Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Beers running hot and cold

Taking a look at the current beer scene’s most and least popular styles

Because nearly every beer style imaginable is produced in San Diego County, it would seem to the casual onlooker that the interest level in all ales and lagers is the same, but keeping a close eye on the scene and the brews company’s offer — or don’t — there are definite trends happening both on a national and regional level. The following are beers that are coming on strong, followed by those that are going out with nary a whimper.

IN
Berliner Weisse: An effervescent, light-bodied, low-alcohol wheat beer marketed primarily to women and the younger crowd in Germany, this style usually gets a hefty addition of fruit-flavored syrup table-side in its homeland. Some local brewers offer that, as well, though the majority of tasting rooms serve theirs straight up.

Gose: It wasn’t until 2011 that I had my first taste of this style of wheat beer, which is brewed with salt to mirror the profile of the water used to brew this beer in the German city of Goslar where this beer, typically brewed with coriander, originated. Goses reign supreme among all styles to seemingly rise to popularity against all odds.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Session IPA: It’s hard to tell if low-alcohol India pale ales exhibiting as much over-the-top hop fruitiness and bitterness as bigger IPAs are really in demand or something breweries are hoping is a bona fide trend, but considering they cost a great deal to produce and most major companies have introduced one in the past year, it seems legit.

Rye Beers: Rye lends a biting spice to existing styles of beer and local brewers are finding ways to mash it into everything from saisons to brown ales, Kölsch ales and IPAs. It would appear to be the type of malt bill additive that, once a brewer develops a taste for it, they can’t help but at least want to add a little to everything they make.

Brett Beers: A popular online article pokes fun at fans of beers made using Brettanomyces, saying fans of this wild yeast talk about it so often and so passionately, you’d swear their best friend is named Brett. Some go as far as brewing beers fermented exclusively using Brett, which adds spice and funk while drying out a beer’s finish.

OUT
Amber Ale: What was once the most widely produced style of beer in San Diego is now far too pedestrian to merit the attention of the county’s brewers or beer drinkers, but it served its purpose and helped craft beer secure its initial footing.

Pale Ale: Another style that was big back in the ‘90s is having trouble remaining relevant in a world awash with single, double and triple IPAs that rely on most of the same ingredients and flavors that make this retreating style what it is.

Belgian IPA: Ironically, given what I just wrote about pale ales, the Belgian IPA, an India pale ale fermented using Belgian yeast, appears to be falling out of favor, yet the Belgian pale ale seems to be sticking around to some degree.

Black IPA: It was a fun experiment, going big and jet black with one’s malt bill while hopping to high hell to combine coffee and chocolate with pine and citrus, but this oddity has slowly gone from a tolerable fad to waste of beer board space.

Barley Wine: Most beer fans proudly or secretly adore high-alcohol beers…just not this one, the highest ABV of them all. The main reason is its reliance on malts for a thick, sweet brew that simply doesn’t pair with sunny San Diego weather.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
Next Article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount

Because nearly every beer style imaginable is produced in San Diego County, it would seem to the casual onlooker that the interest level in all ales and lagers is the same, but keeping a close eye on the scene and the brews company’s offer — or don’t — there are definite trends happening both on a national and regional level. The following are beers that are coming on strong, followed by those that are going out with nary a whimper.

IN
Berliner Weisse: An effervescent, light-bodied, low-alcohol wheat beer marketed primarily to women and the younger crowd in Germany, this style usually gets a hefty addition of fruit-flavored syrup table-side in its homeland. Some local brewers offer that, as well, though the majority of tasting rooms serve theirs straight up.

Gose: It wasn’t until 2011 that I had my first taste of this style of wheat beer, which is brewed with salt to mirror the profile of the water used to brew this beer in the German city of Goslar where this beer, typically brewed with coriander, originated. Goses reign supreme among all styles to seemingly rise to popularity against all odds.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Session IPA: It’s hard to tell if low-alcohol India pale ales exhibiting as much over-the-top hop fruitiness and bitterness as bigger IPAs are really in demand or something breweries are hoping is a bona fide trend, but considering they cost a great deal to produce and most major companies have introduced one in the past year, it seems legit.

Rye Beers: Rye lends a biting spice to existing styles of beer and local brewers are finding ways to mash it into everything from saisons to brown ales, Kölsch ales and IPAs. It would appear to be the type of malt bill additive that, once a brewer develops a taste for it, they can’t help but at least want to add a little to everything they make.

Brett Beers: A popular online article pokes fun at fans of beers made using Brettanomyces, saying fans of this wild yeast talk about it so often and so passionately, you’d swear their best friend is named Brett. Some go as far as brewing beers fermented exclusively using Brett, which adds spice and funk while drying out a beer’s finish.

OUT
Amber Ale: What was once the most widely produced style of beer in San Diego is now far too pedestrian to merit the attention of the county’s brewers or beer drinkers, but it served its purpose and helped craft beer secure its initial footing.

Pale Ale: Another style that was big back in the ‘90s is having trouble remaining relevant in a world awash with single, double and triple IPAs that rely on most of the same ingredients and flavors that make this retreating style what it is.

Belgian IPA: Ironically, given what I just wrote about pale ales, the Belgian IPA, an India pale ale fermented using Belgian yeast, appears to be falling out of favor, yet the Belgian pale ale seems to be sticking around to some degree.

Black IPA: It was a fun experiment, going big and jet black with one’s malt bill while hopping to high hell to combine coffee and chocolate with pine and citrus, but this oddity has slowly gone from a tolerable fad to waste of beer board space.

Barley Wine: Most beer fans proudly or secretly adore high-alcohol beers…just not this one, the highest ABV of them all. The main reason is its reliance on malts for a thick, sweet brew that simply doesn’t pair with sunny San Diego weather.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon
Next Article

Tigers In Cairo owes its existence to Craigslist

But it owes its name to a Cure tune and a tattoo
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader