Craftsman Brewing Co. Casks at The Linkery

Tags

barleywine, edgar's ale, holiday spruce ale, spruce beer, spruce tips, winter beer

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Craftsman Brewing Co. from Pasadena. The Craftsman beer flight with founder/owner/brewer Mark Jilg at Blind Lady Ale House during SDBW was one of my favorite Beer Week happenings. Because of this I was ecstatic to hear that Craftsman has sent two casks down to The Linkery. They’ll be tapping a cask of Holiday Spruce Ale, a winter warmer brewed with spruce tips today (Thursday, Dec 23rd). They also have a cask of blend of Edgar’s Ale (A strong, dark beer that defies categorization) and their Barleywine which they plan on tapping next week.

If you’ve never had a beer brewed with spruce tips before you should give this one a try, it sounds like the perfect holiday beer.

For more on cask beer (specifically at The Linkery) check out this video:

The Linkery – Ethan & Steph from Brian Hedden on Vimeo.

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The Bruery Gunga Galunga

Gunga Galunga is the second beer in The Bruery’s Provisions Series, a series of beers that they say will only be brewed once and are only available through their Reserve Society and at The Bruery Provisions store in downtown Orange. I picked this bottle up while at The Bruery Provisions last month, I’m unsure if it is still available.

Labelled a “100% Brett Black Ale”, Gunga Galunga is brewed with galanga, kaffir lime and fremented with 100% Brettanomyces. If you’re anything like me you’re probably about to look up galanga, here’s a link to the entry on Wikipedia. It’s 7.7% ABV and like all beers from The Bruery comes in a 750ml bottle. I think I paid around $10-15 for the bottle.

As expected from a ‘Black Ale’ Gunga Galunga pours a very dark brown (it appears black until held up to the light) with a big fluffy mocha colored head. It smells of a subdued sweetness and lime (but not overpoweringly so). I don’t get any hops or roasted smells in the aroma.

The first taste is exactly what you would expect from the smell, sweet and citrusy. More lime than anything, it has not hop citrus flavors, I expect this is the kaffir lime and maybe the galanga coming through. After the sweetness subsides it becomes a bit funky. Not very funky at all, just the slightest hint. Then comes some bitterness. I don’t think it’s hop bitterness, its more of a roasted or toasty bitterness, possibly due to the dark malts used to make it black. There is a herbal taste, maybe basil, that mostly comes through in the aftertaste. I’m not sure if they used basil, or if this could be the galanga.

There’s a lot going on with this beer, but it’s not a favorite of mine. It’s interesting, but I wouldn’t buy another bottle to drink right away. I would be interested in cellaring it for a while, the label says it should age well for up to three years. Being 100% Brett fermented it may get a little more funky in that time. I didn’t however buy another bottle, and with Gunga Galunga being available only at The Bruery Provisions in Orange I probably won’t get another bottle. It’s definitely and interesting and unique beer, and I love the experimentation from The Bruery lately, but in my opinion not nearly their best.

Photo: John Holzer CC 2.0

Santa’s Secret Stash – Tonight (Dec 21, 2010) at Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar

Tags

holiday beers, santa's secret stash, winter beers

With so much going on leading up to Christmas I didn’t post an events list for this week. Don’t be fooled, there’s still plenty of great beer being poured throughout San Diego, I just didn’t have time to piece a list of recommendations together. But tonight is one of the best beer events you could hope for, Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar’s Santa’s Secret Stash. Starting at 5pm they’ll be tapping so many delicious winter/holiday beers. Scot Blair of Hamilton’s Tavern/Small Bar (and Eleven) says this is the best and most rare beer lineup they’ve ever put together. They’ll have tasters available so you can try plenty of these beers, many of which I’ve never heard of. They’re hoping to have some commemorative glasses but a problem with the manufacturing might put a lump of coal in that stocking. There will be a bus running between Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar so you don’t have to drive. Below is the full list of beers.

Small Bar:

De koninck Winter

Gouden Noel

Delirium Noel

Craftsman Edgar Winter RIS

Haandbryggeriet Nissefar

Great Divide Oaked Yeti. RIS

Emilisse Imp Stout

St Bernardus Xmas

Oaked Shlenkerla

Rogue 2006 Old Crusty

Kerstmutske Christmas Nightcap

Affligem Noel

Rodenbach 2008 Vintage

Boone Kriek

Mikkeller 30ltr Santas little Helper 2009

Russian River supplication

Serafijn Christmas Angel

De Struise Black Damnation III Black Mes

Hamilton’s Tavern:

Ellezuige Hercule Belgian Stout

Haandbryggeriet Hesjeol Norwegian Farmhouse Ale

Midnight Sun CoHoHO Imperial IPA with Brown Sugar/Honey and Juniper Berries

50/50 Old Conundrum

Hof Ten Dormaal.

