San Diego Brewed: Manzanita Brewing Company Where There’s Smoke

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smoked chili beer, Where There's Smoke

San Diego Brewed is sponsored by Bottlecraft.

Bottlecraft is a retail shop and tasting room in Little Italy showcasing local, domestic and international craft beers. They offer hundreds of beers for your enjoyment in their onsite tasting room or to-go, as well as daily beer flights, events, glassware, merchandise, and gifts. Open Noon-10pm seven days a week. 2161 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

Where There’s Smoke is a fairly new release from Manzanita Brewing Company. I didn’t know much about it before picking up a bottle earlier this week at Bottlecraft ($6.75 for 22oz). I’m pretty sure Manzanita was pouring it at The Brewer’s Guild Festival last month, if I remember right a friend even mentioned that it was one of his favorite beers at the fest, but I didn’t get to try it.

All I knew about it before picking up the bottle was that it was a smoked beer, I didn’t know it was made with rye, nor did I know it was brewed with chili peppers. While I enjoy both from time to time, neither smoked beers nor chili beers are big favorites of mine, but since I’d heard good things I decided to give Where There’s Smoke a try. And I’m glad I did, it’s a delicious beer.

It’s much darker than I expected, I’m not sure why I thought it would be a lighter beer, but for some reason I though it would be more of a caramel color. The smell tells you right away that this is a smoked beer, there’s tons of smokey malt with just a hint of spicy pepper smell.

The first sip is all smoke, it’s not overwhelming but I didn’t get much else to begin with. The heat from the chili peppers was mostly non-existent until swallowing, when a pleasant spiciness emerged. Not a taste bud scorching heat, but a good flavor with enough heat. As I drank more I started to get a bit of spiciness up front that seemed different than the chili pepper heat on the end. I’m not sure if this spiciness was from the rye or if that was just my taste buds playing tricks on me. There wasn’t any grainy or bread-like flavors that some rye  beers can have.

I’m not sure if Where There’s Smoke is a limited release, seasonal or if it will become a regular release, but I’d recommend trying it if you get the chance.

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San Diego Brewed: Manzanita Brewing Company Witches Hair Pumpkin Ale

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manzanita pumpkin ale, witches hair pumpkin ale

San Diego Brewed is sponsored by Bottlecraft.

Bottlecraft is a retail shop and tasting room in Little Italy showcasing local, domestic and international craft beers. They offer hundreds of beers for your enjoyment in their onsite tasting room or to-go, as well as daily beer flights, events, glassware, merchandise, and gifts. Open Noon-10pm seven days a week. 2161 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

Last year, just a few short months into Manzanita Brewing Company’s existence they brewed a pumpkin beer. It wasn’t bottled and was sold only as growler fills and on draft in the tasting room (and a few select accounts). Last year Garry Pittman at Manzanita told me that the first keg they tapped was dry within 7 hours, I picked up a growler at the time and was impressed, in fact it might have been my favorite pumpkin beer out of all those I tasted last year. With all that in mind I jumped at the chance to try it again this year.

Now it’s called Witches Hair Pumpkin Ale and is being bottled in 22oz bottles for the first time this year but unfortunately I wasn’t nearly as impressed with it as I was last year and I’m left with a question: how old was the beer I drank? After I bought it I noticed in the small print on the label that it says “2010 Edition.” Unless that was a typo I’m left to believe that this beer is about a year old. Witches Hair is a fairly big beer, the label lists it at 8.8% ABV, and many higher alcohol beers will age ok for a year or two, but in my opinion this one didn’t.

The smell didn’t give anything away about how the beer might taste, pumpkin pie spices were abundant just like I expected. But upon first taste things weren’t so good. The carbonation was extremely low, not entirely flat but close to it. This lack of carbonation caused the beer to feel extremely thick, syrupy and cloyingly sweet. It seemed more boozy than I remember it, which could be another effect of the low carbonation, but I would have expected the alcohol flavors to mellow with age, not increase.

