It was o-dark-hundred hours and I was driving through Kearny Mesa en route to a local television station to film a spot about San Diego Beer Week. A navigational miscalculation took me down Convoy Court. …

Craft beer can be a hard sell in Pacific Beach. Though artisanal ales and lagers are finally starting to show up in greater quantity, bland fermented beverages described as “lite” and served out of receptacles …

When El Cajon Brewing Company opened in 2011, there was some degree of professional brewing experience, but none where it came to operating a craft beer production business. Due mostly to that lack of experience, …

“Are you reviewing the beers?” It was a question both innocent and unexpected.. Amazingly, this is the first time anybody has ever approached me in the middle of a quality check, so big props to …

“So, when are you going to release your sours?” It’s been the most uttered question (thank in part to yours truly) since Societe Brewing Company (8262 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Kearny Mesa) opened last year. Even …

Iron Fist Brunch: Every year, Churchill’s Pub & Grille closes out Beer Week the same way, by inviting Iron Fist Brewing Company brewmaster Brandon Sieminski and his beers over for brunch, which is available a …

Open House: Vista’s Mother Earth Brew Co. has done some major expanding and upgrading at its original brewery, which has necessitated them closing off its tasting room. Come in for a long overdue brew and …

After years of trying to get the business off the ground, Urban Jungle Brewing Company is officially a no-go. Would-be co-founder James Lombard and his partners have officially thrown in the towel, terminating the lease …

Ballast Point Tap Takeover: For years, The High Dive has been standout Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits’ best, most loyal account. Now, it’s time for payback in the form of specialty beers that will flow …

Three-Day Speedway Grand Prix: From Wednesday through Friday, AleSmith will offer flights of their stunning Speedway Stout augmented by flavors including bacon, coconut, and vanilla. Bring a muffin tin (seriously) and taste to your heart’s …

I told of its coming many moons ago. I’ve known of the location for over a month, but kept it under my hat. Now, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits is ready to disclose the location …

12 Brewers, 12 Casks, 12 Mallets: Drop in on a simultaneous tapping of a dozen specialty casks of familiar Stone Brewing Co. beers augmented by myriad ingredients including blueberries, heather, elderflowers, Thai chilies, milk sugar, …

Boobs, Brats & Beer to Help Find the Cure: Mission Brewery Plaza’s Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment is teaming with Hillcrest sausage outfit, Salt and Cleaver, to offer beer and bratwurst in exchange for donations to …

Beer & Cheese Pairing: Equal opportunity artisan Peter Zien, the brewmaster at AleSmith who is also working on opening his own dairy project called CheeseSmith, will drop in to Encinitas Ale House to pair some …

San Diego’s top-ten breweries, according to Brandon Hernández, who was here when it all began.

The business may be called Coronado Brewing Company (CBC), but that 17-year-old operation's brewpub roots are now securely fastened to the mainland and spreading fast. It started with CBC brewing at the Mission Brewery Plaza …

Chargers vs. Redskins Sour Brunch: The Chargers appear to be on the right track. Catch this case of lightning in a bottle along with glass after glass of tart, tasty sour beer from a board …

Taking place from November 1 through 10, San Diego Beer Week consists of hundreds of events of all types and sizes. For those having trouble choosing, I’ll be providing my best bet events on a …

A brew that made a big splash during last year’s San Diego Beer Week has resurfaced and, fittingly, is grabbing top honors as this week’s sudsy offering from yours truly. Enter, Karl Strauss Peanut Butter …

I warned the beer-loving world it was coming, and now it’s arrived: the San Diego Beer News Complete Guide to San Diego Breweries. An eBook designed to be use on-the-go by visitors, locals, craft beer …

Because one can never have enough beer, even a bottle-share can lead to a second sudsy location. In the case of the share I reported on earlier this week (where I dug up early info …

I love me a bottle-share. There are the obvious reasons—beer, often special and always plentiful. But even more than that, there’s the camaraderie of individuals from all walks of life coming together and bonding over …

There I was, walking the floor of the Great American Beer Festival, the country’s largest annual beer-tasting free-for-all. Breweries from all over the U.S. show up and bring out their best to wow the American …

Ever had two empty pint glasses in your hand and thought to yourself: If only there was a way to fill these without having to go to the trouble of opening two beers. OK, probably …

Most of the beer writing I’ve done regarding the coastal municipality of Oceanside has revolved around the highly anticipated work-in-progress Bagby Beer Co. Its debut is scheduled for next spring, but O-siders won’t have to …

