San Diego Weekend Beer Events Thursday 9/22 – Sunday 9/25

Tags

2007 Stone Imperial Russian Stout, adams avenue beer taste, Ballast Point Behind the Brewery, beer for boobs, Beer for Boobs fundraiser, Dark Seas Russian Imperial Stout, Dorado DIPA, miho gastrotruck, San Diego County Beer Fair, Schooner Fresh Hop Ale, Stone Imperial Russian Stout

I’m hoping to get back into the habit of regularly posting beer events. I won’t be posting all events, and just because an event isn’t listed doesn’t mean it isn’t worth going to. I’ll just pick one or two a day. I try to keep the Events Calendar up to date, so check it for the full list of things going on around down. If you know of a beer event that isn’t listed send me an email, events@sandiegobeerblog.com

I’m also testing out a new format, instead of posting a weeks worth of events at once, I’ll be posting the weekend events on Wednesday night or Thursday and then posting on Sunday or Monday if there’s anything noteworthy going on Monday-Wednesday of a given week.

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011:

The “Behind the Brewery” beer dinner’s at Ballast Point Linda Vista/Home Brew Mart are always fun. MIHO Gastrotruck pulls up behind the brewery and pairs their food with some of Ballast Point’s beers. It’s also the last day to get growler fills of Dorado DIPA and the first day to get your growlers filled with Schooner Fresh Hop Ale.

New Mission Brewery release - Dark Seas Russian Imperial Stout

Down at Mission Brewery they’ll be unveiling Dark Seas Russian Imperial Stout at 5pm with a cask tapped at 6pm. We hope that this is the first of many new and seasonal beers to come out of their new space. They’ll also have a food truck on site.

Friday, Sept. 23, 2011:

Up in North County Lost Abbey/Port Brewing Company is hosting a Beer for Boobs fundraiser. $10 gets you a commemorative pint glass and two pints of anything on tap.

Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011:

Some people say that the San Diego beer festival market is getting saturated, and that could be the case, but don’t let it stop you from checking out one of the two festivals happening today. The San Diego County Beer Fair is happening at Liberty Station. Prices range from $35-50 for 12 4oz pours.

Over at the Adams Avenue Street Fair they’re having the Adams Avenue Beer Taste and billing it as the cheapest beer tasting event in San Diego. $20 gets you 12 4oz tasters.

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011:

Stone Brewing Co.’s Imperial Russian Stout gets better with age, stop by the Stone Company Store in Escondido to pick up bottles that Stone has properly cellared since 2007 starting at 11am when the store opens.

San Diego Beer Events June 9th– June 15th

Tags

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.

San Diego Beer Events May 5th – May 11th

Tags

can cancer tailgate, firkin friday, flyin' HI.P. Hay, master pairings vegan beer dinner, maui brewing co, miho gastrotruck, night on adams, padres beerfest, sextant stout, tailgate beer, vegan beer dinner, wychwood hobgoblin

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.

Thursday May 5th:

With Cinco de Mayo being such a beer drinking “holiday”, one would think there would be something craft beer related here in San Diego, just a few miles from the Mexican border, but if there is I couldn’t find it. So head down to Pizza Port Ocean Beach for their Wychwood Hobgoblin Keep the Glass night. I’ve never had the beer but I’ve heard good things, but just look at this glass.

Friday May 6th:

As with most Friday’s there’s Firkin Friday at Hamilton’s Tavern, this week with Ballast Point’s Sextant Stout aged on rum soaked oak chips.

If you’re looking for something a bit different head down to Petco Park before the Padres game for their first Beerfest of the season. From 4:30 until just before the first pitch at 7 they’ll be pouring beers from 25 different breweries. Admission to the Beerfest is free with your ticket to the Padres game and full size beers are just $5.

Saturday May 7th:

While not exclusively a beer event, Night on Adams is happening at various businesses up and down Adams Ave, there will be food, art, cocktails and of course beer. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night and it gives you an excuse to stop into Blind Lady Ale House.

Sunday May 8th:

Tailgate Beer is organizing a Can Cancer Tailgate party at Petco Park before the Padres game on Mother’s Day. $35 gets you a couple of cans of Tailgate beer, a t-shirt, brunch and tickets to the game. Get more info here.

Monday May 9th:

It’s $3 local pint night at Toronado from 6pm to close. I think Eleven is still doing their pint night as well (all draft beers) but I haven’t heard much about it lately. I’ve sent an email over to the folks at Eleven to confirm their Monday night special is still on. I’ll update this post if I hear back.

