Beach to Brewery Beer + Music Fest part 2: The Event

What a wonderful event for a great cause! Karl Strauss taps were flowing with everything from Endless Summer Light, to Big Barrel Double IPA, to Belgian Stranger. All were fresh and delicious! Several cask beers were tapped, including Sintail Black Ale, a dark version of their Pintail Pale Ale, and a Lavender Hefeweizen, which were paired with different cheeses. Surfrider Foundation, 91X, and Sector 9 all had booths with information and goodies. Several bands took the stage including Stranger, The Howls, Writer, and The Silent Comedy. I particularly enjoyed the brewery tours they were giving, since this is the only time they give tours throughout the year. Some nice items were put up on a silent auction, and $2 raffle tickets were being sold for various prizes. I bought 10 tickets, and just missed winning something by one ticket! The sun was bright and warm, the beer was cold and satisfying, and the music was loud and rockin'. Good times!

Weekend Roundup

The weekend is upon us again. Do you have any beer related plans? Here are a few suggestions...

Beach to Brewery Beer + Music Fest
Saturday, 2:00-7:00pm
Pacific Beach, CA
$30 at the door

14th Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival
Saturday, 1:00-6:00pm
Boonville, CA
$50 at the door

Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey 4th Anniversary
Saturday, 11:00am & 4:00pm
San Marcos, CA
$15 per session

Speaking of Port Brewing, Pizza Port Ocean Beach is (hopefully) set to open on Monday! Get there early to secure a "I Drank the First Brew" shirt and a pint for just $10.

If you can't make it to one of these events, I hope you brew up your own fun this weekend. Enjoy!

Ballast Point Sour Wench Blackberry Ale

If you read yesterday's post, then you already know a little bit about this beer and it's history. For some reason I was expecting this to be sweet, but it wasn't. The color, which doesn't come through at all in the picture, is a beautiful, deep ruby. It has an extremely fruity nose, which is why the lack of sweetness is so surprising. The fruit also comes through in the mouth, is slightly tart, and ends with a nice, nonassertive sourness. At 5.4% alcohol, this is a very drinkable brew. I highly recommend a trip to the brewery to try this seasonal release, and if you really like it growler fills are available for $20. Whether you like fruit beers or not, I think this one deserves some attention.

Marion Berries Better-Than-A-Crackwhore Lambic

This Ballast Point brew has gone through a few changes throughout the years, including a name change to the more politically correct "Sour Wench Blackberry Ale", and I have a feeling you're not going to want to miss this one!

"It all began a good many years ago as an experimental homebrew. Former Ballast Point Brewmaster Pete A'Hearn wanted something fun to bring to the So-Cal Homebrew Fest in Temecula. Something different and special that would stand out amongst all the amazing variety spawned by the clever masses. And although it was (and still is) illegal to add illicit drugs to a beer, he wanted this beer to be as memorable and addicting as CRACK. And so was born Marion Berries Better-Than-A-Crackwhore Lambic.

Now over the years, the brew has undergone several tweaks, the most notable being the name (we didn't even try to get ABC approval on that one). It is now known as Sour Wench Blackberry Ale. It isn't, and really never was, a lambic but it is sour and super delicious. There are over one pound of blackberries per gallon of beer making it bright pink and really fruity. A treat that comes but once a year. We will debut this year's version at both taster bars on Thursday May 6th. Come by and have a taste. You will be glad you did."

A "sign" of good things to come

Hollywood Video, in it's heyday, was the premier place to find the latest movie and video game rentals. That was then. Now, with redbox kiosks on every corner and brand new movies available on your TV, computer, and cell phone, the large movie rental chains are becoming a thing of the past. The downtown El Cajon location, on the corner of Main & Magnolia, has been abandoned for quite some time, but the final remnants of this once choice location were removed today as the iconic sign came down. Not to worry, as this will be the new site of East County's premier microbrewery restaurant. El Cajon Brewing Co. has been working since last year to secure this location and to get to work. Read about their plans here, and keep your eye on this El Cajon intersection. I look forward to posting about the installation of a new sign. One heralding great new things to come, good times to be had, and fantastic beer to be consumed!

Bacon Beer

Admit it, it sounds good! Read the Brew Your Own magazine article and recipe here, and judge for yourself.

CityBeat Festival of Beers part 2: The Event

The festival, which benefited the San Diego Music Foundation, was a great success! A section of El Cajon Blvd. was closed off for the event. Local and regional breweries were on hand pouring samples all afternoon. Geezer took the stage and played cover songs for the cheering, dancing crowd. From street tacos to spicy brats, delicious food was in abundance, and the wonderful smells filled the air. The weather, sunny with a nice breeze, was perfect. A great day, a great cause, a great beverage. What more needs to be said?