Stone Sour Fest 2011

Tags

5th Annual Stone Sour Fest, cantillon, Cuvee des Champions, Iris, Oude Tart, Sinners Blend 2010, sour lavender, Stone Sour Fest, Tart of Darkness, The Bruery Sour Cherry Kriek, The Wanderer

Pouring Tart of Darkness

Over 100 different sour beers were available at Stone Brewing Co.’s Fifth Annual Sour Fest yesterday at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. Among the 100 beers offered there was good variety of beers that were just barely sour to those that were so tart they made your mouth pucker.

Sour beers definitely aren’t for everybody, but you wouldn’t know that from how quickly Stone Sour Fest sold out this year (weeks in advance, no tickets were available at the door). Personally I love sour beers, but don’t have a lot of experience with them. Many can be pretty hard to come by and often rather expensive so there are a lot of well known and classics as well as obscure and limited release sours that I’ve never had before. Looking over the list I was excited to try plenty of new beers that I had either never heard of or just never had a chance to try before.

Cantillon, a Belgian brewery founded in 1900 is well known around the world among beer geeks for their sour beers, and they hardly ever make it to San Diego, so plenty of people were excited to sample their offerings. From what I’ve been told Cantillon Cuvee des Champions was the first beer at the fest to run out, one friend said it was gone by the time he got there at 10:10am, 10 minutes after the fest officially got under way. Another much sought after beer was The Bruery’s Sour Cherry Kriek, put on after The Wanderer ran out, word got around the through the crowd and a line quickly formed. I don’t know how long it took for the keg to kick but it didn’t take long, it was marked as empty soon after I got my sample.

A few of the standout beers I sampled are below.

• The Bruery’s Tart of Darkness. This one is around 5% ABV and has some good roastiness in addition to the sour tartness. I think it’s available in 750ml bottles as part of the Provisions series at The Bruery Provisions in Orange. I highly recommend picking some up if you get the chance.
• Cantillon Iris. One of the classics I had never had before. Quite a bit of funk in addition to the mouth puckering sourness with an extremely dry finish.
• Craftsman Sour Lavender 2010 and 2011. Both were good but I preferred the fresher 2011. I’m not a huge fan of lavender but I really enjoy this beer.
• The Lost Abbey Sinners Blend 2010. Bourbon, vanilla and a bit of caramel, this was sweeter than I expected while still being pretty acetic. One of the more heavy beers of the day.
• The Bruery’s Oude Tart. I absolutely love this beer. Dark fruit, leather, vanilla and oak, this is a beer I could sip on all day.

See below for a few pictures from the day.

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Craftsman Brewing Co. Casks at The Linkery

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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.

San Diego Beer Week: Blind Lady Ale House’s Brewmaster Series

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blah sdbw, blind lady ale house san diego beer week, blind lady brewmaster series, chuck silva, eric salaza, mark jilg, patrick rue, rob todd, steve grossman

San Diego Beer Week is a big, diverse, decentralized event, which makes it mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. There are events with incredibly rare beers, events where you get to take a glass home, events with cheap beer, events pairing beer and food, you name it and there’s probably a bar or brewery doing it this week. But in my opinion some of the best SDBW events are Blind Lady Ale House’s Brewmaster Series.

For the Brewmaster Series BLAH invites brewers in to talk about their beer to a small group, typically less than 30 people. Everyone gets a tasting flight of six 5oz beers and the brewer guides them through each beer, discussing how the beer was made and answering questions people have.

I’ve attended two of these Brewmaster Series type events, one with Patrick Rue of The Bruery a few months ago, and one this past weekend with Mark Jilg of Craftsman Brewing Co. At $25 they’re incredible deals, not only do you get to drink great beer but you get to hear about the beers from the people that make them. I can’t begin to describe how much I’ve learned at each of these events that I wouldn’t have had I just gone out and had a few beers. The flight alone typically costs $20 at the bar, so an extra $5 to listen to the brewer is quite a deal in my opinion.

