February 2010
1 post
this is one sechs-y valentines day beer! →
beets? cocoa nibs? we’re smitten.
December 2009
7 posts
virgin america brings craft to the sky (and all... →
drink-about →
Victory
… at Sea. A new batch has hit the shelves at both Ballast Point locations! Why not check out the redesigned Homebrew Mart this weekend and pick up a few bottles of this delicious wintery treat?
Dogfish Head pub in Fairfax →
Glad to see the hometown welcoming the craft. Hat’s off to mom for cluing me in to this one! (and for agreeing to try some new beers when we go!)
UVA magazine spotlight on Charlie Papazian →
20 Things Worth Knowing About Beer →
In attention-span-friendly cartoon form (thx DougOLis!)
who owns what →
what do stella artois, blue moon, hoegaarden, and leinenkugel all have in common? they’re all the enemy in disguise. drink the craft, people, drink the craft.
November 2009
5 posts
Homebrew store opens in North Park →
There’s not much to see on the website yet, but Home Brews and Gardens is a new home brew supply shop opening on Thorn between Herman and 32nd in North Park. Their grand opening is Sunday, December 6 from noon to 6, with live music and food provided by Sea Rocket Bistro.
Ladies, it's beer time →
While there are apparently still some numbskulls out there who think women only drink white wine and cocktails (including, we hear, a few check-out clerks at a certain beverage store in La Jolla), there’s quite a few people who get that craft beer is revered by both sexes. Stone Brewing Co. ranks right up there in the latter category, so if you’re a craft-beer loving lady, check out...
dogfish head burton baton →
amazing hop aroma followed be sweet vanilla finish. Part of BLind Lady’s SDBW barrel-aged flight. delicious.
Drinkthecraft.com is live! →
After more than two months, a handful of missteps, and a few frustrating emails, we are happy to announce that drinkthecraft.com is live! And just in time for @sdbeerweek too! It’s far from perfect and rather lacking in content, but it’s there. Keep checking back over the next few weeks (especially #sdbw09) as we add to the site.
O'Briens Beer Week Lineup →
If you could only pick one establishment to go to all week next week, well, I’d want to be here.
October 2009
2 posts
pumpkin carving, arrogant style →
Michael’s Bistro is an old Drink the Craft haunt in Charlottesville, VA, and it’s no surprise (but certainly a delight) to see such craftsmanship from their patrons!
i know it's hard... →
It’s a tough choice, but vote for your favorite Southern California brewery over at thefullpint.com.
September 2009
18 posts
Congratulations GABF winners! →
beer and cheese? yes please! →
Small Bar: First Impressions
Scott Blair and Dennis Borlek (of Hamiltons fame) debuted Small Bar last week, inviting the University Heights neighborhood to take part in San Diego’s growing craft beer scene. It takes very little convincing to visit the place once you know it is being run by Dennis and Blair…but in case you want a few more details, here’s Drink the Craft’s first impression.
We visited...
SD Beer Fest Standouts
Over 60 breweries were represented at the San Diego Beer Festival on Friday, pouring a seemingly endless array of craft beers for a large, very thirsty crowd. While the selection was vast and varied, a handful of the 100+ beers clearly stood out above the rest. Here were Drink the Craft’s favorites:
Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Extra. This was the surprise of the night. A hoppy IPA brewed...
small bar →
Portland vs. San Diego beer culture: L.A. weighs... →
Sean Inman of L.A.-based Food GPS offers a pretty objective look at beer city vs. beer city. Although, I have to say, it is really difficult to read without fostering an extremely biased opinion of your own. Despite (or maybe because of) the lack of a McMeniman’s-esque empire in San Diego, I know where my heart lies.
Nickel 4 Breakfast
O’Brien’s Pub owner Tom Nickel will be on 91X’s Beer 4 Breakfast tomorrow at 8:15. Tune in for his thoughts on Old Rasputin, details on Friday’s San Diego Festival of Beer, and whatever other beer musings happen in the wee hours of the morning.
CHOW talks beer with Vinnie Cilurzo →
Grant Achatz's 8-part series on wine pairing... →
Ok, ok, it’s not beer, but aren’t you curious about what one of America’s most talented chefs has to say about pairing food with beverages? On a side note, I wonder how many aspiring chefs have taken a sabbatical to go work in a brewery? On another side note, I wonder what it would take to get Alinea to offer a beer pairing option?
Get Your AleSmith on
In celebration of their 2nd Anniversary, the Ritual Tavern has stocked their taps withAleSmith, and are offering flights of 3—plus a taste of brewer Peter Zien’s goat cheese—for just $6. Their description of the event is so tantalizing you won’t want to pass it up:
“Imagine how you will react when faced with all three beers at once. Consider that they might include...
what is better than Sculpin? →
sculpin paired with pork belly, of course! tonite at the Linkery.
