Who said that?

"My people must drink beer."
- Frederick the Great

Not to be outdone by Stone...

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Yet Another Great Beer Joke

"Your honor, this man stole 11 beers."
"11 beers?  You can't make a case out of that!"

It's Monday, how about a little beer?

The Brewery Project: San Marcos Brewery & Grill

What do you get when you combine a cozy, family-friendly restaurant serving what I would call "pub comfort food" with an on-site microbrewery putting out a solid lineup of beer to enjoy with your food?  San Marcos Brewery & Grill.  While the decor could use some updating, the atmosphere is warm and inviting.  The staff are as knowledgeable about the beer as they are the food, which is very good.  I wouldn't use the word "gourmet" to describe their food, but that isn't what they're going for.  The dishes they offer are delicious, and provide a wonderful backdrop for enjoying the beer.  Complimenting each other perfectly, it makes for a great meal and an overall enjoyable experience.  I have been a fan of their Pompous Ass Ale for quite some time, but was able to try a couple new brews this time around.  I started off with their Two Timing IPA.  It was good, but not overly hoppy.  Very drinkable, but hard to classify as an IPA, this beer's 8% alcohol could sneak up on you if you weren't careful.  Next I tried their Belgian Gold, aka: Grabassier.  The alcohol was much more predominant in this one, also sitting at 8%.  It was quite sweet, serving as the perfect digestif to finish off my meal.  I've never been disappointed here and doubt I ever will be.  I'm already looking forward to my next visit and the opportunity to try more of their good food and great beer.

Stone goes viral

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Photo of the week

Nice shot, Sarah!  This is one of my favorite spots to chill with some great grub and awesome beer.  Thanks for sharing!

Where am I?

C'mon, Lil' Piggy's!

I love Coronado's Lil' Piggy's Bar-B-Q, due in part to their "100 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL", as seen here.  What I'm not keen on is their glassware.  Unless you specifically ask for a glass you are just given the bottle.  Due to the nature of the restaurant and the type of food they serve, this isn't necessarily a problem.  The shaker pint glasses they used to offer, logoed with various local and national breweries, weren't necessarily a problem, either.  Their newest vessel of choice, however, is a problem.  For me, anyway.  A chilled "Drinking Jar", as it is labeled, does not a perfect beer-drinking experience make.  For me, anyway.  It was difficult to completely enjoy my Stone Double Bastard out of this glass.  Oh, I enjoyed it!  It was just difficult.  For me, anyway.  While I don't expect them to have a different glass available for each beer style they offer, perhaps they should just go back to the classic shaker pint.  That might be better.  For me, anyway.

What do you "Sea"?

This image was captured at a local watering hole of a Ballast Point Victory at Sea.  What do you "Sea"?

Beer Bottle Cap Wall

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The Brewery Project: Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey

If you follow this blog at all, you already know how much I like Pizza Port.  As much as I love their various locations and the beer they produce, I had never been to Port Brewing Co. / The Lost Abbey until now (the link is to their Facebook page, as their websites seem to be down a lot).  Have I been missing out!  This is what a working brewery/tasting room should be!  I can see why several TV shows (see my previous posts here and here) have filmed at this location.  Packed with people, a food truck out front, and plenty of beer flowing, all tucked neatly into the standard, nondescript industrial park breweries are known for inhabiting.  The beer list, bottled and draft, was so extensive that I had a hard time deciding what to order.  Since this was a quick trip I went with an old standby, Port's Shark Attack Double Red Ale.  This is one of my favorite beers, and a nice way to enjoy the tasting room.  As with so many great breweries, this place has to be visited in person to be fully appreciated.  Make it a stop on your local beer tour.  If you're not a regular already, you soon will be!

Name the beer style

Photo of the week

A nice shot of an El Cajon Brewing Co. Quatro Cajones Quad IPA.  Now I'm thirsty.  Thanks, Mike!

Who said that?

“Marriage is based on the theory that when a man discovers a particular brand of beer exactly to his taste he should at once throw up his job and go to work in a brewery.”
- H. L. Mencken

Brewer Zombie

Beer Geeks

Craft beer themed TV shows come and go.  The latest, called Beer Geeks, is headed to San Diego to film at The Lost Abbey tomorrow and Thursday, 2/13 & 14.  Filming will take place at 4:30pm on each day.  Hosted by Michael Ferguson, Director of Brewing Operations for BJ's restaurants, I'm hoping the show doesn't turn out to be an advertising vehicle for the chain.  With Page Productions at the helm, the production company behind several Food Network shows including Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, hopefully the focus will stay on the product, great craft beer.  We shall see.



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Lagunitas slumming it?

I just read that Lagunitas Brewing Co. is releasing their Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga' Substitute Ale in a 32 ounce, quart bottle.  Do we need this beer in a bottle that size?  Will it sit alongside other 32 ounce, quart selections such as Steel Reserve and Miller High Life at your local 7-Eleven?  Will it come with its own brown paper bag so that it can be stealthily consumed while walking down the street?  Is it just me, or does this move in some way diminish the quality or credibility of this beer?  Perhaps I'm overthinking it.  Perhaps I should just go with the flow.  Perhaps I should just sit quietly on a street corner holding a cardboard sign which reads, "Why lie, I need a Lagunitas!!!"

The Brewery Project: White Labs

Water, malt, hops, and yeast.  Of the basic building blocks of beer, yeast is by far the most important, and what White Labs has been specializing in since 1995.  About a year ago they opened a small, on-site tasting room, which I referenced here, like no other.  With 32 taps and 3 beer engines, their selection is phenomenal.  The difference here is the yeast.  You won't find a huge variety of different beer styles, usually only around 4 to 6.  What you will find is the opportunity to learn about what they do best, the yeast!  Of the limited number of styles they have available at any one time, they will offer several variations of the beer with different yeast strains, giving you the opportunity to better see the role the yeast plays in the final product.  I tried 2 styles, a Hefeweizen and a Red Rye, each with 2 different yeast strains.  I must say that I had a hard time distinguishing the differences in the beers, but they were there.  Perhaps a larger, shared tasting flight would allow the different nuances of each beer to become more evident.  As if that wasn't enough reason for a return trip, the friendly, chatty staff were informative, without making you feel dumb or talked down to.  The beer is important, but so is the atmosphere.  This place hit a home run on all counts, ensuring another visit in the near future.

How to survive a blizzard

Seriously, my thoughts are with those in the Northeast today.  Take care.

Photo of the week

This week's photo submission comes from Linda Diaz De Leon.  It could be seen as the glass being half empty, but I see it as being half full, of life!  This photo makes me think of summer, and I love it.  Thanks, Linda!  Keep the photos coming and I'll keep posting them.  Remember to send them to thehopdaddy@gmail.com, and you could be featured next week.

Beer Car

West Coaster's Photo Issue

I posted here about West Coaster looking for submissions for its upcoming Photo Issue, which has arrived.  Look for the issue at your favorite beer venue, or check it out here.  Was your photo picked?  I've been inspired to set out on a similar mission.  Submit your beer themed photos to thehopdaddy@gmail.com and I will feature them in future posts.  Get creative, get artistic, just get going!

Nailed it!

Can this be right?

This list, put together by Epicurious, names 3 canned beers as being worthy additions to your beer refrigerator.  I understand that they were trying to compare beers that are readily available nationwide, but these beers would never grace my refrigerator!  I'm certainly not trying to say that I'm too good for canned beer.  What I am trying to say is that "canned beer" has come a long way, and this list should in no way be taken as an accurate representation of what "canned beer" is today.  As far as availability goes, I'm sure that good canned beer can be had by anyone who puts forth the effort to find it.  I think we will see more breweries canning their beer, and I'd hate to think great beer, that happens to be in a can, would be thought to be in the company of those on this list.  Go find a can of good, craft beer and crack it open.  Let's put some fresh faces on this list next time around!

The Brewery Project: Pacific Beach AleHouse

Warm sun, cool ocean breeze, and fresh craft beer.  Sitting on the rooftop patio of Pacific Beach AleHouse reminds you why San Diego is such a tourist destination, and the best place in the world to live.  The laid back atmosphere and ocean views are reason enough to visit this seaside eatery, but the ante is upped with the addition of an in-house brewery, providing delicious brews to enjoy alongside your nosh.  I ordered the sampler of their core beers, which fit the usual mold.  Starting out on the lighter side with their Good Times Gold, which was, as it advertises, crisp and refreshing, I worked my way through the spectrum to their PB Porter.  Not a big fan of this style, it was pretty good, ending very smoothly, but almost to a fault.  All of their beers were solid, but not overly memorable.  I have grown accustom to bigger beers, which doesn't always make me the best judge of "normal" brews.  They were out of their IPA, which I would have loved to try.  I guess I'll have to make another trip to try it when it's available, and any others they have on tap at the time.  I'll brave the sun, ocean breeze, and picturesque surroundings.  I'll force myself to watch the waves crash on the shore.  I'll put myself out, all in the name of craft beer.  I'll love every minute of it.

The Lost Abbey "Super Bowl" commercial

"Unfortunately, try as we might, we were not successful in our attempt to purchase advertisement space during this year’s Super Bowl.   We quickly learned that another brewery had already capitalized on the available ad space for brewers, plus it was really really expensive.  So, we decided to post here instead for everyone to enjoy."



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It's FeBREWary!