I’m hoping this was just a bad bottle, maybe it didn’t get properly carbonated or sealed? I’ll certainly be looking for a 2011 bottle to try the beer fresh again as it was one of my favorite pumpkin beers from last year.

There are some people out there that might like this beer, but I’m not one of them. If you’re a fun of pumpkin beers it’s worth a shot. I on the other hand will be out looking for a bottle of the 2011 edition.

Adams Avenue Beer Tasting at Adams Avenue Street Fair, Saturday Sept. 24th

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adams ave beer taste, adams ave street fair, adams avenue beer taste, adams avenue street fair

The Adams Avenue Street Fair, which happens over two days in September every year along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights has long been one of the best street fairs and free music festivals around. In order to make things even better this year they’re adding a beer tasting area from Noon-6pm on Saturday, Sept 24th.

They’re not calling it a beer festival, but it’s a similar concept. $20 gets you in (far cheaper than most beer events of the kind) and 12 4oz tasters from fifteen breweries including Karl Strauss, Coronado, Manzanita, Stone, The Lost Abbey, Ballast Point and more. I’m told they’re selling a limited number of tickets, so things shouldn’t get too crowded and chances are good it will sell out before the day of the event.

The Adams Ave Street Fair always has good music, and now there will be good local beer as well. And if you still need more beer when you run out of taster tickets you can stop into Blind Lady Ale House, conveniently located in the heart of the festival for more.

Click here to buy tickets to the Adams Avenue Beer Tasting at the Adams Avenue Street Fair.

Photo: CC flickr user Roebot

San Diego Beer Events July 15th – July 20th

Tags

2011 Bourbon Barrel-aged Santa’s Little Helper, 7th annual tj beer fest, christmas in july, Dupont Avec les bon Voeux, green flash treasure chest, tijuana beer festival 2011

If you know of anything that isn’t on the events calendar, please email events@sandiegobeerblog.com to get it added.  Not all of the beer events happening in a given week make it on the list below, I pick one or two per day to avoid information overload. Make sure to check out the Events page or the calendar below this post for all the week’s events. As always, events are subject to change, check with the venue putting on the event before hand for more details.

Lots of beer related stuff going on this weekend and into next week.

O’Briens Pub will hold the first of two “Christmas in July” parties happening this weekend on Friday. They’ll have plenty of Christmas/winter beer on tap and in bottles including one of my favorites, Dupont Avec les bon Voeux. The next day The Lost Abbey/Port Brewing celebrates the release of 2011 Bourbon Barrel-aged Santa’s Little Helper with their own party. They ask that you bring a $15 new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots as the price of admission. Make an additional $15 cash donation and you get to pick a gift from under their Christmas tree which will include rare bottles, Port Brewing & Lost Abbey gear and tickets to their Barrel Night during San Diego Beer Week. Food, entertainment and photos with Santa will all be provided.

Looking to try some beers you’ve never had before? Grab your passport and head to the 7th Annual Tijuana Beer Fest happening Friday and Saturday from Noon-2am on Revoluccion in downtown Tijuana. It’s an easy walk from the border (take the trolley or park near the border). I’m unsure about how much tickets are, but last year they were pretty cheap. Read more about last year’s festival here.

Manzanita Brewing Company out in Santee is celebrating their one year anniversary with a party. They’ll have three food trucks on hand and of course plenty of beer. The $5 admission goes to Beer for Boobs a breast cancer charity. That $5 admission also gets you a Manzanita glass and five 4oz tasters.

Tuesday is Chicks for Beer at The High Dive with Green Flash Brewing Co. and their Belgian Pale Ale Treasure Chest among others. As the name implies Chicks for Beer is ladies only.

Wednesday brings with it the monthly DrinkAbout, free shuttles provided by Brewery Tours of San Diego that stop at some of the best beer bars in Normal Heights, University Heights, South Park and North Park.

Manzanita Barrel Aged Pivotal Brown Porter Label Approval

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barrel aged pivotal brown porter, pivotal brown porter

Speaking of Manzanita, I noticed they recently got label approval for their Barrel Aged Pivotal Brown Porter. I got a small taste of it at Stone Oakquinox, but by the time I got to it my palate was pretty much done for so I was in no shape to judge it.

