Alpine Beer, Societe Brewing pay sudsy homage to O'Brien's Pub

When assessing the San Diego craft beer scene, most people see two camps—breweries and the venues that deal their product. While these are two separate factions, there is more overlap then ever before between them. Numerous owners of brewing companies, …

A post-European perspective on San Diego's beer scene

For years, I stowed away as much extra money as I could muster, storing it in the bank and fighting the urge to spend it on big-screen TVs, musical instruments, or bottle after bottle of high-priced craft beer. Truth be …

Sights and details from the debut of Ramona's first craft brewery

The first time I wrote about ChuckAlek Independent Brewers (2330 Main Street, Suite C, Ramona), the only thing I had to show you all was a sleek black-and-scarlet logo; a crest displaying a cardinal and a poppy. Those carefully selected …

Local craft beer champion named Imbibe Magazine's Beer Person of the Year

A few weeks ago, San Diego bar owner Scot Blair and I were touring the Malheur brewery in Buggenhout, Belgium. About an hour in, he leans in and discreetly announces to me that he’s been named Beer Person of the …

Revisiting a previously black-listed downtown bar and restaurant

Sometimes one’s experience at a venue can be so remarkably bad that it results in that place being black-listed for life. That was the fate I had figured for downtown bar, The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole (1065 Fourth Avenue, …

Ballast Point to employ new look and packaging material in 2013

Two short years ago, the sight of aluminum cans made craft beer fans point and snicker. Now, thanks to a slow but steady trickle of information being doled out by beer experts and brewing companies, consumers are getting wise that, …

Checking out replacement to Gordon Ramsay's hellish disappointment

The last time I was in the space currently housing Brick + Mortar (820 Fifth Avenue, Downtown), I was cringing as I watched the episode of FOX’s Hotel Hell where superstar chef Gordon Ramsay ripped the owners of The Keating …

Big promise translates to fine brews at San Marcos' newest brewery

More breweries opened in San Diego County in 2012 than in any year prior. In doing so, many quietly creaked their doors open, instituting soft opens devoid of fan fare. This method allows businesses to train staff, work out kinks …

Second iteration of popular Little Italy beer shop concept coming to North Park

As the craft beer movement chugs along and the liquid medium proves profitable, bottle shops lined with row upon row of fine glass-encased brews are popping up all over the county. A handful of beer outlets that were ahead of …

Fish house taking over former Horton Plaza-adjacent shoe store

Ever heard of a guy named Spike Africa? Me either, but soon, the name of this mid-twentieth century seafarer known by some as the “President of the Pacific Ocean,” will adorn the façade of a new restaurant in the Gaslamp …

San Marcos brewery announces a new beer for the New Year

Breweries put out new beers all the time, rendering news about a new brew a bit ho-hum most of the time. Usually, it’s specialty releases—beers made using interesting ingredients, beers registering high in alcohol, or beers made collaboratively by craftsmen …

New year holds new chef, new food for Marina District hot spot

Come 2013, the owners of The Lion’s Share (629 Kettner Boulevard, Downtown) will be playing the part of Mufasa, hoisting up the new heir to their kitchen’s throne among the colorful wildlife adorning their Marina District restaurant's dining room. Filling …

Cooks Confab reunites to celebrate the holidays...and steampunk?

From 2009 to 2010, few local chefs were talked about more than the small group comprising a culinary consortium going by the name Cooks Confab. At the time, the group was just under a dozen strong, but boy did they …

Venerable Irish pub lands farm-to-table chef

Brandon Brooks has left the building. That building is the firehouse at Liberty Station converted into a combination grocery and bistro that’s the base for SOL Markets (2855 Perry Road). That business went in back this winter and has since …

Ramona's first brewery to revive uncommon styles

Once upon a time, beer in San Diego consisted mainly of but a few styles: hefeweizens, amber ales, brown ales, porters, stouts, pale ales and, of course, the India pale ale. But, as craft brewing has taken hold across the …

Ex-Counterpoint chef going the pop-up route

Chefing is a transient line of work. It’s common for culinary professionals from exec chef on down to prep cook to have lengthy résumés populated by a plethora of bullet-points denoting previous employers. It’s just the nature of the biz …

Notes and factoids on the rest of The Lost Abbey Ultimate Box Set

Yesterday, I rode the spirit of Thanksgiving overindulgence, sharing tasting notes on the first four beers in the dozen-strong set of barrel-aged creations included in The Lost Abbey Ultimate Box Set, which is being released tomorrow. Here are my tasting …

Whetting beer fans' appetite for The Lost Abbey's Ultimate Box Set

There are plenty of reasons for excitement this weekend. For one thing, it brings double the days off for most of us. Then there’s the grandeur-laced Turkey Day feast. As if that weren’t already enough, for some—myself not included—there’s the …

San Diego's craft beer community sends Jerry Sanders off in style

As I keep reminding readers, though prevalent in San Diego, craft beer as an industry is still in its infancy. There is still a large percentage of consumers that have yet to even taste their first craft beer, and an …

Big breaking news on brewer Jeff Bagby's next chapter

Shortly after posting the second of what had been planned as my two-part “My Beer Radar” series, I received some big news pertaining to an upcoming craft beer company that’s being watched by beer enthusiasts, not only on a local …