The Brewery Project: Julian Brewing Co.

When I heard that Gina and Vince Marsaglia, owners of Pizza Port and Port/Lost Abbey, had opened a barbecue restaurant in Julian and a subsequent brewery headed by local craft beer guru Tom Nickel, I new this was a spot I had to hit up.  The Bailey Wood Pit Barbecue proves that Gina and Vince know barbecue every bit as well as they know pizza, and the addition of Julian Brewing Co. to the operation proves that Tom is right at home overseeing the brewing side of things.  Now, I am not a huge barbecue fan, but the Burnt Ends Beef Brisket Sandwich was out of this world.  The sides I tried, including beer battered onion rings, french fries, and potato salad were all excellent as well.  I sampled each of their current house beers, which included Drew's Double IPA, Pale Ale, and Smoked Pumpkin Ale.  All of the beers were good, but I was blown away by the Double IPA.  As one of, if not my favorite, types of beer, I've had really good and really bad interpretations of the style.  This particular beer hit the mark!  Its style was obvious, powerful without being cloying, and it had the smooth, dulled finish that I always look for.  If this beer was ever bottled or widely distributed, it would definitely be one of my go-to brews.  That being said, I can't wait for my next trek to the mountains for some more tasty grub and grog!