Blind Lady Ale House has four Brewmaster Series tasting flights left during SDBW:

• Tuesday, November 9th, 5pm Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. with Steve Grossman (brother of owner Ken Grossman and long time SN employee)
• Thursday, November 11th, 5pm New Belgium Brewing Co. with Eric Salazar (Lead Brewer)
• Friday, November 12th, 3pm Green Flash Brewing Co. with Chuck Silva (Brewmaster)
• Sunday, November 14th, 12:30pm Allagash Brewing Co. with Rob Todd (Brewmaster and Founder)

These tastings are a great way to learn an incredible amount about beer while drinking plenty of great beer with the folks that brewed it.

Head on over to BLAH’s website to purchase tickets for each tasting.

San Diego Beer Week: Day Two

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achouffe n'ice, aurora borealis, automatic light whitening, blind lady light whitening, bourbon barrel aged 1903 lager, cabernet, craftsman aurora borealis, edgar's ale, fireworks saison, light whitening, mark jilg, mayor jerry sanders beer, mayor jerry sanders cask, poppy fields pale ale, sour lavender, triple white sage

Mark Jilg of Craftsman Brewing Co.

I’ve finally accepted that San Diego Beer Week is about going with the flow. With so many events going on, so many beers to drink, and so many people all trying to do the same sacrifices have to be made. I had plans to go to the San Diego Brewer’s Guild Festival yesterday, I even had tickets waiting for me, but I never made it down there. From those I’ve talked to that were there a great time was had by all. Mayor Jerry Sanders tapped a cask to kick things off and the party just kept going from there.

So what was I doing that meant missing the Guild Fest? I was at Blind Lady Ale House’s Brewmaster Series with Mark Jilg of Craftsman Brewing Co. Owner and Brewer Mark Jilg made the trip down from Pasadena to talk about his beers and share some stories about the brewing process. Craftsman Brewing Co.’s beers are unique and fairly unconventional, when asked about the use of corn (which many people look down upon when used in beer) in their 1903 Lager Jilg responded, “Rules are for people that want to be ruled.” I think that quote could accurately describe their outlook on brewing.

Jilg explained that he sees their beers fit into three different catagories: those that are approachable and easy drink, basically liquid refreshment. The second catagory is beers in which they want to make a statement to the beer community. And last are beers in which they are trying to figure out and focus on an interesting part of the beer palate.

Craftsman Brewing Co.’s beers are currently only available on draft, mostly in the Southern California area. They have had an operational bottling line for years, but do no currently bottle their beers. If things go according to plan they should start bottling next year. So, on to the beers.

The Craftsman Brewing Co. flight at Blind Lady Ale House included Poppy Fields Pale Ale, Fireworks Saison, Triple White Sage, Cabernale, Edgar’s Ale, and Sour Lavender. In addition to those beers Jilg brought two additional growlers down for the tasting, Bourbon Barrel Aged 1903 Lager and Aurora Borealis.

Poppy Fields Pale, Fireworks Saison, Triple White Sage, Cabernet, Edgar's Ale and Sour Lavender