Bravoure Smoked Beer

Russian River Temptation

De Struise Tsjeeses Reserva

BP Barrel Aged Vic @ Sea on Nitro

Blaugies Special Winter

Green Flash Silva Stout

Avery Rumpkin

Jolly Pumpkin Noel De Calabaza

Cazeau Tournay de Noel

De Struise Black Damnation IV Coffee Club

Stone Company Store South Park Delayed

Tags

greg koch, greg koch south park, stone brewing co. south park delay, stone south park, stone tasting room south park

It’s been known that Stone Brewing Co. is hoping to open a store in South Park for a while now. If they get the liquor license they are applying for this location will not only be a tasting room with to-go growler and bottle sales but also a mini-brewery.

Stone held a couple neighborhood meetings to chat with the community last month of which I attended the second. A handful of people were there to listen to CEO Greg Koch talk about their plans for the store, what it will and what it will not be. Most people in attendance seemed to be beer lovers and there wasn’t much (if any) resistance voiced. Koch did mention there had been concerns voiced by at least one community member and urged those that would like to see Stone come to South Park write letters of support to the ABC. Not much new info came out of the meetings, just Koch reassuring people that this wouldn’t be a bar with late hours and drunk patrons. Amy T. Granite and WestCoaster each posted summaries of the meeting with a bit more info.

It’s been a few weeks now it seems as if things don’t look good for Stone in South Park. This past weekend, about two weeks after the second neighborhood meeting, Koch tweeted:

Hey San Diego, it looks like the @StoneStore in #SouthPark may take a while. Quite a while. Months. That’s an “if” not a “when.” Sorry.

And he went on to say it was a problem with the liquor license, a slow and uncertain process due to protests. Not much else is known at this point. Koch tweeted again today that he was interviewed by San Diego 6 for the 10pm news about the problems they are having with the planned South Park store. So hopefully we’ll get more info soon. According to Koch the public comment period is over, so there isn’t much beer drinkers that want to see Stone Brewing Co. in South Park can do at this point.

I have an email into Stone and will update this post with more info if/when I hear back from them.

Holiday Beer Flight at Blind Lady Ale House

Tags

Affligem Noel, Avery Old Jubilation, christmas beers, delirium noel, holiday beer flight, holiday beers, Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza, Santa's Little Helper, Scaldis Noel, winter warmer beer, winter warmers

Left to Right: Port Santa's Little Helper, Scaldis Noel, Delirium Noel, Avery Old Jubilation, Affligem Noel, Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

Blind Lady Ale House put on six Holiday themed beers this weekend and offered a flight of the similar but each unique beers to make it easy to taste them all.

I’m not sure if the flight is still on at Blind Lady Ale House, but they surely will have many if not all of these beers available for at least a few more days. The beers in the flight were: Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza, Affligem Noël, Avery Old Jubilation, Delirium Noël, Scaldis Noel, and Port Brewing Co.’s Santa’s Little Helper. Below are some brief thoughts on each.

Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza is 9% ABV and a deep reddish brown color. It smells like it might be a bit sour but the taste isn’t too sour. There are hints of oak (it’s aged in oak barrels) and the alcohol is apparent. It’s slightly sweet and malty with tastes of holiday spices that I couldn’t identify. This was my favorite beer in the flight.

Affligem Noël The board at BLAH said this beer was 6.5% ABV, but everything I can find online says 9% ABV. Either way the alcohol wasn’t nearly as apparent as the previous beer. It’s fairly sweet with some subdued fruity tastes. There’s sweet spices (the board at BLAH said cinnamon). It’s malty but less caramelized than I had expected

Avery Old Jubilation, another dark and malty winter warmer, this one comes in at 8.3% ABV. It had the hoppiest smell of all the beers but the taste was very malty and sweet up front. It had a bit of a bitter hoppy aftertaste but was well balanced.

Delirium Noël this one comes in at 10% ABV and the alcohol was pretty apparent. It was malty with sweet holiday spices coming through. The Belgian yeast comes through as well in this beer and the hops were nowhere to be found. This isn’t a bad beer, but might have been my least favorite in the flight.

Scaldis Noel this is the only beer in the flight I had never heard of. At 12% ABV it was the strongest of the flight and the alcohol heat was apparent in the smell and the first taste. It smells and tastes fruity as well with malty caramel or toffee like sweetness. The finish was a bit bitter but not so hoppy.

Port Brewing Co.’s Santa’s Little Helper is about 10% ABV and was very different than the rest of the beers. I think all the others would be considered “Winter Warmers”, high ABV, malty beers. This one is an Imperial Stout. It’s hoppier than some Imperial Stouts but the roasted barley and high alcohol comes through as well to balance the hops out. It’s not too sweet but has some chocolate notes.

