There are several San Diego beer events happening this Saturday. We’ve divided them by the goal you want to accomplish.
ENJOY BEERS FROM THE EAST COAST
Shipyard BeerBQ @ KnB
Monthly beer-focused barbeques have helped make KnB a must-visit spot across the freeway from SDSU. For August, Portland Maine’s Shipyard Brewing Co. have sent out 10 beers for you to try: Monkey Fist IPA, Brewers Brown, Applehead, XXXXIPA, Smashed Pumpkin, Smashed Blueberry, Double Old Thumper, 2011 Imperial Porter, 2011 Barleywine and 2011 Prelude. On the food side, Monkey Fist IPA-battered Fish ‘N’ Chips will be served. The party goes from noon until 5 p.m.
CELEBRATE A MILESTONE
Second Anniversary @ Hess Brewing
One of the first local wet hop beers to market this year, Hess Brewing Anno Duo, will be released in 750mL bottles at the brewery birthday party. Brewed with fresh Chinook and Cascade hops driven down overnight from Chico, California’s North Country Hops, this IPA will likely be snatched up quickly. (UPDATE 8/23: Hess stated in an e-mail that this beer had not met their standards for serving. So, they’ve racked it in a freshly emptied wine barrel, inocculated it with Roselare and they’ll wait about a year to see what happens). Also on tap will be a new batch of Hess Brewing’s experimental IPA, the West Coaster IPA. We love this beer each time it comes out, for obvious reasons. This go round it was brewed with locally-sourced wet hops! More event highlights include a Willi Becher-style anniversary glass, MIHO Gastrotruck and Ranchwood BBQ food trucks, plus live music from Mudgrass (12 – 2 p.m.) and The Barnacles (3 – 5 p.m.)
LEARN ABOUT BEER, DRINK THE BEER
Beer-Con @ 57 Degrees
Although 57 Degrees is a wine-focused spot, beer takes over this Saturday. After a keynote on ‘The Localization of Beer’ from Brewers Association Craft Beer Program Director Julia Herz, attendees will choose from eight mini seminars on two tracks. You can see the full agenda here, and there’s even an iPhone and Android app for the event. After your day of learning, and lunch provided by Swieners and Casanova Fish Tacos, the ‘tap haven’ opens at 5 p.m. with unlimited 3 – 4 oz tasters from 15 breweries. Some highlights include Ballast Point barrel-aged Three Sheets Barleywine, Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA, Coronado Brewing Frog’s Breath IPA, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Ovila Golden and the Russian River collaboration BRUX, Lightning Elemental Pilsner and Thunderweizen, as well as 2009 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine. Also, Stone’s “Dr.” Bill Sysak will be pairing a dark chocolate truffle with orange and sea salt with Stone 16th Anniversary IPA and a milk chocolate truffle with banana and saffron with the Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone Saison du BUFF. LOVELIKEBEER will showcase a mini version of their Sea Rocket Bistro menu pairing (spicy BBQ seitan with Green Flash Hop Head Red), and Best Damn Home Brew Shop will be putting on a live home brewing demonstration for you to enjoy. Click here for $69 conference tickets (normally $119). Jump on one of the 12-taster Friday brewery tour routes for just $30 more.
GO TO A BEER FESTIVAL
Mira Mesa Festival of Beers
The first annual Mira Mesa Festival of Beers at Walker Community Park will focus on breweries from the central San Diego neighborhood, with proceeds benefiting the Mira Mesa Chamber of Commerce. VIP tickets ($30 versus $20 General Admission) include an extra hour of beer sampling beginning at 1 p.m., two bonus taster tickets (12 in total) and in-and-out privileges. Live music on the San Diego CityBeat stage and food trucks MIHO Gastrotruck and Devilicious round out the afternoon. Local breweries include AleSmith, Ballast Point, Callahan’s, Green Flash, Hess Brewing, Karl Strauss, Lightning, Manzanita, New English, Rough Draft, Societe, Stone and Wet ‘N Reckless.
GET YOUR CULTURE ON
Artists’ Night @ Stumblefoot
A live art show and great beer will pair up in the San Marcos brewery tasting room. Local artists David Lozeau, Jay’s Gemstone and Pinstripe Chris will demonstrate their craft as you watch on. Southern style food-for-purchase will be available from Stumblefoot Brewing Company’s neighbors Daisy’s Cajun Kitchen. Further reading: Dr. Q from Craft Beer Tasters wrote up a review on Stumblefoot this morning.
DRINK CASK BEER
Collaboration Cask @ Monkey Paw
Every Saturday the East Village brewpub Monkey Paw taps a cask of some cool beer. This week they’re putting on a house-brewed collaboration with New Zealand brewery 8 Wired. “Rhymenoceros” is a rye pilsner brewed with New Zealand Riwaka hops that give off a big guava/tropical aroma. Monkey Paw higher-ups have said that “this is probably the most interesting beer we have made because it defies all concepts of the style, other than maybe the color.” And if you know MP’s beers, you know that’s a big statement.
*Rescheduled
In our paper we wrote about Aztec Brewing Company’s 1-year anniversary party, which was scheduled for August 25 as well. That celebration has been moved to September 8 – 9. Aztec is still working on a special beer for the occasion, and they’ve just partnered up with non-profit Paws’itive Teams, which provides service dogs for persons with disabilities.
*Know of more events?
Submit them to our online calendar.