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16 in \u201816 \u00a0– The best of #SDBeer 2016: Reader\u2019s Choice Poll results<\/b><\/p>\n
We ran our online reader\u2019s choice poll late 2016. Using an online form, we asked our readers to type in their favorite choices across sixteen different categories. Here are the results!<\/span><\/p>\n San Diego pumps out a lot of beer, so as expected this category got lots of different responses. That said, \u00a0Normcore by 2016 newcomer Burning Beard came through with the most votes. <\/span>West Coaster <\/span><\/i>staff maintains that you can tell a lot about a brewery based on their pilsner; it’s a tough style to hide off-flavors or flaws. With Normcore, German malt meets Czech hops and there’s nothing but flavor from their East County Pils.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best SD Brewery: Societe Brewing Co.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Winner of t <\/p>\n Best Brewpub:\u00a0Abnormal Beer Co. \/ Cork & Craft<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n For the second year in a row, Abnormal Beer Co. is the best brewpub in San Diego according to our readers. In 2016, the Rancho Bernardo operation expanded brewing possibilities and then beers like Boss Pour IPA started appearing on taplists countywide. The Abnormal Dinner Series continues on March 6th with one of #LABeer\u2019s finest: Beachwood BBQ. These quarterly-held pairing dinners are a good way to figure out what all the fuss is about. Don\u2019t forget they make wine on-site, too!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul Segura has been with Karl Strauss Brewing Co. since January 2000. The brewmaster for Karl\u2019s production facility, Paul and his team had one hell of a year in 2016. At the Great American Beer Festival last October, Karl won medals for four beers and earned the prestigious 2016 Mid-Size Brewery & Brewer of the Year Award. If you haven\u2019t tried beer from Karl Strauss in a while, you are missing out. Get a glass of Aurora Hoppyalis, Mosaic and\/or Queen of Tarts at the tasting room in the Bay Ho neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Local homebrewer Nick Corona was named 2016\u2019s National Homebrewer of the Year at the American Homebrewers Association\u2019s conference, and we featured him on the cover of our July 2016 issue. One of Corona\u2019s best pieces of advice for homebrewers: \u201cDo your research, plan ahead, never be in a rush, and enter competitions if you want to improve.\u201d At some point he plans to open his own brewery, but he probably won\u2019t be able to use his last name too prominently. Either way, we can\u2019t wait to try the beer!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 8,600 square foot North Park Beer Co. location was a gym in its prior life, before being transformed by Basile Studio into a beautiful craftsman-style brewery. Located on the corner of Lincoln and University Avenue in North Park, the company\u2019s tasting room looks like plenty of living rooms in the surrounding neighborhood. Aesthetics aside, the entire family can visit this spacious, well-appointed tasting space and gather in style. There\u2019s food by Mastiff Sausage Co., non-alcoholic offerings and, of course, great beer including house-made ales and lagers, plus guest taps.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Copenhagen-based Mikkeller brand has grown into an international collection of pubs. So when San Diego\u2019s AleSmith announced it was moving into new digs, <\/span>Mikkel Borg Bjergs\u00f8 sprung to establish his own brewery, in a \u201ccreative partnership\u201d with AleSmith, at the old site. Former AleSmith head brewer Bill Batten decided to stick with the brewhouse he knows best and signed on with Mikkeller. The tasting room is covered in Mikkeller\u2019s quirky-cool art and is slightly larger than its previous incarnation. In 2017, the brewery is planning a new beer release every single week.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dark, cozy and boasting high quality lineups on meticulously clean lines, there\u2019s a reason this bar was named in two categories from previous years. Earning the title of Best Beer Bar in 2014 and Best Tap Selection \/ Rotation in 2015, we\u2019re not surprised that our readers once again picked Hammie\u2019s as the Best Beer Bar in San Diego. If you\u2019re reading these words and haven\u2019t been to Hamilton\u2019s, we strongly recommend you do so. If you don\u2019t mind crowds, go to the monthly tap takeover event, featuring a free meal, every second Saturday. This month, Karl Strauss takes over the taps on February 11.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whether you are at the original Rancho Bernardo location or the Oceanside brewpub, the Urge American Gastropub crew is serious about good beer. Our readers agree, voting Urge the Best Beer Restaurant in San Diego two years in a row. Whichever arm of the Urge Empire you visit, there\u2019s going to be a monster draft list and decadent-bordering-on-outrageous food. The Oceanside location\u2019s in-house brewery, Mason Ale Works, just started canning, and Urge Common House, a 21,000 square foot site, is coming to San Marcos in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After years of earning respect and awards in the homebrewing world, Hop-Fu! made its production debut in 2016 with the grand opening of North Park Beer Co. Brewer Kelsey McNair scaled up the recipe skillfully and this IPA is ready for primetime. McNair was surprised when told he\u2019d won this category: \u201cI think the commercial version of Hop-Fu! still has a lot of room for improvement.