Tuesday, January 18th
Bay Park’s The High Dive hosted Coronado Brewing Co. for January’s installment of Chicks for Beer, the popular beer-centric social meet-up for women. Five of the peninsular brewpub’s finest were on tap, paired with plates from brie cheese & fruit to Red Devil-infused pulled pork sliders. As The High Dive’s owners have looked to turn the group into a nonprofit organization benefitting breast cancer research, three members of the Susan G. Komen Foundation were also on hand to enjoy a relaxing Tuesday night by the bay. Coronado fed the flame of the chili-beer trend by bringing their roasted New Mexico hatch chili-boasting Idiot IPA on cask.
For more photos of the event, click over to our Facebook.
Wednesday, January 19th
The San Diego Beer Club met up in La Jolla on Wednesday night to try some of Rock Bottom’s award-winning beers. Senior brewer Marty Mendiola mingled with the crowd, fielding questions. San Diego Beer Club is a group of more than 1,000 craft beer fans who regularly convene at bars and breweries for behind-the-scenes tastes of this city’s finest. Founding father Travis Fawcett was very happy with the contribution of his co-organizer, Camille Segobia, who stepped down from her post following the event. Travis made a quick observation as the room began to fill: “It looks like we have about 60% new membership tonight, a testament to Camille’s great work.” He continued, “It looks like I may get some new volunteers for the position. We’re about to celebrate four years running, and the club is going strong.”
Elsewhere in La Jolla, The Grill at The Lodge at Torrey Pines welcomed Ballast Point for a chili beer dinner that Hamilton’s proprietor Scot Blair proclaimed was “the best beer and food event in San Diego. Ever.” Sparkling comments from the local innovator were evidence of a job-well-done; chili beers have really caught fire, and this flaming fare fought with even the most tolerant of taste buds. Check out the post on the event, including more photos.
Thursday, January 20th
AleSmith Brewing Company held the most recent meeting of the San Diego Brewers Guild in their newly-expanded tasting room this past Thursday. On the agenda: the new Board of Directors that will streamline operations with the assistance of various committees. The financial outlook of the year was discussed, as the planning stages of San Diego Beer Week begin again. Doug Constantiner and Travis Smith (the latter formerly of the La Jolla Brew House) officially announced the future Societe Brewing Company, coming in 2012. WC Staff Writer and San Diego Beer Blog writer Jeff Hammett got the scoop on Travis’ previously anonymous partner, with more to come in his February “Beer and Now” column.
Friday, January 21st
We hosted our Launch Party this past Friday, and were comprehensively overwhelmed by the response we received. Our apologies to those who showed up and didn’t get a glass as almost all of them were sold out an hour and a half into the event! We hope to throw another party like this soon, and it won’t disappoint. The West Coaster IPA is still available at Hess Brewing under the name “Solis Occasus,” meaning “where the sun sets” in Latin. Big thanks to The Rezsonation and DJs The Office Twins for providing the music, Hess for the beer, SPA for the space, and everyone who came out to support us – we’d love to hear your feedback on our first beer event.
Friday was also O’Brien’s 17th Birthday. Check out our event preview, including a bit of pub history.
Saturday, January 22nd
11 in ’11 members AwesomeBeerDrinkers.com hosted their first beer tasting event of 2011 in coordination with the Best Damn Beer Shop at The Beer Co. on 6th and Broadway downtown. Close to sixty highly-coveted and rare beers were available to try for $35, a bargain considering the quality available for your ten 4oz. tasters. We look forward to collaborating with these guys soon.
Click over to our Facebook for more photos of the event.