David Moyé | Noticias del Centro
Downtown residents and visitors will be swimming in suds between Nov. 1-10, thanks to the annual brouhaha (or “brew haha”) known as San Diego Beer Week.
Now in its fifth year, Beer Week has already become a major event in the region for visitors and residents alike, growing from 9,000 participants when it started in 2009 to 20,000 last year.
Organizers say the economic contribution of craft brewers is more than 1.5 times greater than Comic-Con, but John Egan, the brewer for Mission Brewery on L St., isn’t so sure.
“It’s getting big, but I haven’t seen anyone dress up in a giant beer costume,” he said. “Hopefully, I won’t.”
Egan estimates that 20 to 30 percent of the people celebrating Beer Week will be out-of-towners and he said his brewery is hopping up to the challenge of impressing them.
“We will be serving special cask-conditioned beers during Beer Week and we just started selling 32-ounce cans that people can have filled at the brewery.”
The Brewery also plans a Nov. 9 party to celebrate the publication of “The San Diego Brewery Guide,” which is billed as the first comprehensive guide to more than 70 San Diego County breweries.
San Diego Beer Week president Brian Scott, a brewer for Karl Strauss, said momentum for Beer Week has increased exponentially in the last five years.
“People are more educated in beer now,” he said. “San Diegans have made the IPA our own, but now the function of Beer Week is to promote a whole range of styles. Breweries will be putting their best foot forward and stocking beers not usually offered.”
A perfect example takes place Nov. 4, when Neighborhood in the East Village teams up with The Lost Abbey brewery to hold a special tasting of 13 incredibly rare brews that are off the market and will never be reproduced again.
Other Downtown restaurants celebrating Beer Week include PrepKitchen in Little Italy, which has asked Hanger 24 to provide five special beers on Nov. 2, including one made especially for PrepKitchen. Anyone who orders a Hanger 24 beer that day will get a special glass to take home.
Katsuya in the Gaslamp is using Beer Week to introduce Kirin Ichiban Frozen Beer, a concoction popular in Japan that is made with frozen draft beer and topped with a smooth 23°F frozen beer foam to maintain the temperature and texture of the brew.
Many Downtown-based hospitality employees appreciate Beer Week, but few with the gusto of Chef Paul Rinaudo of Spike Africa.
“You can’t not be involved with Beer Week,” he said. “When I worked at JSix, 60 to 70 percent of the tourists at Hotel Solamar were there for the beer.”
Rinaudo is excited about his Nov. 6 Beer Week dinner, which will pair various pieces of fresh seafood with different beer styles from Ballast Point Brewery.
“I like to pair bold flavors with bold flavors,” he said. “For instance, smoked salmon goes great with a Belgian-style beer.”
Although the extra-hoppy San Diego IPA has put the city’s craft beer on the map, Rinaudo agrees with Scott that hop heads are now open to sampling other styles.
So is he.
“As a member of the hospitality industry, I appreciate what Beer Week means, but the best part for me is definitely sampling all the beers,” Rubaudo explained.
For more information on San Diego Beer Week, check out sdbw.org.
El nativo de San Diego, David Moye, escribe Weird News para el Huffington Post. Puedes obtener más información sobre él en huffingtonpost.com/david-moye.
Beer Week events
FRI – NOV 1
Pre-VIP Brewery Takeover at Acoustic Ales
12 – 7 p.m. at Acoustic Ales Tasting Room, 2120 W Washington St.
Swing by Acoustic Ales to try a new version of the beer-battered chicken waffle taco created by “Buffalo Souldiers” before the VIP Brewery Takeover.
Johnny Brown’s 5el Annual Barrel Night
5 p.m. at Downtown Johnny Brown’s, 1220 3rd St.
23 amazing barrel-aged beers on tap. Plus complimentary appetizers. Beers from Lost Abbey, The Bruery, Hanger 24, Deschutes, Stone, Ballast Point and Port Brewing.
SD Brewers Guild Festival: VIP Brewer Takeover – $75
6 – 9 p.m. at Broadway Pier, 1000 N. Harbor Dr.
The official kick-off event for San Diego Beer Week. This exclusive event will showcase San Diego’s finest, rare, and specialty beers from local breweries, including offerings brewed just for this event. All-inclusive ticket includes unlimited beer samples offered throughout the evening coupled with unlimited food samples
from local craft-beer friendly restaurants.
SAT – NOV 2
Beer and Cheese Pairing – $25
5 – 9 p.m. at Acoustic Ales Tasting Room, 2120 W Washington St.
Acoustic Ales teams up with “Spring Hill” organic cheeses. Enjoy 5 ounce tasters of beer to go with 5 different delicious cheeses.
SUN – NOV 3
Wet Hop Flight Day with the Brewers – $12
12 – 5 p.m. at Acoustic Ales Tasting Room, 2120 W Washington St.
