Even after half-a-decade in operation, New English Brewing Company remains one of San Diego’s best kept craft beer secrets. Run by English transplant Simon Lacey, it brings an authentic taste of the U.K. to the …

I’ll admit it. When I heard the founders of Neighborhood, Craft & Commerce, and Underbelly were opening a place where the menu would be revolve around meatballs and apple pie, I had my doubts. Meatballs…good. …

Earlier this year, I named some of the upcoming brewery operations I was most excited about. That included big businesses like Pizza Port Bressi Ranch, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Hess …

Popular opinion is that Bob Filner is a buffoon. If you didn’t already think so, here’s further proof. While mayor of the craft beer capital of the country, the guy walked into a San Diego …

These days, craft beer fans try to keep as much an eye on San Diego breweries as they do on the thumping pulse of the pipeline of incoming brewing companies. Those interested in the works-in-progress …

Readers of San Diego Beer News are hip to the fact new brewing companies are opening at a rapid clip, with a glut of other businesses working their way to their public debut. But the …

At nearly two years of age, Aztec Brewing Company (2330 La Mirada Drive, Suite 300, Vista) is one of the elder statesmen in its North County municipality, which is home to eight operating brewhouses with …

Some San Diegans may be familiar with the moniker Wiens. Those same people are likely to be fans of wine tasting in the nearby Temecula Valley, as it’s the name of a winery just off …

Jim Crute has been drinking beer almost exclusively out of 22-ounce bombers for decades. Given that, it’s not surprising that, to-date, all of the beers produced at his Lightning Brewery (13200 Kirkham Road, Suite 105, …

Last weekend, I participated on a beer writing panel at the third annual craft brewing industry convention, Beer-Con. The panel included a quintet of local writers, editors, bloggers and podcasters. Having written about craft beer …

It took a long time for San Diego’s southernmost reaches to get homegrown craft beer to reach for. The first opportunity came in 2008 when The Brew House at Eastlake brewpub opened. Last year, that …

These days, finding a brewer is a daunting task. There are over 70 operating brewhouses and, even with brewing and craft beer industry prep programs coming online at UCSD and SDSU, the employment pool has …

There’s plenty on the beer board for hop heads and hot heads at Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits. Specialty brewer Colby Chandler is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on crafting chili-infused beers. Allow me to …

Recently, I interviewed Tomme Arthur, the famous beer mind and director of brewery operations at The Lost Abbey (155 Mata Way, #104, San Marcos) and its West Coast-style counterpart Port Brewing. I was there to …

I remember it clear as day. It was a sunny Saturday morning during the 2011 edition of San Diego Beer Week. I was touring the grounds of the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival, getting a …

A true rarity – an American take on a Gueuze – and a spectacular one at that.

If you’re a consistent San Diego Beer News reader, by now you know the name Benchmark Brewing Company (6190 Fairmount Avenue, Suite G, Grantville). It’s a new brewery run by former AleSmith brewer Matt Akin. …

Last year, when attending a meeting of local cheesemaking club QuesoDiego, I met someone whose zeal for craftsmanship seeped like runny Cancoillotte from fromage into the fermentation arts. His name is Wes McCann and, while …

In April 2012, I wrote about “The Summer of Karl,” noting new developments for Karl Strauss Brewing Company. That included the 24-year-old stalwart, which is known for having been ahead of most local operations in …

Rookie operation delivers big, intriguing flavors via a hybrid beer style.

A few months back, I contacted restaurateur Jay Porter to see if he’d like to have himself and his businesses spotlighted for a chef feature I was working on. To my surprise, he wasn’t interested. …

Since opening two years ago, locavore lair Local Habit (3827 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest) has gained a reputation as one of San Diego’s beeriest eateries. That reputation came on the back of numerous meet-the-brewer dinners, pairing …

They say passion is the secret ingredient in any good consumable. While genuine affinity doesn’t guarantee success in the fermentation arts, I have found that brewers without passion are at a severe disadvantage when attempting …

When interviewing Alpine Beer Co. owner Pat McIlhenney about how he'll soon have some of his beers brewed at Green Flash Brewing Company’s Mira Mesa facility, we met at craft beer bar O’Brien’s Pub (4646 …

Alpine Beer Co. (2351 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine) benefits from a rabid cult following. On the surface, this is the perfect situation, but for many years this small brewery has been unable to produce anywhere near …

