There are lots of great San Diego beer events coming up. For the July print issue of West Coaster, we selected a few from our event calendar.
Do you have an August or September beer event that we should write about in the upcoming issue? It’s easy to submit your event by clicking this link.
Wednesday, July 11
Drink the Point – Point Loma/Ocean Beach
Founded in May by Point Loma native and Sessions Public owner Abel Kaase, Drink the Point showcases some of the best craft beer spots that Ocean Beach and Point Loma have to offer every second Wednesday of the month between 7 and 11 p.m. Two buses from the Brewery Tours of San Diego fleet shuttle beer fans, for free, between these seven locations: Sessions Public, Raglan Public House, Newport Pizza & Ale House, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, Slater’s 50/50, The Pearl Hotel and Harbor Town Pub.
Thursday, July 12
Mad Lab Craft Brewing Soft Opening
Otay Mesa’s first brewery finally opens its doors this month. Owners Mike and Daphne McFarland have been adamant about updating San Diegans on their progress via their Facebook page and blog, letting us know everything from the status of their fire extinguisher’s certification to the arrival and labeling of 120 half-gallon growlers. Mad Lab’s business hours will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 3 – 9 p.m., with seven craft beers on tap: Blonde, Abbey Ale, IPA, American Brown, Hard Scottish Red, Porter and Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Mad Lab Craft Brewing is located at 6120 Business Center Court Suite #700, right across the street from the new DMV off Otay Mesa Road.
Friday, July 13
Hoppy Supper-stitution @ Firefly at The Dana Mission Bay
Chefs Eric Manuel (Executive Chef at The Dana), Chris Arzola (Sous Chef at The Dana), Gil Manipon (Sous Chef at The Dana), Craig Jimenez (Executive Chef at Craft & Commerce), Michael Jasmund (Chef at Omakase Catering), Mike Arquines (Chef/Owner at The LAB Dining Sessions), Chad Tiboni (Executive Chef at Qualcomm), Chris Spayde (Executive Catering Chef at Qualcomm) and Frank Laucis (Food Service Director at Qualcomm) will each prepare a two-course tasting menu to be paired with beers from San Diego Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co., Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits and Coronado Brewing Co. The event opens at 6 p.m. with an artisan cheese and cured meat station paired with beers from Karl Strauss. Ten local artists, including bottle recyclers Bottlehood, Hill Young of The Painted Hill and Enviro Surf Art creator Richard Morrison will also display their work. Ticket are $40, and more information can be found at thedana.com/restaurants
Monday, July 16
Beer U: Sensory Evaluation @ Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens
Join “Dr.” Bill Sysak, Stone Brewing Company Beverage Coordinator, for an evening of beer knowledge up at the Bistro. Starting at 7 p.m., learn by instruction how to taste the differences between styles, understand off-flavors in beer, and develop the vocabulary necessary to describe the flavors you experience. As of press time the beer list hadn’t been finalized, but you can bet it won’t disappoint. Tickets are $31.94 and include $6.94 in tax and gratuity; more information is available at stonebrew.com.
Thursday, July 19
New Kids on the Block @ The Handlery Hotel & Resort
San Diego’s brewing community is undergoing explosive growth, and this event highlights those craft breweries that have been open for two years or less. Confirmed as of press time are Hess Brewing, Rough Draft Brewing Co., Societe Brewing Co., Manzanita Brewing Co., The Beer Company, Latitude 33 Brewing Co., Wet ‘N Reckless Brewing, On-The-Tracks Brewery, El Cajon Brewing Co., Monkey Paw Brewing and Prohibition Brewing Co. Local mead producers Golden Coast Mead will also be serving, in addition to chefs Nicolas Caniglia (Swieners), Peter Dapper (Amore Cheesecakes), Jason Long (Bangin’ Burgers), Brad Lyons (Slater’s 50/50), Karl Prohaska (Handlery Hotel & Resort), Nate Soroko (Toronado), Misty Burchall (PubCakes) and Eron Baker (Baker Shake Foods). Tickets are $30 at ticketderby.com/event/mvcbf-presents-id-8004
Saturday, July 21
BeerNerdz Golf, Food, Beer and Trolley Day
Enjoy the benefits of San Diego’s public transportation system with BeerNerdz founder Eric Barajas, who organized a similar event for friends as a trial run. The day begins at Presidio Hills Golf Course in Old Town, where randomly-drawn teams of four will compete in a scramble format. After the round, hop on the trolley to Downtown Johnny Brown’s in the Civic Center for a burger and beer pairing. Another short trolley ride away is The Beer Company, where your challenge will be to match Brewmaster Kirk’s beers with the descriptions on the BeerNerdz scorecard. Prizes will be awarded to the team with the best combination of golf score and scorecard grade. Tickets are $55, and more information can be found at BeerNerdz.com
Tuesday, July 24
Fresh Dinner: Summer @ Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens
It doesn’t get any fresher than this: Executive Chef Alex Carballo and his team will prepare a dinner made exclusively from ingredients gathered that very morning at local farms. In addition to the food menu, you’ll enjoy a Stone beer poured directly from one of the fermentors. The ticket price is $71.12, and includes $16.12 in tax and gratuity; more information is available at stonebrew.com. Fresh Dinner day also coincides with Fresh Taps day in the Bistro, where a select few San Diego beers kegged the same morning will be on tap. Check out our review of a previous Fresh Dinner.
AUGUST EVENT BATTLES
August 4
Pick Your Poison, Part 1
On August 4 there’s plenty to choose from: Bluesapalooza up in Mammoth, with a massive beer festival including Societe Brewing, Hess Brewing, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, Coronado Brewing Co., Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Oceanside Ale Works, Pizza Port, Stone Brewing Co. and San Diego Brewing Company, is one option. Closer to home, El Dorado Cocktail Lounge will host its second annual San Diego Showcase from 4 – 9 p.m. In addition to 3,000 handcrafted cocktails, Stone Brewing Co., Monkey Paw Brewing, Green Flash Brewing Co., Manzanita Brewing Co., and Butcher’s Brewing will also be on hand. Up in Rancho Bernardo, day two of three of URGE American Gastropub’s two-year anniversary celebrations will feature a light IPA from Monkey Paw Brewing and an Imperial Saison from Mother Earth Brew Co., each brewed with lemongrass, orange-blossom honey and agave nectar. And if you’re in the mood for a beer festival, the charitable BrewFest Encinitas at the San Elijo Campus of Mira Costa College will host fifteen craft breweries, four food trucks, live music and more from 4 – 7 p.m.
August 25
Pick Your Poison, Part 2
The first annual Mira Mesa Festival of Beers, taking place at Walker Community Park with live music all day on the San Diego CityBeat stage, will showcase sixteen craft breweries with a focus on the breweries of Mira Mesa. Use the code “westcoaster_2012” for $5 off the $30 VIP ticket price if bought before July 13. Day two of the second annual Beer-Con will also take place on August 25, after a day of brewery tours on Friday. The conference will host speakers Julia Herz from the Brewers Association and CraftBeer.com, “Dr.” Bill Sysak from Stone Brewing Company, Brandon Sieminski from Iron Fist Brewing Co., Kevin Wright from Hangar 24, Megan Flynn from Beer West, Laurie Delk from 100beers30days, Dennis Keller from North Coast Brewing Company plus representatives from The Lost Abbey and White Labs. Save $20 on your admission by using the code “WCSD” at beer-con.com.