I have no idea how much of this Manzanita has produced, according to the label it’s aged in Canadian Whiskey barrels, but I had assumed it would be a limited draft only release. Hopefully this label approval proves me wrong.

Farmhouse Friday: Manzanita Saison

I stopped by Manzanita Brewing Co.’s tasting room in Santee last weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see a Saison on the tap list. I was told only a small amount was brewed as a test batch. Brewed with goji berries, grains of paradise and coriander this is an outstanding Saison. I haven’t the slightest clue what goji berries taste like, so they may be responsible for this beer being a bit sweeter up front than your average Saison, but it finished nice and dry. It was perfect for the 80+ degree day out in Santee.

Just like the small taster seen in the photo, I’ll keep this post short. I’m not sure how much was brewed but let’s hope Manzanita decides to brew a bigger batch and make this a seasonal brew.

San Diego Beer Events, March 10th – March 16th

Tags

2010 Double Bastard Ale with Chipotle Peppers, aha rally, aison du BUFF, american homebrewers association, brewbies, crime, Double Dry Hopped Lukcy Basartd Ale, Duet, Exponential Hoppiness, karl strauss 22nd anniversary vanilla imperial stout, laura ulrich, Mchilhenny Red, oak barrel aged Double Bastard Ale, punishment, stone brewing co march madness homebrew competition, Stone Imperial Russian Stout GK's Mad Man Mix, token imperial porter, while the wife's away ipa

If you know of anything that isn’t on the events calendar, please email events@sandiegobeerblog.com to get it added.

Thursday Mar 10th:

I don’t have many of the details on tonight’s “mini-Brewbies” Fest at Toronado, but they say they’ll have a few pink beers on tap and will be donating a significant portion of the money they make tonight to the Keep-a-Breast Foundation. There’s sure to be some great beer, and you’ll be supporting a great cause.

For those of you in the East County (of even if you’re not, it’s not that far of a drive) The Press Box Bar and Sports Lounge in Rancho San Diego/El Cajon is hosting Lightning Brewery. Head Brewer Jim Crute will be on hand with Lightning’s full lineup of beers. The $25 tickets include beer and food samples. If you’re set on going call ahead to reserve your spot. 619-713-6990

Friday Mar 11th:

Seems like it’s a slow Friday night beer-wise this week. Of course there’s always plenty of great beer around town, but Pizza Port Ocean Beach will be tapping a cask of While the Wife’s Away IPA at 5pm.

Saturday Mar 12th:

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) is holding one of their homebrew get togethers (called the AHA Rally) at Stone Brewing Co. I attended an AHA Rally a few years back in Colorado and had a great time, I’m sure this one will be much larger with a lot more homebrew. The Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens sounds like the perfect setting. It’s free for AHA members or you can sign up at the door. Space is limited so RSVP (or get on the waiting list if it’s already full)

No Firkin Friday last night (at Hamilton’s Tavern anyway) means it must be Second Saturday. This month they’re hosting the Alpine Beer Co. They’ll have Duet and Token Imperial Porter with Oak and Vanilla Beans on cask and a whole slew of other Alpine beers on draft, including what is one of the last kegs of Exponential Hoppiness around. As with all Second Saturday’s, they’ll have complimentary food, this month an Irish feast with Mchilhenny Red Corned Beef and Cabbage, Token Porter Bread Pudding and more.

Sunday Mar 13th:

Know of a great beer event happening? Email events@sandiegobeerblog.com

Monday Mar 14th:

Pint night at both Toronado and Eleven with $3 drafts. Eleven offers all of their on-tap beers for $3 from open to close while Toronado offers locals for $3 from 6pm to close.

Tuesday Mar 15th:

Tipsy Crow is tapping a cask of Karl Strauss’s 22nd Anniversary Imperial Stout with Vanilla Beans. This is one of my favorite beers I’ve had on cask recently. There probably aren’t a whole lot of chances to get this on cask again. It’s good on draft, but great on cask.

