Turista Libre Tijuana Beer Tour

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Baja Black, Baja Brewing Company, Brava Dark Lager, Bronca Pilsner, Bufadora Doppelbock, calavera, Calavera American Pale Ale, Calavera Dubbel, cereceria tijuana, Cerveceria Insurgente, Cerveceria Minerva, Cerveceria Zesde, DasFalco IPA, Guera Pilsner, Insurgente Brown, L.A. Cetto, La Chupiteria, La Lupulosa, mexican beer, mexican craft beer, Minvera ITA (Imperial Tequila Ale), Morena Dark Lager, Strawberry Fields Ale, Tacos Los Perrones, Tiniebla, tj beer, TJ Light Lager, turista libre, turista libre tijuana craft beer, turista libre tijuana craft beer tour, Vanilla Sky Stout, Via Corporativo

Cerveceria Tijuana

Close to forty people headed south from San Diego Saturday morning, crossing the world’s busiest land border crossing at San Ysidro into Tijuana for the Turista Libre Tijuana Craft Beer Tour. After passing through the gates into Mexico and joining up with a few Tijuanenses eager to learn more about craft beer in their city we boarded a bus with the destination of Cerveceria Tijuana.

Turista Libre is a tour group run by Derrik Chinn, an American living in Tijuana that likes to take people off of Revolucion and show a side of Tijuana that many Americans never experience. Saturday’s group for the Craft Beer Tour was made up of beer geeks and beer industry people, employees from Stone Brewing Co., Bottlecraft, a beer blogger and a freelance beer writer were on hand, as well as non-beer geeks looking to learn more about beer.

Tacos Los Perrones

Cerveceria Tijuana is the oldest craft brewery in the city, located just south of downtown with a focus on German and Czech style lagers. After a quick brewery tour we settled into the pub which is adorned with solid wooden tables and ornamentation on the walls and stained glass windows creating the atmosphere of a continental pub. All six of their beers were sampled, Bronca Pilsner, Guera Pilsner, TJ Light Lager, Morena Dark Lager, Brava Dark Lager, and Bufadora Doppelbock. All were good examples of their style, perfect for warm days and long drinking sessions, but maybe a little light for the palates of those used to American craft beer. No one seemed to have complaints though, and Bufadora and Brava seemed to be the most favored among those I talked to.

After Cerveceria Tijuana we boarded the bus and headed back downtown for street side lunch served out of a converted bus at Tacos Los Perrones with some adventurous folks walking a few blocks to the L.A. Cetto winery Tijuana boutique to pick up olive oil and wine from the Guadalupe Valley east of Ensenada before boarding the bus to head to Via Corporativo, the first LEED certified building in the region for a tasting with Cerveceria Insurgente.

As stunning as the architecture of Via Corporativo is, Cerveceria Insurgente’s beer was the highlight of the stop. Started by two brothers, with Cerveceria Insurgente they want to revolutionize the palates of the people, many of whom have never had a beer not made by Grupo Modelo or Cerveceria Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma the two largest brewers in Mexico that have a near duopoly on the beer market. Tiniebla, their Belgian-style wit was well spiced with coriander and orange peel, making for nice citrusy and creamy beer. Insurgente Brown, a 5% ABV Brown ale was a bit flat and didn’t stand out as much to me, but many people liked it and purchased bottles to take home that the brewers assured us were properly carbonated. Insurgente’s third offering, an IPA called La Lupulosa meaning “The Hoppy One” made up for any complaints about the previous beer. Brewed with five hops (Cascade, Centennial, Nelson, Warrior and Amarillo) La Lupulosa had a great aroma and flavor with a bitter punch to the taste buds. This is the kind of beer that those used to drinking Mexican lagers will need to work their way up to, but it easily pleased many of us used to hoppy West Coast style IPA’s.

Cerveceria Insurgente

For our fourth stop we visited The Beer Box, Tijuana’s first craft beer store where we sampled some beers from local homebrewers and commercial beers from other parts of Mexico and many people purchased bottles to take home with them. I grabbed two beers from Calavera, their American Pale Ale and Belgian-style Dubbel as well as Baja Black, a schwarzbier from Baja Brewing Company in San Jose del Cabo and ITA (Imperial Tequila Ale), a strong ale aged in tequila barrels from Cerveceria Minerva.

 

For our last stop we headed back downtown to the hip Calle Sexta (Sixth Street) and La Chupiteria for a tasting with Cerveceria Zesde. The brewers who are all under 21 wouldn’t be able to legally drink a beer in a bar in the United States got their start just six months ago and that seemed apparent with their first beer, DasFalco IPA. It had plenty of bitterness, but not much flavor to balance things out. Their next two beers Vanilla Sky Stout and Strawberry Fields Ale were better. The stout had plenty of chocolate and vanilla sweetness with roasted malt to balance things out while the strawberry ale had a strawberry sweetness that wasn’t overpowering (although it did get a bit too sweet for me as it warmed up).

