually directly out of a can or bottle.

5. Beer Books. The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes and Unabashed Arrogance is a good literary gift. Amazon has it and I've seen it at Costco (although this is probably regional). It's a glossy well written book that the beer geek will enjoy. Most professional beer writing is tedious at best, so be careful with selecting beer books.

6. Bottle Opener. It sounds simple, but a good bottle opener is a must for any beer geek, and an overlooked tool for the drinking trade. Choose an opener that has heft and leverage, as it will be required to open wine bottle-size beer bottles. Local breweries and a quality beer or liquor store are a sources for openers, but other cooking stores should carry suitable ones, too.

Keep your beer gift search simple. Beer does not lend itself to over thinking. The beer geek is typically an appreciative person, despite the snooty attitude towards beer, and will enjoy any extra effort to indulge their habit.

Year-End Thinking

2011-12-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

It's unlikely I will reach my goal of 100 posts for this year. I could write a number of small useless posts to get to 100, but I am not going to succumb to posts that read like a New Brew Thursday tweet just to meet a meaningless target.

I am putting together my list of best and worst beers of the year. I know the best beers I have had this year, but I am having a hard time putting together the worst beers. I'd had some beers that have disappointed and underwhelmed, but until last weekend none that I'd call the worst beer of the year. Iron Fist's undrinkable Gauntlet double IPA was shudder inducing bad. It did not taste like an IPA, was way too malty and boozy and had a nasty aftertaste. If I didn't know it, I would not have guessed it a double IPA. A friend ordered the Gauntlet at a pub, and I tasted it, so I did not actually have one myself, so maybe I should not include it on my list. But whether I include it or not, with one taste it was by far the worst beer I had this year. We asked the bartender if we could swap Gauntlet for a Coronado Brewing Idiot double IPA, which I knew was a good beer, and she gladly obliged, agreeing with us that Gauntlet was a tough beer to drink. I can't remember ever sending a beer back for crappy taste.

Holiday Beer Recommendations

2011-12-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

I was asked by a friend today for holiday beer recommendations for a party he was hositng. I immediately said Dupont's Avec Les Bons Voeux, which is possibly the finest beer on the planet, holiday beer or not. I try to enjoy a couple of this smooth, souped up saison a year. I sent a later email telling him that he should also buy some Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, a classic American holiday beer. If my friend and his guests don't like either of these two beers they deserve to get sick on their eggnog.

Slater's 50/50 and Danny Downer

2011-11-21T08:47:00.001-08:00

We went to the new Slater's 50/50 in in San Diego's Liberty Station on Friday night. Before we went I had seen on Slater's website that it offered a good selection of craft beers. I had also read The Hop Daddy beer blog, which mentioned that Slater's had 111 taps. Slater's website only lists a handful of its beer options, shortchanging, for some reason, its actual number of taps. I don't know if Slater's really has 111 taps (the manager told me there were 111) or whether near its closer to 80 taps (like Slater's website states), all I know for certain is there are plenty of beer drinking options.

Some restaurants have a large number of taps, but upon closer inspection, you are left with about three beers you'd want to drink (read: Yard House). But Slater's 50/50's 111 taps were stocked with mostly good stuff, including Stone Brewing, Ballast Point, Bear Republic, Alesmith, Port/Lost Abbey, Iron Smith, and Green Flash beers to name a few. Plus, there was a fair number of quality Belgian beers. Sure there were a handful of macros - Bud, Bud Lite, Ultra, Stella, Blue Moon etc. - but with 111 taps seeing these beers is expected, and who really cares because the important point is that the tap choices at Slater's are heavily weighted towards good beer.

I told a friend about Slater's, which has only been open about a week, and he immediately started putting it down. He didn't like the namesake 50/50 burger, which is half hamburger meat and half bacon, the regular burger patty that he had fell apart, and other people he knew didn't like it either. How can someone form such a negative opinion on a week-old restaurant? I thought the food was good. Slater's is a brewpub-type burger joint, and it fits this style well. I don't eat hamburgers that often, but I have no problems with quality of Slater's burgers. (I had the Thanksgiving Turkey Burger and liked it.) The service was friendly and attentive, too. With about 90 to 100 viable draft beer options to enjoy, what the heck do you want, The French Laundry? My friend and his negative cohorts can avoid Slater's, this leaves more beer for the rest of us.

(The picture above is a Lost Abbey Red Barn in a fancy Lost Abbey glass.)

Round Up - Damnation Batch 23 and Confluence

2011-11-17T12:16:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of quick reviews on two excellent beers. Russian River Brewing's Damnation Batch 23 is the latest periodical release of the ramped up version of Russian River's year-round Damnation. Damnation is a Belgian Strong Ale and Batch 23 is Damnation on steroids. Strong is the key word, as it has an 11% abv compared to Damnation's 7% abv. Batch 23 is scary smooth, the most drinkable "big" beer I have had in recent memory. It is yeasty and fruity at the front, with a balancing hop bitter finish. It is a rich, full-bodied beer. As you can see in the attached picture, Batch 23 is highly carbonated, and the intense bubbles give the beer a welcome creaminess. It is worth finding this infrequently released beer.

I am continuing my quest for good sours. As noted in the previous blog post, I went to Pizza Port Ocean Beach's sour and rare bottle night as part of San Diego Beer Week last Friday. I stayed long enough to pick up my food and drink an Allagash Confluence. Confluence made the fifteen minute wait in line seem short. As I took my first taste of this wild American ale, the roar in Pizza Port faded and I heard a chorus of angels sing, "Hallelujah." Confluence is an excellent sour. It helped cement my preferred flavor profile for sour beers - strong sour initially and through the middle followed by increased bitterness, and minimal sweetness all around. Confluence's yeast gave it a funky sour flavor, and it had a nice hoppy bite in the finish. There was a faint note of sweetness that served to balance, not distract, and it is in no way a sweet beer. Too much sweetness diminishes a sour beer. Confluence had a strong body that supported its complexity. I would have had liked more time to savor this distinct beer. Like with Batch 23, you'll be doing yourself a favor trying Confluence.

11.11.11 on 11.11.11

2011-11-14T22:39:00.001-08:00

I managed to have a Stone Vertical Epic 11.11.11 on its actual namesake date 11.11.11. It wasn't my deliberate intention, but when I found the sour beer night at Pizza Port Ocean Beach too crowded, I figured it'd be worth grabbing a bottle of the latest Stone release for home consumption. I'll get right to the point - 11.11.11 was better than I was expecting. I know that's not a ringing endorsement, but I was suspicious when I heard it was being brewed with chilies and cinnamon.

It poured a clear, deep mahogany, with quick dissolving sand-colored foam. The chilies provided some spicy heat, but I did not detect too much flavor from them outside of their heat. The main taste I picked up was cinnamon. It was present throughout, even with the bittering hops in the finish. The other taste was booze, which was noticeable from beginning to end. (I am not sure of the beer's abv, but would guess between 8% and 9%.) There are plenty of flavors going on in this beer, and I am going to need another bottle (or several) to get its full measure. I did not do 11.11.11 justice by drinking at least half of it with a pizza dinner, but most of my beer drinking is with dinner.

I compare all Vertical Epics to my favorite, 08.08.08. 11.11.11, while complex and interesting, is not as good as '08's Vertical Epic. On the positive side, it's much better than last year's experimental wine wannabe, and I want another, which is also positive. 11.11.11 is an approachable extreme beer, but you'll find yourself sipping it despite its easy drinkability. The cinnamon and chile heat could qualify this beer as a one-off Stone holiday beer. Stone has one more Vertical Epic left, and I am already starting to miss the concept. It's time to start the speculation on next year's Vertical Epic grand finale. I am rooting for a monster Belgian quad, thick as molasses, with a big dried fruit profile, and hops, loads and loads of hops.

Beerendipity

2011-11-13T23:21:00.001-08:00

On Friday I wanted to go to The Blind Lady to meet The Bruery's Patrick Rue and try some The Bruery beers, as part of San Diego's Beer Week. I drove by The Blind Lady twice trying to find a place to park while noticing the crowd inside. After the second pass, while driving west on Adams Avenue, I decided to skip The Blind Lady and see if I could find parking and a restaurant somewhere on 30th Street. My parking impatience resulted in trying an amazing beer and having a superb lunch.

The Beer Rovette and I decided to eat at The Linkery, where we found convenient parking and a modest late lunchtime crowd. Green Flash's Le Freak was on cask. I had seen this beer in bottles for years but had never tried it. It was delicious. Being on cask and near room temperature made Le Freak's flavors pop. Le Freak is a Belgian IPA, and it was a perfect blend of fruity, yeasty, hoppy goodness. I never would have guessed its alcohol level was near 9%. It was incredibly drinkable, and as I worked my way down the glass I kept taking smaller and smaller sips to avoid finishing the beer. I need to go get and drink a bottle of Le Freak to see if it comes close to the cask version, but I am afraid that it won't live up to my expectations.

The other beer in the picture above is Mission Brewery's Hefeweizen, which is a zesty, spicy hefeweizen. Lunch at The Linkery was excellent, it was my good fortune that I could not find a place to park at The Blind Lady. The Beer Rovette and I shared soup, salad and a burger. At my age and girth, I try not to eat french fries, but I had to make an exception for The Linkery's fries, which we ordered as an appetizer. They are cooked in meat fat, which makes them decadent and cholesterol bursting. Every time I go to The Linkery I wish I lived in North Park so I could eat there more often. It's one of the best restaurants in San Diego, plus it always has a beer or two on cask.

Second SD Beer Week Post

2011-11-09T23:47:00.000-08:00

Well, half way through SD Beer week, this beer blogger has hit exactly zero events out over 400 million. Pretty pathetic. Friday, 11.11.11 is shaping up as the day of days for me. I like the looks of The Bruery's Patrick Rue hosting a lunchtime tasting at Blind Lady Alehouse, which will feature some special The Bruery beers, including Oude Tart, Snickelfritz and 4 Calling Birds. On Friday night starting at 5:00, Pizza Port Ocean Beach is hosting a night of sours and rare beers. I am not sure what beers will be on tap, but am hoping for a few Russian River "tion" (shun) beers and The Lost Abbey's Red Poppy.

SD Beer Week

2011-11-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

The third San Diego Beer Week starts today (11/4) and runs through next Sunday (11/13). I haven't paid too much attention to this year's events, as I'll avoid the big festivities and look to hit some smaller venues. There are more than 460 events listed on the San Diego Beer Week website, ranging from the large, signature Guild Festival, to select beer specials at local retailers. I have not gone fully through the list, but like the opportunity to meet The Bruery's founder and craft beer rock star Patrick Rue on Friday, November 11 at the The Blind Lady.

Interesting Pending Releases

2011-11-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

I saw today that The Bruery is releasing its annual holiday beer, the fourth in its theme of the carol Twelve Days of Christmas, 4 Calling Birds. Like the previous three releases, 4 Calling Birds is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. I really liked the first two versions, but was lukewarm on last year's Three French Hens (I don't think I even reviewed it). 4 Calling Birds is a mighty 11% abv, so I'll have to block out the better part of an evening to drink this beer.

Stone Brewing is releasing this year's Vertical Epic, 11.11.11, on Monday. It's the penultimate beer in the Vertical Epic series. This beer is different every year, and 11.11.11 is keeping up the tradition. The Stone Blog states that 11.11.11 was brewed in:

"a Belgian-style amber ale brewed with cinnamon and Anaheim chillis from New Mexico’s legendary Hatch Valley (famous for growing complexly flavorful chillis prized by foodies.)"