• Poppy Fields Pale Ale is an English pale ale. It’s not overly hoppy and is pretty dry. This was the most approachable beer of the tasting. I’d like to try a full pint of it though to really get a feel for it.
• Bourbon Barrel Aged 1903 Lager. 1903 Lager is an excellent beer, a pre-prohibition lager which uses 2-row malt and corn and has a distinct cereal taste to it. This barrel aged version had a strong but not overly sweet coconut smell and taste. The finish was very reminiscent of the cereal taste of the non-bourbon barrel aged version. They decided to bourbon barrel age this light lager (it’s about 5.7% ABV) because there are very few beers like this aged in barrels.
• Fireworks Saison is barrel fermented with brettanomyces yeast, but it’s not as funky as one might expect. Many saisons add herbs or spices but not Fireworks, it is solely water, grains, hops and yeast. It uses a high amount of American hops and when fresh is much hoppier than what we tasted yesterday. As it ages it mellows out and becomes a bit funkier, but is still a pretty approachable beer. As Craftsman continues making Fireworks and using the same barrels to ferment it the beer should evolve with the aging of the barrel.
• Triple White Sage was the first beer I had from Craftsman. It’s 9% Belgian-style tripel with white sage. It has a strong sage smell and just enough sage in the taste to make it pleasant but it’s not overpowering. Jilg harvests all of the sage himself which seems to make this a more personal beer to him. This beer is dependent on his local climate, he must be careful not to over harvest sage or else there won’t be enough for the next year.
• Cabernale uses Central Coast Cabernet grapes in addition to all the usual beer ingredients. The grapes are crushed and added to the fermenter and then the wort is cooled and added as well so they ferment simultaneously. It has a strong grape juice smell and definitely has hints of red wine.
• Edgar’s Ale is a dark beer inspired by Edgar Alan Poe. It’s black and strong, but Jilg says it isn’t an Imperial Stout, nor a porter. Purposefully vague this beer is meant to inspire mystery and intrigue. It has hints of wood and whiskey. I believe Jilg said there was no roasted barley used, but myself and many others picked up distinct roasted flavors reminiscent of coffee.
• Sour Lavender was the beer many people singled out as their favorite. I personally don’t like lavender much, but really enjoyed this beer. The lavender is mostly in the aroma, and it has a very strong smell of lavender, but the beer itself is very tart. The first sip can almost be overwhelming, but as your taste buds get used to it this is an amazing beer.
• Aurora Borealis was the last beer we tried, inspired by the aurora Borealis in the night sky this is another beer that is hard to classify. At 13% ABV it’s the strongest beer they have made. It’s aged in their oak fermenter for 11 months and is pretty dry but the standout smell and flavor is mint. It’s a fairly light colored beer and looks nothing like it tastes. There seemed to be so much going on in the beer it was hard to taste it all with a small 5oz sample.

BLAH's Lee Chase holding a tray of Aurora Borealis Tasters

In addition to the Craftsman beers I also tried Automatic Brewing Co.’s new Belgian-style white beer, Light Whitening, I didn’t see the exact ABV but it seemed fairly low, probably around 5% and was very easy to drink and refreshing. Automatic brews in such small quantities this one will be gone soon if it isn’t already, but I’m hoping to try it again with a cleaner palate. I also had an Achouffe N’ice, a strong dark winter beer. It was very malty with a lot of caramel, little hop presence and some fruitness, maybe even the taste of raisins.

For coverage of the San Diego Brewer’s Guild Festival at Liberty Station yesterday checkout West Coaster. And click below to see a video of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders tapping a cask at the festival.

San Diego Beer Week 2010

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75 minute ipa san diego, beer wars, black freak, chuck silva, craft beer lagers, craft brewed lagers, craft lager fest, dj claire, dr bill sysak, history of beer in san diego, just outstanding ipa, kern river brewing co., kopi luwak speedway stout, liar's club redux, lips of faith, Louis Mello, mad river brewing co., maui brewing co, natalie cilurzo san diego beer week, new belgium brewing co., one of eight, san diego beer history, san diego beer week event, san diego beer week event guide, san diego beer week guide, silva stout, super freak, swim party

We’re just a few days away from the second San Diego Beer Week. This year promises to be bigger and better than last year with over 300 beer related events. The SDBW website is doing a great job of listing all events on their website, so we’re not even going to try to list all the events. Below are a few of the events we’re most excited about, it’s not a comprehensive list, and it’s weighted pretty heavily towards the uptown neighborhoods but it’s a few of the events we’re most excited about. It’s not going to be possible to do every (or even half) of the beer week events, but read below, and browse through the full event listing on the SDBW site and drink some great beer. Be careful out there, write down the number of a cab company, stay safe and have fun!

As always, check with the individual bars/restaurants/breweries as events are subject to change.

Friday, November 5th:

Beer for Breakfast: Kick off the second annual San Diego Beer Week at Stone Bistro and Gardens with Dr Bill Sysak for the Rare Beer Breakfast. All you can eat breakfast and 15 3oz tasters for $55.

Weasel Poo: O’Brien’s Pub is hosting Night of a Million Zillion Speedways. They’ll have eight different versions of Alesmith Brewing Co.’s Speedway Stout including the infamous Kopi Luwak Speedway (which is made with Kopi Luwak coffee which passes through the digestive tract of weasels). In order for as many people as possible to get to try them, the eight beers will be served as 2oz tasters only, split into two different flights of four. But be careful, each flight is only 8oz, but each beer is about 12% ABV. It’ll sneak up on you.