With that the tour ended and many of the turistas elected to have dinner or check out other bars in downtown Tijuana before heading home.

Note: I consulted with Turista Libre on the breweries we should visit in Tijuana and helped promote the event.

Photos by Kinsee Morlan and Jeff Hammett

A version of this post can be found at West Coaster

Click below for a few more photos from the tour.

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Turista Libre Tijuana Craft Beer Tour

Tags

Cerveceria Insurgente, Cerveceria Tijuana, Cerveceria Zesde, mexican craft beer, mexico craft beer, tijuana craft beer, tijuana craft beer tour, turista libre, turista libre beer, turista libre craft beer

Saturday June 4th Turista Libre, which leads atypical day tours in Tijuana (in their own words: “No strolls down hooker row. No donkey shows. No gringo stereotypes.”), will be focusing on the craft beer of Tijuana. Turista Libre is run by Derrik Chinn, an American who has been living in Tijuana for the past three plus years.

Derrik is a friend of mine and was my neighbor while I briefly lived in Tijuana a couple of years ago. We’ve drank many a Tecate together (sometimes it seems as if Tecate owns the entire city), but he was just as excited as I was to find that there is a small but growing craft beer community in Tijuana.

We’ll meet just inside Mexico mere feet from the final border gate at 12pm. We’ll head over to Cerveceria Tijuana, which I believe is the oldest brewery in Tijuana and has the most presence in the US (they were at last year’s Stone Anniversary Festival). There we’ll sample six 5 ounce tasters (Morena Dark Lager, Guera Pilsner, Bronca Pilsner, Brava Dark Lager, Bufadora Bock, TJ Light Lager) as you can tell by the names, Cerveceria Tijuana focuses on lagers, but they’re quality lagers based on those found in Europe. From there we’ll head to the newer breweries of Cervecería Insurgente (3 six ounce tasters, La Lupulosa, Tiniebla, Brown), and  Cervecería Zesde (3 six ounce tasters, DasFalco IPA, Vanilla Sky Stout, Strawberry Fields Ale).

We’ll also stop by The Beer Box, a bottle shop with many Mexican, American and European craft beers so you can purchase a bottle or two to take home.

Tickets are $35 and space is limited, so make sure to prepay to reserve a spot. The tasters listed above as well as transportation from the border is included in the ticket price, but you’re on your own for bottles at The Beer Box. We’ll stop for tacos at least once because we’ll surely need them with all that beer. The day will end around 7pm in Downtown Tijuana near a few of the new beer bars if you’ll looking for more, or a short walk or cab ride back to the border.

So grab your passport and we’ll see ya June 4th!

There’s plenty of information about past tours and what to expect on Turista Libre’s website.

Questions: email me at events@sandiegobeerblog.com or Turista Libre at turistalibre @ gmail.com

Read more about Turista Libre: Urbanist, LA Times, NBC San Diego, and MSN

Calavera Mexican Imperial Stout

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calavera beer, calavera mexican imperial stout, chili beer, imperial stout with chili, mexican craft beer, mexican imperial stout

Calavera, which means “skull” in Spanish is a small Mexican brewery specializing in types of beer typically not found in Mexico. I picked up a 750ml bottle of Mexican Imperial Stout at The Beer Box in Tijuana. It’s bottle conditioned and weighs in at 9% ABV and used chili peppers for a very Mexican take on the style.

It pours black letting no light through with a solid tan head. The alcohol comes through in the smell as do the hops, I can also smell chili peppers.

This is a beer that needs to be drank fairly warm. The label recommends 10-13 degrees Celsius (approximately 50-55 degree Fahrenheit). Bitterness from the hops and roasted barley dominate the flavor. The alcohol is very apparent. The finish tastes strongly of chili peppers, there isn’t much heat or spiciness, but the flavor of chilies.

This is a beer I would love to age and taste with a few years on it, hoping for the hops to mellow out a bit and let the sweetness of the malts and maybe even more of the chili flavor to stand out. But I’ve been warned that Calavera’s current bottling system is inefficient and the possibility of oxidation is high. This beer isn’t easy to find (it’s not distributed in the US) but if I can ever get my hands on another bottle I will age it for a few years to see how it stands up.

