San Diego Beer Events June 9th– June 15th

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2008 Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout, 2009 Barrel-Aged Decadence, black ops, blind lady ale house mini sour fest, blue bridge coffee stout, Consecration, coronado black ops, frogs breath ipa, miho gastrotruck, miho gastrotruck anniversary, miho gastrotruck pint giveaway, national homebrewers conference, national homebrewers conference san diego, nhc events, Red Poppy, san diego beer hall, summer yulesmith, Tanzanian Devil, Treasure Chest

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.

Thursday June 9th:

Stop by AleSmith for a special preview cask of Summer YuleSmith, it’s only a ‘pin’ (smaller than a firkin) so stop by early if you’re interested in trying it. AleSmith is open today from 2-7pm.

Friday June 10th:

This Friday kicks off the San Diego Beer Week Preview Weekend with the Beer Hall at The Lodge at Torrey Pines. It’s $65 per person for beer and food pairings from some of San Diego’s best breweries and restaurants in an amazing venue.

Friday is also the release of Treasure Chest, a Belgian Pale Ale from Green Flash with proceeds benefiting Chicks for Beer. It’s only available in 12oz bottles and only sold by the case at the Green Flash tasting room

Saturday June 11th:

Second Saturday at Hamilton’s Tavern hosts Coronado Brewing Company this month. They’ll have plenty of great beers including the newish Black Ops (Black IPA) and Frogs Breath IPA, as well as the Blue Bridge Coffee Stout which I’ve heard good things about. The food theme this month is Baja Fish Fest.

Sunday June 12th:

The Sierra Nevada beer dinner at O’Brien’s Pub is almost sold out, so hurry if you’re still looking for tickets.

Homebrew Mart/Ballast Point will be teaching a homebrew class at their Linda Vista location. If you’ve never homebrewed before (or even if you have) learning to brew with some of the pros will be sure to teach you some tips on making great beer.

Monday June 13th:

As always Monday night means $3 local pint night at Toronado.

MIHO Gastrotruck will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary at Blind Lady Ale House from 6-8pm with a pint glass giveaway for the first 50 customers.

Tuesday June 14th:

Automatic Brewing Co. kicks off their CASKoDAY at Blind Lady Ale House with a new cask of Tanzanian Devil, a 3.6% ABV coffee mild. They’ll be tapping a new cask every day until Saturday.

Wednesday June 15th:

With the National Homebrewers Conference in town this upcoming weekend there’s sure to be plenty of events going on. Wednesday seems to be the kick off with all sorts of options.

AleSmith will be releasing bottles of their 2008 Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout and 2009 Barrel-Aged Decadence at noon. Tickets which will allow bottle purchases must be picked up at 8:30am.

Blind Lady Ale House is doing a Mini Sour Fest with plenty of great stuff on draft including Lost Abbey Red Poppy and Russian River Consecration and more. They’ll open for lunch at 11:30am.

It’s also the monthly DrinkAbout with plenty going on at all the various area bars, be sure to check the calendar below for all the details.

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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.

Local Brewers on KPBS These Days

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colby chandler, kpbs, paul segura, san diego craft beer, shawn dewitt, these days

Yesterday the local KPBS morning show These Days had three local brewers on to talk about local beer and the upcoming San Diego Beer Week:  Paul Segura, brewmaster for Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Colby Chandler, brewer for Ballast Point Brewing Company and general manager of Home Brew Mart, and Shawn DeWitt co-founder and original brewmaster for Coronado Brewing Company and current Vice President of the San Diego Brewer’s Guild.

If you missed it live, you can download or stream the half-hour segment on KPBS’s website.

The KPBS Culture Lust blog also took a look at the local craft beer scene yesterday in this post.

2011 American Homebrewers Association Conference to be held in San Diego

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american homebrewers association, american homebrewers association conference, american homebrewers association conference 2011, american homebrewers association conference san diego, beer n bikes, blogging and brewing at 6512, chuck slothower, quaff, san diego homebrewers conference, ska brewing company, some like it hoppy, thomas larsen, zymurgy

I haven’t talked much about homebrewing on this blog, mostly because since moving I haven’t been homebrewing much. But I’m a novice homebrewer and plan on getting started back up again once I get a bit more settled in here in San Diego.

Rumors have been circulating for a while now, but it’s official, the 2011 American Homebrewers Association Conference will be held in San Diego from June 16th-18th, 2011. It will be hosted by QUAFF and the San Diego Brewer’s Guild. The conference is just under a year away but they’ve already produced a preview video to get the publicity started. Some Like it Hoppy shows off some of the great things about San Diego and San Diego beer and brewers specifically.

Speaking of homebrewing, the latest issue of Zymurgy, the Journal of the American Homebrewers Association, Chuck Slothower of Beer at 6512 wrote a short piece about the beer blogger collaboration we did with Ska Brewing Company. The article focuses mostly on Chuck’s experience, it was his first ever time brewing, but does mention myself and the Belgian-American IPA I brewed with Thomas Larsen head brewer at Ska. Unfortunately the article is not available online, but you can read my blog posts about the experience brewing at Ska at my old blog, Beer N Bikes, here’s a good summary post of the brewing process and here are some pictures of the tapping party.