My chili skepticism is somewhat allayed by the beer's 65 IBUs. Look for both Vertical Epic 11.11.11 and 4 Calling Birds in the next week.

Arrogant Bastard Reprint

2011-11-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

I wrote this post on Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard over three years ago, and it recently popped up on the list of this blog's most viewed posts. In summary, I credit Arrogant Bastard for starting the extreme beer trend.

Societe Brewing Co.

2011-10-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

I added a link to Societe Brewing Co.'s website. Societe is a start-up San Diego brewer that is building its brewery in the Kearny Mesa section of San Diego (i.e it's near O'Brien's Pub). Here is the first post from Societe's blog:

Societe Brewing Company was founded in 2011 by Travis Smith, formerly of Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, CA) and The Bruery (Placentia,CA), and Doug Constantiner formerly of The Bruery. Societe Brewing Company is a production brewery with a tasting room, slated to open Spring 2012.

The two founders / brewers have impressive resumes, and are the reason why I am following Societe's progress. It's interesting that The Bruery, which itself is still a young brewery, is already seeing its talent venture out. You can follow Societe on its blog or on Twitter. In a Twitter post late last week Societe stated that brewing sour beers is going to be a main focus. I am all for more sour beers. Below is Societe's new logo:

I am looking forward to springtime.

Obscura Obsucra

2011-10-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

Before I start this post, here is an interview with Telegraph's Brian Thompson on the Beer Samizadt blog. Since I read this post I've had made it a point to try Obscura Petit (which I had seen on tap at Pizza Port Ocean Beach) and Obscura Arborea (which I had purchased a few months ago). Petit is a tart, sour beer that weighed in around 4.5% abv. What a delicious beer. It's a sour without sweetness. A subtle bitterness appears in the finish and complements the sour. Petit is my favorite type of sour, moderate alcohol, lively, funky sourness, and limited sweetness.

Obscura Arborea is a different animal from Petit. Arborea is a 9% Oude Bruin, or Flanders Brown Ale. It is malty and aged in oak, and I picked up the oak, especially at the front of each taste. The sour flavors were behind the malt and oak. Like Petit, Arborea is not sweet, and I found it a dry beer. Without reading the label, you'd never know this beer was 9% abv. The beer was thinner than I would have expected, and it's sourness was muted. I think this beer would have benefited from a bit more sweetness, which, I know, is strange for me to state after just writing how I prefer sours that aren't sweet, but this would have given it a richer profile.

I've never been bitten by the barrel aged bug, and Arborea is oaky from its time spent in barrels. Its oak overshadowed the yeast and related sourness. I liked this beer and would buy it again, I think I was just expecting more from it. I've had several Oude Bruins, but am no expert. I need to find a style benchmark so I can properly gauge sour beers.

Manzanita Brewing - Here's to Good Beer Karma

2011-10-28T23:40:00.001-07:00

Here is another better late than never post. Last summer, I went to a private party at Manzanita Brewing for a friend's birthday. The people at Manzanita were as nice as could be. The beer flowed and the waitresses made sure that anyone who wanted a beer always had a beer. After the party I was told that Manzanita had not charged for the space, relying on beer sales, and the waitresses worked only for tips. What a great way for Manzanita to build goodwill.

I haven't had too many Manzanita beers. Its IPA is drinkable, but it won't get confused with any of the better IPAs around San Diego. Its 9% brown ale was sweet, malty and approachable. I recently had a bottle of its Lazy Saison. This was a decent beer, not a great saison, but one I'd gladly drink again. Its double IPA is is supposed to be very good. Manzanita is doing something right. I am seeing its bottles at more stores and its expanding to a new location in the near future. With the goodwill it's building at its tasting room, Manzanita's growth is not a surprise. Its attitude made me a fan.

Update and Fresh Hop Fall Beers

2011-10-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

This month has gotten away from me. I feel guilty writing about beer when work keeps piling up, but I hope to get back to regular posts in the next week or so. It's been so long since my last post that the Drunken Polack retired, then unretired from beer blogging. I didn't even get a chance to drink and review my Drunken Polack tribute beer, a beer I still have from my one beer trade with Dave several years ago, New Holland's Dragon's Milk. It's chilled now, so I will drink it soon.

Earlier this month I had Pizza Port Ocean Beach's Get Wet fresh hop IPA. It was outstanding, but I'm not sure if it's still available. I can't think of a more citrus flavored IPA. I know it sounds cliche to state that you can taste the hops, but it's kinda true. The hops impart a noticeable bitter, danky juiciness to Get Wet that is all citrus. It seemed fresher, and had dramatically more flavor, than Port's bottled fresh hop beer, High Tide, which was bottled in September.

Fresh hop beers are my new "fall" beer. It's unfortunate that most fresh hop beers are only available for a few weeks out of the year. I'm not a fan of traditional fall beers, as most Oktoberfest beers are too malty (and thin) for my taste, and pumpkin beers are, well... pumpkin beers. A little pumpkin beer goes a long way, and I'm good for about one every few years (and the Stone-Elysian-The Bruery collaboration pumpkin beer is in the fridge). If you can find a place selling fresh hop beers on tap, I'd recommend enjoying a pint or two.

GABF San Diego Medal Data Mining

2011-10-03T23:33:00.000-07:00

The San Diego Beer Blog has a good rundown of all the local beers and breweries that won awards at this year's Great American Beer Festival. It's good to see Pizza Port Ocean Beach win Small Brewpub of the year. It's near my house and is as close to my "local" as a place can be considering I usually just buy growlers and pizza to go. Congratulations.

What struck me about the San Diego award winning beers was the lack of IPAs. IPAs are San Diego's signature beer, but only one, Alesmith's IPA, received a medal. Instead of IPAs and similar light colored beers, San Diego brewers were raking in medals with dark beers, with sixteen of the twenty awards going to brown ales, stouts, porters and Belgian Strong Ales. I counted five brown ales on the medal list. Brown ales? Who drinks brown ales? Who brews brown ales? (Just kidding, Alesmith makes the quietly delicious Nautical Nut Brown Ale.) Joking aside, I found the medal list interesting, and it gives me some new beers to find and get me out of my IPA comfort zone.

Get Wet - Locals Only

2011-09-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Pizza Port Ocean Beach's Get Wet fresh/wet hop IPA is now on tap. I had this beer last year and it was a flavor bomb. The OB Farmer's market this afternoon seems like the perfect excuse for me to drop in and taste this year's version. I know I am spending too much time touting Pizza Port Ocean Beach's fresh hop IPA and its While The Wife's Away IPA, but this is because they're good IPAs and PPOB's regular IPA, Jetty, is a marginal beer. You have to drink the good stuff while it's available.

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

2011-09-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Jay at the must-read Beer Samizdat was gracious enough to interview me and say nice things. You can read the interview and my ramblings on beer here.

Fresh Beer and Vertical Epic

2011-09-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

From reading tweets a few weeks ago, I think Pizza Port locations are going to have their fresh hop beers available either this weekend or early next week. That is good news, if like me, you appreciate the juicy bitterness of a fresh hop beer.

I also realized that it's less than two months until Stone Brewing releases this year's Vertical Epic - 11.11.11. The deserved hype surrounding Stone's 15th Anniversary Ale made me forget this release, (or maybe it was the crappy 10.10.10). I haven't checked to see what Belgian style is targeted for 11.11.11, but would appreciate a quad, or another golden strong ale (08.08.08), or an oud bruin or a....

Blackout Beer - Duvel in the Dark

2011-09-10T08:08:00.001-07:00

Last week's San Diego Blackout came and went without much impact or hoopla in my house. We found candles and flashlights before it got dark, and located an Italian restaurant that was selling pizzas. (I am going to make sure to buy some non-scented candles.) It was nice not having the TV blaring for an evening, even for the start of the NFL season. When I went out to get the pizza, I was amazed at how quiet it was. People were out walking or sitting on their lawns or porches, with no noise other than conversation. My daughter and I enjoyed a one-time star show, seeing stars and constellations we've only seen on night sky maps.

I got home with the pizza just at dusk and went to the beer fridge, which had stayed closed and cold, despite over three hours in a summer garage. I pulled out my bottle of Duvel Golden Ale that I had been saving for some unspecified occasion. No power, pizza and candlelight seemed the perfect excuse to pop the cork. I can't tell you how this beer looked, because everything in candlelight is some shade of yellow or orange, with plenty of shadows. I do know it had plenty of foam that was slow to dissipate. Duvel was effervescent, and the bubbles stayed concentrated throughout the whole bottle. It had a strong yeast presence and a richness characteristic of a good golden ale, with a mild hop finish. It was an excellent beer with strong flavor and an approachability missing from many big Belgians. The beer geek will appreciate this beer and the novice will just grin and ask for more.

The beer went perfect with the evening. It was mellow, but had an underlying complexity. Its first taste was as good as its last. I'd never had a bottle of Duvel before, even though it's widely distributed (Trader Joe's usually has bottles of Duvel at a reasonable price). I plan on buying more of this beer and keeping a bottle in my beer fridge, you never know when it'll be needed.

Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA

2011-08-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Stone Brewing's ephemeral Tenth Anniversary double IPA has always been the gold standard for Stone Brewing's anniversary beers, the beer against which all other anniversary beers were measured. It was an extreme beer, the uber-West Coast IPA. There are probably message boards still discussing this beer and whether bottles of it are drinkable (they're not). Stone's Escondidian Imperial Black IPA has eclipsed the Tenth Anniversary as the best anniversary beer Stone Brewing has created.

First, a note on the Escondidian name. Escondidian is a play on Cascadian, a term started by Northwestern bloggers in an attempt to rename Black IPAs "Cascadian Dark Ales," and hijack the style and claim a bogus regional beer A.O.C., taking unwarranted credit for the Northwest. (Examples of this inane, one-sided folly are here and here.) Stone's Escondidian resoundingly reclaims Black IPAs for brewers and beer drinkers everywhere.

Escondidian is a thick beer that poured black, smooth and slow. The foam was dense and dark and rose from the black beer like some kind of unleashed cappuccino mousse, despite the deliberate pour.

When I first tasted Escondidian I thought it a cross between a big porter and an IPA. The two dominate tastes are the deep, roasted malts and sharp hops. The forward hop bitterness quickly dispelled the porter angle. I really picked up the New Zealand Sauvin hops, which appeared in the middle of the taste. If you've had Alpine's Nelson IPA, you will recognize this distinct hop immediately. The roasted malts imparted a sweet, dark chocolate flavor, and battled the hop bitterness to a draw throughout the middle and far into the beer's finish.   There is an overall sweetness in this beer that complements the hops. The chocolatey sweetness is necessary, and never becomes a distraction or filmy. There are big flavors competing for your attention in this beer, but they are brought together in a wonderful balance.

This is a big beer, weighing in at 10.8% abv, but the alcohol is in the background and is not intrusive or dominant. The scary part about this beer is that it's delicious and the alcohol doesn't serve as a drinking governor.   I enjoyed one bottle over the better part of an hour and only when I was done and my brain was half-addled did I realize the strength of Escondidian.   Usually, when I finish a beer as muscular as Escondidian, I am through for the evening, but when the bottle was drained I wanted more. I'm glad I was at home and not at a pub.

Stone Brewing has reached a new high with its magnificent Escondidian. It has created not only a fantastic beer, but maybe the most drinkable "extreme" beer I have ever tasted. Escondidian is a lofty benchmark for subsequent Stone anniversary ales. In the future, when people discuss Stone's anniversary ales, they will speak in reverent tones of the Escondidian, while the 10th Anniversary Ale will fade into a pleasant memory. Stone may not have invented the Black IPA, but it's now the style's standard bearer, not only with Escondidian, but with Sublimely Self Righteous, too. Stone has not only ended the debate over the fatuously named Cascadian Dark Ale, it has crushed it in medieval fashion (don't mess with the gargoyles).   Cascadian Dark Ale is dead - long live Black IPA.