Who Said Fresh is Better?: When it comes to some beers, fresher is better, but not always. Downtown Johnny Brown’s will host their 2nd Annual Barrel Aged Night with complimentary food and 21 barrel aged beers on tap.

Saturday, November 6th:

The Official Kick Off Event: Yeah, you’re probably nursing a hangover from the night before, but get down to Liberty Station for the San Diego Brewer’s Guild Festival, the official kick off event of San Diego Beer Week. The $50 VIP tasting starts at noon. General admission ($35) starts at 2pm and runs until 6pm.

Beer Brewed by an Ex-NASA Rocket Scientist: Forget the fact that Mark Jilg is an ex-NASA Rocket Scientist, the owner and brewer at Pasadena’s Craftsman Brewing Co. makes some unique beers. Blind Lady Ale House will have Craftsman Brewing Co. flights all day long, and will host a tasting with Jilg at 12:30pm. Seating is limited, purchase tickets in advance.

Sunday, November 7th:

Nothing Wrong with a Little Nostalgia: I’ll admit, I’m a little too young to fully appreciate The Liar’s Club. Sure I had been a few times and I greatly enjoyed it, but it doesn’t hold the same spot in my heart that it does for many others. That won’t stop me from recommending that you get yourself to Eleven at 3pm for Liar’s Club Redux though. I’ve heard that last year’s Liar’s Club Redux at Hamilton’s Tavern was one of the most popular SDBW events. Get there early (they open at 3pm) and re-experience the Liar’s Club.

The Beers that Put San Diego on the Map: San Diego brewers make a ton of great beers, but it’s hard to deny the fact that our fine city is known for it’s IPA’s. Toronado‘ San Diego IPA Blowout will feature of ton of San Diego IPA’s on draft available as pints or smaller tasters to sample more.

Monday, November 8th:

A Little History with Your Beer: San Diego history to be precise. You’re at San Diego Beer Week, you already know that San Diego is one of the premier beer cities in the country. Find out how we got here at Stone Brewing Co.’s Beer U: History of Beer in San Diego with special guest, Green Flash Brewing Co.’s Chuck Silva. Tickets are only $25, so if you have your heart set on this, we recommend purchasing them in advance.

Another Educational Beer Experience: If you haven’t seen Beer Wars what have you been waiting for? Delete it from your Netflix queue and get down to Sea Rocket Bistro where they’ll be showing it at 7pm with their 3 course Cooking with Beer Prix Fixe menu.

Barrel Aged is a Big Deal: If you haven’t noticed, barrel aged beers are a big deal. Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar will host a plethora of rare Avery Brewing Co. barrel aged beers and will have a shuttle running between the two bars. Many of these beers are barrel aged special versions of some of Avery’s best beers. Chances are they’ve never been on tap in San Diego before, and quite possibly never will be again.

Tuesday, November 9th:

Seriously the Best Double Stout I’ve had in a Long Time: It’s not a secret that I think Green Flash’s Silva Stout is one of the best Imperial Stouts I’ve had in a long time. Head down to the Regal Beagle where the beer’s namesake brewer, Chuck Silva will be pouring it and chatting with beer drinkers. They’ll also have Green Flash’s Yellow Fizzy Beer Bohemian Pilsner and 8th Anniversary IPA on tap as well.

Beer Flights with the Brewer: This isn’t the first beer flight with the brewer flight at Blind Lady Ale House we’ve recommended you check out at SDBW, and it’s not the last. These guided flights with the people who brew the beers are a great way to taste beer and learn more about the beer making process. They’re also really fun and you get to drink tasty beer. Check out the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Flight with Steve Grossman, brother of founder Ken Grossman. Get there early for a bike ride with Grossman around Balboa Park before the tasting.

Wednesday, November 10th:

Get on the Bus: The DrinkAbout this month has been moved up a week for San Diego Beer Week. Ride the free bus between Hamilton’s, Station, Sea Rocket, Ritual, Blind Lady, Small Bar, Livewire, and Toronado from 7-11pm. Most bars will have specials going on and a fun time is sure to be had by all. This is one of the most fun beer happenings each month and is surely going to be all the better during SDBW.