\u201d Our readers disagreed, and the history of this recipe bolsters their choice: Hop-Fu! took home a gold medal in the American Homebrewers Association\u2019s annual competition in 2010, 2012 and 2014 in the highly competitive American IPA\/Imperial IPA category.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best Homebrew Shop: The Homebrewer<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n The Homebrewer proprietor George Thornton worked at Home Brews & Gardens (located in what is now Thorn St. Brewery) before deciding to open his own shop and brewery. In 2012, The Homebrewer debuted in its current location at 2911 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park. The store is as much for homebrew supplies as it is for fermentation education: February classes include \u201cIntro to Homebrewing\u201d on 2\/11 and \u201cCider Making\u201d on 2\/13. The on-site brewery Home Brewing Co. opened in 2015, with tasters, pints and growlers now available. If you need ingredients for your next brew, go see why our readers voted The Homebrewer as Best Homebrew Shop two years in a row.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s so much beer produced in Miramar that the area\u2019s landmark, the Miramar Pyramid, should be transformed into a giant fermenter. The industrial area north of Miramar Road is home to 21 breweries and three non-brewing tasting rooms. Thanks to help from the area\u2019s councilmember Chris Cate, when AleSmith relocated, the street name of their current location was changed to AleSmith Court. Miramar is also home to White Labs, so brewers in the area have easy access to fresh yeast and fermentation advice. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best Beer Selection \/ Tap Rotation: Brew Project<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Touting itself as a brewery tour under one roof, The Brew Project has demonstrated a firm commitment to showcasing San Diego Beer. Tap handles from the delicious but seldom-seen Breakwater Brewing Co., newcomer Bay City Brewing Co. and established Green Flash were found on tap at time of press. \u201cWe’re proud to have had over 105 different San Diego breweries on tap,\u201d says publican Beau Schmitt. For the full experience of what this cool spot can offer, take a look at the recently-launched Boilermaker Program, which connects local beers and spirits with regular food pairings.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Modern Times is a brewery that\u2019s doing quite a lot. Last year\u2019s Best SD Brewery winner has been keen on creating distinct and fun beer festivals, in addition to expanding like crazy. In 2016, Modern Times hosted two festivals: The Festival of Funk and Festival of Dankness. Hosting 1300 beer drinkers each, Funk focuses on sour and funky beers while Dankness on \u201cnew wave hoppy beers.\u201d According to the organizer, Derek Freese, \u201cEven though there are lots of beer festivals in San Diego, we felt like there was room for new, thematic festivals that were orientated to quality and beers not distributed in San Diego.\u201d The 2nd Annual Festivals of Funk and Dankness will be on May 20th and August 27th, respectively. If you\u2019re into coffee-infused beers, check out Modern Times\u2019 new festival Carnival of Caffeination on February 11th.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A top-tier beer shop with taps, plus the ability to purchase and pop bottles\/cans on-premise at all three locations, make Bottlecraft stand out from the herd. A true bottleshop in a land of liquor stores with beer sections, the prices are reasonable and the selection well-curated. The ancillary items offered vary slightly at each location: you can get Venissimo Cheese at North Park or a myriad of treats from Liberty\u2019s Public Market. Bottlecraft<\/span> publican Brian Jensen will open Bottlecraft\u2019s next edition in Solana Beach in 2017 after recently acquiring San Diego BeerWorks.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/normcore-1.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>Best SD Beer:\u00a0<\/b>Normcore Pilsner by Burning Beard Brewing<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>his title in 2014, Societe is a world class craft brewery. It\u2019s no surprise our readers decided that it was the best of 2016. Whether you\u2019re Team Apprentice or Team Pupil, or you favor the Belgian \u201cOld World\u201d styles over \u201cStygian\u201d offerings – <\/span>West Coaster <\/span><\/i>staff and readers<\/span> have yet to bear witness to a bad Societe beer. Recently, the company collected more than 20,000 pounds of food for San Diego\u2019s less fortunate with creative bottle pricing: if you brought in 50 pounds of food, the beer could be had for just $5 (normally $50).\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Professional Brewer:\u00a0Paul Segura<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Homebrewer:\u00a0Nick Corona<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Tasting Room: North Park Beer Co.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best New Beer Spot:\u00a0Mikkeller<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Beer Bar:\u00a0Hamilton’s<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Beer Restaurant: Urge American Gastropub<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best SD IPA: Hop Fu by North Park Beer Co.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Beer Region: Miramar<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Festival: Modern Times Dankness \/ Funk festivals<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Best Bottleshop:\u00a0Bottlecraft (all)<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n