Brew Tour 6: San Diego

Schnake came from Milwaukee. Piper came from Mobile, Alabama. And the rest of us rendezvoused from NorCal. On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, Brew Tour came to San Diego, baby.

That night, we hit Coronado Brewing, and many people were fans of the Mermaids Red Ale, an easy-drinkin, medium-bodied brew with cinnamon notes. Gagner liked both the Idiot and Islander IPAs, but the group as a whole leaned towards the Islander, which had a "weedier" nose and lower ABV.

Thursday began at Ballast Point Brewing, a disappointment overall. After we had sampled the Wahoo Wheat and Yellowtail Pale, Pipes said, "They've got a lot of awards up there. Sure can't be for those two beers." The Yellowtail was described as "clam juice" or "olive water," and the Calico Amber also had a weird "food" note. The saving grace was the Even Keel Pale Ale, a high hop brew with only 3% alcohol. (I learned that these low-gravity beers are known as "session" beers.) Gagner was a big fan of the Even Keel, but Rookie asked, "Someone remind me what's good about low alcohol?" We were also impressed that Ballast sold koozies for growlers.

On to AleSmith, one of the true highlights of the tour. The X Extra Pale Ale was termed a "newbie's IPA," a clean, fresh pale with pushed hops. The Anvil got me to take notice of ESBs, as it was mild and drinkable with some complexity, including dried apricot notes. It also happened to be the exact color of Piper's hair. Of course, everyone is freakin in love with the AleSmith IPA. We were lucky enough to chat with Todd, the brewmaster, since Jeff and Diane/Wilma know him, and he is a champion of American hops, dumping loads of Tomahawk, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Cascade into that heavenly IPA. Todd explained that they have weird distribution -- Denmark? -- but luckily we can get it right at home at City Beer Store. They seem poised on the brink of serious growth.

Then we moved into the high-gravity beers, and I anticipated a full-on kick to the head but was surprised by the palatability and friendliness of the strong ales. Snake said, "We ready" for the Wee Heavy, a brew that seemed better suited to top pancakes. The Old Numbskull, an 11% ABV barleywine, was a "mouthful of pot pourri" for Rookie, but I was surprised how balanced (not overly sweet) it was for a gnarly barley. The real winner, though, was the Speedway Stout, promptly renamed the "speedball" for its strong coffee charge. We were a little confused, though -- is it caffeinated? Does the caffeine molecule survive fermentation? Any enlightenment appreciated. From the way Snake and Jeff were guzzling, it had some kinda buzz going on.

Special thanks to Abby for serving us. We forgot to ask for her husband, Scott, at Green Flash on Saturday, but we sure appreciate a cool microbrew couple! AleSmith had that great Speakeasy-esque vibe of being right in their warehouse: no frills, all quality.

So then we wound our way through more office parks and tried to go to Hess, but they aren't even open yet. We are banging down the doors! But at least we got to stop in at African Accents.

Next stop, Firehouse, which had a great scene with a large patio to soak up the SoCal sun. Most of the brewjas opted for the Diego Especial, a Corona-like brew that suited the weather. Rookie thought the American Pale smelled "like a hamper"; Alana nailed the evergreen notes in the IPA. They were pouring Hop Farmer from the bottle, and SG thought it had a good ratio of hop to sweet to spice/kick.

We ate dinner at the Blind Lady Ale House, a San Diego beer mecca. Many tourists flipped for this black IPA; I think it was from Alpine, but my notes get a little sketchy at this point. Their collection of vintage beer cans captivated SG, along with the old Hamms billboard that took up one wall. Very cool spot, well worth visiting.

Friday started with some surfing and a barbecue at our PHAT beach house before heading out to Breakwater Brewing in Oceanside. It had that mall/sports bar look from the outside, but inside, beer treasures awaited us. They lean towards the floral, aromatic, herbal brews and play around with fruit in interesting ways. When we got to the blind tasting, SG pointed out that most of the beers could be ID'ed by smell alone. The Beach Honey was deemed "slammable" by Snake, with some citrus notes. The Hibiscus had a lot of rose hips to it, Kool-Aid-y but good. The Kali Kush SPA was one of my top three beers of the tour, and CSA was right there with me. It's a sage ale, though we all smelled rosemary, that tasted like walking through a field in bloom. Honeysuckle, elderflower, moonbeams and sweet dreams. Love love love.

Gagner called the DMJ IPA "sweet hop con nectar" with a slight soapiness according to Snake and "50% musky" according to EBA. I thought it smelled better than it tasted. The Berry Kriek was the first beer I've ever had of that style, and I think it could be a gateway to lambics. CSA called it a "mature wine cooler," and Rookie thought "Toucan Sam took a shit." But Serena liked it enough to order it. The Belgian Strong was easier for me to deal with that most beers of that style, though it got the shoe from Piper. I had also never tried a Braggot, which was 65% mead and 35% red ale in this case. I found it champagney, and CSA thought it had a "Martinelli" quality of apple mash. Snake ordered the Mavericks Double IPA, a beer I thought demonstrated restraint and control "rather than just trying to make a point about what IPA can be." (Yes, I just quoted myself.) Overall, a lot of impressive beers at Breakwater, proving that you can't judge a brewery by its cheesy facade.