Beer for a Cause: The High Dive will tap One of Eight, a collaboration beer brewed by Coronado Brewing Co. and Ballast Point Brewing Co. in honor of women with breast cancer. This Amber Strong Ale was brewed with Belgium yeast, African Cocoa nibs, fresh ginger and Grand Marne.

Russian River Night at Toronado: Who needs a witty title when Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. will be on hand at Toronado with the following beers on draft: Pliny the Elder, Blind Pig IPA, Damnation, Damnation batch 23, Damnation batch 46, Supplication, Temptation, Redemption, Sanctification, Consecration, Porter, and Gaffer’s Bitter. They’ll also be bringing out some special Russian River bottles from the cellar.

Thursday, November 11th:

Lips of Faith: Eric Salazar from New Belgium Brewing Co. and namesake of the beer Eric’s Ale will be guiding a tasting flight of six beers from the Lips of Faith series at Blind Lady Ale House. Many, but not all, of the beers are sour.

Hang Loose: Get dressed up in your Hawaiian garb for Maui Brewing Co. night at Small Bar. They’ll have 8-10 Maui Brewing Co. beers on tap, some of which we rarely see on the mainland.

Just Outstanding: Yes, Just Outstanding IPA will be on tap at Downtown Johnny Brown’s Kern River Brewing Co. Night, but the whole night should be just outstanding as well. They’ll also be pouring Citra DIPA, Class V Stout, Barrel Aged Stout and more.

Friday, November 12:

Craft Beer Bonanza: There are so many great things happening at so many bars around the city why pick just one? Let the Park2Park Shuttle take you between great bars, restaurants and even a liquor store in the Uptown neighborhoods as well as downtown. See all the details and purchase tickets on their website.

Craft Lagers: Lagers are often overlooked in the craft beer scene. El Take it Easy will hold a Craft Lager Fest with Ballast Point Brewing Co. to showcase some of the best craft brewed lagers around. DJ Claire will be spinning some vintage soul to go with those smooth drinking lagers.

The East Coasts Most Experimental Brews: Dogfish Head Brewing Co. will be on tap and cask for Firkin Friday at Hamilton’s Tavern. 75 Minute IPA will be on cask with Punkin Ale, Palo Santo Maron, Chicory Stout, Sah’tea, Theobroma and more on draft.

Take Your Pick for the Best of Green Flash: Sit down at Blind Lady Ale House for a guided tasting flight (including Le Freak, Black Freak and Super Freak) with Green Flash’s Chuck Silva in the afternoon (or stop in anytime afterwards for the flight) or check out the 20+ taps of Green Flash Beer at Toronado later at night.

Saturday, November 13th:

Small Brewer of the Year: Mad River Brewing Co. just won Small Brewer of the year at the Great American Beer Festival. Check out many of the beers, paired with excellent food (and more likely available on their own as well) at The Linkery’s Mad River Serious Madness 3.0

Second Saturday: Hamilton’s Tavern pulls out the stops every month for the second Saturday, but the SDBW version will be just as good if not better. Marin Brewing Co. and brewmaster Arne Johnson will be in town with Brass Knuckle IIPA and Old Dipsea B-wine with Sherry Wood on cask and plenty of beer on draft.

More Green Flash: Didn’t get enough Green Flash last night? Well today is their 8th Anniversary Festival at the brewery in Vista. $35 gets you ten tasters and it all supports a good cause.

Sunday, November 14th:

One Last Flight: Blind Lady Ale House has hosted plenty of great flights and tastings during SDBW. The last one will be Allagash Brewing Co. with brewmaster and founder Rob Tod. Six great Allagash beers in a guided tasting flight and a small taste of the rare Allagash Blonde Ale after the tasting.

Relax, It’s Been a Long Beer Week: SDBW is coming to a close, it’s been a long ten days. Head to the Courtyard Cookout at Counterpoint in Golden Hill where The Linkery will be cooking in the courtyard and Counterpoint will have 15 taps of craft beer available.