And Blind Lady Ale House, usually closed on Monday’s will be opening each Monday in May, bar only, no food. They’ll be showing a different movie each week and MIHO Gastrotruck will be serving up food for a few hours, this week’s film is Career Courier, a documentary about bicycle messengers.

Tuesday May 10th:

Stone Brewing Co.’s latest pairing dinner, Master Pairings: Vegan Beer Dinner is sold out, so if you haven’t bought tickets you’re not getting in. And it doesn’t seem like there’s much else going on this Tuesday night. There’s a vegan beer dinner happening later in the week at a North Park restaurant, look for a post with more details soon.

Wednesday May 11th:

If you didn’t get enough of Maui Brewing Co.’s beers while founder Garrett Marrero was in town last week you’re in luck, Small Bar is hosting an Aloha Happy Hour with some of Maui Brewing’s beers. I couldn’t get enough of the Flyin’ HI.P.Hay which doesn’t appear to be on Small Bar’s list, but there’s bound to be some other good stuff from Maui.

San Diego Beer Events April 14th – April 20th

Tags

2008 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels, Beer and Chocolate pairings, bitter and sour night, Bombay By Boat IPA, Death and Taxes Black Beer, DoBelgo DIPA, downtown johnny brown's bitter and sour night, Ginger Big Eye, Master Pairings Beer and Chocolate, miho gastrotruck, moonlight brewing, Oakquinox, pizza port real ale festival, real ale festival, Reality Czeck Pils, stone oakquinox, Two Weeks Notice Gruit Ale

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

Thursday April 14th: It’s not often that beers from Santa Rosa’s Moonlight Brewing show up down here in San Diego, but the folks at The Linkery will have four Moonlight beers on tap starting Thursday. They’ll have Death and Taxes Black Beer, Bombay By Boat IPA, Reality Czeck Pils, and Two Weeks Notice Gruit Ale. The Death and Taxes is in honor of Tax Day the following day.

Friday April 15th: The Real Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad gets underway, they’ll have over 50 cask conditioned beers which makes it the largest selection of real ale on the west coast. It takes place all day Saturday as well.

Another Tax Day celebration, Downtown Johnny Brown’s is doing their 3rd Annual Bitter and Sour Night featuring some of the best IPAs and sours around. The lineup looks stellar, if you’re a fan of either of those styles (which if you’re reading this blog I would guess you like one of them if not both) this night is highly recommended.

Saturday April 16th: The Real Ale Festival is happening all day, from 11am to 11pm. $30 gets you in with eight 4oz tasters. Starting at 7pm they’ll let you in for $20.

Sunday April 17th: If you don’t already have tickets for Stone Oakquinox you’re out of luck, it’s sold out. But do if you happen by Stone make sure you have your growler with you, they’ll be doing 2008 Stone Old Guardian  Barley Wine Aged in  Red Wine Barrels growler fills.

Monday April 18th: It’s $3 local pint night at Toronado from 6pm to close. I think Eleven is still doing their pint night as well (all draft beers) but I haven’t heard much about it lately. I’ve sent an email over to the folks at Eleven to confirm their Monday night special is still on. I’ll update this post when I hear back.

Tuesday April 19th: The Master Pairings Beer and Chocolate pairing at Stone sounds delicious. I’m not sure what beers they’ll be serving but it’s sure to not disappoint.

Wednesday April 20th: Third Wednesday of the month means it’s time for the DrinkAbout. No word on any of the specials this month but it’s sure to be a good time as always.

They’re also doing another beer pairing dinner at Homebrew Mart/Ballast Point Linda Vista with MIHO Gastrotruck and Fiji Yogurt. Fiji is making a Ballast Point Even Keel wort based Lemonade Ginger Sorbet flavored with Cascade Hop Oil. They’ll have a ton of great beers on tap including Ginger Big Eye and DoBelgo DIPA (Dorado with Belgian Yeast).