Pick-Your-Own Hops at Star B Ranch
San Diego is home to many things beer-related, but it’s not home to one key element of beer production: ingredients. Barley and wheat haven’t been grown here for decades, and hops, while springing up in a handful of homebrewer’s backyards, are hardly plentiful enough to support a craft-brewery sized operation. Until now.
This summer, Star B Buffalo Ranch debuted its first...
Sour Wench @ Ballast Point
Party in a Scripps Ranch industrial park this Thursday. It’s Sour Wench time.
From Ballast Point:
“In order to keep our good beer friends happy, we are going to break out one of the last of these kegs for our Thursday special up at our Scripps Ranch Brewery. You will only have a couple more chances to try this one before it is all gone, so come by and have a pint of the purple...
A Drink the Craft Exclusive: Q&A with...
I came across a quote the other day that I think bears repeating…and then hanging on the wall:
“It is essential to the livelihood of craft beer that more and more people get turned on to it, and this can only happen with a more welcoming, inclusive attitude from those who claim to be most enthusiastic about the stuff.”
(-mentioned here, by Tammy Tuck and Bruce Falconer, who...
4 tags
A Second Saturday Not to Miss
Hamilton’s Second Saturdays are an institution in the craft beer scene here in San Diego, a recurring celebration of local breweries and beer-friendly food. Each one showcases a different brewery, featuring a lineup of (very decently priced) beers on tap as well as complementary grub.
And it looks like September’s Second Saturday is one for the history books, folks. Ballast Point will...
August 2009
16 posts
3 tags
It's a Holiday for Homebrew
Holiday Wine Cellars in Escondido has announced their first ever homebrew competition to commemorate their 45th anniversary. There’s no entry fee, and the winner will have the chance to brew a 15-gallon batch of their beer with Patrick Rue of the Bruery, plus have their beer for sale—in bottles at HWC and on tap at select bars around town.
If you’re interested in entering, you...
Pick Your Own Hops
at Star B Ranch in Ramona. At least that’s what a flier at HomeBrew Mart advertised.
Local Brews to Beat the Heat
It’s HOT in San Diego this weekend. Scorching hot. Which means that when the sun goes down (or before), a thirst-quenching pint is in order. Here are a few* local thirst-quenchers to help you beat the heat:
Ballast Point’s Longfin Lager
This is Ballast Point’s take on the German Helles style—a straw-colored colored lager with a medium body and subtle flavor. From the...
Raise a Glass to Beer Country... →
…especially if you live in it!
Pete Rowe on Cooks Confab →
From last Wednesday’s U-T, a reflection on the Cooks Confab beer dinner earlier this month. Intrigued? The next event might not feature beer, but it does feature pig!
Tomorrow's Menu →
If you don’t have a ticket, some vicarious enjoyment!
Neighborhood Introduces Craft Cocktails
Neighborhood, the hip beer and burger bar on 7th and G downtown, announced the introduction of craft coctails to their drink lineup, which (for the record), is already one of the best in downtown San Diego (27 taps and a short but quality bottle list).
From their website:
“Starting Saturday, August 22nd Neighborhood will continue the tradition of celebrating thoughtfully crafted beverages...
Stone Brewing Co.:Tempting Through Twitter →
Don’t look at Stone’s twitter feed if you aren’t going to the 13th anniversary fest this weekend. It will make you wish you had a ticket.
are you a beer geek or a beer snob? →
Fermentation Workshop
Well, it’s not beer, but San Diego Food Not Lawns will be hosting a fermentation workshop next week as part of their week-long Edible City Celebration. Learn how to make ginger ale and kimchee.
The details:
Monday, Aug 24 - Fermentation
Learn how to make kimchee and ginger ale. Ginger ale making is now even easier than ever. We’ll be sharing the latest recipe that allows people...
Ballast Point Old Grove Gin Debut
Ballast Point Spirits’ Old Grove Gin has hit stores. Or at least one store. It’s on the shelves at Holiday Wine Center in Escondido. No news yet on where else it can be bought.
America's Breweries Break Pre-Prohibition Record
Charlie Papazian muses on the Brewer’s Association’s mid-year report, which concluded that there are 1,525 breweries in America. 1,525! According to Papazian, the previous record for the highest number of breweries dates back to 1910, when there were 1,498. Huzzah for record breaking brewing!
I’m excited about this for two reasons. a) that’s 1,525 breweries out there that...
3 tags
Alesmith on Cask at Linkery →
The next up in the Linkery’s food and beer pairing evenings showcases AleSmith on cask. $8 will get you a half glass of any beer, paired with a small dish crafted to marry the flavors. The cask lineup looks like Old Numbskull (barleywine), Speedway Stout, Wee Heavy (Scotch ale), Nautical Nut Brown, and Decadance 2008, their anniversary ale. Four other AleSmith beers will be on draught. For...
1 tag
2 tags
San Diego Beer Week: November 6 - 15 →
The schedule is starting to shape up for the first ever San Diego Beer Week in November… best be clearing your calendar for that week.
Thirsty?
Thirst-quenching craft beer news coming soon!