This month’s installment of Chicks for Beer at The High Dive will feature Stone Brewing Co.’s Laura Ulrich (I wrote about Laura in the March issue of West Coaster). Ulrich, along with two other female brewers, brewed the first ever all female commercial collaboration beer earlier this year. Buy your tickets in advance and remember, this one is ladies only.

Wednesday Mar 16th:

The monthly DrinkAbout is happening at some of the Uptown bars. A free shuttle runs from 7pm-11pm between Hamilton’s Tavern, Station Tavern, Sea Rocket Bistro, Ritual Tavern, Blind Lady Ale House, Small Bar, Livewire and Toronado. There are sure to be plenty of specials but I’ve only heard of two so far. Sea Rocket will have flights from Manzanita Brewing Co. and Hamilton’s and Small Bar will have Brekle’s Brown, a new brown ale from Anchor Steam. This is the first time it will be on tap in San Diego and they’re doing a keep the glass special.

Up at Stone Brewing Co. they’re featuring Crime and Punishment keep the glass specials. Crime is Double Dry Hopped Lukcy Basartd Ale with chili peppers and Punishment is oak barrel aged Double
Bastard Ale with chili peppers. They glasses will be small (I can’t imagine wanting more than a taster of each) but you’ll get to take them home with you. They’ll also be filling growlers of Saison du BUFF, 2010 Double Bastard Ale with Chipotle Peppers, and Stone Imperial Russian Stout GK’s Mad Man Mix in the company store.

Manzanita Brewing Co. Gets Label Approval for their IPA

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manzanita brewery bottles, manzanita ipa, manzanita pale ale, riverwalk blonde, rustic horizon red, san diego nanobrewery, santee beer, santee brewery

Manzanita Brewing Co., the nanobrewery in Santee, CA that’s only about half a year old is currently only available on draft, at both their brewery for samplers and growler fills and at various bars and restaurants around town. They do have plans to get their beer into bottles though, and they’re now one step closer to being able to do so. Last time I spoke with them they didn’t have a firm date on when we might see bottles on shelves around town, but they were recently granted label approval to bottle and sell their IPA.

This label is for a 22oz bomber. No word on pricing or exact dates, but we’ll blog again when these bottles (and any more from Manzanita) start to hit local store shelves.

Update: Manzanita Brewing Co. has posted on their Facebook page that four out of the five beers they are planning on bottling have gotten label approval and they hope to have bottles out by the end of the year. The labels for Riverwalk Blonde Ale, Pale Ale and Rustic Horizon Red are below.

Manzanita Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale

Tags

imperial pumpkin ale, manzanita pumpkin ale, pumpkin ale, pumpkin pie ale, san diego pumpkin beer, santee beer, santee brewery

My quest for pumpkin beers hasn’t been going too well. I tasted Shipyard Brewing Co.’s Smashed Pumpkin two weeks ago with plans to sample many more pumpkin beers this fall. I’ve found that many pumpkin beers are only sold in six packs (or four packs in some cases) and I’m just not a big enough fan to buy that many at a time. But the search goes on and I’m hoping to get a few more in before Thanksgiving.

I recently stopped by Manzanita Brewing Co. in Santee to try their Pumpkin Ale and wasn’t disappointed. Headbrewer and Co-Founder Garry Pittman poured me a sample and I enjoyed it so much a took home a growler full.

Manzanita Brewing Co.’s Pumpkin Ale is more of an Imperial Pumpkin Ale at 9.5% ABV but it’s very easy drinking and hides it’s alcohol well. No fresh pumpkins are used to make the beer, but canned pumpkin pie mix which does include actual pumpkin is added to the boil along with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon (the pumpkin pie mix used includes all of those spices as well as cloves and allspice).