(I lifted the picture from Stone Brewing's website because the picture I took with my iPhone didn't do Escondidian justice.)

Stock Up on Duet and Prepare for a Karl Strauss Quad

2011-08-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

Here is some information on a couple of emails I received over the past two days from Alpine Brewing and Karl Strauss. Alpine is releasing its barrel-aged imperial porter, Token, on Friday, September 2, restrictions apply. Alpine also served notice that the current batch of Duet will be released in a few weeks, and it will be the last for some time, possibly until the end of the year, as Alpine has ran out of this year's Simcoe hops. Stock up and hoard accordingly.

Karl Strauss is brewing a quadrupel, Two Tortugas, for the second installment in its play on the Twelve Days of Christmas, (not to be confused with The Bruery's same-themed annual Holiday release), in mid-November, 2011. Karl Strauss is also releasing its Big Barrel Double IPA on September 1.

Tasting Room Tips

2011-08-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to catch up on work, which is why the posts have been light. I have several posts in process, including a review of Stone's 15th Anniversary beer and praise for Manzanita Brewing's tasting room and staff. Here is a link to Brandon Hernandez's guide to local craft beer tasting rooms and some commonsense courtesies. I love the new word "herbaceousness." The post provides a good list of local beer tasting rooms, but Stone's two locations (Escondido and South Park) and Alpine Brewing were not on the list. Most tasting room hours vary, so it's best to verify open times before visiting. I have made this mistake more than once, arriving at closed brewery only having to turn around and leave with empty growler in tow.

Beer Samizdat - The Return of a Beer Blogger

2011-08-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

I recommend a new "old" beer blog, Beer Samizdat, for your beer reading enjoyment It is the latest beer blog from Jay H., the former author of Hedonist Beer Jive and current writer of Hedonist Jive. I began reading Hedonist Beer Jive at least five years ago, and thought it was not only one of the best beer blogs around, it was also some of best writing on beer, in any format, period. I'd include Aaron Goldfarb's Vice Blog and The Beer Nut from Ireland in this category, too. You can keep the Beaumonts, Hieronymus, and Brysons, give my Jay, Aaron and the Beer Nut. Not only are they good, honest and entertaining writers, they are beholden to no one but their readers, and the beer.

Jay has a Manifesto for Beer Samizdat where he not only explains the Samizdat name, but proclaims his blog's purpose. Point six in his Manifesto struck me in particular:

6. I will not make up smells nor flavors in the course of reviewing a beer. If you ever see me pretending that a beer smells or tastes of “freshly-baked sourdough banana/walnut bread”, or spouting any lie equally appalling, you have permission to stop reading the blog at once.

I don't always agree with Jay's reviews (he's not a fan of Pliny the Elder, considered heresy in Beer Geekdom), although I agree far more often than not. I am looking forward to Jay updating his top 75 beers, so I can see what beers I should be trying. I also recommend reading Jay's Hedonist Jive blog where he discusses music, books, film among various topics. He has an opinion, so be prepared, but he encourages respectful debate. As the craft beer world expands from a small circle of beer geeks to mainstream acceptance, it will need chroniclers like Beer Samizdat, and hopefully this blog, pointing out the ridiculous and keeping it in line.

My Jack D'Or Fumble

2011-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

I had my first Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project beer, Jack D'Or, near the end of a lazy Fourth of July. I took electronic notes detailing my impressions about the beer's fine qualities. A few days later when I went back to write the review I realized that I typed over my original notes, and could not figure out how to retrieve them. I tried to rewrite them from memory, but it's just not the same. I did not want buy and another Jack D'Or and try to recreate my impressions, because I've come to believe that "atmosphere" plays a significant role in beer appreciation. I'll get to enjoy another Jack D'Or after I post this truncated review.

So, a month on here are my general impressions on this beer. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it's the front-runner for my "beer of the year." Pretty Things calls Jack D'Or a "Saison Americain." I'll be honest, I don't know or really care what is meant by "Americain." Maybe it means that Jack D'Or is hoppier than a typical saison. This is true, it is hoppy saison, which is my favorite type of saison. Jack D'Or earns is saision credibility with a strong dose of yeasty spiciness. The hops and yeast played well together in this beer. It has a complexity that does not diminish its drinkability. Jack D'Or made a strong first impression, and has me wanting another, along with more beers from Pretty Things.

Stone Sign At Liberty Station

2011-08-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

I was at Liberty Station over the weekend and took this picture that announces the new Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens:

I like message from Stone Brewing at the bottom of the sign:

When this sign is gone, that means the restaurant is OPEN.
There will likely be NO sign for the restaurant once it is open

It looks like the target opening is Late Spring 2012. I'll try and take periodic pictures to update progress and see whether a Late Spring 2012 opening is realistic.

Where's the Kitchen Sink?

2011-07-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I have to call "BS." Here is an over-the-top description from the latest BeerAdvocate magazine:

"Brown bread, mango, plum pudding, banana taffy and some lemongrass make for a complex nose."

All this in just the scent of a beer? Wow, the reviewer must have quite a schnoz, or more likely, a flowery imagination. The beer with the four-course smell is Cathedral Square Brewery's Belgian-Style Abbey Ale, which despite its dessert tray aroma only rates a B- on BeerAdvocate.

New Beer Blog for San Diegans

2011-07-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

I added a new blog named The Sip-SD Magazine on the blog roll. It is a beer blog on the San Diego Magazine website and is written by Brandon Hernandez, also known as the Off Duty Foodie. I have never met Mr. Hernandez but have read his articles on beer in various publications, including the WestCoaster. I first read an article by him last year in Beer Connoisseur, a high brow national beer magazine, where Mr. Hernandez detailed San Diego craft brewers in knowledgeable and enthusiastic fashion. I generally have disdain for "professional" beer writers, finding them pretentious name-droppers that seem more concerned about the their place in the craft beer world than the beer itself. (Plus, many are just poor writers - I cringe every time I read "veritable plethora" in a beer article. I suspect many beer writers are journalists that failed to get plum reporting jobs and were assigned the food page, and therefore did not come to beer writing through a love of beer but through career necessity.) Professional beer writers are the reason I read beer blogs.

Mr. Hernandez is one of the few professional beer writers I like to read. I get the impression that he is a beer lover first and a journalist second, and it shows in his writing. I don't know if he is concerned with ingratiating himself with local beer celebrities, but I know I am looking forward to reading his blog and Twitter feeds.

While I am throwing out rare compliments, I would also recommend another local beer blog, San Diego Beer Blog, and its author Jeff Hammett. He mixes beer reviews, with local beer news and events, and he gets some good scoops. Mr Hammett also writes for the WestCoaster, which has become a solid publication in less than a year. You can pick-up the WestCoaster at most bars and restaurants that sell good beer.

Alpine Expo Email

2011-07-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Alpine Brewing this evening. Alpine announced that Exponential Hoppiness, its triple IPA, will be released on Tuesday. Here is the language from the email:

First, for the news most of you appear to be clamoring for, a release announcement. If the bottling goes well on Monday, then on Tuesday, July 26th, when we open, we’ll have another fresh batch of Exponential Hoppiness. But wait, there are conditions. We will be applying the 2 – 4 – 6 rule for this release:

·         No more than 2 new growlers of Expo (we’re short on growlers and all the suppliers are out right now),

·          No more than 4 growler fills of Expo per person per day,

·          No more than 6 bottles of Expo per person per day.

We won’t argue about the restrictions. If you want to break the rules you will be denied service and be told to leave.

There is some rational to the restrictions. Our beer is meant for our local customers first. We don’t care to see people sending growlers, meant for local use, being shipped off to far away destinations where the growler becomes useless, the environment needs consideration. The economy behind growlers makes them sensible only when they are refilled, not sent to the recycler or landfill. And, our beer is best fresh, hording bottles only lessens the quality of the old beer stored in your garage, warm, yuk.

Later in the email, Alpine braced beer drinkers for a price hike, as it raises capital to expand its facilities. Alpine's beer prices are already low compared to other craft brewers, so a little short-term pain for a long-term benefit seems to make sense to me.

Belgian Independence Day

2011-07-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's me, but before this year I don't remember hearing about or ever celebrating Belgian Independence Day. Now, I am seeing emails and web postings announcing celebrations in honor of this new found excuse to drink a good beer. I was curious about this upstart holiday and went to my go to source for all important information - Wikipedia. Apparently, Belgian Independence Day is a real historical event. Belgium declared its independence from the Dutch on July 21, 1831, and crowned as its new king, a prince from a German duchy (after a French duke turned down the job). I guess we're supposed to overlook Belgium getting valiantly steamrolled by Germany in World War I and II.

Let's call Belgian Independence Day what it is, it's craft beer's answer to Cinco de Mayo and St Patrick's Day. These two beer drinking days are dominated by macro Mexican beer and green beer - styles that make a beer snob shudder. Belgian Independence Day, now that's a date a serious beer drinker can get his or her arms around. Cantillons instead of Coronas, and gueuzes rather than green beer, what's not to like. Here's to Belgium and good King Leopold!

Eighteenth!?!

2011-07-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

This morning I saw on a Greg Koch tweet (which I no longer see) a link to Travel & Leisure magazine's latest article on the best beer cities in the United States. San Diego is ranked an unbelievable eighteenth. It ranked below those famous beer cities Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans and Nashville. Old stereotypes die hard, as Portland and Seattle were ranked one and three, respectively. If T&L was going to focus on the South, why not Atlanta, which deserves inclusion for the Brick Store Pub alone. T&L must not like bold IPAs - it's not worthy.

Beer Rover Turns 4

2011-07-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

I have a mean-spirited post kicking around my head about the large number of anniversary celebrations that litter the craft beer world. I thought it best to add my own bit of garbage before I type that post. The Beer Rover turns four today. The first post, typo and all, was July 14, 2007. What started as an idea to document places to find good beer in airports and cities across the country, was derailed by the credit crisis shortly after I started beer blogging. The Beer Rover quickly morphed into a more San Diego-centric blog, but with all the breweries in San Diego that's not a bad thing. A quick note on the name. I wanted a name that captured my original intent of seeking out good beer on business trips and other travels and writing about my findings, but Beer Seeker sounded lame and Michael Jackson had already immortalized Beer Hunter. I settled on Beer Rover because "rover" works in the travel / seeker vein, but mostly because I like the traditional Irish song Irish Rover performed by The Pogues and The Dubliners. Yes, the creative spark fueled by a couple of craft beers is powerful. Cheers!

Collaboration Green Tea Beer

2011-07-13T01:10:00.000-07:00

Stone Brewing, Baird Brewing and Ishii Brewing collaborated on a Japanese Green Tea IPA to benefit Japan's earthquake victims. I agree on the cause and will support it with a bottle purchase, but I'll admit that I am skeptical about this beer. I hope my reservations are allayed. I have never been a fan of Japanese beers - fizzy yellow beers at their finest - but the one Hitachino beer I had was pretty good. The one time I had tea as a food ingredient, an Extraordinary Desserts pastry (or some sweet) made with Earl Grey tea, was not enjoyable. I do like IPAs, though, so Japanese Green Tea has that in its favor, and this is one big beer, weighing in at 9.2% abv, which is good. I think the hops required for an IPA and the high abv will work in this beer's favor. I'll let you know my opinion, I am hoping for the best.

