11 IN ‘11


he centerspread for the January issue of West Coaster (readable on our website at westcoastersd.com/editorial) profiled these 11 breweries, resources and events that we felt would be big players in San Diego’s 2011 craft beer scene. It’s been a busy year so far, and now that we’re six months in, let’s check in on those way-back-when predictions.


11 in ‘11: Six Months Later T


Automatic Brewing Co.’s Lee Chase has released several beers over the last 6 months, including a collaboration with Cy Henley of Alpine called Quartz IPA, the proceeds of which went to the International Relief Committee for Japan. Expect more from the creative brewery tucked inside Blind Lady Ale House (BLAH), as 3 new 10-barrel fermenters have been acquired, effectively increasing fermentation capacity from 2 barrels to 32 barrels. In addition, the BLAH team plan to open a new spot just east of 30th Street on El Cajon Boulevard, with hopes of an onsite nano- brewery (“fingers crossed,” says Lee). Stay posted on westcoastersd.com


AwesomeBeer Drinkers


TapHunter, Beer-Con will be held August 27th at The Handlery in Mission Valley as “an event for beer lovers by beer lovers.” See beer-con.com for more details.


at the National Homebrewers Conference, Ballast Point earned 2nd Place for the Export Curry Stout collaboration between Alex Tweet and Ballast Point’s Specialty Brewer Colby Chandler. Get the homebrew version of this recipe (paired with a prawn curry w/ pineapple & asparagus recipe) in the June issue of West Coaster.


another of his hobbies with the BD team: cheese-making. In the coming months, look for the Brew Diego website to be redesigned/refocused, and “if everything goes well, we will also be hosting our first event in a few months. The goal of our events is to be low-cost, easily accessible, and to connect brewers with craft beer enthusiasts,” says Dan Brown, Webmaster & Chief Lion Tamer.


Hess Brewing Company is growing more and more in popularity each time we visit. In addition to expanding their fermentation capacity by leaps and bounds, their German Rye Pilsner collaboration with homebrewer Kelsey McNair was a hit during the NHC Pro-Brewers Night Pro- Am competition (and may still be on tap at the brewery). Coming up July 22nd: Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) Number 5 from 4-8pm w/ live music, BBQ, and a new beer release -- The Robust Porter. Also look for Hess beers at the 16th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza August 5th-7th.


Brewer Brandon Sieminski discuss the beer with New Brew Thursday at newbrewthursday.com/?p=829). Coming up, the Iron Fist/KnB collaboration Uprising Belgian Triple Double IPA will debut at KnB Wine Cellar’s 3-Year Anniversary Party July 1st.


Manzanita Brewing Company’s striking manzanita-wood tap handles have been taking root all over the county lately. Their core five beers – Riverwalk Blonde, Rustin Horizon Red, Pale Ale, Gillespie Brown Ale, and IPA – are all solid. And if you’re lucky you can still find Barrel-Aged Pivotal Porter, one of their limited release beers, at some bottleshops around town. Coming up: look for undeniable crowd favorite Jazz Man Pale Ale, another of the East County brewery’s limited releases, to be bottled soon.


the San Diego Brewers Guild has their act together more so than ever. A well-planned SDBW will be a successful SDBW. For the latest, keep your eye on sdbw.org


Co-Founder Greg Koch CEO & Co-Founder (who recently won the regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award), “has definitely been unveiling our local expansion plans” – read our live blog and full recap of the press excursion we went on by visiting westcoastersd.com and searching “stone expansion”


Stone Brewing Co. deserves to be arrogant: national beer sales between January and May rose 28%, while beer sales through Stone Distributing are up 37% (Stone Brewing beers up 27%, other distributed brands up 74%). The Escondido brewery will produce an estimated 150,000 barrels this year. With that said, the biggest high point since the start of 2011, according to CEO &


San Diego Beer Week 2011 is currently in production. Currently, a myriad of the local industry’s finest are working on the various graphic design, web design, advertising, and logistical elements with unprecedented organization. Now in its 3rd incarnation, SDBW serves as an important litmus test of where beer stands in the San Diegan mindset. While it’s too soon to tell just how much of a draw 2011’s SDBW will be,


Iron Fist Brewing Co. in Vista opened their doors in October, were picked up by Stone Distributing in January, and have been operating at capacity since February. To go along with a lineup of mainly Euro-inspired beers, Iron Fist released a saison brewed with all Belgian malt called “Off Hand” (watch Head


BrewDiego.com just recently released their third online video focusing on the brewers and breweries of the San Diego Craft Beer Community. This time around, AleSmith was the brewery in focus, and owner Peter Zien shared


Ballast Point has acquired and broken ground on the adjacent industrial suite of their Scripps Ranch location. More beer production is in the works, plans are being executed to renovate/expand the tasting room, and a patio is being constructed outside the current tasting room. In the recent Pro-Am competition


AwesomeBeerDrinkers.com have been holding more and more tastings since January (coming up: Best Damn Beer Shop’s 2-Year Anniversary @ The Tipsy Crow July 9th). They’ve also recently formed an LLC, BeerForThought, which has allowed them to start a brand new, craft beer-centric conference here in San Diego called Beer-Con. Working together with fellow 11 in ‘11 members


TapHunter.com has been pretty busy over the last six months -- three new team members have been added, there’s been a 93% increase in traffic over the previous quarter, the website is now live in 9 cities (with LA next on the list), and they’ve forged a media partnership with San Diego Magazine. Tap Hunter also offers craft beer-related businesses comprehensive digital solutions, events and promotions coordination (with partner TicketDerby.com), and more. That said, “Tap Hunter’s web and mobile technologies continue to be at the heart of the company’s mission,” says Co- Founder Melani Gordon.” At TapHunter.com, users can find out “what’s on tap” and where.


The 33rd Annual AHA National Homebrewers Conference was an overwhelming hit last month at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley. Homebrewers from around the country made the pilgrimage to San Diego and took part in breakout sessions featuring speakers in the professional brewing industry. Among the many perks of attendance, the conference goers were treated to a sampling of San Diego’s finest beers via Pro-Brewers Night, and then the best homebrew in the country during Club Night. For a more thorough recap, check out page 6 and 7.


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