It was hard, but we’ve picked 3 events for each day of San Diego Beer Week 2011 that are worthy of your attention. Remember, the police know about Beer Week too, so don’t drive drunk!
Friday, November 4
BYOB @ Karl Strauss Downtown (9 a.m.)
Kick-off SDBW 2011 where it all started with a VIP tour, tasting and unique beer pairing from CEO & Co-Founder Chris Cramer and Paul Segura, Karl Strauss brewmaster. Tickets are $50 and also includes a live brewing session with Karl Strauss brewer Nolan Clark; you get to vote for which of five brewers’ beers will be made, then come back on the 13th to try it.
A Night Under the Stars @ The Handlery (6 p.m.)
Six local breweries and six local chefs will pair their creations in the hotel’s Terrace Garden. PubCakes will be topping off the night with delicious baked goods prepared with the brewers’ fine beverages. Hotel room discounts are also available. More info here.
SD’s Top Brewers Launch Party w/ Tap Hunter @ Mission Brewery (6:30 p.m.)
“The official book of San Diego craft beer” is finally here. The first 300 to RSVP get a $2.50 pint on Tap Hunter, and tons of brewers will be on hand to sign your copy of the book. They include: Colby Chandler (Ballast Point), Yuseff Cherney (Ballast Point), Peter Zien (AleSmith), Paul Segura (Karl Strauss), Tomme Arthur (Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey), Greg Koch (Stone Brewing Co.), Steve Wagner (Stone Brewing Co.), Mitch Steele (Stone Brewing Co.), Shawn DeWitt (Coronado Brewing Co.), Mike Hess (Hess Brewing), Simon Lacey (New English Brewing), Brandon Sieminski (Iron Fist), and more! Chef Jeff Rossman of Terra American Bistro will serve your choice of Dark Seas Stout BBQ Chicken Sliders or Jerk Pork Ribs, served w/ Mission Hefeweizen citrus slaw & roasted potato wedges for $10.
Saturday, November 5
San Diego Brewers Guild Festival @ Liberty Station (11 a.m. VIP, 1 p.m. general admission)
The official kick off event for SDBW- a can’t miss!!! Tickets are $35 for general admission or $55 for VIP. VIP beers include: Alpine Barrel-aged Token, Aztec Chocolate Porter and Noche de los Muertos, Karl Strauss Two Tortugas Belgian Quad and SDBW Double IPA cask, Lightning Electrostatic Ale and Old Tempest Ale, Manzanita Witch’s Hair cask, On The Tracks Baltic Pepper Porter, Pizza Port Able Stout and Jeffrey Harvey Knoblock Brown Ale, Rock Bottom La Jolla Moonlight Porter, San Diego Brewing Company/ Callahan’s Monster Mash and Hopnotic DIPA, and Stone Cherry Chocolate Stout. VIP ticket holders also get access to complimentary food from San Diego’s finest pubs.
Coronado Seafood Boil @ Sessions Public (6 p.m.)
$35 gets you a seafood boil and a flight of four of Coronado’s best beers, including Frog’s Breath IPA, Blue Ridge Coffee Stout with Vanilla on Cask, Brandy Barrel Aged Barley Wine, Hoppy Daze Belgian IPA and Stoopid Stout. You also get to keep the pint!
Assembly Beer Dinner @ Sea Rocket Bistro (8 p.m.)
LoveLikeBeer and San Diego Beer Blog present a pairing of Jolly Pumpkin ales with Chef Chad White’s creations. Special posters by Josh Higgins will be available that use Jolly Pumpkin Baudelaire IO Saison in the ink; here’s the video documenting the process of making these limited, hand signed/numbered screen-printed show prints. More info on the event here.
Sunday, November 6
Iron Fist Beer Release (12 p.m.)
The Resistance, a wild ale aged for ten months in chardonnay and sauvignon blanc barrels, will be released starting at noon and the party goes til 6 p.m. Each bottle is $22.95 with a limit of 2 per customer.
South to North County & North to South County Craft Beer Crawl (1 p.m.)
2 different tours are available: 1. Pickup at Downtown Johnny Brown’s en route to Churchill’s Pub & Grille, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens and Pizza Port Carlsbad (w/ a 5-gallon keg of Stone beer on the bus); 2. From Churchill’s Pub & Grille to Downtown Johnny Brown’s, Toronado and Monkey Paw (w/ a 5-gallon of Green Flash beer on the bus). Each spot will be offering some rare beers for the crawlers. Get tickets here.