Beer writers and brewing industry personnel reference it all the time—the Great American Beer Festival. Held annually in Denver, Colorado, it is the single most well-known and well-respected brewing competition in the country. To win …

The term “gateway beer” is used to describe a craft beer that is similar in appearance and style to the American adjunct lagers produced by large brewing companies like Miller-Coors and AB-InBev. At this point, …

At the same time as I was getting into craft beer, I was discovering the amazingly wide-ranging culinary arts. Because of this brilliant accident, the thought of using good beer as an ingredient and finding …

Today’s chefs are stretching the gastronomic envelope further than it’s ever gone. From space-aged toques of the molecular ilk to those taking traditional dishes to flavorful new places, there’s never been a more exciting time …

Patience is important for a beer writer—well, a beer-loving beer writer, anyway. Often, I’m in the know about an upcoming brewing company long before they’re anywhere even close to serving their first beer. In the …

Popular watering hole The Local Eatery and Drinking Hole (1065 Fourth Avenue, Downtown) is working on establishing its own brewery. A an early adapter to the craft beer model, The Local regularly serves a long …

It was going to happen—it was just a matter of time. I have written a book. Not surprisingly, it is a guide to all of the breweries, brewpubs, brewery-restaurants, and other tasting venues in San …

These days, it seems like a new brewery is opening every week. Well, that’s just not true. Case in point—last week, when two new brewing companies entered their soft open stage. For the most part, …

Even as a devout Christian, there’s something very intriguing about a beer that labels itself as “satanic.” Especially when said devil’s brew is served up in dark, cavernous lair juxtaposed almost ironically by stain glass …

Even locals with the slightest grasp of the craft beer movement can see how widespread it is within San Diego County. Breweries and brewpubs are opening up all over the place, pushing the geographic borders …

OK, now that you’re paying attention, I’ll admit to crafting a title geared to garner a click or two. What I’m actually talking about is beer that is almost gluten-free. Yes, again. Two weeks ago, …

Earlier this month, I dished details about Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits’ upcoming combo research and development brewery, taproom, eatery, and beer garden in Little Italy. Today, I’m dishing on the dishes that the restaurant …

While a new brewery comes across as little more than the ping of a pin dropping in a brewery saturated neighborhood, the arrival of a brewhouse to communities without a homegrown source of fresh beer …

Earlier this year, I shared the local brewing projects I was most highly anticipating. Most of them (Pizza Port Bressi Ranch, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Benchmark Brewing Company, Hess Brewing …

In July, I shared the news that a brewer working on an upcoming interest I’d been keeping an eye on for some time, Devil’s Forge Brewing Company, had merged with another operation. As it turns …

You know you’re way into beer when you’re seated in a brewery, enjoying course after course of thoughtful food paired with fine craft beer, and instead of keeping your head down and focusing on consumption, …

Literature, comics, Bubbles the chimp—expect all of this when entering the new tasting room at Modern Times Beer. With walls papered with pages ripped from old books and owner Jacob McKean’s personal comic collection, plus …

If you’d have told me you could squeeze two dozen people into the wooden box at the end of the Shelter Island pier, I’d have called you a liar. I’m still not sure it’s advised, …

It’s hard to sum up exactly how it feels when a brewer uncaps a bottle of their beer and tells you the first time they tried it, it tasted like armpit. It’s a real anticipation …

For the better part of its existence, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits epitomized slow craft brewing company growth. Owner Jack White and long-time head brewer Yuseff Cherney seemed content to let Karl Strauss and Stone …

It’s hard to remember back to the earliest days of my craft beer journey with as much clarity as I’d like (must be all the beer), but if memory serves, my first draft hefeweizen and …

A Sunday morning pancake breakfast. Happy people milling around a parking lot, chatting with friends new and old. No, it wasn’t some church function, unless you’re a devotee of the religion that is San Diego …

An uncertain economy, in tandem with the rise of gastropubs, upscale comfort food joints, and other trends driven to tiresome status by their ubiquity, have rendered fine-dining establishments to endangered-species status in San Diego County. …

Some people just aren’t cut out for retirement. Such is the case with Steve Munson, a long-time homebrewer who, rather than ride off into the twilight of life, has decided to follow his passion for …

Opened in 1996, Coronado Brewing Company is one of San Diego’s eldest brewing operations. The last year was one of, if not the biggest for the island-based company. Several months ago, CBC opened a second, …