San Diego World Beer Cup Winners
Over the weekend, winners from the World Beer Cup, the Olympics of beer, were announced during the closing ceremonies of the Craft Brewers Conference at San Diego’s Town & Country Resort. The biennial event is the largest brewing competition in …
An Early Morning Surprise at the Julian Gold Rush Hotel
The weekend before last, I took a rare vacation. Well, I did end up working and, technically, I’m writing this post, so it was, at best, a working vacation or, at worst, a testament to my inability to give myself …
Coming Attractions: Peri Peri in La Jolla
The former Vigilucci's space in La Jolla has a new tenant set to take over. Namely, William Sussman, a native South African with more than 20 years of restaurant experience, who will be installing his South African resto concept in …
Initial Impressions at Anny's Fine Burger
I'd just finished a 12-hour workday during which I hadn't had a thing to eat. My stomach was growling, I was too tired to cook, and I was in Kearny Mesa. All the conditions were right to try a place …
Stone to Rogue Beer Tour Companies: You're Cut Off!
Many brewery tasting room visitors will recognize this scene. A placid space filled with craft beer fanatics and newcomers alike. Pleasant conversations between both factions over a few brews. Sometimes, the brewhouse staff who created them get in on the …
They Had Me at Maytag Blue
Usually, going to a ballgame is a regrettable in-and-out affair for me. My schedule typically doesn’t allow for much more than an express trip down the 163 (traffic permitting), followed by a typically fruitless search for decent parking, followed by …
A Cool Beer Event Learned About at a Cool Beer Event
This weekend, while taking in Stone Brewing Co.’s annual ode to rare wood-aged brews, Oakquinox, I ran into a well-known figure in San Diego beer enthusiast circles. Her name is Vicki Davis and her visibility in the local scene has …
Coming Attractions: Hillcrest Brewing Company
It’s getting to the point where seeing a San Diego neighborhood without a brewery is an oddity akin to finding one without a taco shop. Such glaring voids are being filled at a rapid clip. One community that’s about to …
Monkey Paw Pub: Yes You Can Can
What’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys? Perhaps a can of Monkey Paw beer. Hard to know at this point, since that beer is currently only available at the East Village’s Monkey Paw Pub and Brewery and a small …
Ballast Point Looking Into Locations for Third Brewery
The world’s reigning Small Brewing Company (as awarded at the World Beer Cup, the next biennial iteration of which will occur in San Diego the first weekend of May) is looking to grow. Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits is currently …
A Beer Pairing Dinner Based on...Cupcakes?
They say candy’s dandy, but liquor’s quicker. Put the two together and you’ve got the sweet line of baked goods that is local dessert company, PubCakes. From the La Mesa home base she shares with Treehouse Coffee, owner Misty Birchall …
Coming Attractions: The Summer of Karl
A month ago, I shared details on Karl Strauss Brewing Company’s expansion of their production facility. That project, which is scheduled to debut in late summer, includes installation of a 20-tap bar, outdoor beer garden, private event spaces and a …
Two SD County Breweries Make U.S. Top 50
Earlier today, the Brewers Association, that trade group that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, announced the country’s top 50 craft brewing companies. Total 2011 beer sales volume was the deciding factor. Two San Diego County companies made that list. …
Beer Touring: Black Market Brewing Company
I had fond memories of their Rye IPA, and had tasted their Hefeweizen and Brown Ale a number of times around town, but it wasn’t until Easter weekend that I finally made it out to Black Market Brewing Company’s home …
New San Diego Beer Cookbook On Tap
Last night, I attended a dinner put on by four local food and brewing industry personalities. It was held at a private residence and featured plenty of delicious dishes and beer that was consumed on the backyard patio. Sounds like …
Coming Attraction: Green Flash-Founders Linchpin White IPA
When Green Flash Brewing Company moved into their new digs in Mira Mesa, there was no doubt theirs would become a beery gathering place. The large, well-stocked tasting room alone guaranteed that. Of late, however, it’s the brewery that’s been …
A Peek at the Beer List from the Final Real Ale Festival
Last month, I shared the bittersweet news (bitter because there was hoppy beer involved, sweet because it meant San Diego’s beer scene has come a long way) that, after 15 years of cask-conditioned memories, the organizers behind Pizza Port’s Real …
Chefs Unite to Support the Next Generation
When I first heard the term "Chef Celebration," I had no idea what it meant. It was bandied about in conjunction with a series of dinners in which a handful of chefs from different restaurants converged at a central venue …
East Village Is Getting an Infusion of Milk & Honey
The East Village is about to get an infusion of milk and honey when bartender Sam Ross ventures beyond a wall of fake kegs and behind the bar at cocktail heaven Noble Experiment. Ross has made quite a name for …
SOL Markets Bistro Open for Business
Back in January, I put local edible foragers on notice that SOL Markets was opening their first grocery store in Liberty Station. That happened back in February. Since then, they’ve seen a steady trickle of customers, but really had the …