An Evening w/ Colby Chandler @ O’Brien’s Pub (6:30 p.m.)
Ballast Point’s specialty brewer Colby Chandler will lead us through an evening of his favorite San Diego beers paired with amazing food by pub manager Tyson Blake. The cost is $50 and you can sign up at O’Brien’s (cash only please). A few of the beers on the list: Barrel Aged Navigator, Alpine Pure Hoppiness, Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA and the Smoking Indian.
Monday, November 7
SD’s Top Brewers Dinner w/ Manzanita Brewing @ Terra American Bistro (6 p.m.)
Join the creators of San Diego’s Top Brewer’s book for a beer and food pairing dinner (take a look at the menu here). Meet the brewers and get your copy of the book signed by Chef Jeff Rossman.
Beer and Cheese Pairing w/ AleSmith @ Farm House Café (6 p.m.)
The most recent subject of Brandon’s Plates & Pints column, Farm House Café is hosting AleSmith’s and Taste Artisan Cheese & Gourmet Shop for a four-course beer and cheese dinner. Tickets are $45 per person excluding tax and gratuity.
Beer U @ Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens: Intro to San Diego Craft Beer (7 p.m.)
Join Stone’s beloved blabbermouth, Ken Wright, for the story behind San Diego’s success. Learn about what makes our region so special as you sample the best and the brightest from San Diego’s newer breweries. The list so far includes: Black Market Rye IPA, Iron Fist Martial Law – Special 1st Anniversary Brew (just released!), Manzanita Gillespie Brown, Mission Blonde, Mother Earth California Creamin’, and something special from Hess and Pizza Port Ocean Beach. Tickets available here.
Tuesday, November 8
Sierra Nevada taps @ Tiger!Tiger! (5 p.m.)
Come have an Honest Pint Sierra Nevada beer in a custom Sierra Nonic glass, complete with a Hop-Leaf etched into the bottom of the glass! Here are the beers you can expect: Pitch A Tent ½ barrel – 9%, 20th Street ½ barrel – 3 Single-hops versions – all 6%: Chinook, Cascade, Citra; Bourbon Barrel Trippel 5 gallon – 9.2% (working on a sell sheet); Fritz & Ken 5 gallon – 9.2%; Yippie Rye Aye ½ barrel – 6%; Celebration ½ barrel – 6.8%
Hess Brewmasters Dinner @ Local Habit (6 p.m.)
Join Local Habit for this unique food and beer experience as Chef Nick Brune and Hess Brewing Founder and Head Brewer Michael Hess collaborate to bring you five delicious courses of farm-fresh food paired with five craft beers from San Diego’s original nano-brewery. Tickets ($50) and pairing info available here.
Mother Earth Brew Co. pairing night @ Ritual Tavern (7 p.m.)
MEBC brewer Kamron Khannakhjavani will be on hand to discuss the tasty Mother Earth Brew Co. beers, along with some great Ritual Tavern grub!
Wednesday, November 9
3rd Fling w/ Green Flash and Hamilton’s (8 a.m.)
Like frisbee golf? Like beer? This event combines the two and is an industry favorite (which says a lot!). Meet and greet plus a complimentary taco bar precedes a 9:30 tee off at Morley Field. After completing the course, the after party begins at Hamilton’s. Tickets are $45 and can be be purchased here.
Beer and Cured Meats w/ Dr. Bill @ Bottlecraft (6 p.m.)
Dr. Bill Sysak, one of the most knowledgeable craft beer experts in the industry, will be pairing five cured meats with five beers and discussing the nuances of meat-beer combos. The cost is $25 and you must pre-register/pre-pay via info@bottlecraftbeer.com or (619) 487-9493.
Flavor of White Labs @ Sea Rocket Bistro (6 p.m.)
Come find out everything you ever wanted to know about yeast directly from the source- White Labs Yeast & Fermentation- the local company that provides yeast to all of our local craft breweries. Head of Operations, Neva Parker, will be bringing 4 beers pitched with 4 different yeasts for a side-by-side comparison. Boob Check, a White Labs beer made in collaboration with Ballast Point for a breast cancer benefit, will also be available. $20 at the door also includes a variety of signature Sea Rocket hors d’oeuvres throughout the presentation.