San Diego Beer Events 12/09-12/15

Tags

2nd saturday, Affligem Noel, Avery Old Jubilation, ballast point barmy ale, Barmy Ale, Delerium Noel, Epic Beer Tasting, fiji yogurt, food truck beer pairing, hamilton's second saturday, hamilton's tavern second saturday, holiday night on adams, Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza, miho gastrotruck, o'brien's belgian holiday weekend, patrick rue, san diego Christmas beer, san diego holiday beer, Santa's Little Helper, Scaldis Noel, second saturday, tabe bbq, tap hunter, taphunter

Plenty of great beer related stuff going on this week. If you know of anything that isn’t on our events calendar, email events@sandiegobeerblog.com to get it added.

Thursday, Dec 9:

Stop by Ballast Point in Linda Vista where MIHO Gastrotruck will be parked and serving food for a special pairing dinner with some of Ballast Point’s beers. They’ll also have the delicious Barmy Ale on tap for samples and growler fills. Fiji Yogurt next door to Ballast Point will also have a Black Marlin Porter based yogurt. Click on over to Westcoaster for the pairing menu.

Friday, Dec 10:

TapHunter recently held an online poll to determine their users favorite brewery. The votes are in and they’re throwing a party with the first and second place winners which are conveniently located just down the road from one another. The party starts at 4pm at Alesmith Brewing Co.’s tasting room and then heads over to Hess Brewing Co. from 6-8pm. After a few hours of drinking at two of San Diego’s best breweries you might need some food, so it’s a good thing that Tabe BBQ will be parked at Hess Brewing Co. And mention “Taphunter” to get a 15% discount on all merchandise – growlers, shirts, hats, and glassware at Alesmith. More details on Facebook.

Saturday, Dec 11:

It’s the second saturday of the month, which means 2nd Saturday at Hamilton’s Tavern! This month they’ll be hosting Alesmith Brewing Co. They’ll have dueling casks of Winter Yulesmith and Wee Heavy conditioned with Islay Scotch soaked oak chips. They’ll of course have plenty of other Alesmith brews on draft and some delicious sounding food.

Ready for Holiday Beers? Blind Lady Ale House sure is. Saturday night is the Holiday Night on Adams, where many shops on Adams Ave have Holiday themed specials. BLAH is tapping some great beers and is offering a flight so you can taste more. They’ll have Port Brewing Co.’s Santa’s Little Helper, Affligem Noel, Delerium Noel, Scaldis Noel, Avery Old Jubilation, Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza and maybe more.

Sunday, Dec 12:

Didn’t get enough Holiday Beers at Blind Lady? O’Brien’s Pub is having plenty of Belgian Holiday Beers all weekend including Sunday. They’ll have at least seven on tap and more in the bottle.

Monday, Dec 13:

As always, Toronado does local pint night on Monday’s. Stop in for some of the best beers around from all over San Diego for only $3 each.

Tuesday, Dec 14:

Chicks for Beer at The High Dive is a ladies only beer group that meets once a month. This month they’ll be hosting The Bruery and Patrick Rue will be on hand to chat about beer. $20 gets you six tasters, a food pairing and a pint of your choice. But don’t fret guys, while the Chicks for Beer meeting will be women only, you’re still welcome to hang out at the bar and drink the awesome beers from the Bruery.

Wednesday, Dec 15:

The third Wednesday of the month means it’s time for the DrinkAbout. Free shuttles will be running between some of the best uptown bars. No word on what will be on tap yet, but we expect plenty of great Holiday beers.

Best Damn Beer Shop and South Bay Drugs have teamed up for what they’re calling an Epic Beer Tasting with 100% of the proceeds going to charity. Downtown Johnny Brown’s will host the tasting where $35 will get you ten 3-4oz tasters. The list of beer is seriously epic and DTJB’s will have more great beer on tap. Check out the Facebook Event page for all the beers and more info.

This post updated 12/12/2010.

Ballast Point Barmy Ale

Tags

apricot beer, ballast point barmy ale, Barmy Ale, honey beer, miho gastrotruck

Last Thursday Ballast Point was offering growlers of their Barmy Ale at their Scripps Ranch location. Never having tasted Barmy Ale before, but intrigued by the description I decided to stop in and give it a shot. Here’s how Ballast Point describes it:

Barmy is a 10.5% ABV golden ale brewed with South African Apricots, Caramelized Orange Blossom Honey, 2 Row and dusting of Palisade Hops. A slight tartness from the Apricot is followed by an effervescent mead like quality.  A truly unique and tasty beverage.

Barmy pours a golden yellow color, clear and not too light or dark, the exact color you would expect a “golden ale” to be. There was a tiny bit of white head but not much, even with a vigorous pour, and what was there disappeared pretty quickly.