I picked up cloves and nutmeg while smelling the beer, it has a strong aroma of typical pumpkin pie spices. The taste is very much spices as well. There is a bit of sweetness from the malt and maybe a bit of ginger (I’m not sure if the pumpkin pie mix includes any additional sugar). I couldn’t taste any hops, Manzanita uses a small amount of Fuggles but the hops don’t play a big role in this beer (they don’t calculate the IBU as it’s not really important). There is a slight hint of alcohol, but it doesn’t come across as being as strong as it actually is. In addition to the spices and Fuggles hops, Maris Otter is the base grain and an English ale yeast finishes out the ingredient list.

Pittman tells me that there has been quite a demand for Pumpkin Ale. The first keg tapped in the tasting room was sold out within 7 hours between tasters, pints and growler fills. They have sold out of their first batch at the tasting room in Santee, but they’re fermenting another batch now and are hoping to keep it available until Thanksgiving. Kegs have been gone out to some bars and restaurants but I didn’t get a list of which specific locations have Pumpkin Ale.

Beer this Week(end) in San Diego September 15-19

Tags

2005 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, 2010 Stone Imperial Russian Stout, 90 minute ipa, BLAH, blind IPA challenge, Burton Baton IPA, Festina Peche, gabf, ghidorah, great american beer festival, lee chase, Midas Touch, mission amber ale, mission blonde ale, mission hefeweizen, mission ipa, Palo Santo Marron, pints for prostates, Punkin Ale, Shipwrecked Imperial IPA, Shuffleboard for Charity, Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans, Theobrama, union jack ipa, vegetarian beer dinner, worldwide stout

The Great American Beer Festival is set to get under way in Denver tomorrow (September 16th). Beer geeks and industry folks from around the world travel to Denver for the event, including many from San Diego. But fret not if you’re stuck in San Diego this weekend with no travel plans for Denver, because even though the biggest beer event in the country is going on a few states away, there are still plenty of great beer to be drank right here in San Diego.

Tonight Wednesday, September 15th

• Blind Lady Ale House will be tapping a keg of Sierra Nevada’s Ghidorah at 5pm (which BLAH’s Lee Chase helped brew at Beer Camp)
• The September DrinkAbout is happening from 7pm-11pm. Click here for more details.

Thursday, September 16th

• The Linkery is holding a Vegetarian Cask Beer Pairing Night. Each plate with half a pour of beer is $9. They have some great casks and the food sounds delicious. See the full menu here.
• Toronado will be hosting a Dogfish Head Night. They’ll have Punkin Ale, Palo Santo Marron, Midas Touch, Theobrama and 90 Minute IPA on tap and bottles of Festina Peche, Burton Baton IPA, Worldwide Stout.

Friday, September 17th

• Hamilton’s Tavern Firkin Friday with Mission Brewery. They’ll have Mission IPA on cask and Shipwrecked Imperial IPA, Blonde Ale, Amber Ale, and Hefeweizen at 5pm.
• O’Brien’s Pub is hosting a night of beers from Manzanita Brewing Co. in Santee. (We stopped into Manzanita when they first opened, check out that post here)
• Make sure your Stone Brewing Co. growlers are clean as they have three excellent growler fills this weekend. Friday they’ll have Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans

Saturday, September 18th

• Blind Lady Ale House will have Firestone Walker’s Union Jack IPA on cask at 11:30am. Pints are only $3.50 until 3:50pm.
• More growler fills at Stone Brewing Co. today they’re offering Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans again, and if you go after 8pm they’ll have 2010 Stone Imperial Russian Stout available as well.
• Hamilton’s Tavern is hold a “Shuffleboard for Charity” event. We don’t have any more details, but you can’t go wrong with shuffleboard and good craft beer.

Sunday, September 19th

• Pints for Prostates Fundraiser (DrinkAbout Part 2) Check Facebook for more info.
• Blind Lady Ale House will hold a Blind IPA Challenge. 11.30am to Midnight. Judge six IPAs which out knowing which is which. Click here for more info.
• If you only get one growler fill from Stone Brewing Co. this weekend this is the day to do it. Starting at 11am they’ll be filling growlers with 2005 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine