Yeah, it's that hot!

Who's ready for the long weekend?

Best Pizza in San Diego

It was no shock to me that one of my favorite breweries also topped the list for Best Pizza in San Diego.  How did your favorite pizza place rank?

It's Back to School time!

Who said that?

"You don't get this physique by drinking lots of water!"
- The Hop Daddy

Tragedy at Stone

I posted about this on Facebook yesterday, but felt it was worth another mention today.  A brewery is as dangerous an environment as any other factory or industrial workspace, possibly even more so.  My thoughts and condolences go out to Matt's family, as well as to his "family" at Stone Brewing Co.

The Brewery Project: Hess North Park

 

Kudos, kudos, kudos to Hess Brewing!  Kudos for their beautiful new facility in North Park.  The state-of-the-art brewery is not only visually stunning, but warm and inviting at the same time.  Walking through the front door you find yourself on a catwalk high above the brewing floor.  A sea of stainless steel below and to either side of you, the spacious tasting room beckons you to continue onward.  Plenty of tables with ample seating are available, and milling room abounds.  Kudos for the friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming staff running the tasting room.  A warm smile adorns everyone's face, and a real desire to make each patron happy and at home is evident.  Kudos for a fantastic product!  $14 buys a flight of any 5 beers and a signature glass to take home, with 8 different designs to choose from.  Jucundus (Honey Wheat), Intrepidus (Imperial IPA), Amplus Acerba (San Diego Pale Ale), Ex Umbris (Rye Imperial Stout), and Trinitas (Belgian Golden Strong Ale) filled out my flight, and I can honestly say that I would happily get the exact same lineup again.  Each beer was excellent, with its own unique identity.  While the 11.3% alcohol, 100 IBU Amplus Acerba was a standout, I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite from the bunch.  This is a spot I will come back to again and again.  This is a spot I will bring friends and family to.  This is a spot I highly, highly, highly recommend.  Can you tell?

BEERology

A new exhibit called BEERology opened today at the San Diego Museum of Man.  The following is a snippet from the website, where more details are available.

"Modern civilization is beer civilization!  Agriculture, cities, writing, and religion all have ties to ancient craft brewing.

You might think the Egyptian pyramids were built by slaves, but the workers were actually paid — in beer!  To build the Great Pyramid of Giza, workers were paid 231 million gallons of beer.  That's a lot of beer!

Ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Chinese, and others each perfected the brewing arts in interesting, and even strange, ways.  Beer-loving headhunters from the Amazon, for example, did the amazing trick of chewing poisonous cassava root so it could become a drinkable beer.

Learn fascinating stories and see phenomenal artifacts that reveal the links between beer and culture, such as the solid gold beer cup of an Inca king.

Also join us and local craft brew names like Dogfish Head, Green Flash, Port Brewing/Lost Abbey, Home Brew Mart/Ballast Point, and White Labs, for tastings and parties under the museum's grand dome in San Diego's most iconic building."

This should be an interesting exhibit and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

It's Friday!

You know what to do.

Here, Son, hold my beer!

Is it me, or does this seem a bit extreme?  I guess I know what not to do the next time I'm at a game with my son!

Hoppy Hump Day!

Can I get fries with my beer?

Smoked Beer

Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. may not have had a smoked beer on the menu yesterday, but a fire in the kitchen could have changed that quickly.  Read about the mishap here.  Perhaps they'll put one on the menu now!

The Brewery Project: Modern Times

Tumbleweed chandeliers. Shelves lined with vintage books and miscellaneous doodads.  A wall plastered with pages from old books.  A floor-to-ceiling mural made entirely of Post-its.  Does this sound like a brewery to you?  It does to Modern Times Beer.  I made mention of the opening of this new brewery here, and was fortunate enough to be able to check them out on their first official day of business.  The spacious, eclectically decorated tasting area is as much a treat for your eyes as the equally eclectic beer they feature is for your palate.  I tried an IPA and an Amber, which don't seem too exciting in and of themselves.  What made these beers unique is that they were brewed with 100% Brettanomyces yeast, giving each beer an interesting quality.  I found the Neverwhere IPA was mellowed, or smoothed, out.  The taste wasn't funky at all, just smooth.  The Roraima Amber was also smooth, but more complex than an ordinary version of its style.  Each were great, and highly recommended.  I have a feeling that every beer they brew will feature a twist of some sort that will distinguish it from other beers of the same style.  That means return trips, many return trips, will be necessary to see what beer they are putting their mark on next.  Their grand opening is set for September 7th, and I'm sure they will have plenty of beers you won't want to miss.  Check out the details and get your tickets here.  Hopefully I'll see you there!

Seems reasonable to me!

Cool weekend project

Are you looking for something to do with your empty beer bottles?  Check out this cool weekend project idea.  The introduction is a bit sophomoric, and the comments following the instruction are inane, but the idea is sound and worth a try.  I have a couple of these at home that were done by BottleHood, but I'm all for giving it a shot myself.  What about you?

Who said that?

"Who does not love beer, wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long."
- Carl Worner

22 Toastable Facts About Craft Beer

Who am I?

Rock Bottom Downtown San Diego is closing

West Coaster reported on the closing of Rock Bottom's Downtown San Diego location today.  Read about it here.  It looks like October 5th will be their last day of operation.  Although not my favorite brewery in town, I had some good times there and will miss them.

The Brewery Project: Mother Earth

 

Psychedelic.  That's the word that came to mind as I walked into Mother Earth Brew Co.  Decorated with everything from Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin posters to a map of the United States that takes up the better part of a wall in the tasting area, you feel like you've walked into your homebrewer friend's garage circa 1970.  With several areas to sit, relax, and enjoy your brews, you just might forget where, or when, you are as you sip on the solid offerings from this North County brewery.  Although their beer can be found on tap and in bottles throughout the county, this was my first foray into their sudsy creations.  Deciding to stick to my comfort zone, I opted for a couple of their IPA's.  Delving right into their Hop Diggity DIPA, my thirst for something hoppy was instantly quenched.  Smooth and full bodied, this filling beer was a great representation of its style, and one that I wouldn't hesitate to order again.  I then tried One To Grow On, an IPA they brewed for the 3rd anniversary of URGE American Gastropub, a spot that I have yet to get to, but have been wanting to visit for quite some time.  This was a very drinkable IPA.  I probably should have had this before the DIPA for a more logical sensory experience, ramping up the ascension of hop and malt profile, alcohol content and IBU, color and body.  A liquid crescendo, if you will.  That, and I was already pretty full from the DIPA!  Needless to say, the beer was great.  My only complaint is the $8 minimum they impose when you wish to use a credit card.  Having a minimum purchase amount for credit card transactions is a huge pet peeve of mine.  I believe that if you are going to accept credit cards, which should always be the case, there should never be a minimum amount you need to spend.  I understand that there may be fees associated with credit card processing of smaller amounts, but those fees should be the responsibility of the establishment, not the patron.  An $8 minimum also makes it virtually impossible to have just one beer, necessitating a second one in order to breach the $8 mark required to use your credit card.  That being said, a small detail like this can be overlooked when the rest of the package is complete, and they have the complete package!  Check out this psychedelic brewery, it's worth the trip!

It's Saturday!

Get out there and try something new!  The weekend is a great time to kick back with your favorite brew, but why not try something you've never had before?  Be it a new style or a new brand, you might find a new favorite.  That's what I'm going to do, and I encourage you to do the same.  Don't forget to share your new finds with the rest of us!

It's Friday!

THIS is why I like Lil' Piggy's!

Yeah, it's only Wednesday!

Modern Times Beer

I've been looking forward to the opening of this new San Diego brewery, but their Facebook post from earlier today makes me even more excited to see what they have to bring to the local beer scene.

"WE'RE SOFT OPENING THE LOMALAND FERMENTORIUM TASTING ROOM THIS FRIDAY FROM 12PM-9PM.  We'll be open every day after that for the rest of eternity.  Come get weird with us."

I'm looking forward to checking them out, how about you?

Are you a beer snob?

The Brewery Project: Offbeat

 

Deep in the heart of yet another set of unmarked industrial complexes, just down the hill from a little-known brewery called Stone something or other, sits the unassuming and unmarked Offbeat Brewing Co.  Getting to the brewery was the easy part.  Retracing my steps when I left was another story.  But I digress, as my navigational skills are not the current topic of discussion.  Just under a year old, this is a solid little brewery.  A nice facility, tasty beers, knowledgeable staff, and well-designed website all come together to portray a company far more mature than its actual age.  Andy, the bartender, was happy to discuss the 4 core beers I was tasting, explaining that their beers, which are more malt driven, tend to be a little sweeter and less aggressive than other beers in the competing market.  I appreciated this fact, as the only way to stand out in such a beercentric area is to differentiate yourself in some way.  Another thing I appreciated about the beers is that, although still young, they all had proper names.  While it isn't a deal breaker for me, I take issue when a brewery simply offers an "IPA", or a "Red Ale", or a "Stout" without taking the time to name their "children".  That being said, of the beers I tried, including Girafficopter Session Pale Ale (you know how I feel about the term "Session", but I'll let that go for now), Bear Arms Brown Ale, Bitter Robot Red Ale, and Caticorn IPA, I was really drawn to the Brown Ale.  With only a couple of exceptions, this being one, I normally don't care for this style.  When I really enjoy a beer in a style that I typically don't, this makes me take notice of a brewery.  This is a brewery I've taken notice of, and will be giving further attention from now on.  If you're not already a fan of this fledgling brewery, I encourage you to check them out.  You can currently only sample their beer at the brewery itself, so grab your GPS and navigate your way to some great beer!

Do it yourself!

Do you have a kegerator?  Do you want one?  Why not save some money and build your own?  Check out this great guide for converting an old refrigerator or freezer into the kegerator of your dreams.  What are you waiting for?

Getting Stoned on the freeway

It's #IPADay!

But you already knew that, didn't you?  While you enjoy your IPA of choice, check out this cool infographic about today's beer style of honor.  Enjoy your day, and your IPA!