Barmy Ale smells sweet, and when first poured after being taken out of the refrigerator it was a fairly bland sweetness. As the beer warmed the fruity apricot smell became more apparent. The first taste like the smell was very fruity and apricot like. Never having an apricot beer, and being far more familiar with apples and apple cider than apricots I was reminded of a good apple cider. There is a bittersweet aftertaste but it isn’t hoppy at all. As the beer warms and I keep drinking the apricot flavor seems fade to more of a sweet honey flavor. The mouthfeel is mead like, somehow both thick and thin (but not too thin) at the same time. There isn’t much alcohol heat, the 10.5% ABV doesn’t come through much at all when cold and only slightly more as it warms.

It’s an interesting beer, pretty different than anything I’ve had before. I think the apricot and honey compliment each other well balancing different types of sweetness. A 64oz growler of Barmy Ale is a bit much for one person, having a couple friends to share it with will help out.

If you missed Barmy Ale last week at the Scripps Ranch location you can try it tomorrow (Thursday, Dec 9th, 2010) at Ballast Point’s Linda Vista location for their pairing dinner with MIHO Gastrotruck. Barmy Ale will be available for growler fills and paired with MIHO’s Barmy Ale braised pork loin BBQ sandwich. Check out the full menu for the other food and beer pairings at WestCoaster.

San Diego Beer Events 12/02-12/08

Tags

14th annual pizza port strong ale festival, 5am Saint, Alaskan Winter, Anchor Christmas Ale 2010, BASHAH, Black Dog Stout, brewdog, coronado brewing co. winter brew, Dogma, Gouden Carolus Noel, green flash 8th anniversary ipa, Hardcore IPA, ingrid's one in eight, Paradox (isle of arran), pizza port strong ale festival, Punk IPA, san diego citybeat beer club, St. Bernardus Christmas, strong ale festival vip

We took some much needed time off after San Diego Beer Week but now that thing have calmed down, and livers are functioning normally again, we’re back in the swing of things. Many bars are starting to tap holiday ales this week, it’s going to be a busy and fun December!

Thursday, Dec 2:

Stop into Eleven for happy hour. They’ll have Green Flash Brewing Co.’s 8th Anniversary IPA on tap for $5 and you get to take the glass home with ya.

Friday, Dec 3:

The 14th Annual Pizza Port Strong Ale Festival is happening Friday and Saturday. They’ll have over 75 beers all over 8% alcohol on tap. The Friday afternoon VIP session is sold out, but tickets for Friday evening (4pm-11pm) and Saturday (11am-11pm) will be sold at the door. $30 gets you a taster glass and 8 4oz tasters with additional tastes for $1. Don’t plan on driving after this one. Get a hotel room in Carlsbad or take public transit, these are some seriously strong beers.

Hamilton’s Tavern will be tapping Ingrid’s One in Eight a collaboration between Coronado Brewing Co. and Ballast Point Brewing Co. for their Firkin Friday. They’ll have it on cask with Grand Marnier oak chips and extra cocoa nibs as well as the regular version on draft.

Saturday, Dec 4:

The Ocean Beach Holiday Parade is happening at5pm, and Pizza Port Ocean Beach is tapping holiday ales to celebrate all day long. Featured Beers include St. Bernardus Christmas, Gouden Carolus Noel, Anchor Christmas Ale 2010, Alaskan Winter and more.

The Pizza Port Strong Ale Festival is going on all day Saturday if you didn’t get enough the night before.

Sunday, Dec 5:

What’s going on Sunday? Grab a pint at your local bar or pick up a bomber at the liquor store. If you know of a beer-centric event email us events@sandiegobeerblog.com

Monday, Dec 6:

Every monday night is local pint night at Toronado. Local beers are just $3

We haven’t had Coronado Brewing Co.’s Winter Brew yet, but Eleven is featuring it on Monday for happy hour. $4 pints, $3 refills and you get to keep the glass.

Tuesday, Dec 7:

It’s Brewdog night at Small Bar. They’ll have Brewdog glassware and the following beers on tap: BASHAH, Dogma, Punk IPA, 5am Saint, Paradox (isle of arran),Black Dog Stout and Hardcore IPA.

Wednesday, Dec 8:

The Lodge at Torrey Pines is hosting a Holiday Beer Pairing dinner. $55 for food and beer, check out the menu on their website.

Once a month San Diego Citybeat hosts a beer club at a local bar. The venue changes every month, sign up on their website to get the venue info. For December they’re doing a full on holiday party. As always they’ll have $1 beers (no word on what beer/breweries) and local holiday gifts for sale. The Beer Club events are always fun. Get on the list by signing up on their website.