The Linkery Adds Taps

2011-07-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

The outstanding North Park restaurant, The Linkery, has increased its tap selection. Here is The Linkery's blog post describing the new taps. It now has ten taps and one cask. I did not see a link to a beer list, but The Linkery always has interesting beers, or you can check TapHunter. I'd recommend going to The Linkery tomorrow for its Reuben Tuesday.

San Diego Reader "Beer Heaven" Article

2011-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

This week's San Diego Reader has a great cover story on the rise and importance of San Diego beer. It is worth reading. I don't think the article was written by a beer geek, so it doesn't come across as someone "preaching to the choir." I share Stone's Greg Koch's anger at "beer-purveying establishments" that don't offer local beer:

The one thing that makes him really mad is local San Diego beer-purveying establishments who won’t welcome San Diego beers into their line-up.

Like Qualcomm. “Here we are, San Diego, one of the most famous brewing cultures in the entire world, and no local beer at Qualcomm Stadium? Instead, it’s corporate facsimiles. Tell me whether you think that’s the result of local demand or corporate machinations behind the scenes? It infuriates me. It should infuriate a beer enthusiast. It should infuriate a San Diegan.”

Qualcomm Stadium is not alone (see last month's rant on beer at San Diego County Fair). Near the end of the article the author describes a secret beer club that meets "every Wednesday around sunset over a keg of some craft-brew. They enjoying (sic) a couple of hours sitting around outside this garage, talking beers, mostly, because there’s something new every week to talk about. To join the club, you bring a peace offering: a keg." How do you get an invite to this speakeasy?

Alesmith Summer Yulesmith

2011-07-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

I had almost given up on Alesmith's Summer Yulesmith. It is one of the original double IPAs that captivated my attention and palate in the mid-2000s. It was big, sweet and bitter, everything you'd want in a DIPA. But over the past few years, even though I'd mark my calendar for Yulesmith's mid-June release date, I'd lost my affinity for it and other big DIPAs, finding them too cloying, syrupy, and boozy. I almost didn't buy this year's Summer Yulesmith, but thought I'd try it just to write a snarky post on the demise of the DIPA. Well, the joke's on me, as this year's Summer Yulesmith is excellent.

Summer Yulesmith is a sharp-hopped, piney IPA, with a clarity that has been lacking in past years. The thick, syrup taste is gone, replaced by a refreshing bitterness. The alcohol is present from the start, so Yulesmith won't sneak up on you. It's a big beer, and tastes like one. Because this year's Yulesmith lacks the stickiness of the past, it is much easier to drink. I really enjoyed this beer. But I was so sure I was going to not like this beer, I didn't even take a picture. I am guessing Alesmith tweaked this year's Yulesmith. Drinking it in early July means it's still fresh, which may have had something to to with how good I found it.

Alesmith makes two versions of Yulesmith, Summer, which is a DIPA, and Winter, an imperial red ale. I had ceded the winter version as the better of the two, but this year's Summer Yulesmith may make me rethink that.

Pretty Things in Ocean Beach

2011-07-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project beers are now in stock at Olive Tree Market in Ocean Beach. I have read and heard good things about Pretty Things, which is based in Massachusetts, but have never tried one of its beers.

Stone's Fifteenth Anniversary Ale

2011-06-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I saw some information on Stone's Fifteenth Anniversary beer this morning on San Diego Beer Blog. The beer is a black double IPA, which sounds like Stone's Eleventh Anniversary Beer that became Sublimely Self-Righteous. The name of the new beer is Stone Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, and I think the release date is sometime in August. I will post more as I know it. Maybe Stone will do a video giving details on the beer.

Costco Beer Finds

2011-06-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

I went to the Morena Blvd Costco in San Diego at lunch today for some office supplies. I always check the beer aisle to see if Costco's random, small shipments of Saison Dupont are in stock. No Dupont today, but there were a couple of other interesting deals from Duvel and Ballast Point. There were a few remaining cases of 750ml bottles of Duvel Golden Ale at the bargain price of $7.99 per bottle. Also in stock was what looked like a Costco-only Ballast Point 8-pack. The eight 22 oz bottles included two each of Sculpin IPA, Big Eye IPA, Calico Amber and Black Marlin Porter. There were plenty of boxes available, and at $29.99, its less than $4 per bomber bottle, which is worth it for the Sculpin alone.

Ovila Dubbel

2011-06-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Father's Day weekend always coincides with the US Open golf tournament. I had a bottle of the Sierra Nevada Belgian-style collaboration beer, Ovila Dubbel, on Saturday night, and in the spirit of the weekend I am going to compare it to a golf shot. Ovila Dubbel was like hitting a drive, but instead of hitting the ball square, you hit it fat, and while the ball goes straight and stays in play, it ends up about two-thirds or three-quarters of where you wanted it to land. It's clearly a playable shot, a decent shot, you may even get a few "nice shots" from your playing partners, but not nearly as good an effort as you wanted or were expecting. This sums up my impression of Ovila Dubbel, a fine beer, but one that came up short.

Ovila is a series of collaboration beers between Sierra Nevada and the Cistercian monks of Abbey of New Clairvaux, which is in Northern California, not Belgium. The Dubbel was the first beer in the series and there is now a Saison on the market. I am not sure what, if any, styles are planned after the Saison. The Dubbel poured a dark brown with a solid layer of white foam that lingered. My initial impression was that Ovila Dubbel was too malty. It was a sweet beer, sweeter than I was expecting. It had a pleasant Belgian yeast presence, some light spiciness, and a mild hop bitterness in the finish. Ovila Dubbel was a dry beer, which worked in its favor. The mouthful was somewhat thin, especially for such a sweet, malty beer. The alcohol was a manageable 7.5%. This beer was solid but not spectacular. I was expecting more, and even as it warmed, its character did not improve. Maybe it was too malty or too sweet, I don't know. It was drinkable and enjoyable, don't get me wrong, just not a great beer. Of course I'll need a second "shot" and I'll take my hack with Ovila Saison.

Fair Fail

2011-06-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

I went to the Del Mar...er.. San Diego County Fair today. I was struck by the lack of local beer exposure. For a county that prides itself on its local beer scene, San Diego's local brewers were almost non-existent at the Fair. The San Diego Brewers Guild should sponsor a beer garden focusing on local brewers that is open throughout the entire Fair. This booth could be manned by the many local brewers, with a different brewery having a spotlight on different days. Fair attendees would appreciate such a booth.

I saw a couple of Coors-sponsored booths around the Fair, and the main beer garden had only two local beers, a Green Flash "special" beer (who knows what that was) and Coronado Brewing's Golden Ale. There were a couple of out of town craft beers, one from Deschutes and Lagunitas' IPA, but the overall craft beer selection was pathetic.

I took a picture of the beer and drink list from the main beer garden. I like that beer called "craft." The sign sums up the importance given to craft and local beer at the Fair. I know there are a few beer festivals during the Fair, so organizers have some ideas about beer, but local craft brewers deserve a higher visibility at the Fair.

Stone South Park Is Open

2011-06-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

I went to the "soft" opening of Stone Brewing's new Stone Store in South Park this evening. I arrived around 7:45 and the place was packed, with a line outside for people waiting to enter. I was able to bypass this line as I only wanted a growler fill. Once inside I was greeted by another line and it took me nearly 45-minutes to get to the counter. The crowd was orderly and Stone had good control. No one seemed upset about the lines. Obviously, the lines will not be a common occurrence. The crowd trended young and male, but there was a good mix of people, so the old guys (like me) and the several groups of women didn't stick out. Stone didn't have anything special on tap, and stuck with the basics for the soft opening: Pale Ale, Ruination, IPA, Arrogant Bastard, Smoked Porter, and Levitation. (San Diego Beer Blog has a rundown of the proposed list for next week's Grand Opening.)

The store seemed small, and is probably not much bigger than the store at the Stone World Bistros and Gardens in Escondido. But the amount of people may have made it feel smaller than it is. It did not seem that all the merchandise was in place. There was no beer fridge for six-packs and bottled beer to go, and the walls seemed pretty barren. This makes sense because tonight was a "soft" opening not a Grand Opening. (For next week's Grand Opening, Stone would be well served by adding a second or third register.)

I did not taste any beer to avoid the longer wait. Stone was only serving what looked like 4 oz tasters. I wonder whether, after the initial opening rush, it will serve pints? No one seemed too upset about not having a pint, and tasters seemed like the right decision tonight. I debated whether to get a growler of Arrogant Bastard as a tribute to Stone or Ruination. I chose Ruination, and the picture below shows the growler being filled.

Stone seems to have picked an awesome neighborhood. There were a number people buzzing about the streets, and there are plenty of nearby restaurants, shops and salons. There is an adjacent wine bar named The Rose Wine Pub, and I bet it's going to love the spillover business that the Stone Store will generate. Parking is a pain, but it's a bother everywhere in South Park and North Park, so it's an issue not unique to the Stone Store. It looks like Stone has another winner on its hands and I plan on heading back after the Grand Opening.

The Bruery's Workman's Friend Imperial Porter

2011-06-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

I remembered after reading The Drunken Polack's tale of an epic tasting of big The Bruery beers that I had a big Bruery beer review I needed to post. Last winter, I had a bottle of The Burey's Workman's Friend Imperial Porter and took plenty of notes, but just did not get to posting it until now. I had never had an imperial porter before Workman's Friend. I am not sure of the nuances between and imperial porter and an imperial stout (or a Baltic porter), but am guessing that the imperial porter is a bit lighter on the palate.

Workman, which is part of The Bruery's Provision Series, poured dark and thick. I had to break some beer pouring rules to get some meager foam - glass flat on the counter and a fast upright pour. I immediately smelled the roasted malts, and I also picked up anise. The taste is all sweetness and roasted malts, with a minimal hop profile. The sweetness, present throughout, never became cloying. Don't be daunted by the 'imperial" moniker as Workman's ABV is about 8%, which is sizable, but not in the class of imperial stouts. Its mouthful was somewhat light for a beer that poured so thick. Workman's Friend is a drinkable and surprisingly approachable beer. As I drank the beer it made me wonder about the origins of the porter style, as it used to be the beer of English workers, hence (I am guessing) the Workman's Friend label. While Workman's Friend wasn't a "huge" beer and was drinkable, I know I could not drink it regularly after a hard day's labor.

Ballast Point's Expansion

2011-06-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this article from San Diego Magazine referenced on BeerAdvocate. The article discusses Ballast Point's expansion plans at its Scripps Ranch brewery. The expansion will allow Ballast Point to double its beer production and grow its spirits business. Here is the key passage in the brief article:

At their main brewery in Scripps Ranch—a smaller brewery, located in Linda Vista, focuses on specialty beers—Ballast Point has started construction on a project that will expand their footprint to 25,000 square feet. This will enable the brewery to more than double beer production, the size of the tasting room, and the distilling capacity of Ballast Point Spirits, a passion project for head brewer Yuseff Cherney.

Owner Jack White forecasts Ballast Point will soon outgrow their current digs, even with the expansion. He envisions dedicating the Scripps Ranch space solely to producing spirits and shifting their beer operation to an even larger space, perhaps with its own restaurant.

The last sentence brings up the obvious question. If Ballast Point moves its brewing operations to a larger facility, what happens to its Linda Vista location? This is darned important to me due to its close proximity to my house, and especially since I recently counted that for some reason I have four Ballast Point growlers. As an aside, if you have not tried Ballast Point's Big Eye IPA lately, do yourself a favor and get a pint, bomber or a six-pack. Big Eye is overshadowed by Ballast Point's other IPA, Sculpin, but to me, it is the most underrated IPA in San Diego. It is maltier than most local IPAs, which gives it a pleasant richness, and its hop profile is outstanding.