6th Annual TJ Beer Fest

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Bufadora, calavera, Calavera American Pale Ale, calavera beer, Cervecería Primus, cerveza tijuana, cerveza tijuana bufadora, Cucapá, cucapá La Migra Imperial Stout, Cucapá Lowrider Rye, cucapá runaway ipa, Duff Beer, oskar blues brewing co., ryan brooks, tijuana beer festival, tj beer fest, tj beer fest pics, tj beerfest, Zona Norte, zona norte beer, zona norte tijuana beer

Welcome to Tijuana

The Sixth Annual TJ Beer Fest took place on Avenida Revolución this past weekend. Much smaller (and cheaper) than any beer festival I’ve ever seen in the US, the quality of beer wasn’t on par with what we’re used to in San Diego, but a good time was had by all.

A few of us decided to ride the 20 miles from North Park to Tijuana on our bikes, a slow paced, scenic ride in the 80+ degree heat made the much anticipated first beer all the more worth it. Admission was $8, which included 3 tasters and a TJ Beer Fest pint glass with a fill line to mark sample pours.

On hand were festival organizers Cerveza Tijuana and Stone Brewing Co. as well as Mexican breweries Cervecería Primus, Cucapá, Zona Norte, and Duff Beer. The Beer Box was also on hand pouring a few Mexican beers (including Calavera) as well as some European imports, cans of Oskar Blues and some of their employees own homebrews.

I started with Calavera American Pale Ale, it was unfiltered which seemed unusual but tasted ok. It in no way compared to the best American pale ales, but it wasn’t a bad beer. Next I tried was Cucapá’s Lowrider Rye. This beer was hard to classify, another unfiltered beer it used rye and wheat, German hops and a Belgian yeast strain. It tasted like a heavier bodied hefeweizen with the rye malts. This was probably my favorite beer of the day.

I sampled Cucapá’s La Migra Imperial Stout which was ok and their Runaway IPA as well. I had tasted the Runaway IPA a few month back and thought it was ok, but hard to compare to even the most average IPAs coming out of American breweries. This sample was bottled in a 750ml bottle (my previous tastes were 12oz bottles), I’m not sure if this was a bad batch, old beer or what but this beer was almost undrinkable. It was incredibly sweet with almost no hop presence.

I sampled a porter from Zona Norte which was pretty good but overly sweet. Zona Norte is a new brewery in Tijuana that is currently transitioning from a homebrew operation to a small brewery. Bufadora, a maibock from Cerveza Tijuana was nice and refreshing. Unfortunetely I didn’t get to try anything from Cervecería Primus although I heard good things. I also didn’t try anything from Duff, The Simpsons knock off beer.

Click below for more pictures from the festival. And check out The Farm and the City for Jay Porter’s take on the festival and more pictures.

TJ Beer Fest This Friday and Saturday (Oct 8th and 9th)

Tags

tijuana beer festival, tj beer fest, tj beerfest

Just a reminder that the much anticipated TJ Beer Fest is happening this weekend. Friday and Saturday from 11am until well into the night, craft beer from Mexico and the United States will be pouring on Avenida Revolución between 1st and 3rd Steets just minutes from the border in Tijuana.

Admission is $8 but we’re not quite sure how many tasters that includes. As this is Mexico it’s 18 and up.

The list of breweries on hand can be seen here. In addition to the breweries listed we’ve been told that the folks at The Beer Box TJ will be on hand pouring Calavara in addition to some of their own homebrews.

Beer Review: Cucapá Imperio

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Cucapá, Cucapá brewery, imperio, mexicali beer, mexican ale, the beer box tijuana

I knew only three things about this beer before I opened it:

1. It’s from Cucapá, the brewery in the Mexicali
2. It’s 9.2% ABV according to the label
3. I’m told it is sold exclusively at The Beer Box

It’s rare for me to know so little about a beer before drinking it. Usually if I’m drinking a beer it’s been recommended by a friend or bartender, or I’ve read something about it. Or I at least know what style it is before drinking it. Not with Imperio. While paying a visit to The Beer Box in Tijuana earlier this month I picked up a few beers from Cucapá that aren’t readily available in the US. I was told this beer was exclusive to The Beer Box, and the label says it’s 9.2%, but that’s about all I know.

Appearance: Red with a small tan head that dissipated rather quickly in this standard pint glass. It’s a dark red, but when held up to the light it is the color of cranberry juice.

Smell: Boozy. The 9.2% ABV gives it away that this is going to be a strong beer, and that is apparent in the smell. Not much malt but some hop smells come through.

Taste: Boozy again. Also a bit hoppy. Far less malt than I expected. The alcohol and the hops are what stand out. It’s bitter, after a few minutes a bit of sweetness comes through from the malts as it warms up.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation but slightly cloying because of the sweetness.