Flight of 4-five ounce tasters of our brand new Fresh Hop Extra Pale Ale Series. Test out the different hop characteristics between Citra, Chinook, Mosaic and one brew with a combination as the brewer’s guide you through this deliciously fresh series. Our fresh hops went straight from Yakima, Washington to our boil in 24 hours. We will also be presenting filtered creations of some of our favorite brews.
An Evening with AleSmith
7 p.m. – midnight at UnderBelly, 750 W. Fir St.
Beer lineup to be announced. Special limited edition “Underbelly x AleSmith” T-Shirt will be released the same evening. Get pumped.
MON – NOV 4
MNF w/ Karl Strauss Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter
5 – 9 p.m. at Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery, 805 16el St.
The most hyped beer of SDBW will be here for a keep the glass/refill special during Monday Night Football! The keg most likely will not last through the first half so get here early and make sure you get your dose of this decadent elixir.
The Lost Abbey Ultimate Box Set Listening Party & Encore by Port Brewing – $50
7 p.m. – midnight at Neighborhood, 777 G St.
On Monday, November 4th at 7:00 PM, 30 lucky individuals will gather at Noble Experiment for a tasting series of the 13 special edition brews from the Ultimate Box Set. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased on site at Neighborhood for $50. This event is strictly limited to 30 people, so don’t delay in picking up your tickets (which you can grab on-site at Neighborhood).
TUES – NOV 5
Boobs, Brats, and Beers to Help Find the Cure!
4 – 8 p.m. at Acoustic Ales, 2120 W Washington St.
Acoustic Ales and Salt N’ Cleaver have teamed up to raise money for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk For the Cure. Enjoy an Acoustic Ales Rib-Eye Brat (Vegetarian option available), a flight of 4 beers to pair, raffles, prizes and much more!
WED – NOV 6
All about Boobs, Sausages, and Beer!
5 – 8 p.m. at Acoustic Ales 2120 W Washington St.
Time to save those boobs and we are doing it through sausages! “Salt N’ Cleaver” is hookin it up with some beer infused Rib-Eye Brats (and a vegetarian version with Kale, Rice, Beer and other num nums) and “Acoustic Ales’ will be pairing these sausages up with some perfect brewskies! Come out and support a great cause, great food, and great brews as we donate all proceeds to the Breast Cancer Foundation and contribute towards finding the cure!
Bottle & Kegged: San Diego’s Craft Brew Culture – $69
6 – 9 p.m. at San Diego History Center, Balboa Park, 1649 El Prado, Suite #3
Join Ballast Point, Mike Hess Brewing, Modern Times and Saint Archer for a night of Craft Beer, Food Pairing, Education and Interaction. This is a free flow tasting stations beer dinner. A chance to enjoy 8 unique craft beers and gourmet food pairings, talk with the chefs and brewers, and learn about the history of San Diego’s craft beer industry and culture. Attendees will enjoy 8 food pairings, unlimited samples of 8 specially chosen craft beers and entrance into the ”Bottled & Kegged: San Diego Craft Beer Culture” exhibit.
An Evening with Hitachino
7 p.m. – midnight at UnderBelly, 750 W. Fir St.
UnderBelly will team up with Hitachino for an encore of their hit event last year. They will once again be releasing a Limited Edition collaboration hoodie, which you can check out below. Last year the Hitachino hoodies were gone in under an hour, so this is definitely an event to keep on your radar. More details coming soon.
THURS – NOV 7
The Other Side of Stone: Not Too Big And/Or Especially Hoppy
7 p.m. – midnight at Neighborhood, 777 G St.
We’ll be releasing a Limited Edition collaborative hoodie with Stone, and we’ll feature some very special taps that night including: Angry & Wit Supremely Self Conscious Great Bowman’s Beard Suitable for Cave Aging (aged in red wine barrels) Reason Be Damned Belgian Style Abbey aged in red wine barrels Levitation.
SAT – NOV 9
The SAN DIEGO BREWERY GUIDE Party at Mission Brewery
5 – 10 p.m. at Mission Brewery, 1441 L St.
Come celebrate the publication of THE SAN DIEGO BREWERY GUIDE, the first comprehensive, full-color guide to the more than 70 breweries in San Diego County! Bring your RSVP ticket and receive a 3-oz. taster and a special discount on the book, along with exclusive attendee take-away deals on Mission’s new 32 oz. cans, entry in our drawings for free merchandise, and a beer tour for two provided by SD Beer & Wine Tours.
Best Damn Sour Fest 3 – $55
5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at The Beer Co., 602 Broadway
Pucker Up Sour Fans! It’s that time of the year again. Best Damn Sour Fest 3 is here during SDBW! It’s a Limited Capacity event, so don’t wait to grab your tickets. 1 Ticket gets you ten 3-4oz tasters of Limited epic mouth puckering sours.
