Vincent Antonelli, aka Todd Wilkinson, once said “into each life some rain must fall, even in San Diego.” When Steve Martin’s Mafioso-turned-informant wrote these words, he illustrated the reality that though we live in paradise, things rarely go perfectly. When Pizza Port Carlsbad planned their 17th annual Strong Ale Festival, rain certainly wasn’t in the plan, but San Diego craft beer fans were hardly ready to let a little monsoon get between them and more than 75 different strong beers.
Saturday’s session, the third of the four-session festival, featured a beer list that ran the gamut in style and geography. California beers obviously made up the bulk of the taps, but brews from 11 other states joined in along with three different Belgian beers. Imperial IPAs and barrel-aged stouts proved to be the perfect warmers for the crowd as the temperature perilously plunged into the upper 50s.
Three different IPA’s from Indiana’s Three Floyds Brewing were the talk of the festival as the crowd huddled under any available cover to dodge the rain. Pained gasps randomly pierced the din of the crowd as brave souls, no doubt fueled by high-alcohol liquid courage, attempted to quaff Stone’s Punishment Ale. For those after a different kind of heat, He’Brew Jewbelation Reborn 17 from New York’s Shmaltz Brewing Company packed a 17% alcohol burn.
Brews from five different Pizza Port locations accounted for 11 of the 75 taps. For the 2013 Strong Ale Festival Ale, Pizza Port blended a fresh batch of their Night Rider Imperial Stout with three different barrel-aged versions (bourbon barrel-aged, Mexican chocolate barrel-aged and Vanilla Bean barrel-aged). The resulting beer packed plenty of warmth from the bourbon barrels while imparting distinct vanilla and Mexican chocolate spice flavors. If a 4-ounce pour wasn’t enough, attendees could purchase a take-home bottle for $15.
Eventually the rain let up, allowing attendees to un-huddle and jump as Pizza Port staff tossed swag to the crowd. As the session wound down, one thing became evident: San Diegans may be spoiled by nearly year-round beautiful weather, but we’ll brave whatever moderate unpleasantness Mother Nature throws our way with great beer on the line.