Drinkability: This isn’t an easy beer to drink. The high alcohol content makes it up front and aggressive.

I would give Imperio another shot when the weather gets cooler, I’d also like to try it with a bit of age on it to see if the alcohol mellows out a bit (unfortunately this bottle isn’t date coded so I’m not sure how old it is).

Ten Beer Related Reasons I’m Excited to Return to San Diego

Tags

BLAH, dog friendly bars, grand cru, keg n bottle, la jolla brew house, old viscosity, pizza port real ale festival, quaff, quality ale and fermentation fraternity, san diego beer week'nd, san diego beer weekend, san diego festival of beer, san diego international beer festival, speedway stout, stone anniversary and international beer festival, stone bistro and world gardens, stone late night movies, stone sourfest, tap hunter, taphunter

Durango, Colorado, where I’ve lived for the past year and half, isn’t a bad place to be a beer geek (check out my old beer blog from Durango). But it’s not San Diego. It’s also in the middle of nowhere. Durango has four breweries and but it’s also about 300 miles from Denver, which means the many beers brewed in the Front Range, and those from out of state breweries that get distributed in Colorado often don’t make it down here. I don’t mean this as a complaint about Durango but rather a way to show how excited I am about returning to San Diego. Below are ten (of the many) beer related reasons I’m glad to be back.

Hanging out on the patio at the La Jolla Brew House with my dog. The patio at La Jolla Brew House isn’t a bad place to drink a beer, and it’s made all the better because I can bring my dog. Firehouse Brewing Co.’s beer garden is also dog friendly so I’m sure we’ll be enjoying some pints there too. Before I left San Diego Hamilton’s allowed dogs, if anyone knows if they still do please leave a comment below.

Festivals and Events: Summer typically means beer festival season no matter where you are, and because of the number of breweries and beer lovin’ folks in San Diego, there are plenty of festivals. Pizza Port’s Real Ale Festival, Stone SourFest, San Diego International Beer Festival, San Diego Festival of Beer, San Diego Beer Week’nd and Stone’s Anniversary and Invitational Beer Festival. I’ve probably left a few out, but those are the first that come to mind.

QUAFF: Quality Ale and Fermentation Fraternity is a San Diego based home brew club. Their member’s beers have won numerous American Homebrewer Championships over the years. I’m excited to check out and join the club and hope I can learn some skills to further my home brewing.

Beer Box Tijuana. Sure Tijuana isn’t San Diego, but to me they’re inseparable. I came across Beer Box Tijuana while visiting friends and was amazed at their beer selection. In Tijuana terms (where Tecate pretty much rules to the city) they have an impressive beer selection. They have a good selection of San Diego craft beers, but of more interest to San Diegans they have plenty of Mexican craft beers that don’t get distributed in the US and many beers from Europe. In addition to all that the folks at Beer Box Tijuana are homebrewers and often host homebrew club meetings and tastings.

Beers: Regardless of everything else, beer blogging is about the beer. And there are plenty of beers I haven’t been able to easily get out here in Durango that will be much more accessible in San Diego. Here’s a short list of some I’m most looking forward to: Alesmith’s Speedway Stout and Grand Cru, Port Brewing’s Old Viscosity, and so many Lost Abbey beers I’ve never tried.

Stone Bistro and World Gardens: This is one of my favorite places to have a beer and eat dinner. And since it’s all the way up in Escondido I don’t make it up to often, which keeps is special and ensures it will never become ordinary. I’m hoping to make it up for a few movie nights this summer as well.

The beer bars that have opened in the last year or two: Blind Lady Ale House, Small Bar, The Station, Ritual Tavern, Toronado just to name a few. I’ve been to BLAH, Small Bar, and Toronado but I’m looking forward to spend far more time at each.

The Liquor Stores: South Bay Drugs, The Best Damn Beer Shop and Keg N Bottle just to name a few. The beer selection at these stores is phenomenal. I’m like a kid in a candy store every time I walk in.

The Newer Breweries: I’ve never had any beers from Airdale Brewing Co., New English Brewing Co., or Mother Earth Brew Co. There are plenty of other small breweries that have opened tasting rooms or expanded their lineups recently. I’m excited to try them all.

Tap Hunter: Tap Hunter is one of the coolest ideas and websites around. I’m sure every San Diego beer geek already knows and uses it (if you don’t click the link above to check it out) and now I’m happy that I’ll be able to also. Tap Hunter launched shortly after I left San Diego last year. What Tap Hunter does (in a nutshell) is crowd source a list of what beers are on tap at various bars and restaurants. You can check the website before you go out to see what is most likely on tap and use your smartphone to report corrections if a new beer has gone on tap or a keg is empty.

10306 San Diego Mission Road