San Marcos Stories
The loop around Discovery Lake in San Marcos makes a perfect hike for those who want to do a light and easy stroll but still see a diversity of species and beautiful lake scenery. This …
Carlsbad-based singer/songwriter Aquile watched last week’s season finale of The Voice. It was the first time he’s seen an episode since he appeared on the chair-spinning talent show in 2012. “It can get hard to …
A Cal State San Marcos student accused of assaulting a female student is suing the college over its handling of the investigation. According to a lawsuit filed in Superior Court on October 21, the student, …
When David Jackson opened Perfect Soul whiskey in San Marcos in late 2015, he entered what is still a pretty young San Diego spirits market. However, he'd already built a career working with hard liquor. …
The team behind Rancho Bernardo's Urge Gastropub is getting their bowling alley after all. The Reader first announced the plan to turn a Vista fitness center into a combined brewpub and bowling alley two years …
About this time last year, AleSmith's limited online release of Velvet Speedway barrel-aged stout sold out in seconds. This summer's most coveted whale seems to be Lost Abbey's Duck Duck Gooze, which sold out in …
I’m a sucker for corned beef hash. I constantly order it, and I’m constantly disappointed. It’s offered on menus in breakfast diners all over the country, and I feel like I’ve tried them all. Sometimes …
Thanks to recent changes in state law, the California Spirits Company will officially open its San Marcos tasting room to the public on June 9. While owner and distiller Casey Miles embraces the opportunity to …
Stories about musicians suffering for their art are legion. Few of them involve rollerblading. But Eve Selis says her new record, See Me with Your Heart, never would have happened if she hadn’t torn her …
Brewery anniversaries are getting bigger this year, and it has everything to do with a new state law. Effective January 1, AB 776 permits breweries to sell beer "on property contiguous and adjacent to its …
Every month or so, local storage-unit facilities play their own version of the TV show Storage Wars — past-due units auctioned off to the highest bidder. Such was the case last week with three San …
Normally it takes eight to ten films to find the three or four needed to pad a film festival overview, but this year’s San Diego Jewish Film Festival hit me with four winners right out …
One of San Diego's hardest to come by beers is Duck Duck Gooze. The Lost Abbey gueuze is a blend of old and young barrel-aged wild ales that only releases in small quantities every three …
Career criminal Julius Anthony Keeler made a plea deal to settle five criminal cases in San Diego County and was sentenced to four years in prison on October 19. He is being held at the …
In September, Rip Current founders Paul Sangster and Guy Shobe brought five beers to the Great American Beer Festival, the nation's biggest beer contest. The former homebrewers returned victorious, with two medals and the distinction …
Are rising post-recession real estate prices starting to crack? Yes, for high-end properties, says inland North County realtor Suzan Isber. “Three weeks ago we started noticing sellers of million-dollar-plus properties not getting their asking price. …
As if it weren't already hard enough on a beer reporter's narrative flow to discuss the multi-label San Marcos brewhouse known as Port Brewing and the Lost Abbey, earlier this year it launched yet another …
Even though pet-store operator David Salinas's legal bills are mounting, cities are outlawing his puppy-supply pipeline, and animal-welfare activists continue to bite into him, he plans to continue selling puppies. "If you run a small …
An auction house ad last week announced, “Complete restaurant/bar/live music venue sale!” That August 13 fire sale was at the Jumping Turtle and a surprise to the bands scheduled to perform at the venue near …
Drive-thru burger joints hold a distinct place in Southern California lore, but this being the 21st Century, the only burger I’m willing to eat in my car anymore starts and ends with the word “double.” …
Among the 13 gold-medal-winning local beers at this year's San Diego International Beer Competition were several I haven't tasted yet. It probably goes without saying, but I've suddenly taken an interest in trying them all. …
When Lowe’s Home Improvement Center pulled out of San Marcos’ Creekside Marketplace shopping center last year, it left a huge building vacant. Now, major renovations are underway for two long-established chains with no stores in …
Sara Norris of San Marcos was camping at Thousand Trails in Pine Cove (near Idyllwild) on May 21 when her female golden retriever, Aslan, disappeared. After searching for hours, Norris called the emergency line at …
Last year, on the morning of May 14, humidity levels were down to 5 percent, morning beach temperatures already up into the high 80s, and strong Santa Ana winds were blowing from the east. Over …
A second chance is something rarely afforded in this day and age, especially in the San Diego craft-beer industry. It’s not that people don’t want to go back to a brewery that registers as lackluster …
No longer assume that everyone goes to church, synagogue, mosque, or temple.
