San Diego Beer Week wrap up

So this past week (and a half) was the inaugural San Diego Beer Week. In one of the richest beer cities in the country, it seems like every week is beer week, but all the breweries, beer bars, and other participants went above and beyond to put on some of the best beer events I've been to yet.

Here are a few of the things I did:

Tuesday, November 10 - Hamilton's Tavern for Small NorCal Brewery night

Representing for some of the smaller breweries/brewpubs of Northern California, Hamilton's rolled out around 17 kegs of great beer from the other half of the state. In attendance were such breweries as Valley Brewing, Moonlight, Marin, and Magnolia. I was excited to try another beer from Moonlight in Lunatic Lager. Delicious and crisp flavor. Marin's White Knuckle is a must-have whenever I see it on tap, too.

Wednesday, November 11 - Toronado SD for Late night with Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey)

There was no way I would miss this one. I rushed home on Wednesday and anxiously counted down the hours until I told myself I could head over to Toronado and wait for the 10pm tap time. Slated to be poured was Cable Car 2008 and 2009 (draft) and Cuvee de Tomme 2008. The crowd grew as 10pm approached and it felt as if the time would never come. Finally, Jay pours out the first few micro-tulips of beer and it was well worth the wait. 2008 Cable Car was apparently complex and the sharp sour notes present in 2009's batch had mellowed and began to transform into something even more desirable. 2009 Cable Car was equally delicious and complex, but distinctly different. After a few samples of each and a sip of 2008 Cuvee de Tomme, I called it a night.

Thursday, November 12 - Hamilton's Tavern for Liars Club Redux

This one was on my list from the beginning. I remember the first time I made the drive down to Mission Blvd. to visit the storied Liars Club. It was the day after Thanksgiving. We parked, walked up to the door, and found they had just closed their doors. Later we found out this would be semi-permanent. I was fortunate enough to visit Liars Club reincarnate in Alpine and enjoyed a few memorable trips. Either way, I was excited to experience another taste of something like Liars Club close to home. I arrived after having a few beers at Toronado (Anchor night with Fritz Maytag). By 6pm I found myself in a line 50 people deep. After an hour or more of waiting and listening to the music blaring from inside, I had finally made it. With a great line up of beers (Green Flash Le Freak, Port Black Lie IPA, Port Poor Man's IPA, Alesmith Speedway Stout and many others). Again, the wait was worth it. Great music, awesome vibe, and I even picked up a cool Liars Club shirt.

Friday, November 13 - My night off (kind of)

Friday I decided to give my wallet a break and just meet up with a few friend and enjoy a few bottles. Sampled beers included Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga Grand Reserve, Buzzard's Bay Cranberry Lambic, Smuttynose Baltic Porter, Big Sky Olde Blue Hair barrel-aged barleywine, and a few more.

Saturday, November 14 - Hamilton's Tavern for Second Saturday with Port Brewing

Another Second Saturday at Hamilton's brought a slew of great beers (25+ Port beers on tap) and phenomenal food. They served suckling pig, spiral ham, pig gravy, spinach with persimmons salad, and brussel sprouts with bacon. Some great beers I had included Barbarian Barleywine, T-Street Wheat, Twerp, Van Porter and others I can no longer remember.

Sunday, November 15 - Stone Brewing Co for a bottle share with friends

Today was the culmination of efforts between a few beer drinking friends to find and drink great beer. The centerpiece of today's tasting was the recently acquired 3L bottle of Stonewall Ale. Brewed by Stone Brewing for a charity event in 2005 (or 2006), this beer was the strongest beer ever brewed at Stone. After sampling it yesterday, I was extremely satisfied. Rich and sweet, exceedingly complex. Packed with notes of caramel, toffee, and even some hops. This was a great way to finish of the week.


For the first ever beer week in San Diego, this one was amazing. I can't imagine it getting better, but know that next year will only top this year's offerings. I'm thankful to all that had a hand in planning and producing each event I was able to participate in. There was so much more I wanted to do, but I guess I'll have something to look forward to for next year.