Stone's South Park Store Set To Open

2011-06-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling and doing work related activities the past week and just saw that Stone is going to open its South Park store in just over a week. San Diego's craft beer scene is moving so fast that even a few days away causes you to miss some news or event. San Diego Beer Blog posted late last week that Stone's store in South Park is scheduled to have a "soft" opening on June 15th. Stone's store's address in South Park is 2215 30th Street. San Diego Beer Blog reports the proposed hours are:

Wed-Thu: 4-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-9pm
Sun 12-6pm
Mon- Tue: Closed

(I borrowed the picture above from the Stone Blog.)

Green Flash's New Facility Opens

2011-06-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

The Traveling Correspondent texted me first thing yesterday morning to meet him at Green Flash's new brewing facility in San Diego's Miramar area. I could not go but asked him to shoot some pictures and file a report. Today I got a text back telling me that he had no pictures and did get any beer. He said there was a swarm of people and Green Flash's one cashier was overwhelmed. He left empty handed and decided it best to visit the new brewing after the initial rush subsides.

Bottlecraft - Now Open

2011-05-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

I noted a new craft beer store, Bottlecraft, earlier in the month. I predicted the Little Italy beer store and tasting room's opening would not make its May target when I looked inside the space. In mid-May the space still looked rough and far from being in condition to sell beer. I was proved wrong, and Bottlecraft is now open, although its website says there is still work being done and hours may be sporadic for a few weeks. Its grand opening is June 18, 2011. I have not been there yet, but plan to stop by soon.

Ocean Beach Pizza Port - 1st Birthday Party

2011-05-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the first birthday party for the Ocean Beach Pizza Port. The party kicks off Saturday morning at 11:00, and goes all day. There will be a special anniversary ale along with other Port beers, including the funny sounding double IPA Cho-Saiko, which I mistakenly avoided for too long because, with the name, I thought it was some kind of Kirin-style rice beer.

The Bruery's Crossroad Decision

2011-05-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Stone Brewing dropped an expansion bomb yesterday, and today The Bruery addressed its exponential growth. I received the email below (reprinted in its entirety) this afternoon:

To all the loyal fans and retailers of our beer,

As we approach our 3rd anniversary, it's incredible to look back at the journey of these last few years. Our growth has been of a magnitude that we never could have imagined when brewing our first 15-barrel batch. As you might already know, we've been operating at capacity for over the last year and a half; a near doubling of capacity in January of this year has been a mere drop in the bucket. We've reached a fork in the road. One path is to open a much larger brewery that would satisfy demand over the long term, and accumulate millions in debt and bring on outside investors to get to that point. The other path is renewal of our original vision: a small, family-owned business making some of the most interesting, highest-quality specialty beers available in the market in our own unique way. After much debate, research and soul-searching, we've chosen the latter path – but on a grander scale.

We have just leased a temperature controlled warehouse space that we will be filling with thousands of oak barrels, allowing us to create some of our favorite beers such as Oude Tart, Melange #3, and a variety of other delicious and innovative beers. We're extremely excited for this cellar expansion both because it will allow our creativity to shine and because it will help us get our favorite beers into more glasses in more cities. Since day one at The Bruery, we've been making barrel aged ales with an eventual goal to fill shelves with these complex and full-bodied beers. Until now, we have only been able to do this on a limited basis, primarily reaching only those in our Reserve Society. This new investment will allow us to brew more, distribute more and get more specialty beer into the marketplace.

With this change, we have had to make room in our brewing schedule to brew the beers that we'll be barrel aging. Unfortunately, Orchard White is the victim. While we have great love for Orchard White, we feel there are many great witbiers available and believe our limited resources are best spent elsewhere. Further, Rugbrød will now only be available in the fall and winter, with Hottenroth taking it's place in the spring and summer beginning in 2012.

As a company focused on quality over quantity, and founded on the basic fact that making beer is fun, we're excited to continue brewing up our dream. We won't be putting down our mash paddles in place of mechanized processes, we won't be switching our khaki shorts for navy-blue suits and most importantly, we won't be sacrificing our original vision for any reason whatsoever. Simply said, we are growing at our own pace.

Thank you all for the support these past three years. It's your love of style-bending beers that have helped us, and breweries like us, to grow and will keep us growing in the years to come. If you can make it, we'd love to see you at our 3rd Anniversary Beer Festival on May 29th to help us celebrate our future!

Cheers,
Your Friends at The Bruery

I applaud The Bruery for its decision to stick to its roots and culture by focusing on quality rather than quantity. It has a reputation for its barrel-aged beers, and hopefully the leased storage space for aging beers means a wider distribution for its creative beers. The Bruery will eventually make the leap to larger production. There is no sense in rushing, as The Bruery can grow without comprising its values, after all The Bruery is just celebrating its third anniversary.

White Orchard 's retirement is not surprising. It's a fine beer, but, realistically, it won't be missed. With all The Bruery's available beers, White Orchard is not one that leaped into my shopping cart. (And think of the marketing opportunities for special, retro releases of White and Black Orchard.) Rugbrod's relegation to a seasonal beer is appropriate, as a half-year's production of this malty beer should last all year. If the downgrades of White Orchard and Rugbrod make room for bottled Humulus Gold, then then all beer drinkers are winners. It's good that The Bruery knows what it wants to be, and most importantly, what it doesn't want to become.

Email Updates

2011-05-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

Stone Brewing's bombshell expansion plans dominated beer news today. But I also received two emails announcing upcoming beer releases that I found interesting. Karl Strauss is releasing Boardwalk Black Rye on August 1, which will be available on draft and in 22 oz bottles. This is going to be a hoppy ale, with an IBU of 80 and an 8% abv. Strauss released a draft-only rye IPA last year that was the best Strauss beer I have ever tasted, so I will be looking for this black rye in August.

For big beer aficionados, Alesmith is releasing its ballyhooed barrel-aged Speedway stout and Decadence on June 15:

The long-awaited moment will soon be upon us: the newest batch of AleSmith barrel-aged beer is set for release this month on Wednesday, June 15th.

This edition of BA Speedway, barreled in '09, is as good as ever. Excellent sweet boozey notes with accents of oak, vanilla, and pleasant oxidative aspects alongside the customary coffee and bitter chocolate roasted malt characteristics.

This has proved to be a very interesting edition of BA Decadence. The 2008 batch, an English-style barleywine aged in bourbon barrels, took on a pleasant sourness. Such quirks of nature can provide intriguing drinking experiences, like the many excellent wild ales being produced today. We think you'll enjoy this delightfully unconventional offering.

There will be a purchase limit of (4) four bottles of '09 Speedway Stout per person, and (1) one bottle of '08 Decadence per person, pending turnout. We want to make sure that everyone has a great time and gets a chance to get some of this highly-anticipated beer, so we reserve the right to change the limit as the sale progresses. We will begin handing out numbers at 8:30 am and the bottle sale will begin at 12:00pm, allowing you time to leave and return if need be.

Big stouts are not my favorite beer style, but I know there is an dedicated following.

Stone Expansion

2011-05-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Stone Brewing announced huge expansion plans today. San Diego Beer Blog, Peter Rowe and others are reporting from Stone's press event that Stone is, among other things:

Opening up a new World Bistro and Gardens in Point Loma's Liberty Station
Expanding its current brewing facility from 150,000 barrels to 500,000 barrels
Confirmed that the South Park Store is going to open

The 400-seat Liberty Station restaurant is welcome news for me, as its just a Stone throw from my house.

And where was my invitation to this event? I am crushed. Maybe I'll get one to a later event. I'll have to go sulk with an Arrogant Bastard.

Kidding aside, I will have more in a follow-up post.

Gnomegang

2011-05-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

Ommegang beers were my first introduction to Belgian-style beers. I used to buy them before I knew the difference between a dubbel and tripel, or an abbey ale and a saison. For years, when shopping for beers I only saw the same five Ommegang beers - Witt, Abbey Ale (Ommegang), saison (Hennepin), amber ale (Rare Vos) and the quadrupel (Three Philosophers). Invariably, I've tried all but the quadrepel, and enjoyed them despite my ignorance. Today, I appreciate Ommegang even more, as I have come to know Belgian beers and realize the quality of Ommegang's core beers. Over the past couple of years, Ommegang has released a number of additional beers. I have tried a few of them, and liked some more than others. I loved the brilliant sour Zuur, but was not thrilled with the murky holiday ale Adoration.

Ommegang has now entered the collaboration game with its new Gnomegang. It teamed up with Belgium's Chouffe to create a Belgian strong pale ale. It is a solid, but not spectacular beer. Gnomegang pours cloudy, with burnt orange-color and has negligible foam. It is sweet and yeasty with lots of carbonation. To my taste, it is almost too sweet, and the sweetness is unrelenting (but never cloying), even as the beer warms. I didn't detect any hop bitterness, so maybe more hops would have cut into the sugars.

Gnomegang's alcohol is 9.5%, but is barely noticeable. Gnomegang is a dry beer, so have a glass of water handy, especially for the last half of the bottle. There was not a depth of flavor for such a high abv, but there is enough flavor to keep Gnomegang interesting. I liked this beer despite its sweetness and one dimensional taste profile. I'll admit that I was expecting a little more from Gnomegang given the brewing talent at Ommegang and Chouffe, but I'll take Gnomegang's drinkability over layers of tediousness just for the sake of complexity.

I did not take a picture Gnomegang, but Brew Maniacs was gracious enough to allow me to use their picture of Gnomegang.

Sculpin Cask At The Linkery

2011-05-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

I just got the information below in an email from The Linkery:

* Tonite at 5pm at the Linkery, Ethan is tapping a cask of Sculpin
which is dry-hopped with Citra hops:
http://thelinkery.com/blog/sculpin-dry-hopped-with-citra-hops-yum/

The cask version of Sculpin is the best cask beer I have ever tried. I am not sure about the dry-hopping with Citra hops, but if you are anywhere near North Park this evening (May 13), you owe it to yourself to stop by The Linkery and get a pint of casked Sculpin.

Bottlecraft

2011-05-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

I was driving north on India Street in San Diego's Little Italy this afternoon, and at the far northern boundary of Little Italy I saw a sign for Bottlecraft - Beer Shop and Tasting Room. It was in a brick building that houses design firms. I pulled over to take a look. The new beer store and tasting room is not open yet, and the improvements are being completed. The sign in the window says that the store is going to open in May 2011. Based on the work that needs to be done on the inside, I don't think it will open in May. The website states that Bottlecraft is a "retail shop with expansive, finely-curated selection of specialty bottled beers." The tasting room will specialize in flights and special edition local beers. I hope Bottlecraft is going to pour pints in addition to tasters.

Bottlecraft's address is 2161 India Street and the shop will be open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm seven days a week.

Alpine Email

2011-05-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

I am on Alpine Brewing's email list and enjoy the periodic stream of conscience updates. Below is the entire text of Alpine's latest email that I received earlier today:

Since there were no fatalities reported after our last announcement it appears safe to divulge some more tasty morsels of news. The release of a couple of beers and the return of another popular beer appears on the horizon. What goes with a Gose beer? My aunt, Crazy Hazel, will be back in town soon.

Okay, I had a bubba job to help with in Baja Mexico last week and missed telling you about “O’Brien’s IPA” coming out last Friday. My apologies but now that you know, come on down and fill your growlers with this most delicious, Gold Medal winning, light IPA. Pints and pitchers are for sale at the pub, too.

