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Puesto restaurants beget gold medal for its dark lager

San Diego rocks the rockies

Puesto Cerveceria's Negra is golden.
Puesto Cerveceria's Negra is golden.

“American’s Finest City had yet another fine performance in the Rockies this year,” enthuses San Diego Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler, referring to the awards handed out at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. “What I particularly love is how the five local Gold Medal winners from this year were all different than the five from 2023. The quality of craft beer is certainly spread throughout the County.” 

One of those Gold Medal winners was Puesto Cerveceria, for its Puesto Negra in the International Dark Lager category. Born out of the local Puesto Mexican Kitchen Chain, brewery operations began in 2019 when the business took over the former Gordon Biersch site in Mission Valley and hired its brewer, Doug Hasker. Puesto Negra is a dark Mexican lager with notes of roasted chocolate. Hasker describes the idea behind the award-winning beer, “We made an effort to make this beer delicate, yet complex.  We feel we have a great balance of light two-row malts, caramel malts, and small amounts of carafa roasted and light chocolate malts.”

Another gold medalist was Pizza Port Imperial Beach — the business will host its 26th Annual Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad on December 6 and 7 — for its Indie Roo in the Imperial Stout category. The 8.5% ABV stout features medium roast flavors and cacao nibs to balance out the sweetness of its higher alcohol content. For Tom Finney, Head Brewer at Pizza Port Imperial Beach, the win was especially pleasing on a personal level, “This was a tribute beer to my good friend Justin Bridle. He loved big-bodied stouts with deep and rich roast coffee/chocolate/tobacco notes. He moved from San Diego back to Baltimore and got sick. I was able to make the beer and ship it to him for him to try before he passed away. He was truly the inspiration for this beer.”

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Culture's Three-Citrus goes for the gold.

Gold in the Contemporary Gose category went to Culture Brewing out of Solana Beach for its Three-Citrus Gose; the name refers to the three fruits it uses — Meyer lemon, yuzu, and lime. As with a traditional Goses, Three-Citrus is made with salt, but Culture’s iteration uses locally farmed sea salt from off the coast of Baja. Culture brewing, which was founded by home brewers, has expanded from Solana Beach to locations in Encinitas and Manhattan Beach, but still strives to keep it local. Owner Tony Dellamano explains, “We embrace the small-batch brewery mindset, and just try to be good citizens and partners in our neighborhoods.”

Oceanside's Green Cheek scores big in the Rockies.

The other San Diego-based gold medalists were Chillzner from Craft Coast Beer & Tacos in the International-style Pilsner category, and Jeff’s Baltic Porter by Green Cheek Beer Co. in the Strong Porter Category. San Diego County also won four silver medals: Athletic Brewing’s Free Wave Hazy IPA in the Pale Non-Alcohol Beer Category; Athletic Brewing’s Tropical Sour in the Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer category; Pure Project’s Mount Eden in the Specialty Saison category; and Roleur Brewing Company’s Domestique Blonde Ale in the Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale category.

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Puesto Cerveceria's Negra is golden.
Puesto Cerveceria's Negra is golden.

“American’s Finest City had yet another fine performance in the Rockies this year,” enthuses San Diego Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler, referring to the awards handed out at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. “What I particularly love is how the five local Gold Medal winners from this year were all different than the five from 2023. The quality of craft beer is certainly spread throughout the County.” 

One of those Gold Medal winners was Puesto Cerveceria, for its Puesto Negra in the International Dark Lager category. Born out of the local Puesto Mexican Kitchen Chain, brewery operations began in 2019 when the business took over the former Gordon Biersch site in Mission Valley and hired its brewer, Doug Hasker. Puesto Negra is a dark Mexican lager with notes of roasted chocolate. Hasker describes the idea behind the award-winning beer, “We made an effort to make this beer delicate, yet complex.  We feel we have a great balance of light two-row malts, caramel malts, and small amounts of carafa roasted and light chocolate malts.”

Another gold medalist was Pizza Port Imperial Beach — the business will host its 26th Annual Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad on December 6 and 7 — for its Indie Roo in the Imperial Stout category. The 8.5% ABV stout features medium roast flavors and cacao nibs to balance out the sweetness of its higher alcohol content. For Tom Finney, Head Brewer at Pizza Port Imperial Beach, the win was especially pleasing on a personal level, “This was a tribute beer to my good friend Justin Bridle. He loved big-bodied stouts with deep and rich roast coffee/chocolate/tobacco notes. He moved from San Diego back to Baltimore and got sick. I was able to make the beer and ship it to him for him to try before he passed away. He was truly the inspiration for this beer.”

Sponsored
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Culture's Three-Citrus goes for the gold.

Gold in the Contemporary Gose category went to Culture Brewing out of Solana Beach for its Three-Citrus Gose; the name refers to the three fruits it uses — Meyer lemon, yuzu, and lime. As with a traditional Goses, Three-Citrus is made with salt, but Culture’s iteration uses locally farmed sea salt from off the coast of Baja. Culture brewing, which was founded by home brewers, has expanded from Solana Beach to locations in Encinitas and Manhattan Beach, but still strives to keep it local. Owner Tony Dellamano explains, “We embrace the small-batch brewery mindset, and just try to be good citizens and partners in our neighborhoods.”

Oceanside's Green Cheek scores big in the Rockies.

The other San Diego-based gold medalists were Chillzner from Craft Coast Beer & Tacos in the International-style Pilsner category, and Jeff’s Baltic Porter by Green Cheek Beer Co. in the Strong Porter Category. San Diego County also won four silver medals: Athletic Brewing’s Free Wave Hazy IPA in the Pale Non-Alcohol Beer Category; Athletic Brewing’s Tropical Sour in the Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer category; Pure Project’s Mount Eden in the Specialty Saison category; and Roleur Brewing Company’s Domestique Blonde Ale in the Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale category.

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