San Diego Beer Week is Officially Coming to a Close: The Beer Garden at The Lodge at Torrey Pines is the official closing event of SDBW. $65 gets you tastes of local beer paired with food from local restaurants and chefs at the beautiful Lodge at Torrey Pines. Purchase tickets in advance here.

This post last updated 11/3/2010 at 8:07am

Click below to see the full event calendar courtesy of the San Diego Beer Week website. And again, click here to see their full list of events.

Oktoberfest this weekend at O’Brien’s Pub, Hamilton’s Tavern, Small Bar, Eleven and Blind Lady Ale House

While the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany might be winding down, here in San Diego it’s Oktoberfest season. You don’t have to look too hard to find an Oktoberfest celebration, but we’d like to point out a few celebrations at some of the best beer bars in town.

All happening this weekend, first up is O’Brien’s Pub. Starting Friday, October 8th, they’ll be tapping Oktoberfest beers from Craftsman Brewing Co., Mahr’s, Spaten and Kostritzer. They’ll also have beer brauts, beer cheese and beer and bratwurst soup. They’ll be celebrating all weekend long.

Hamilton’s Tavern, Small Bar and Eleven will be celebrating Saturday, October 9th. They’ll have a shuttle running between each of the bars and have different food and beer specials at each.

At Hamilton’s is dubbed SpatenHaus for the evening, for $5 you get a half liter Spaten glass with $3.50 refills. They’ll have Spaten Optimator, Pils, and Oktoberfest on draft in addition to Franziskaner Hefe and Kostritzer Oktoberfest. Sudwerk Fest Marzen will be on cask. Food will be complimentary Weisswurst, beer mustard and german cheese.

Small Bar will be WeheinstephanerHaus with $5 half liter glasses Weheinstephaner glasses and $3.50 refills. On draft will be Weheinstephan Lager, Vitus, Festbier, Hefeweizen and Hefedunkel in addition to HackerPschor Festbier. For food they’ll have Traditional Veal Schnitzel and cheesey Spaetzle plates for $6.

Eleven is HofbrauHaus for the night with Hofbrau Dunkel, Original, Hefeweizen and Oktoberfest in addition to Erdinger Oktoberfest. Same as above, $5 Hofbrau glasses with $3.50 refills. They’ll have complimentary beer brauts with apple/onion kraut.

Last but certainly not least of the Oktoberfest celebrations is Blind Lady Ale House. They’ll have those sweet shirts you see above in addition to what we’re pretty sure are the biggest beer glasses in town. $18 gets you a 1-liter (that’s big!) BLAH stein full of Fest Bier with $7 refills all weekend. If you prefer your own stein they’ll fill it for $9 up to 1 liter. They’ll have Craftsman Oktoberfest, Firestone OAKtoberfest, Kostritzer Schwarzbier Black Lager, Victory FestBier, and New Belgium HOPtoberfest on tap, and maybe a few more. Food-wise they’ll have house made German sausages, schnitzel, spaetzle and if all goes well pretzels. See more about their Steinfest here.

Stone Brewing Co. 14th Anniversary Festival Mini Reviews

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Belgo Imperial Russian Stout, Black Raspberry Nectar, Colette Farmhouse Ale, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, fireworks saison, great divide san diego, great divide socal, great divide southern california, Hop Diego, hop-it, Imperial Russian Stout 10th Anniversary Blend, La Granja Coffee Stout, lost abbey tea, mike's beer cheese, Modus Hoperandi ipa, nogne o saison, norrebro, Red Stone Meadery, Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers, stone brewing co. 14th anniversary, traditional experimental ale, triple white sage

The Stone Brewing Co. 14th Anniversary Celebration and Invitational Beer Festival came and went this weekend, and plenty of great beer was consumed. The festival itself seemed fairly well organized, I heard many people complaining about long lines and the lack of shade, but we never waited more than two or three minutes for a beer, nor did we have any problem finding a place to sit or stand under the large tents. It was warm but not nearly as warm as it could have been in San Marcos in August.

We opted for Session A, arriving at exactly 11am, we got our glasses and wristbands without a wait and were drinking our first beers just a few minutes later. As far as I could tell everyone in attendance was having a great time. Mike’s Beer Cheese was a crowd pleaser for sure. We tried all four varieties offered with Napalm Bastard being the favorite.

Below are short notes about each beer tasted, not so much reviews but quick and mostly distracted thoughts on the four ounce tasters offered, a few at the end were shared among us and I didn’t get a full taster.

• Stone Brewing Co. Belgo Imperial Russian Stout. Stone’s IRS with a Belgian yeast strain. I quickly looked over the beer list the day before the festival and this was the beer I was most excited about, so it makes sense that it was also the beer I was most disappointed with. It wasn’t bad, but it couldn’t live up the high expectations I had for it. I’m not sure how fresh it was, but it tasted more mellow than the fresh IRS I’ve had lately. But I thought it was sorely lacking many Belgian characteristics.
• Stone Brewing Co. Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers. This is a beer I had been wanting to try for a while since I love spicy foods and Stone Smoked Porter. The chipotle flavor was fairly mellow, but prominent. It gave the already smoky beer a nice smoky/spicy kick. Not at all like other chili beers I’ve had, but this was my first chipotle beer.
• Nøgne Ø Saison. A good saison, but fairly unremarkable. Crisp and refreshing in the San Marcos heat. It seemed to lack the fruity esters and spicy phenols and all around funky farmhouse flavors I enjoy in a saison. It could also be that my palate hadn’t quite recovered from those two previous beers, I’ll be giving this one another shot.
• Great Divide Brewing Co. Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. Great Divide is one of my favorite Colorado breweries that doesn’t get distributed out here, but according to the sign at their booth that will be changing soon as they’re coming to Southern California. I love Yeti, and have had Oak Aged Yeti but never Espresso Oak Aged Yeti. The oak was pretty prominent up front with a great coffee flavor on the finish.
• Lost Abbey TEA (Traditional Experimental Ale). I had no idea what this was going in. The lemon citrus flavors were overwhelming. I once had a Belgian Wit where the brewers accidentally substituted the same amount of the much stronger dried lemongrass for fresh lemongrass. This tasted similar. This would have been my first and only pour of the day but I ate some of the wonderfully spicy Mike’s Beer Cheese Napalm Bastard and this did a good job of putting that fire out.
• San Diego Brewing Co. Hop Diego. Not my favorite Belgian style IPA but not bad. Will drink this again to get a better feel for it.
• Stone Brewing Co. Imperial Russian Stout 10th Anniversary Blend. If you can’t tell by now I love Imperial Russian Stouts. And Stone’s is one of my favorites. I thought this was just delicious. I’m not sure the exact make up of this blend but it was smoother and sweeter with the hop and alcohol flavors of fresh IRS much subdued. Stone’s IRS with a few years on it is just great.
• Urthel Hop-It. Very carbonated. Good and hoppy with some nice earthy yeast flavors.
• Craftsman Brewing Co. Triple White Sage. This was the standout beer of the festival for me. I had seen Craftsman’s name around but never had any of their beers. I’ve spent a decent amount of time hiking around the foothills of Southern California and that’s exactly what this beer tasted like. A good but not overpowering white sage flavor. Refreshing enough to drinking on a hot day, but complex enough to keep it interesting.
• Craftsman Brewing Co. Fireworks Saison. Another great beer from Craftsman. Slightly spicy phenol flavors and some good yeast flavors made this very enjoyable.
• Red Stone Meadery Black Raspberry Nectar. Amazing honey flavor but almost overpoweringly sweet.
• Julian Hard Cider. A very nice cider. Was refreshing on such a warm day. Looking forward to trying this again sometime.
• Norrebro La Granja Coffee Stout. I wasn’t too impressed by this one. One of my least favorite coffee stouts I’ve had.
• Great Divide Brewing Co. Colette Farmhouse Ale. A good saison. Nice and yeasty good farmhouse flavors as the name implies.
• Ska Brewing Co. Modus Hoperandi IPA. I had to finish out the day with something from my friends in Durango. I was hoping for some Saison Du’Rango but they had temporarily run out. So Modus it was (the other choice would have been Merlot Stout, a great beer but I couldn’t do another Imperial Stout). Nice and piney with a great hop aroma, Modus is one of my favorite IPAs.

Click below for a few photos from the day.