Today, Friday May 6th, is the official re-release date of “Ugly” our Black IPA. The mild roasty, cocoa flavor, silky, creamy texture and big hop smackdown combine to stage a flavor choirs on your palate. At 7.5% abv and the newest recognized beer style out, we think we know a thing or two about making really good “hoppy” beers, and this is no exception. Enjoy.

Bottles of "Emerson" go on sale at the brewery today. 22 ounce amber beer bottles of this New Zealand hopped Imperial Pilsner for $4.79 plus the usual. This is a beer you collectors and hoarders can lay down in your cellar without fear. But why?

Going the extra mile, for you, our loyal, loving customers, we’re adding an extra brew session this Sunday with the goal of making “Red Card” a special Red Ale made specifically for major soccer events. Gold Cup Soccer starts June 5th, look for the release then. We’ll have it for growlers, pints and pitchers for as long as it lasts. And, soccer-centric pubs will have some for their televised dates.

The creativity doesn’t stop around here. We’ll be squeezing in a new beer as soon as we have some tank space. It’s a beer style called “Gose.” It has its origins in Germany and is a wheat beer originally wild fermented. We’ll control the microbes that ferment our batch, but the uniqueness of the beer is the use of coriander and salt. Yes, the beer has a decided salty flavor which when done right is very tasty.

And, how about another Pale Ale. We have some hops we want to combine in a lighter, 5-6% abv range, pale ale that we know will make a great flavor/aroma blend. Again, as tank space permits. For those that have been around for a while may remember “Crazy Hazel” amber ale flavored with the generous use of filberts. That will be our next specialty after the afore mentioned beers.

In an effort to minimize issues that arise, here are some things that may help with what we can and can’t do around here. Because of our diminutive size (we’re tiny) there is no office space here. I can’t sit at the computer at the brewery so I write newsletter and answer emails at home. When you ask what kegs are available, or what’s up for growler fills, I don’t know, I’m not there. I’d have to be there in order to answer accurately because our available beers change hourly. Calling the brewery is the only way to get those answers.619-445-2337 x1

We open the Pub at Noon on Sundays, the website needs updating.

I posted the above because the black IPA, Ugly, and and red ale, Red Card, sound real interesting. It sounds like both beers are draft only. Every time I get Alpine's email I am reminded, and disappointed that I live a long forty-five minutes from the brewery.

Expansion and Another Anniversary Party

2011-05-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of quick notes on some San Diego beer news. Peter Rowe has an article up on the new Green Flash facility in Mira Mesa. The new 45,000 barrel brewery is expandable to 100,000 barrels and it opens on June 1, 2011. The grand opening party is not until July 23, 2011. Green Flash expects to more than double its production this year, so I expect to see West Coast IPA in more places in the near future.

Karl Strauss' 8th Annual Beach to Brewery Beer and Music Fest is Saturday May 14 from 2:00 to 7:00 at the Karl Strauss brewery in Pacific Beach (i.e. Rose Canyon). The party is celebrating Strauss' twenty-second anniversary.

Mission Brewing

2011-05-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the new Mission Brewing location downtown, just east of the parking lot across from Petco Park. Mission Brewing is in the brick Wonder Bread building that dates from the late 1800s, and is at the corner of 14th Avenue and L Street. The brewery was closed when I was there, so I could not take any worthwhile pictures inside. I looked through the glass front doors and inside is wide open with large brew tanks and long bars. Apparently, the brewery is only open now before, during and after Padre games. It looks like a great place to visit, and the way the Padres have started the season, a Shipwrecked DIPA is a necessity.

Chimay Cinq Cents - Tripel

2011-05-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

I received this bottle of Chimay Cinq Cents few years ago for Father's Day or my birthday from the Beer Rovette, I don't exactly remember. I put it in the beer fridge and there it sat, and sat, and sat. I watched a New Brew Thursday podcast (April 7) and the three hosts shared a couple of bottles of Chimay Blue, and discussed Chimays' long shelf-life. I was worried that I had let my Chimay Tripel languish too long in storage, but after watching the episode I decided to open my bottle. I can safely say that this beer was not impacted one bit by its extended stay in the fridge.

The Chimay Cinq Cents poured a cloudy copper with a white foam that was tight and not too high. It had a plenty of carbonation. The yeast was dominate, but there was a mellow, satisfying hop presence in the finish. The alcohol was there, but never intrusive. This is a smooth, satisfying tripel, and sublime is not too strong an adjective. It is more subtle than aggressive, more nuanced than obtrusive, understatement in a bottle. The ABV is 8%, and is not boozy at all. Chimay Cinq Cents is a rich, balanced, approachable beer. If you are exploring Belgian tripels or strong golden ales, this beer should be on your list, and it will likely become one of your benchmarks.

Chimay's are widely distributed, which is probably why I tend to overlook them for other beers. I have now tried all three Chimays and all three are excellent. Next time your in a big grocery store with limited beer offerings, skip the craft beer standards and look to the top shelf for the Chimays. You can't go wrong.

And memo to New Brew Thursday guys: when you do food tastings, everyone should have his own plate.

Stone Brewing In South Park - Is Beer Near?

2011-04-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

I had a hunch something was up when I heard my two dormant Stone Brewing growlers rattling in the cupboard. I checked Stone's website, tweets and blog and could not find any updates on Stone's proposed South Park location. I was out this morning and decided to make a small detour and see for myself if anything was happening at the 30th Street location Stone chose last year for its new store. I saw the sign below, which was posted late last week:

I don't have any more information than what is posted on the sign above. I see that the business is still listed as a "Beer Manufacturer," so maybe the original plan of a small brewing operation is still moving forward. The location Stone chose is great. It has plenty of small, local restaurants and shops and is gentrifying fast. It is also close to the historic Burlingame neighborhood (info here and here) that dates from before World War I. It is my opinion that Stone's corporate personality would enhance and fit perfectly in South Park.

Tarantulas 2.0 Black Strong Pale Ale

2011-04-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

I know its kind of beer douchey to write about a beer that is only on draft at one location (that I know of ), but I'm going to do it anyway. Pizza Port Ocean Beach is now serving Tarantulas 2.0, which it calls a black strong pale ale. I've never had a black strong pale ale before, but have had black IPAs. Tarantulas 2.0 is black, like a porter or a stout, and its puffy foam is mocha. The initial taste is roasted malts. The hop bitterness appeared in the middle and stayed through the long finish. The initial tastes had a faint caramel sweetness, but this was soon smothered by the hops. I found this beer's bitterness more prominent than its roasted malt. Tarantulas 2.0's body is thinner than I was expecting and belies its dark color, but it's appropriate for the level of hops and keeps it from slipping towards a porter or stout. I have no idea the ABV of Tarantulas 2.0, as it was not listed at Pizza Port. I would guess it's ABV at 7% to 8%.

This beer reminded me of a black IPA, and I am not sure why it's not a black IPA. It was hoppy like a black IPA. Maybe its modest mouthful kept is from being a black IPA, but it wasn't that thin. About a third through my first glass I quit looking for distinctions and just enjoyed Tarantulas 2.0. This beer is another solid beer from Pizza Port.

Some Pacific Northwest bloggers are trying to co-opt the name black IPA and call it Cascadian Dark Ale. I am not going to fall into this scheme and let black IPAs get hijacked by pretentious bloggers. The Pacific Northwest has no more claim to this style than other parts of the country. Plus, I didn't find Deschutes' Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale all that great, and surely not a beer to define the style. Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, brewed far from the Northwest in Escondido, California, is an excellent black IPA and was likely many peoples', including myself's, introduction to black IPAs. To be fair to the Northwestern bloggers, I never bought into the idea of calling double IPAs San Diego IPAs either, although this idea came from New Yorker Garrett Oliver, not bloggers, writers or brewers in San Diego. To get back on topic, get a pint of Tarantulas 2.0, you'll enjoy it.

Lost Abbey / Port Brewing's 5th Anniversary Party

2011-04-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

This is my third anniversary party posting in a week. The Lost Abbey / Port Brewing's 5th Anniversary Party is May 14, 2011, and does this sound like a party. There are two, four-hour sessions, and $15 gets you eight tasters and additional taster tickets are $1 each, which is a great idea. There will be two bands, food, and Tomme Arthur will be dipping into the barrel reserve beers throughout the sessions. The link above will provide more details.

The Bruery's Third Anniversary Celebration and Brew Fest

2011-04-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

I received an email from The Bruery this afternoon announcing its third anniversary party on May 29th. It looks like quite a party, and this year it has morphed into a beer festival. It's at Anaheim's The Phoenix Club, not at The Bruery. In typical Bruery style, the festival includes some interesting names, (i.e. breweries I have not heard of (Cismontane and Noble Ale Works) along with some familiar names, including Stone and Ballast Point. Here is the text of the email:

Hello Bruery beer lovers,

On May 29th we'll be holding our 3rd Anniversary Celebration and this year it will also be a small beer festival featuring some amazing Southern California breweries!

For further information, please visit our website or continue reading below.

Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Lestonnac Free Clinic.

The party will be held at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim and will be split into two sessions. Session A runs from 10:30am - 2pm and Session B runs from 3:30pm-7pm

General Admission tickets are $35 and VIP tickets, which include access to a special section with our limited beers will be $50.

•The general admission ticket includes a souvenir glass and 10 four oz. tasters
•The VIP admission tickets are limited and include a souvenir glass, 10 four oz tasters and 3 tastings of our Limited Release beers which will be poured in a separate VIP area
•More tasting tickets will be available for purchase at the event
•Food will be available for purchse from The Phoenix Club at stations around the festival
•The Bruery Provisions will be providing cheese and snack stations
•To alleviate lines, we will have hard tickets for this event, allowing for quick entry, and we will be recruiting a large number of volunteers to man the multitude of Bruery beer stations on top of the many guest beer stations and food stations
•93.1 Jack FM will be providing music and other support

•Beers from The Bruery will include: Orchard White, Saison Rue, Rugbrød, Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, Mischief, Trade Winds, Seven Grain Saison, Loakal Red, Humulus, Cuir, Batch #300, Bierbauch,
Iniquitous & More

•The Bruery's VIP beers will include (in limited supply): 100% Barrel Aged Cuir, Melange #1, Melange #3, Bottleworks XII, The Wanderer, Black Tuesday, Chocolate Rain, Marrón Acidifié, ISO:FT, Oude Tart,
Acer Quercus, Pinotlambicus, Barrel Fermented Autumn Maple

•Breweries attending (so far): Ballast Point, The Bruery, Cismontane, Coronado Brewing, Craftsman Brewing, Firestone Walker, Hanger 24, Inland Empire Brewing, Kern River Brewing, Noble Ale Works, Stone Brewing Company, TAPS Fish House & Brewery

Get your tickets here

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
The folks at The Bruery

Like Stone's Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration, The Bruery is offering a VIP section that gives you the chance to try some rare beers for an additional cost. The Bruery's VIP tickets include a few extra beers, while Stone's premium ticket gets you entrance to the rare beer tent, but no extra tasters.

No, No, No...Three Drain Pours In A Row

2011-04-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning a closet yesterday and found three old double IPAs high on a shelf. Tucked behind some boxes were Ballast Point's Dorado, AleSmith's Summer YuleSmith and Avery's Maharaja. I must have bought these three beers in 2006 or 2007, put them in the closet to keep for a later date and forgot about them. After finding the old double IPAs, I put all three in the fridge so that I could taste them cold in the evening. I was expecting that all three had gone bad, and I was right. All three had that sharp, nasty, old, IPA taste, plus the alcohol in these already big beers was magnified. Booze and stale hops made all three undrinkable and I poured them down the drain after verifying their state of decay. It was unfortunate, but necessary.