A San Marcos family whose pit bull puppy was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy during an unannounced and non-warranted visit to the home is suing the county and the deputies for unlawful search …
A new social media app served as the platform for two confirmed threats of violence in San Diego area schools this week. Burnbook, a platform to "anonymously share thoughts and memories," was used to post …
Escondido is considered a “moratorium city” by the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the agency responsible for issuing new liquor licenses. Since 2011, a five-year plug has been placed on the issuance of any …
“It’s not like we’re going to camp out in the parking lot of an establishment.” Lt. Eric Skaja, spokesman for the Escondido Police Department, maintains that the “Avoid the Eight on the 78” campaign isn’t …
Per San Diego Beer News tradition, I’m closing out the year by taking a look back at some of the best 2014 had to offer, while keeping an eye trained on what 2015 holds. In …
The name Phil’s BBQ is synonymous with San Diego… much like handles such as AleSmith, Ballast Point, and Karl Strauss. Now, the ‘cue giant and those local brewing operations will be more synonymous with each …
Michael Vincent Young, 57, was sentenced to six years prison on September 30 for killing his brother Robb “without malice.” Young told investigators that tension had been building for a long time between he and …
It’s pumpkin beer season, which means breweries around the country will offer their spins on autumnal harvest-themed brews. Because pumpkin is such a popular and familiar ingredient, these beers are easy to love. They envelop …
Though I always passed it up for nearby competitors Churchill’s Pub & Grille or Sublime Ale House, there was something comforting about driving past Penny Lane Pub & Grill. Tucked off the side of San …
The adage “never judge a book by its cover” is usually doled out for good things that don’t look so hot. Recently, the reverse was applicable when I walked into Dos Desperados Brewery (1241 Linda …
Membership: 200 (adults) Denomination: Independent Executive Pastor: Raymond van Pletsen Age: 66 Born: Johannesburg, South Africa Formation: Calvary Bible College, Kansas City, MO; Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX Years Ordained: 34 San Diego Reader: What …
When I catch wind of a new brewery project, I feel a jolt of electricity shoot through me. I realize this speaks to the near-obsessive depth of my craft beer enthusiasm, but it is what …
Do you see spots before your eyes? Do you feel any rabbit inclinations? Is multiplication your strong suit? Have you recently paid a visit to San Marcos? Good gwacious! You could be suffering from rabbititis …
When I first heard the name “The Bellowsman,” I assumed the Societe Brewing Company beer bearing that handle had been brewed especially for local publican Ivan Derezin. After all, the brew debuted around the same …
Despite tackling a wider range of beer styles than almost any brewery in the county, Rip Current Brewing Company (1325 Grand Avenue, San Marcos) has only dabbled in Belgian-inspired beers. That’s about to change big-time …
Ten unlicensed contractors who were illegally bidding on home-repair work in areas affected by the recent Cocos Fire were arrested on June 4 in a sting operation initiated by the Contractors State License Board. Fraud …
Thursday afternoon, May 15, as the Cocos fire in San Marcos rushed into west Escondido, residents who'd been watching the eerie-colored sky and sneezing against the airborne ash finally got the evacuation order they'd been …
5/14/14, 8 p.m. We decamped to our parents' house in Escondido partly because we were done watching San Marcos burn and partly to be with our parents in case things get scary here. So now …
5/14/14, 3 p.m. The view from San Marcos is not encouraging. It doesn't feel good either. I'm in the unincorporated area, just off Deer Springs Road, right around the bend where it becomes Twin Oaks …
Local law enforcement investment in Graffiti Tracker software appears to be paying off, after sheriff's deputies apprehended a 15-year-old tagger linked to at least 90 graffiti incidents. According to Sgt. Matt Blumenthal, the crimes committed …
Chuck Perkins has a condition. Whenever he is taken by something really good, he feels an internal yearning to create it himself. That said, he realizes he has his limitations. As such, he won’t be …
There are specialty beers, and then there are specialty beers. On the more common end of the spectrum, there are seasonal offerings that are readily available to the general beer-drinking public. When it comes to …
Every time I go to Rip Current Brewing Company, I’m amazed at the large number of stylistically diverse beers they have available. Homebrewers at heart, brewers Paul Sangster and Guy Shobe do an impressive job …
At the time of this writing, I am keeping track of a whopping 42 brewing projects which are in the works within the boundaries of San Diego County. Of those, 35 are works-in-progress from new …
These desperados have been tough to track down. Rather than drum up pre-open hype, Steve and Dora Munson have channeled their husband-and-wife energies into quietly establishing their plot a block north of San Marcos’ Restaurant …
A 16-year-old said he was riding his bike home from San Marcos High School on a Tuesday afternoon when he was confronted by two persons he had never seen before. “I just felt this punch,” …