Each year over the past half-decade, Urge Gastropub (16761 Bernardo Center Drive, Rancho Bernardo) co-owner Grant Tondro has made a point to try and top himself when it comes to his beer-centric restaurant’s anniversary celebration. There have been epic, over-the-top burgers as well as on-site, design-your-own, commemorative shirt screen-printing. But the biggest thing people look forward to are the custom beers brewed for them. This year, there will be five such beers to honor all five years Urge has stood as a beacon for craft for Rancho Bernardo.
The Urge crew was involved in the brewing of these beers at each company’s facility from January through April. These are not your everyday beers. The frequent Urge collaborators at Vista’s Mother Earth Brew Co. have conjured up a bourbon barrel-aged pomegranate-infused Belgian-style quaduprel called Johnny Law. Anaheim’s Noble Ale Works brewed a sea salt and chocolate imperial Gose dubbed Stranger Danger. Dogfish Head out of Delaware soured a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel-aged version of its Black and Blue Belgian-style blackberry and blueberry golden strong ale. Whole-cone hop powerhouse Sierra Nevada Brewing Company brewed a 7% alcohol-by-volume (ABV) farmhouse ale called Maison Saison.
But one of the most highly awaited beers has to be Velvet Speedway. AleSmith Brewing Company’s 12% ABV Speedway Stout aged in Evan Williams 23-year old whiskey barrels, thenblended with barrel-aged Jamaica Blue Mountain cold-brew from Mostra Coffee and a rye whiskey and vanilla bean tincture, it will be sold in bottles online starting at 11 a.m. today.
Urge’s fifth anniversary festivities will take place from July 24 to 26. In addition to the aforementioned features, many rare and special beers will be on tap, including The Bruery White Chocolate, Green Flash Natura Morta, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2014 vintage), Deschutes The Abyss (2012) and Coronado German Chocolate Cake. Also available will be another Urge anniversary staple, hot wings coated in ghost pepper sauce, keeper glasses for the first 100 guests and live music for all.