San Diego is Brewing

San Diego—America's Great Beer Town

I'm learning that San Diego is not just a town with a bunch of great breweries. San Diego is a town with a great beer culture.

What's the difference you ask? Well, for starters, it seems like almost every weekend there is some kind of stellar event going on that features local craft beer. For example, last weekend was Karl Strauss' “Beach to Brewery” beer and music fest. 70 kegs of awesome beer from Karl Strauss, live music, a bike ride to the beach—just your average weekend in San Diego : ).

This coming weekend is the “Craft Beer Block at North Park Festival of the Arts” http://www.northparkfestivalofarts.com/north_park_festival_of_the_arts_craft_beer.html. Check that out and tell me you're not impressed.

And it's not just the local breweries that are featured either. San Diego breweries and pubs have such an affinity for great beer, that they often feature great brews from non-local breweries. The local attitude is: if it's good beer it shall be served. Kudos San Diego.

Seems like everywhere I go—pizza joints, restaurants, hotel bars, ball games etc. everyone is serving great local beer on tap. You're not just going to find local craft brew at the breweries, you will find it everywhere. Even the San Diego Zoo is now serving local craft beer. Their fine-food restaurant, “Albert's”, has an excellent selection of local beer in bottles. Several of the Zoo's eateries also have a tap or two. I bought a Stone Pale Ale on tap at the Sabertooth Grill last week.

And local grocery, convenience and liquor stores all seem to have at least a modest selection of local beers. Many have outstanding collections and are worth making a trip to when you're in town. Try South Bay Drugs in Imperial Beach. Joey, their beer expert, loves to talk beer and has assembled one of the best selections of craft beer ANYWHERE (http://sites.google.com/site/southbaydrugs/). Joey also ships beer which is legal to many states so if you're from out of town make your selection and he will ship to you.

San Diego has great breweries—yes. San Diego also has a culture that recognizes and promotes great beer. People here know and love their beer. So the next time you visit, keep your eyes and ears open because no matter where you go or what you do—chances are great beer will be waiting for you.

John Rogers
San Diego is Brewing

Brews at the Zoo

Having been a member of the San Diego Zoo for years—I have watched with interest as the Zoo has slowly and steadily improved their culinary offerings. As a member, I take frequent walks about the zoo and often sample the culinary fare including wine and beer.

After an evening walk recently, I stopped in at Albert’s Restaurant, which is located in the Treehouse Complex and offers full-service fine dining. I stepped up to the cozy, full-service bar and was pleasantly surprised to learn they were offering several local craft brews in the bottle. There offerings included some outstanding beers and after several minutes contemplating my selection—I settled on the Ballast Point Big Eye which did not disappoint. As of Oct. 2, 2009, Albert’s offered the following craft beers (bottle only):

Stone Pale Ale San Diego, CA
Stone Levitation Ale San Diego, CA
Gordan Biersch Hefeweizen San Diego, CA
Ballast Point Big Eye India Pale Ale San Diego, CA
North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner Ft. Bragg, CA
North Coast Pranqster Belgian Golden Ale Ft. Bragg, CA
Sierra Nevada Summerfest Pilsner Style Lager Chico, CA
Alaskan Summer Kolsch Beer Juneau, AK
New Belgium Skinny Dip Ft. Collins, CO
Samuel Adams Summer Ale Boston, MA

Not a bad offering and quite an upgrade from what I’m accustomed to from the Zoo. For a current list of wine and beer offerings at Alberts go to:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/alberts_winelist.pdf

I struck a nice conversation with the bartender and inquired about craft beers on draft. He explained the lack of space and accommodation for kegs and didn’t foresee taps anytime soon.

There are however, several other Zoo eateries such as Sydney’s and The Sabertooth Grill that do have limited draft offerings. Along with some basic lagers—I’ve seen a few Sam Adams Boston Lager taps which does give you a choice that you didn’t have before.

Overall the food and beverage menus have been improving at the Zoo eateries and I recommend giving them a try next time you visit. There has also been talk of the Zoo offering special food pairings with local beers. We will keep you informed…

John Rogers

Enlightened Explorer Travel

Links:
San Diego Zoo Tickets and Information