When I sat down with Duck Foot Brewing Company owner Matt DelVecchio last September, I conducted my interview on the patio of his coastal North County condo. The next time we convene, it will be …

All the cool kids are doin’ it: brewing über-hopped double IPAs to celebrate their companies’ anniversaries. The most recent are San Diego stalwarts, Stone Brewing Co. and Coronado Brewing Company, both of which hit the …

I have nearly 50 upcoming breweries, brewpubs, tasting rooms, and other brewing company-owned facilities on my radar. Thanks to San Diego Beer News, people are well aware of this, which leads to me being asked …

Brewery expansion remains in full swing, with yet another local brewing company closing in on a satellite location. This time it’s one of the breweries that helped start the tasting room trend, Belching Beaver Brewery. …

The answer: Two months with any luck. The question (which has been burning in the minds of many a craft beer fan and La Mesa resident): When will Bolt Brewery (8179 Center Street, La Mesa) …

The word Caticorn is thrown about quite a bit at my workplace. It’s a noun meaning “liquid stress reliever,” referring to the India pale ale served at nearby Offbeat Brewing Company, a favorite post-work hang …

I make a living reporting what happens in the local craft beer scene, but in my spare time, I use my special superpowers to ensure that neighborhoods I live and work in receive their very …

When it comes to breweries, Vista’s motto is “come one, come all.” The City has embraced the budding craft beer industry and is currently home to 10 operating brewhouses. Come the end of the month, …

It used to be nearly every week I had a new brewery to write about. Nowadays, it’s like I have a new brewery tasting room to talk about. This week is no different. Joining the …

Some things in life are given — death, taxes, and Stone Brewing Co. putting out an India pale ale (IPA) to celebrate its anniversary. To date, 11 of Stone’s 18 anniversary brews have been IPAs. …

I’ve been able to oversee the development of several local breweries from conception to brick-and-mortar status. Among them are Societe Brewing Company, Nickel Beer Co., and URBN St. Brewing Co. The latter officially opened last …

The adage “never judge a book by its cover” is usually doled out for good things that don’t look so hot. Recently, the reverse was applicable when I walked into Dos Desperados Brewery (1241 Linda …

Last week, we explored Pacific Brewing Company, one of two nanobreweries in a Mira Mesa business park. This week, we’ll stumble the 30 or so yards from that spot to the fluorescent-hued domain of their …

At my Escondido-based day job, it’s not irregular to go looking for members of management only to learn they’ve headed out for an off-site powwow. Such meetings of the minds often involve craft beer — …

Driving by at normal speed, you might miss the handful of Mira Mesa business suites atop the hill near the intersection of Miralani Drive and Camino Ruiz, but that small complex houses two brewing companies. …

When I first met Chuck and Jaime McLaughlin, the owners of Fallbrook Brewing Company (136 North Main Avenue, Fallbrook), I thought they were a sweet couple with a lot of heart. They were still building …

A fire broke out in the tasting room at Wet ‘N Reckless Brewery (10054 Mesa Ridge Court, #132, Mira Mesa) the night of July 27, causing significant damage. According to reports, repairs were being made …

Because sports appeal to both macro and craft beer fans alike, many of the latter are familiar with the following scenario. You’re headed to Petco Park to take in a Padres game with a friend. …

Dustin Hauck knew he wanted to go into business for himself, and in November 2011, after many years spent working on hospitality projects, he did just that. The timing couldn’t have been worse. The economy …

This weekend, Stone Brewing Co., my employer, announced that it will be the first American craft brewing company to own and operate a brewery in Europe when it opens the doors to a 43,000-plus square …

There’s nothing quite like a day spent at the track, picking the ponies and, hopefully, taking home some cash. For the longest time, doing so meant settling for Del Margaritas. I know, I know…first-world problems. …

When most San Diegans sit down to a heady pint of a red ale, they expect a nose full of piney hoppiness followed by flavor that matches that olfactory promise. Living here, it’s no wonder. …

My friend and I sat at a table decorated with craft beer bottle labels, staring out at the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. The beach was only 30 yards or so away; we could …

When I catch wind of a new brewery project, I feel a jolt of electricity shoot through me. I realize this speaks to the near-obsessive depth of my craft beer enthusiasm, but it is what …

The World Cup is over, which means we can put all of our ill will toward Belgium behind us. It’s actually in our best interest and the timing couldn’t be better. Belgian Independence Day is …

Mike and Greg Hess have come a long way from the mid-‘90s, when they lived in San Francisco and Philadelphia, respectively, and would share news of their homebrewing adventures over the phone. Back then, their …

Stan Sisson’s love affair with hard cider dates back even longer than his decades-plus homebrewing career. Inspired by his grandfather-in-laws forays into tangerine wine-making using bread yeast, Stan added champagne yeast to apple juice to …

A few weeks back, a reader tweeted to me, stating that when they went to check out my San Diego Beer News articles on the local craft beer scene, the webpage background displayed an ad …

Felines are known for being sly, but when I asked the folks behind The Fat Cat Beer Co. what they were all about, they were very forthcoming. While others may have skirted the question of …

When I first heard the name “The Bellowsman,” I assumed the Societe Brewing Company beer bearing that handle had been brewed especially for local publican Ivan Derezin. After all, the brew debuted around the same …

Last week, I told the story of two brothers working to open a Bitter Brothers Brewing Company in Bay Ho. Turns out, there’s another pair of fraternal siblings doing the same thing over in Scripps …

It’s only 1,202 square feet, but when all is said and done, the satellite tasting room Port Brewing Company and The Lost Abbey are inserting into Cardiff Towne Center Complex (2007 San Elijo Avenue, Cardiff) …

The San Diego craft beer community extends beyond brewers to brewery employees and those who aspire to get into the industry. Members of each of these factions recently collaborated on a special beer brewed to …

I didn’t believe in fate and things that were meant to be... until I met my wife. Once she came along, things just started falling into place. My life would be nowhere near the same …

Tom Nickel isn’t one of those bandwagoners who become infatuated with futbol every four years. He follows soccer year-round, travels the world to take in matches at storied arenas, and has made his bar, O’Brien’s …

In addition to my work as a journalist covering the San Diego brewing scene, I proudly act as an ambassador for the region. There are few things as rewarding as exposing people to this county’s …

At my day job, my colleagues and I recently brainstormed potential names for a saison. A rangy ale style originally brewed on French and Belgian farmsteads, we toyed with many farm-inspired names. In the end, …

Despite tackling a wider range of beer styles than almost any brewery in the county, Rip Current Brewing Company (1325 Grand Avenue, San Marcos) has only dabbled in Belgian-inspired beers. That’s about to change big-time …

The first half of this year has included huge news for AleSmith Brewing Company. In addition to the announcement that the company will be moving into a building all its own with five times the …

Each year, homebrewers across the country kill the flame on their portable burners and journey to the National Homebrewers Conference, where they can confer with fellow domestic fermentation enthusiasts over (many) beers. But there’s more …

When I checked out Modern Times’ original Point Loma tasting room, I made the company’s Black House Coffee Stout a Beer of the Week. So, earlier this week, when taking in the Flavordome — Modern …

Yesterday, I shared the top five most intriguing brewery projects on deck throughout San Diego County. Today, I’m disclosing the seven that round out my top 12 and why. 6 - Prodigy Brewing Company: When …

I can remember when there were fewer than 45 operating brewhouses in San Diego County. Now, that’s the number of planned and in-the-works brewing facilities I am keeping track of. With new businesses coming online …

Santee is about to get an infusion of island style courtesy of Pacific Islander Brewing Company. Founded by a trio who’s two-thirds Hawaiian who are finalizing their lease, the business is set to be installed …

Poway’s Lightning Brewery is mostly known for its lagers and other true-to-form Germanic offerings such as Elemental Pilsner, Thunderweizen, and Ionizer Lager.

To meander through downtown Sonoma and stop in at a winery tasting room or two feels natural. One is in the middle of wine country, after all. Why wouldn’t a winemaker looking to increase the …

I am in awe of birthday celebrants with the foresight, ability, and friendship base to stretch their special day into a full week of good times. So, I can’t help but to marvel a bit …

Regular readers of my column are familiar with Premier Stainless Systems. The Escondido-based business has been wildly successful over the past several years, establishing itself as, well, the “premier” manufacturer of brewing systems locally and …

Last year, I packed up my laptop and tasting glass, and boarded a plane for Japan, where I spent a week shadowing brewers from Coronado Brewing Company. The highlight of the trip was being a …

Without camaraderie, the San Diego craft beer scene would be much different—and much smaller. It’s the cooperation of local breweries through the San Diego Brewers Guild and on individual, inter-brewery levels that has allowed so …