Then we went and chowed at Pizza Port Carlsbad, but I was having so much fun hanging out with Brian and Melissa and their three awesome kids that I didn't take any notes. I know people liked the Wipeout. And it was an impressive establishment, with a "real ales" cask event going on and a bottle shop that made us all drool (and spend money).

Our last day of touring started at Green Flash, eagerly anticipated by CSA. It was tough to find in the business park, with street names like Corporate View, but we made it. The Hop Head Red was one of the most popular beers of the tour, loved by EBA and me in particular. My kinda beer, fo sho. It's the style of red we tried to make our In the Red red. The award-winning West Coast IPA did not disappoint, either. Those Simcoe hops give it a gorgeous grapefruit acidity and aromatic bitterness. Alana was the sole fan of the Imperial IPA; others found it oniony, eggy, sulfury. The American ESB furthered my new love of ESB, in that it's well-rounded, malty, mild without being beginner. None of us liked the Le Freak, calling it "Belgiany/assy," but we are a little wimpy when it comes to that style of beer.

On to Port Brewing/Lost Abbey. This place was amazing, though Chunk found it a bit "Chuck E. Cheese." Super busy, full of lots of very young, rowdy, tattooed, "Sublime tribute band" beer enthusiasts. More tour busses and a Hummer limo. The cops even made a brief appearance. With so many beers to sample, I'll try to recap the highlights. The Arbses loved the Summer Pale Ale, light and inviting. I found the Hop 15 -- so named because it is hopped 15 times during the boil -- to be one of my top three beers of the tour. Hop elegance if I've ever tasted it. The Mongo Double IPA rode in the same vein but got too blown out for me. The other big star of the show was the Midnight Sessions, a smoky black lager made from the second runnings of the Serpent Stout. (Wort from the semi-spent grains, resulting in lower gravity.) Black lagers really give the best of both worlds: light and drinkable but dark and complex. Maybe someday we'll have a whole fridge setup to brew lagers...

They do a lot of high-gravity beers at the Abbey, probably topped by the Bourbon Angel Share. Snake was obsessed: "If I ever come back here, I will walk in, order a pint of the Angel Share, and that will be my day." SG found it to be "more booze than beer," but apparently that suits Snake just fine. (Snake explained the name Angel Share as the wine or distilled spirit lost to evaporation from barrels.) CD found the Abbey beers overall too sweet, asking of the Ten Commandments, "What can you even do with this?" Rookie called it "rosemary, chicken, turkey, Thanksgiving dinner."

One of the most amazing parts of Lost Abbey was the brewery cats, with one that looked exactly like our Gonzo! We le freaked with joy when he ran in, bounced off Scott's lap, and settled right down on one of the grain sacks that top the barrel seats. Apparently, his name is Cascade, and his counterpart, Amarillo, was found lounging right on the bar later. So cute. Alana also met the members of some band whose logo is a horse with no legs... (What was the name of that band again, A-dog?) Also, my mom saw us wave to her on the live tasting room web cam!

Finally, after a fro-yo stop, we arrived at Stone. Holy shit. It's a megaplex in the middle of nowhere. It is over-the-top fancy. It is Disneyland. Or Vegas. Full of families and yuppies. When we arrived at like 5:30, there were no spots in the parking lot, and I liken the size of the lot to one at a ski resort. We couldn't get on the 6 or 7 o'clock tour. So we just lounged around the beautiful gardens with delicious beers until our dinner reservation.

I didn't get a ton of tasting notes down, but I for one really like the oaked Arrogant Bastard. I like the regular AB but find it a little one-dimensional, and the barrels give it the extra component it needs to go from solid to special. Snake tried the Cali-Belgique IPA, and I think he regretted it. CD was digging on the Levitation all night, and the IPA is well executed, though not as amazing as some others we had on tour. The food was overpriced but good, and it was somehow a fitting end to an epic tour. We joked that it is the opposite of Feather River Brewing, Roger's garage operation in Magalia, CA. Takes all kinds, I guess. We did get a bunch of schwag, semi-reluctantly because the place is such a bohemoth, but the clothes were cute and small enough for girls for once.

Brew Tour 6 was truly one for the ages. We went upscale for the first time and luxuriated in our hot tub and at the gorgeous beach. It's amazing that we swam at the Humboldt coast last year, SD this year -- spanning our great state of beer. We had some amazing local folks join us and show us their town: Diane/Wilma and Andre, John E and Jeff B, Jason aka Jack Black and Bree, hilarious, fun people who "got" our mission and shared in the fun.

One final shout out to our mascot, narrator, fearless leader, entertainment, Stella Bea. You are an inspiration, hitting three tours before your second birthday, and we love watching you grow and change. You will be a true brew connoisseur someday soon.

See you next year in Sacramento and surrounding brew environs!