San Diego Beer Events, March 3rd – March 9th

Tags

2008 Barrel Aged Sea Monster Imperial Stout, 2009 Sea Monster Imperial Stout, Abandon Ship Smoked Lager, Abandon Ship Smoked Lager with Dried Smoked Chipotles, carnevale, Churchill's Finest Hour, churchill's renaissance, fiji yogurt, firkin friday, habanero sculpin ipa, knb bbq, miho gastrotruck, Old Tempest Ale, pliny the younger churchill's pub, saison de lente, Sea Monster Imperial Stout, sierra nevada week, Tongue Buckler

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

Thursday Mar 3rd:

Ballast Point is teaming up with MIHO Gastrotruck and Fiji Yogurt for another casual beer dinner. MIHO will be serving Drunken Wild Mexican Shrimp and Grits prepared with Abandon Ship Smoked Lager and Fiji will have a Ballast Point Tongue Buckler wort based yogurt, flavored with Peanut Butter and Honey. Ballast Point will be pouring plenty of beers including Abandon Ship Smoked Lager, Abandon Ship Smoked Lager with Dried Smoked Chipotles, Habanero Sculpin IPA, 2008 Barrel Aged Sea Monster Imperial Stout, 2009 Sea Monster Imperial Stout and this year’s version of Sea Monster Imperial Stout. They’ll have recommendations on which beers pair best with what food. This all happens from 4:30-7pm at Ballast Point/Homebrew Mart in Linda Vista.

Friday Mar 4th:

Another Friday, another Firkin Friday at Hamilton’s Tavern. This week they’ll feature Poway’s Lightning Brewery with a cask of their Old Tempest Ale, their 9.5% ABV UK style strong ale. As usual Hamilton’s should have a couple other Lightning beers on draft as well.

Saturday Mar 5th:

Churchill’s Pub and Grille in San Marcos is hosting their second annual Churchill’s Renaissance. Starting at 11am they’ll have all sorts of delicious beers that don’t see the light of day too often. Sure they’ll have Russian River Brewing Company’s much sought after Pliny the Younger, but they’ll also have a ton of other delicious and rare beers including this year’s version of Port Brewing Co.’s Churchill’s Finest Hour, an imperial stout aged in Jack Daniels whiskey barrels. Get there early for the extra rare stuff.

Sunday Mar 6th:

Sierra Nevada Beer BrunchBQ Finale is happening at KNB Wine Cellars from 11am-3pm to finish off their Sierra Nevada week. They should still have plenty of great Sierra Nevada beers and some delicious food on the BBQ.

Monday Mar 7th:

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 8th:

Ritual Tavern will be having a Fat Tuesday celebration. They’ll have The Bruery’s Saison de Lente and Lost Abbey’s Carnevale on draft. For food they’ll have fried oyster Po-boys, gumbo and beignets.

Wednesday Mar 9th:

Ballast Point and Green Flash are teaming up to take over all the taps at Rancho Bernardo’s URGE Gastropub. They’ll split URGE’s 51 taps fairly evenly and if you get there early you might even score a commemorative pint glasses to take home. No word on what each brewery will be brining but expect some great beers to be pouring.

Down at Small Bar they’ll be featuring AleSmith with some keep the glass specials and pint glasses to take home.

San Diego Beer Events, January 27th- February 2nd

Tags

22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout, automatic coffee imperial brown ale, Belgica Belgian Ale, Bloody Larry, Chipotle-Cocoa Nib version of Black Marlin, Claymore Scotch Ale, Compunction, Consecration, Damnation, Dried Guajillo Calico, Espresso Yeti Imperial Stout, firkin friday, Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Habanero Sculpin, Hades Belgian Pale Ale, Hercules IIPA, Hibernation Old Ale, jolly pumpkin, jolly pumpkin flights, karl strauss 22nd anniversary vanilla imperial stout, karl strauss changing of the barrels, miho gastrotruck, Mortification, o'brien's russian river consumpTION, Oaked Yeti Imperial Stout, Old Ruffian Barleywine, Perdition, redemption, Rejection, Roasted Pasilla Yellowtail, salvation, samuel smith brewery, Sanctification, smoked baltic porter, Supplication, Temptation, titan ipa, toronado pint night, toronado san diego pint night, yeti imperial stout

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

Thursday, Jan 27:

Homebrew Mart (Ballast Point’s Linda Vista operation) is teaming up with MIHO Gastrotruck for a casual beer pairing dinner with a focus on chili beers. Ballast Point has infused five of their beers with chili peppers: Chipotle-Cocoa Nib version of Black Marlin, Roasted Pasilla Yellowtail, Dried Guajillo Calico, Habanero Sculpin and Bloody Larry (BP Bloody Mary Mix and Abandon Ship Smoked Lager) and they’ll make recommendations for food to pair with it. Fiji Yogurt next door will have a Mango Lime Thai Chili yogurt with Ballast Point beer. Tasters will be $1 and food prices will vary.

