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Retro Beer

Monster Beers

Julian Brewing Co. update

Yesterday's post profiling Julian Brewing Co. had some outdated information.  I was contacted by the new head of brewery operations, Mike Gabbard, and informed that Tom Nickel and his wife Lindsey have not been affiliated with the company since June.  That means that my kudos on the great beer I had go to Mike.  Sorry for posting incorrect information.  Thanks for setting me straight, Mike.  I look forward to my next visit!

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!

Have a nice, long, safe weekend!

Wiens Brewing Co.

As promised, the following is from Jacob, my Temecula correspondent.  Nice job, Jacob!

"My wife and I took an anniversary getaway to Temecula wine country and one of our favorite wineries, Wiens, has the best reds in the valley, amazing stuff! If your already rolling your eyes, don't worry stay with me, they recently sent us an email to check out their new brewery that has just opened! We stopped by on a Friday afternoon armed with our curious but inexperienced palates. It was pretty empty inside so at least we didn't have to fight our way to the taps. The employees were very friendly and recommended the eight board taster of all of their beers. It was nice to see a lot of activity in the background, one guy was comparing, smelling, swishing, then he looked up and smiled as if to say yes this job is awesome. We moved thru the tasters from the lighter more forgettable brews, got hit hard with a very good, yet smoky porter, both of us laughed as we almost choked a bit. We recovered with the Red Ale, then we nervously paused just before our last two which were IPA's. Here we wish we had the more seasoned taste buds of the Hop Daddy, but we bravely pressed on knowing he'd be proud. As I pressed my nose deep into the first glass of their Insomnia IPA, I was greeted with amazing scents of grapefruit, citrus, and plenty of hops, inviting me, no daring me to let it flow across my tongue. I bit and was well rewarded, I was surprised that both of us really enjoyed this IPA. It had a nice Brandy like mouth feel finish. We ended our visit with their Descend IPA, a robust dark bitter chocolate taste along with notes of caramel and raisin, it was a welcome assault on the senses. Overall it was a nice shiny new brewery, great people, and quality beer, and that's a formula for success, we hope to be back to try the Braun IPA coming soon!"