At one point I thought hoppy beers would age better than less robust beers, which is probably why I put them in the closet in the first place. Weren't hops the natural preservative that gave IPAs their name, by allowing beer to be shipped for the long journey from England to India without spoiling? I believe there is more myth than fact to that story. The beer that arrived in India must have been unique, to say the least. I am beginning to better understand British reserve and their "stiff upper lips." Now I know that the fresher a hoppy beer the better. No more aging hop bombs for me.

I also found a bottle of Stone's famous Tenth Anniversary double IPA. I didn't open it, but reckon it's gone bad, too. This beer lost all its initial hop aroma and taste, which gave it it's deserved reputation, within six months of release, so I can only guess what it's like after five years.

Alesmith Tasting Room Hours - Updated

2011-04-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

I posted last fall on AleSmith's new tasting hours. A couple of months ago AleSmith expanded its hours again. Here are AleSmith's tasting room hours, reposted from Alesmith's most recent email:

Please drop in to visit our Tasting Bar for beer samples, half-gallon growler fills, bottle/keg & AleSmith merchandise sales on Thursday 2:00pm-7:00pm, Friday 2:00pm-7:00pm and Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm. Please call us ahead of time if you are planning on bringing a group of (7) seven or more.

If you'd like to purchase a 5 gallon or 15.5 gallon keg(s) of AleSmith beer, please send an e-mail to kegs@alesmith.com with the following information: name, phone #, beer name, keg size, and the ready date/time. Thank you!

An informative tour of the brewery is conducted on the last Saturday of each month, starting at 12:30pm. You will learn how AleSmith beers are brewed and have an opportunity to sample AleSmith beers at the conclusion of the approximately 1 hour tour. Please call (858.549.9888) and follow the voice prompts to find out more about our tour-only specials and to reserve your space on the next tour.

I have complained before that AleSmith's tasting room hours were too short. There is no excuse not to visit AleSmith and have a few tasters and fill up a growler with these extended hours.

Stone 15th Anniversary Celebration

2011-04-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

Tickets for Stone Brewing's Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration are now on sale at the Stone website. The party is Saturday, August 20, 2011. Like past years there are two sessions, a late morning/early afternoon session that runs from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, and an afternoon session that runs from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Forty dollars will get you ten tasters and admittance to one session. Stone has a special All-Access pass that provides entrance to both sessions and a special rare beer tent. This pass is $70 and includes ten total tasters. Check the link above for more details.

I wonder what the anniversary beer style will be this year? The last few years have been hit and miss, so I hope Stone dips into its vault for something similar to the tenth (massive double IPA) or eleventh (black IPA). The good thing about the release of the anniversary beer is that it doesn't coincide with the celebration and is typically released in early summer.

Oceanside Ale Works on Bloomberg TV's Mentors

2011-04-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

This is old news, but I just watched a show on Bloomberg TV called Mentors, and it featured Oceanside Ale Works. (OK, no comments on a beer blogger watching Bloomberg TV on a Friday night.) Oceanside Ale Works' two owners are shown discussing growth plans and getting advice from Boston Brewing's Sam Koch. The episode originally aired on November 5, 2010.

http://www.bloomberg.com/tv/shows/the-mentor/#play

Above is the link to the episode, but if it only takes you to the Bloomberg Mentor page, the episode with Oceanside Ale Works is Episode 1. The show is interesting and informative, and filmed in a reality TV style. I have never tried a beer from Oceanside Ale Works. After watching the episode I plan to try an Oceanside Ale Works beer the first chance I get.

Local San Diego Beer News

2011-04-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

There was good news and bad news in San Diego beer this week. Two posts from San Diego Beer Blog are worth reading. The bad news is that Firehouse Brewing Co. has closed shop. Firehouse has been around for a number of years, but I've probably had two or three of its beers since it opened, all the pale ale. I am guessing I am not alone, as Firehouse never seemed to court the craft beer market. The Beer Rover's Traveling Correspondent enjoyed Firehouse's patio and cheap beers.

The second post states that Mission Brewing's new East Village (i.e. near Petco Park) brewery and tasting room are now open. The tasting room is apparently not fully operational but is serving beer before, during and after Padre games. Mission Brewing's website does not detail too much on the opening. I need an excuse to visit this tasting room.

North County Times' New Beer Reporter

2011-04-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

I read on a Stone Twitter that San Diego's North County Times has started a new, monthly beer column. The column's title is Hop Head and the columnist is Marc Figueroa, and it runs on the final Thursday of each month. Here is the initial column. I look forward to the column (if I remember to check monthly) and hope he starts a blog for beer information that happens during the four weeks between columns.

April Fools

2011-04-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

It looks like Stone is at it again:

We've all seen them. Sitting next to liquor store cash registers or in your co-worker's desk drawer. Little plastic sacks of booze. Laden with cartoonish logos, encouraging marketing slogans, and lowest common denominator liquid. Portable shots seem to be a category designed for nothing but despair and the desperate. Those who's pockets are lined with neither money nor good taste.

No longer.

Stone Brewing Co. is proud to announce the release of BastardSHOTZ Gel Pakz, perfect for the Bastard on-the-go who wants to upgrade to first class. Oozing all the flavor and alcohol of a 22 oz. serving of Arrogant Bastard Ale, reduced to a classy, airport-friendly 3-ounce pocket pouch. Designed for connoisseurs with an abundance of taste and a dearth of time, BastardSHOTZ brings sorely needed panache to the pouch-based booze business.

I'll admit, I have heard of more unappealing ideas, like a Stone Extreme Lemony Lime beer. I want to get a BastardSHOTZ, stick it in the freezer and wait until it's just getting slushy before tearing it open. OtterPops for grown-ups.

Loakal Red

2011-03-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

I was warned that The Bruery's Loakal Red, while good, was hard to get through; that its strong oak overtones were daunting. I had hesitated opening the bottle I had bought in late December, waiting for the "right" time. I decided that the right time was last Saturday night, and opened Loakal Red to go along with a beef and barley stew. The warning proved unfounded. Loakal Red is a smooth, approachable red ale, oak and all.

I have yet to have a The Bruery beer that does not challenge you, or one that is not multi-dimensional. If you are in the mood for a simple red ale, Loakal is not for you. But if you're in the mood for something that will grab your attention and taste good, than Loakal is your beer. Loakal was highly carbonated and had a big, slow dissipating foam. From the first taste, Loakal's roasted malts push through, giving it a rich flavor and establishing its credibility as a red ale.

Loakal had a distinct, near chalky dryness in mid-taste that I don't usually find in red ales, but which I liked and that added character and depth. I like red ales that have enough hops to stand up to the malts that distinguish red ales. Loakal's finish was punctuated by a mild, yet distinct hop bitterness. Loakal's ABV was only 6.9%, which kept it drinkable and not at all boozy. It is a balanced, well-crafted red ale.

A portion of Loakal was aged in new American oak barrels, which I take to mean were not old wine barrels. Loakal did not impart flavors of either red or white wine, which was good. Loakal's stay in its oak barrels just gave it an overall woodiness. Loakal is an oaky beer, but I did not find its oak flavors dominating. I found that the oak presence was an excellent complement to the malt. The Bruery can make some intimidating beers. Loakal is not one of these. It is complex, but approachable, and a beer worth trying.

Mongo The Marvelous

2011-03-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

I had outlined a scathing post on how I was annoyed and fatigued with double IPAs. The thought of facing yet another syrupy, over-hopped double IPA was too much. DIPAs were not only wrecking my palate and leaving a sticky coat of hop resin in my mouth, but were starting to ruin the evening every time I had one. Last summer's disastrous, barbeque squashing Shipyard XXXX put me over the edge. I was set to renounce former DIPA favorites like Ballast Point's Dorado and Alesmith's Summer Yulesmith, along with Avery's Maharaja, Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum and others, and declare the era of the DIPA over. Then I had Port Brewing's Mongo Double IPA and it upset the whole snarky post. Mongo restored my faith in DIPAs and reminded me why I once liked the style so much.

One reason I tried Mongo was the requests I'd received from bloggers back East to ship them growlers of it. With this amount of interest I figured it was worth going back to the DIPA well once more to give Mongo a chance. I am glad I did (and seriously, I didn't need that much convincing to try Mongo). Mongo poured cloudy with an Indian Summer Orange color and a tight, cream-colored foam. Mongo is hoppy without ruining the taste buds and sweet without becoming cloying. Its hops are aggressive, but not to the point of distraction, which can happen in a DIPA. It has enough malt to match the hops, giving it strong balance. Mongo falls into the piney side of the citrus / pine IPA flavor spectrum. The bitterness lasts from the first sip and stays long into the finish, but it never becomes unpleasant. Most important, it does not leave an annoying film in your mouth, which too me is a night-ender.

Mongo's ABV is 8%, which is low for a DIPA, and may account for its lack of cloying and sticky characteristics. I found this level of ABV appealing, as Mongo wasn't at all boozy. It reminded my of Pliny the Elder or Stone's Ruination, other approachable DIPAs with similar ABVs that sacrifice nothing in flavor. I was going to suggest that like the IPA pine/citrus divide, DIPAs have an ABV divide, where above a certain ABV, DIPAs become overhopped and too sweet and syrupy to enjoy. But this is not as elegant a benchmark as I'd like to make it, because DIPAs can have a high ABV and remain crisp. (Port Brewing's monster Nickle Bag falls in to this category.)

Mongo is an excellent DIPA. But I am going to approach the style with caution. I really don't like to drink a beer that I could just as easily pour on a bowl of breakfast cereal.

(I recommend the Hedonist Jive's review of Hoptimum, it encapsulates my thoughts on the beer.)

Red Poppy

2011-03-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have always been skeptical of beers that generate buzz in the beer geek world. The Lost Abbey's Red Poppy is one of those beers that is both rare and hyped, and I avoided buying it at $17 for a 375 ml bottle. But when I was told it was going to be on tap at the Ocean Beach Pizza Port as part of a Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey night, I decided to go get a tulip glass full to taste for myself whether it was hype worthy.

I can unequivocally state that Red Poppy is worth the hype. It is flat-out delicious, with its perfect complement of fruit and sourness. Red Poppy is a Belgian-style Flanders Red Ale. It poured with no foam and its color was an opaque mahogany, and like many Flanders Red Ales, Red Poppy was not the prettiest of beers. But it was brewed for drinking not a beauty contest. It is a sour beer with a sweet, fruit presence and hints of oak. Red Poppy has more carbonation than its thin head would suggest. Its sourness last long into the finish, which also had a touch of bitterness that accented the beer's sweetness. Red Poppy's ABV is only 5.5%, but it drinks bigger than its ABV. It has a richness I was not expecting and a full mouthful that is almost chewy. This beer works on every level.

The Flanders Red Ale style has wide variation and interpretations. You can find ABVs near 4% and over 10%, and sourness that ranges from mild to aggressive. I reviewed Deschutes The Dissident, also a Flanders Red Ale, a few weeks back and found it lacking. Its ABV was near 10% and its sourness was less pronounced, and it was not as approachable as Red Poppy. Personal preferences will lead you towards either lower ABV beers like Red Poppy or Ommegang's Zuur, or towards bigger beers like The Dissident. What ever your preference, Red Poppy is amazing. Ocean Beach Pizza Port still had Red Poppy on tap late yesterday evening, but the five gallon keg is not expected to last much beyond today. Get a tulip if you can.