Friday, Jan 28:

Iron Fist Brewing Company (I’m not sure, do they still hold the distinction of being San Diego County’s  newest brewery?) has come a long way in a few short months. They’ll be at Hamilton’s Tavern for Firkin Friday with a special cask of an IPA/Belgian-style brew aged in white wine barrels with Brett. They’ll also have plenty of their other beers on draft.

Saturday, Jan 29:

It’s Russian River ConsumpTION weekend at O’Brien’s. They’ll have 17 Russian River beers on tap including 11 Belgian-style “TION” beers. They’ll have: Damnation, Salvation, Supplication, Temptation, Consecration, Perdition, Sanctification, Mortification, Compunction, Redemption and Rejection along with all the hoppy beers Russian River is also known for. They have full kegs of all the beers so they expect them to last throughout the weekend.

KNB Wine Cellars is featuring Great Divide Brewing Co. Saturday night. They’ll have Yeti Imperial Stout, Oaked Yeti Imperial Stout, Espresso Yeti Imperial Stout, Old Ruffian Barleywine, Hades Belgian Pale Ale, Hibernation Old Ale, Smoked Baltic Porter, Titan IPA, Hercules IIPA, Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Claymore Scotch Ale and Belgica Belgian Ale all on tap.

Sunday, Jan 30:

Automatic Brewing Co. (the brewery housed at Blind Lady Ale House) will be unveiling their latest beer Sunday morning for BLAH’s 2nd Anniversary. This Coffee Imperial Brown Ale comes in around 8.3% and is damn good (I got a sneak peak last weekend). For the first time they will be offering a limited amount of growlers, which are being pre-sold through Brown Paper Tickets. They’ll also be doing Jolly Pumpkin tasting flights that afternoon. (BLAH is having special events throughout the weekend, click here for more info on the rest of the events).

Monday, Jan 31:

Monday again which means local pint night at Toronado. $3 pours on all local beers.

Tuesday, Feb 1:

Throughout the month of February Eleven, Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar will be showcasing the beers of Samuel Smith Brewery. And they’re kicking things off with some glass giveaways to the first 25 people to buy a bottle. They’ll have different bottles at each of the bars throughout the month for $5 for 18oz.

Wednesday, Feb 2:

Karl Strauss is celebrating their 22nd Anniversary with a party to show off their 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout in it’s full barrel-aged form. Tickets are $50 which gets you tasters of 100% barrel aged 22nd Anniversary (the regular release will be blended with fresh beer) as well as a taste of the 23rd Anniversary beer before it goes into barrels. They’ll have food, live music and send you home with a bottle of the 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout and a commemorative snifter. Buy tickets in advance at the Karl Strauss website. They’re only selling sixty so this will probably sell out.

San Diego Beer Events, January 20th- January 26th

Tags

awesome beer drinkers, awesome beer tasting, barrel-aged wee heavy scotch ale 2009, barrel-aged wee heavy scotch ale 2009 release, bear republic brewery, lost abbey expansion, lost abbey open house, miho gastrotruck, nickel bag dipa, racer 5 ipa, rob todd hamilton's, rob todd san diego, rob todd small bar, west coaster ipa

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

Thursday, Jan 20:

Stop into Eleven for a Bear Republic Brewery Racer 5 IPA and keep the glass. The first one, including glass will cost ya $4, after that it’s only $3 refills for the rest of the night.

Friday, Jan 21:

Two parties, one celebrating the old and one celebrating the new are happening tonight. West Coaster is holding their launch party at The South Park Abbey. They’ll have special West Coaster beer glasses, beers from Hess Brewing Co., including a specially brewed West Coaster IPA and some never before seen beers from Coronado Brewing Co. including a Black IPA, a Belgian IPA and more. Yes I do write a monthly column for West Coaster, sure I’m probably a bit biased, but there will be some great beer and this will be a fun time.

Up the road a little ways O’Brien’s Pub is celebrating their 17th Anniversary. They’ll have plenty of great beers from the various Pizza Port locations as well as some special bottles from Lost Abbey. Owner Tom Nickel recently helped brew Nickel Bag at Pizza Port Ocean Beach. This Double IPA was the last beer he brewed before leaving Pizza Port Carlsbad in 2005.

Saturday, Jan 22:

The Lost Abbey is hosting an open house from 12-6pm to show off their new space from their recent expansion. They’ll be doing tours of the new space and just might have something special on tap.

Saturday afternoon the website Awesome Beer Drinkers are teaming up with Best Damn Beer Shop to host an Awesome Beer Tasting. $35 gets you ten three or four ounce pours from their impressive list of beers. The tasting is happening at The Beer Company downtown and they recommend purchasing tickets in advance through their website.

Sunday, Jan 23:

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

Monday, Jan 24:

If you don’t have tickets to Stone Brewing Co.’s Beer U: Strong Ales it looks like you’re out of luck as they’re sold out according to the website. But fret not, head down to North Park for some $3 beers. As always Toronado is doing their local night, all local beers are $3. This week Eleven is also doing $3 beers but there’s isn’t limited to locals. Any beer on tap, all night long, $3. I’m not sure if this will become a regular thing but I hope so.

Tuesday, Jan 25:

Are you a homebrewer? Thinking about homebrewing? The local homebrew club QUAFF holds their monthly meeting the fourth Tuesday of the month at the All American Grill in Hazard Center. Check out their website for more info.

Wednesday, Jan 26:

Alesmith is releasing their Barrel-Aged Wee Heavy Scotch Ale 2009 and bottle sales start at 2pm. But don’t think you can just waltz down there and pick up a few bottles. Sales will be limited to four per person and will sold based on numbers handed out at 10am. MIHO Gastrotruck will be around starting at 1:30pm serving lunch. From what I’ve heard this beer is worth taking a good portion of your day off work, if past barrel-aged bottle releases at Alesmith are indication this one will go quickly.

A bit later Hamilton’s Tavern and Small Bar will be hosting Rob Todd from Allagash Brewing Co. They’ll have plenty of his beers on tap at each bar. Todd will be at Hamilton’s from about 4-6:15pm and Small Bar from about 6:3o-8:30pm.

Know of anything going on Tuesday or Wednesday? Email events@sandiegobeerblog.com

San Diego Beer Events 12/09-12/15

Tags

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

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

Thursday, Dec 9:

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

Friday, Dec 10:

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

Saturday, Dec 11:

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

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

Sunday, Dec 12:

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

Monday, Dec 13:

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

Tuesday, Dec 14:

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

Wednesday, Dec 15:

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

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

This post updated 12/12/2010.

Ballast Point Barmy Ale

Tags

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ballast Point Brewing Co.’s San Salvador Saison

Tags

miho gastrotruck, san diego farmhouse ale, san diego local beer, san diego saison, san salvador saison

Wow, two posts in a row about Ballast Point Brewing Co., but the beer news just keeps flowing.

Tomorrow, Thursday July 29th, Ballast Point will be debuting their newest beer, San Salvador Saison at their Scripps Ranch tasting room (10051 Old Grove Rd., San Diego, CA). I’ve been on a big saison kick recently and am really excited to try this. The always tasty MIHO Gastrotruck will be outside Ballast Point starting at 4:30pm with some food to pair with the beer. And if you can’t make it up to Ballast Point don’t worry, The Linkery (which helped secure some of the ingredients and brew the beer) will have a keg of San Salvador Saison tapped Thursday evening as well.

Here’s Ballast Point’s description of the beer:

The idea started as a San Diego Farmhouse Ale using local ingredients. We wondered what the Kumeyaay Indian’s were eating when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo climbed out of his flagship boat, the San Salvador, and onto the shore of Ballast Point in 1542. Also, what might have Cabrillo stocked on his boat before he left Acapulco (then called Navidad) 3 1/2 months earlier?  So with some research we tracked down a fun mix of ingredients for a Belgian inspired San Diego indigenous Ale.

With some help from our friends at The Linkery, North Park Native Plants and Wingshadow’s Farm we were able to track down ingredients like corn, pine nuts, agave, elder flower, white sage, manzanita berries, curacao and local sage honey.  The malt bill consisted of Belgian pale malt, caramunich, biscuit, wheat and corn. The result is a 7.5% ABV, brown beer that really has to be tasted to be understood.  It tastes like the San Diego countryside.

MIHO Gastrotruck uses fresh, local, thoughtfully sourced ingredients to create hand crafted steet food that is affordable, convienient and delicious.  We could think of no one better to come up with the perfect food pairing for this special brew.  You can check them out at www.mihogastrotruck.com.  Juan and his pals have come up with a Vande Rose pork belly braised in San Salvador Saison and served with an agave glaze and corn fritters.  They will be here starting at 4:30pm tomorrow serving this dish along with some of the other specialties that have made them the talk of the town.  Stop by for food and beer done with real LOCAL flavor.  See you here!