Thursday, November 10
Ballast Point 4 ways @ URGE American Gastropub (5 p.m.)
In addition to kegs of Indra Kunindra India-Style Export Stout and Extant Oatmeal Stout on Nitro, URGE will have Sculpin IPA four ways (Sculpin cask, Sculpin on nitro, Sculpin with habanero peppers and the original Sculpin), as well as Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter four ways (Victory at Sea cask, Victory at Sea on nitro, Victory at Sea 2010 and this year’s Victory at Sea).
Ballast Point tap takeover w/ Tap Hunter @ Bub’s @ The Ballpark (6 p.m.)
16 specialty kegs, including 2010 Victory at Sea, Brother Levonian Saison and more will be on tap and a cask of Sculpin IPA gets tapped at 7 p.m. Ballast Point pints are $4 and cocktails are $7.
Meet Paul Segura, Karl Strauss brewmaster, @ La Bella Pizza (6 p.m.)
Come down and share of few pints of Karl Strauss with the man who brews them. A fun night to mingle, ask questions, and of course, enjoy some great local beer. Reef Break Red, Amber Lager, Heavy Petti, Off the Rails, and Russian Imperial Stout are going for $4 pints and $9.75 pitchers.
Friday, November 11
Roll out the Barrels @ O’Brien’s Pub (5 p.m.)
11/11/11 will feature a special night of barrel aged beers from some of San Diego’s most renowned breweries including Green Flash, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, Pizza Port and Coronado as well as great barrel aged beers from around the country.
Beer and Grilled Cheese w/ Karl Strauss @ KnB Wine Cellars (6 p.m.)
From 6 ’til 10, KnB in Del Cerro will have four Karl Strauss beers paired up with “four different bomb grilled cheese.”
New Belgium Beer Dinner @ Randy Jones All American Sports Grill (7 p.m.)
This unique event will feature a five-course New Belgium beer pairing dinner with San Diego Padres legend Randy Jones presiding, and each course is a different dish from a different ballpark! The cost is $35 dollars, and Happy Hour reception starts at 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 12
Green Flash 9th Anniversary (12 p.m.)
This festival will feature award-winning Green Flash beers, a caravan of gourmet food trucks, games and activities, as well as several other vendors showcasing their products and services. All proceeds from the event will benefit the San Diego office of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The ticket price of $40 includes 10 – 4 oz. beer tastes, a souvenir glass, and commemorative t-shirt. Buy your tix here.
Night of a Million Zillion Speedways @ O’Brien’s Pub (5 p.m.)
One of the most popular events every SDBW (meaning it’ll be very, very packed) includes flights of different variations of AleSmith’s Speedway Stout. “Rumor has it that there will be Kopi Luwak on cask.”
Beer & Bacon Brewers Dinner @ Rock Bottom La Jolla (6:30 p.m.)
We love bacon, and beer. This four-course dinner- preceded by a beer of your choice- features both. The cost is $38 and more information is here.
Sunday, November 13
Beer for Breakfast w/ Coronado @ Small Bar (10 a.m.)
Get the last day of Beer Week started off right with some filling food and great beer. Brunch Special: eggs, fried pork chop with hop sausage gravy and biscuits and baked apples. Coronado beers on tap include, but aren’t limited to: ’09 Bourbon Barrel Smoked Brown, Idiot IIPA, Orange Ave, CBC Red Devil, Frog’s Breath IPA, and Blue Bridge Coffee Stout.
Pour it Black @ Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens (10 a.m.)
Leave it to Stone to host a big beer festival on the last day of Beer Week. “Dr.” Bill Sysak has rounded up over a hundred of the planet’s best dark beers- imperial stouts, porters, maybe even a few black IPAs- for a day of celebrating the world of flavors found in the blackest of brews. A $45 Pour it Black ticket includes a commemorative glass and fifteen 3oz tasters. The entire list and how to buy tix is here.
Beer Garden @ The Lodge at Torrey Pines (12 p.m.)
This is the official closing event of San Diego Beer Week- another can’t miss! This event brings together the best of San Diego craft beer with food from amazing local chefs. Each brewery will be paired with a local chef to create a truly unique and delicious pairing event on the gorgeous grounds of The Lodge. Admission includes unlimited tasters of beer and food. Buy your tix here.