San Diego Beer Events

2011-03-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

I make sure to read San Diego Beer Blog every Thursday (and most other days, too) as it publishes a list of beer events for the coming week, which includes tastings, releases, dinners or any other notable beer-related shindig. It is the most comprehensive list that I know. The San Diego Union's Peter Rowe has long been the champion and source of San Diego beer events. Rowe now puts his list on his beer blog, but his list of events is typically not as comprehensive as San Diego Beer Blog's, although this week's list of events is good and a subsequent post announcing a Cantillon event at Stone Brewing and an Italian craft brewer Bruton at Hamilton's are worth putting on the calendar. I should note that Rowe only announces events for an upcoming weekend and San Diego Beer Blog lists events for a whole week.

While The Wife's Away IPA - Part 2

2011-03-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

I can stop being selfish and finally write this post now that I have had several growlers of Pizza Port Ocean Beach's While The Wife's Away IPA (WTWA). It's time to let the secret out that WTWA is an outstanding, limited release IPA. The current batch on tap is the final brewing of WTWA this season, as it used all the remaining fresh hops. I recommend getting down to Ocean Beach and getting a pint or two of WTWA before the kegs run dry.

There are so many IPAs on the market that it is the rare IPA that gives me pause. When I tasted WTWA around Christmas I was impressed by its freshness, sharp citrus hops and balance. I was told it was going to be in regular rotation but then it disappeared for two months. When it came back in late February I raced down to get a growler and clarification on whether WTWA was a regular beer or not. Well, it's not a regular beer, it is a fresh-hop IPA seasonal and won't be back for about six months.

WTWA is a juicy, citrus flavored IPA. It is a fresh hop IPA, and the hop bitterness jumps out at the front and lasts into the finish. What struck me about WTWA was its earthiness. Wine makers stress terroir, or the land where the grapes were grown as the sign of a quality wine. I have never thought of this description for a beer before, but WTWA has terroir, from wherever its hops and malts were grown. Its earthiness imparts a richness and depth that most fresh hop IPAs lack.

The Ocean Beach Pizza Port brewed another fresh-hop IPA last fall called Get Wet. I liked Get Wet but I can't directly compare it to WTWA since it's been nearly six months since I have had it. Get Wet's hop presence, like many fresh-hop IPAs, seemed more ephemeral than WTWA. Its initial shock of hops quickly disappeared. WTWA's hop profile is just as pronounced, but it has much longer finish to go with its earthiness. The other IPA in Ocean Beach is Jetty. It's a decent beer, but the balance is too heavily tilted towards hops, which leads to quick taste bud fatigue. WTWA is Ocean Beach Pizza Port's best IPA. It is well worth making the trip to Ocean Beach to enjoy WTWA while it's available.

Restaurants and Craft Beer

2011-02-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

Below is a video starring Stone Brewing's Greg Koch from the website SellingCraftBeer.com. The video's target audience is restaurant owners, and it explains the benefits to a restaurant's bottom line by offering craft beer.

This blog has tried to make the same point from a customer's point of view. Restaurants that want a reputation (and repeat customers) for good food, need good beer. I try to avoid restaurants that aren't serious about their beer selection. I believe that if a restaurant is not serious about its beer (and wine) than it can't be serious about its food. I'm not unreasonable, I am not asking for every restaurant to have twenty craft taps, just a few well thought out selections is all I need.

British Beer

2011-02-13T01:04:00.000-08:00

I found this article in last Saturday's Financial Times interesting. The story is worth reading if only for the quote below from Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) co-founder Michael Hardman:

“Everybody’s different. I reckon if my mother-in-law drank 14 units a month she’d be dead, she just couldn’t take it. If I had to cut down to 14 units I’d be dead, because I’d be bored stiff,” growls Hardman.

I am guessing units are pints. The article did not do much to change the impression that Camra is just a bunch of rocky middle-aged men.

Deschutes The Dissident

2011-02-11T23:14:00.001-08:00

I drank a 22 oz bomber of Deschutes' The Dissident last night, a beer that I hadn't tried before. The Dissident is a Flanders Oud Bruin, or a tart brown ale. I have had several sours lately and like their unique flavor, but I am no means an expert in this expansive style. The Dissident is brewed with cherries, which kind of gave it a sweet and sour characteristic. The beer poured clear, with a copper color, imparted with a red hue from the cherries. There was just a wisp of foam and no lacing. The Dissident is the biggest sour I have tried, weighing in at 10.5% abv. You could detect the alcohol throughout, but it never dominated. It is a bigger beer than it drinks, which is important to know if you ever have it on draft.

You immediately taste The Dissident's sour yeast, which flows directly into a sweetness from the cherries, and finally to a subtle hop bitterness for balance. The Dissident is a mild sour. I did not detect a specific cherry flavor, but you can't help but notice the sugars from the fruit. For such a big beer, the mouthful was markedly thin. The mild finish was marked by alcohol and yeast. I am always amazed when a brewer can mask such high alcohol in a beer. That's a true testament to Deschutes' skill.

I thought The Dissident a very good beer, but I would not call it great. Deschutes only brews it once a year, which should keep its cult following high. I was expecting a more sour, tart beer. I need to try more beers in this style. I have had and really liked Ommegang's Zuur, and want to get The Lost Abbey's Red Poppy. I will be searching out The Dissident this fall.

(The Dissident's label has a restrained coolness to it, but I don't get the meaning of the black crows.)

Duvel Green

2011-02-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

I have blogged before about well known beers I have not tried. I am not proud of the gaps in my beer knowledge, but not troubled enough to attempt to try a new beer every night. Beer is a journey, not a sprint and the quest is half the fun. Tonight I had a chance to shrink my beer experience gap. Ocean Beach Pizza Port sponsored a Duvel Keep the Glass Night, and I thought it was a good excuse to try the renowned Duvel Golden Ale. Well, I mis-read the announcement, and it was a Duvel Green event, not the famous Duvel Golden Ale.

Well, I'd never tried Duvel Green either, so it was a good excuse to try an new beer and pick-up a cool Belgian beer glass in the process. I was struck by Green's decidedly macro taste. The initial Belgian yeast was light, just like the mouthful. Green is the mildest golden ale I have tasted (I'd almost question the categorization of Green as a golden ale). I noted a bit of anise, and it had a slight skunkiness to it, like a Heineken. The finish, which was longer than I would have expected for such a slight beer, was marked by a hint of metallic flavor. Green is an approachable, drinkable beer, fitting with its marco profile, and I am glad I tried this beer.

(The picture I took was too blurry, so I borrowed the picture above from BeerMenus.com).

Regents Pizza

2011-02-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

I love finding obscure places that serve great beer. I found Regents Pizza while waiting at a doctor's visit. Regents is tucked in a ground floor suite, next to other eateries and shops, in a medical office building. It is not far from UCSD, but squarely in the University Town Center section of La Jolla (i.e. east of 1-5). This small pizzeria had three taps and an extensive selection of bottled craft beer. The taps were Ballast Point's underrated Big Eye IPA, Alesmith's Lil' Devil and Telegraph Brewing's California Ale. You can't get much better than that with only three taps. The taps are apparently rotated on a regular basis. Some of the bottled beers included beers from Alesmith, Stone, Karl Strauss, Ballast Point, Alpine, Lost Abbey / Port, Russian River and Rouge. The pizza is good, too. Regent's serves up New York and Chicago style pizzas and offers whole pizza and pizza by the slice. The only bad part finding Regents was that I found it in the middle of the afternoon on a work day, so no beer for me.

Fantome's Saison D'Erezee Printemps - Inverse Beer

2011-02-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

I bought Printemps, my first Fantome, last summer unsure whether it was the flagship Fantome Saison - it wasn't. I got around to drinking it early last month. It poured a beautiful, cloudy orange with a just a wisp of foam. The first few sips, however, were tough, not matching the beer's external beauty. It had an earthy funkiness to it, like all good saisions, but it also had a strong spice I could not place. But as Printemps warmed, it mellowed out and I really started to enjoy it, and with each taste it became better. When I finished the bottle, I was disappointed and wanted more. Typically, with flavorful beers like Printemps, the first half of the bottle is better than the second, with the second half sometimes bringing on palate fatigue. Not so with Printemps, as I worked my way through the bottle, it blossomed and became more approachable, the opposite of many beers. Primtemps is not a starter saison, but I highly recommend this beer. I have not seen it at Olive Market for several months, but it is good enough to keep a lookout for it.

Exponential Hoppiness

2011-02-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

Alpine Brewing Company is releasing its triple IPA, Exponential Hoppiness, tomorrow. Here is the announcement from an Alpine email:

On Friday, February 4th, at the crack of noon, as our doors open, we will be offering one of the most delectable, superbly delicious, best batch ever, mathematically complex beers ever produced on the face of this earth “Exponential Hoppiness.” (EH) We did an exponential move on some late addition and dry-hopping tricks that elevated the aroma and hoppiness to their proper levels. Yes, it’s that good because we care, damit.

The ways to purchase EH are thus:

22 oz bottles available at the BREWERY – $8.99 - Max 6 bottles/per person/day (unless abused)

22 oz bottles available at the PUB – Max 3 bottles/person/day. (don’t be that guy)

Growler fills at the brewery only, no growler fills at the pub. We don’t fill growlers at the pub, just the brewery.

Maximum growler fills: 6 growlers per person/day of EH.

The first time I see growlers of our beer on a “public auction site” we will no longer sell growlers of EH. Ever. Protect your privilege.

Exponential Hoppiness was, or is, called the most dangerous beer in the world. That is because its alcohol is around 11%, and it is so dang drinkable that if you're not careful, it'll knock you flat. Pliny the Younger may get all the triple IPA hype, but to me, Exponential Hoppiness is a better beer. It is smoother and not as boozy, hence the "dangerous" label. I have heard that bombers of Exponential Hoppiness will be available at some of the stores that sell Alpine beers. I may post which ones after I get my bombers.

Don Younger - Publican

2011-02-01T23:24:00.000-08:00

Don Younger, the pioneering craft beer publican past away last night. He owned the iconic Horse Brass Pub in Portland. You'll probably recognize his picture below. He was usually photographed with a cigarette in one hand and a pint in the other. There are some good blog posts below discussing Don. I borrowed the picture from Beervana.

Beervana

Pete Brown

Brookston Beer Bulletin

Bad Beers - Paging Bartles & Jaymes

2011-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here is an article from The Atlantic's food blog discussing Sam Adams' Infinium, the collaboration between Boston Beer Company and Germany's Weihenstephen. The review is negative, and here is the takeaway zinger:

Infinium is no doubt a well-made beer; the finished product is neither traditional American nor German, nor even French or Belgian, but sui generis, unlike anything I've ever tried before. It just doesn't taste very good. It's effervescent, like champagne, but not sweet; it tastes flinty and bitter. It opens with some apple and persimmon, but those drop off quickly, leaving behind yeast and malt as the dominant flavors. It may be a technical achievement, but so was Frankenstein's monster—and he wasn't winning any beauty pageants.

Reading the article, I couldn't help but think that author could have substituted Stone's Vertical Epic 10.10.10 for Infinium. Infinium tried to mimic champagne and 10.10.10, made with three varieties of grapes, tried to mimic wine. The most recent BeerAdvocate magazine had a full page ad for Infinium on its back page, with the beer poured into a champagne flute. I have not tried Infinium, but Vertical Epic 10.10.10 was tough to like, way too winey and confused.

I am a huge proponent of collaborations, experimentation and extreme beers. But brewers need to stop trying to make beer into wine. The apparent wine-envy is unsettling. If a brewer wants to make wine, make it, but don't concoct strange, beer-wine hybirds. There is no sense in creating a glorified wine cooler, that's already been done.