Craft beer is spilling over into other subcultures. One that’s lapping up that overflow with great fervor is the vegan sect. Locally, vegans’ greatest ally in accessing quality craft beer with cuisine that matches their …

Statistics show that Vista is home to more breweries per capita than any other municipality in the United States. It’s not surprising considering how hospitable the City has been in fostering the establishment and growth …

Though Societe Brewing Company (8262 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Kearny Mesa) is a young business (its two-day, four-session first anniversary celebration takes place this weekend), owners and brewers Douglas Constantiner and Travis Smith possess a deep-seated …

I’m not a frequenter of the unincorporated town of Fallbrook and, hence, was unaware of the weekly exodus that occurs when its residents pick up and head out in search of good times, Friday through …

Earlier this year, after roughly a year of mismanagement and passable but lackluster-by-San-Diego-standards beer, El Cajon Brewing Company closed its doors, leaving behind a rather appealing skeleton. With a good-sized dining room, serviceable kitchen, and …

Sometimes new breweries pop-up out of thin air, coming online within weeks of me finding out about them. Then, there are the operations that stay on my lead list for a lengthy period before being …

Local craft beer conviviality consortium Brews Up’s message to San Diego suds fan this summer is “riddle me this.” The organization, whose mission it is to unite artisanal beer fans whiles also shepherding macrobeer drinkers …

I was there when charcuterie ace-turned-brewmaster Rey Knight sold the first of his beers to the public at Ritual Tavern in 2011. I hardly knew what to expect. I knew the guy could fashion fantastic …

Last weekend, a new local brewery and a local distillery opened to the public…under the same roof. That double-pronged operation goes by the name of BNS Brewing & Distilling (10960 Wheatlands Avenue, Suite 101, Santee). …

Even with craft beer available in the many restaurants dotting 30th Street and its bar- and eatery-packed cross-streets, North Park residents are salivating over the upcoming arrival of a long-awaited project touching down in a …

The first time I visited Thorn St. Brewery (3176 Thorn Street, North Park), I was enamored with the place. A former homebrew supply store that’s been converted into a brewery with indoor and semi-outdoor tasting …

Wesley Crusher coming to San Diego in the name of craft beer and collaboration.

With Benchmark Brewing Company celebrating its grand opening this weekend, many a craft beer fan will finally know where Grantville is on a map of San Diego. As it turns out, this is a good …

When a small group of guys spend extensive periods of time in a closed-in space, one of two things typically occurs. Either they grow stir-crazy and find a thousand reasons to hate each other or, …

Nine months in, Year One has been one of adjustments for Tom Garcia, the owner and brewmaster at Offbeat Brewing Company (1223 Pacific Oaks Place, #101, Escondido). When he launched last fall, he didn’t go …

Back in the day, the homebrewers I knew had pretty predictable goals: learn how to make beer, make beer, drink beer, repeat as needed. Nowadays, many of the recreational fermentation fanatics I meet are either …

Though the doors to their tasting room have been open for some time, Rip Current Brewing Company (1325 Grand Avenue, San Marcos) celebrated its official grand opening on June 7 and 8 with its Rip …

In April, I shared details on the installation of the San Diego Brew Project inside wine storage and retail emporium 57 Degrees (1735 Hancock Street, Five Points). As far as new beer-centric spots go, it …

AleSmith Brewing Company (9368 Cabot Drive, Miramar) is a local brewery with a line-up as steady as its stellar reputation. For many years, owner and brewmaster Peter Zien has gone about his business in a …

Since my first visit, I’ve encountered beer of reliably good quality at Latitude 33 Brewing Company (1430 Vantage Court, Suite #104, Vista). Whenever I see a new creation from brewmaster Kevin Buckley, I order it …

Before participating in a beer judging, the thought of such an event conjured visions of a white walled, nondescript room filled with long tables flanked by rigid chairs supporting hard men focused to the nth …

Grantville family fermentorium to celebrate its debut June 28 & 29

Miramar brewery hires accomplished young brewer Yiga Miyashiro.

Held every other year, the World Beer Cup is the largest brewing competition on Earth. Medals earned there are proudly displayed as they equate to big-time bragging rights. One expects to see popular, veteran operations …

Miramar brewery without two highly touted veterans from preseason roster.