On an uncommonly sweltering Friday night in Balboa Park, the San Diego History Center (SDHC) hosted an uncommon event: Homebrew Happy Hour. This event was part of the History Happy Hour series held at the ongoing Bottled & Kegged: San Diego’s Craft Brew Culture exhibit.
Homebrew Happy Hour was a collaborative effort between SDHC’s Matthew Schiff and Nicole George and club organizer Stan Sisson, who gathered members from clubs including QuAFF, Mash Heads, Foam On The Brain, Society of Barley Engineers, and North County Homebrewers Association.
If you’re wondering why homebrewers were highlighted at an exhibit mostly featuring commercial breweries, it’s because San Diego’s brewing success derives straight from its homebrew roots. AleSmith’s owner Peter Zien, for example, is a former president of QuAFF.
Homebrewers provide local brewers with indispensable help in tasting rooms through honest feedback, troubleshooting when there are issues, and also giving plenty of support when something is brewed well. Homebrewers are able to push the envelope, not worried about big losses in materials and time, and they keep commercial brewers on their toes. Most of the pros in San Diego started at home and some pros run small homebrew pilot batches in order to hone their more creative and delightfully strange batches.
For these reasons, the late August event had completely sold out more than a week prior, and the excitement was palpable in the sultry air. Over 200 attendees filled the SDHC ready to sample a plethora of small batch artisan tipples from many of San Diego’s most talented homebrewers.
When attendees entered the large space, the perimeter of which was laced with homebrewers serving at jockey box stations, they seemed a bit timid and overwhelmed. Those feelings dissipated upon getting their first drink. I saw their eyes light right up as I handed them beer; the first drink was met with “This is really good! Did you brew this?”
As people slowly circumnavigated the museum rooms, they got more adventurous. Noses really got stuck deep into the tasting glasses, and the full sensory experience of a well-crafted brew was achieved with the help of posted signs at each station that described the beers’ stats: OG (original gravity), FG (final gravity), ABV (alcohol by volume), IBUs (international bitterness units), and SRM (standard reference method for beer color). This kept everyone engaged and would often help spark conversations with the brewers on hand.
“What’s a beer engine?”
“What’s a mead?”
“I’ve never heard of (insert beer style). What’s it like?”
There was plenty for everyone to explore as they walked around the museum with a beer in hand.
Harold Gulbransen demonstrated how mouthfeel can alter the way a beer is perceived by serving an American Pale Ale on cask, nitro, and CO2. Liz and Curtis Chism poured a refreshing Saison. Chris Banker presented his excellent Black Currant Cider. George Thornton offered a well-balanced Belgian Amber. Mary Anne Bixby’s passion flower buckwheat honey mead was mind-blowing. Kelsey McNair threw down with his Hop Fu, an IPA that brings home a new medal and ribbon every week it seems. Jenny and Eric DuRose had a toasty malt Steam Beer that showed the lineage of the style. There was so much on tap: ESB, Wet Hopped IPA, Coconut Brown, Kolsch Style, Calypso IPA, and Mocha Porter to name some.
As the night went on I was happy to see people sharing the contents of their glasses. They advised other attendees — both those they’d come with as well as new friends they made on the night — on what to try before the event was over.
What made the party even more fun was that it was my birthday, and hey, what better way to spend it than sharing beer with friends and geeking out with my extended brewing family. I got the opportunity to serve my Sir Maxwell English Mild on a beer engine. I did an impromptu pairing with some figs from my tree at home, topped with slivers of Noord Hollander cheese. I also poured my Vanishing Cookie Oatmeal Stout infused with Madagascar Vanilla Bean and a custom blend of Sumatra Volkopi Blue & El Salvador El Naranjo Coffee. I broke out some vanilla ice cream and served these as floats towards the tail end of the event.
Everyone who attended really enjoyed themselves and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic. Here are some quotes I heard and overheard:
“This beer tastes like my favorite IPA, but three times better.”
“I’ve never heard of an English Mild. Can I try it?”
“I usually hate ciders, but I’m lovin’ this one.”
“This pairing is delicious.”
“Somebody told me that this was the beer to try.”
“I’ve never had a mead before tonight. It’s awesome!”
“This IPA is amazeballs.”
The Homebrew Happy Hour could not have run smoother. In fact, it was so successful there’s been talk of another one happening down the road.
Who knows, maybe homebrewing just might catch on in San Diego? Ha!
Bottled & Kegged: San Diego’s Craft Brew Culture opened April 6, 2013 and will run to January 20, 2014. The upcoming History Happy Hour on Friday, September 27 will see Dr. Chris White discussing how yeast plays a big role in the flavor of beer. Then on Friday, November 1 Stone Brewing Co. will help kick off San Diego Beer Week with the last History Happy Hour. For tickets to these events, visit this link.