EVENT PREVIEWS
Brewed for Brewbies Several pink beers to feature at February 11th breast cancer benefit festival
By Ryan Lamb T
he idea came about at none other than Falling Rock Tap House, a Denver beer bar hotspot frequented by Great
American Beer Festival attendees. Members of the Pizza Port Carlsbad crew had just walked off the stage after receiving the Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year Award in September 2009, and yet their thoughts were already set on the future — specifically, that someone dedicated to Pizza Port events and promotion was needed. Melanie Pierce volunteered herself, and an idea: a festival benefiting breast cancer research for the month of February. “I love pink,” said Pierce. “I really believe in what the girls at Keep A Breast do. It inspires me, and I thought a beer festival would be a great way to raise money.” Five months later, the first Brewbies Festival was held in the beer gardens. Now set for its third edition, Brewbies has raised more than $30,000 for the cause. This year’s February 11th (noon - 5
p.m.) event will exhibit several pink beers. Pizza Port Carlsbad’s head brewer Ignacio “Nacho” Cervantes decided to use a recipe similar to last year’s popular Hakuna Ma Ta Tas to brew the IPA, this time with more hops and no artificial coloring. “We’re adding beets to color the beer pink,” said Cervantes, who helped brew a test batch at the home of brewery assistant, Rory Brunner. “The interesting part is going to be balancing the amount of beets with the hops. We don’t want too much of that big, earthy, sweet flavor coming through.” The IPA, likely to finish in the 7% ABV range, will yield about 20 barrels (roughly 40 kegs). The beer is currently unnamed, with Pierce
Two local collaboration beers brewed for
breast cancer research, one of them pink, will also be on tap. Boob Check, a cherry, hibiscus, honey and lime English-style collaboration between Home Brew Mart/ Ballast Point and the White Labs Beer for Boobs team, will be featured alongside the Ballast Point/Coronado collaboration Ingrid’s 1 in 8. The beer’s inspiration came from High Dive’s owner Ingrid Qua, who would later be named the 2011 Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor. There’s more than just beer at this
festival. A boisterous raffle takes place each year, with a snowboard and a bike, just to name two of the big items this year. Expect great food as well, with grilled goodies and brewbies cupcakes available for purchase. $25 for pre-sale (online) or $30 at the door
Brewer Rory Brunner pours a homebrewed test-batch of Red IPA at Pizza Port Carlsbad
taking to the Internet for suggestions. Within minutes of posting in the Beer Advocate forums on brew day, several candidates had already caught the crew’s eye: Beets for Teets, Breast Cancer Beet Down, Hopping to the Beet, Topless Not Hopless, Breast In Class, Breast Coast IPA and well, you get the idea. The other Pizza Port brewpub locations
will contribute pink beers of their own, while Vista’s Aztec Brewing Company will donate a keg of their pink Hibiscus Wheat Ale.
The Lost Abbey has been experimenting
with prickly pears for their Brewbies beer. “The beer doesn’t have a name and no one
has attempted to describe it,” Media & Communications Liaison Sage Osterfeld relayed. “It will probably remain a mystery until that day.” Fair enough. Another pink creation from Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado, will make its way out west. They’ve blended a pink sour for the event, and will also send Piglet Purgatory, a 5% ABV hoppy beer made from the second runnings — or left-over mash — of Hog Heaven Barleywine. The former Pizza Port San Clemente head
brewer Noah Regnery, who now plies his trade at Hollister Brewing Co. just north of Santa Barbara, will brew up a pink Belgian Golden Ale for the festivities.
gets you a raffle ticket, a custom Brewbies pint glass, four six-ounce tasters, an “I Heart Boobies” bracelet, and the gift of knowing that drinking craft beer makes a difference. Remember: don’t drink and drive; the NCTD Coaster provides a unique way to enjoy the commute from central San Diego, and it makes a stop just a few blocks from the beer gardens.
www.keep-a-breast.org/programs/i-love-boobies
February 15th
February’s beer events are stacking up, so save the dates in your calenders now. To view more events, or submit your own, visit
westcoastersd.com/event- calendar
February 15th Homebrew Share @ Bottlecraft
The bottle shop and tasting room has a new seasonal event for homebrewers of all levels, and you’re even encouraged to bring beers you’re not too happy with so you can get advice from others. The event starts at 6:30p.m. and admission is free if you bring a few bottles.
4-
DrinkAbout! Every third Wednesday of the month, a free shuttle service provided by Brewery Tours of San Diego drops drinkers off at beer bars in the uptown neighborhoods. For more information on the schedule and route:
sddrinkabout.blogspot.com
February 18th Taste of San Diego Craft Brews @ the History Center
Celebrate San Diego’s “History Making” beers in Balboa Park from 7p.m. - 10p.m. General admission is $39, or arrive an hour earlier for VIP treatment at $65 per ticket. Beer samples from AleSmith, Pizza Port, Karl Strauss and more will be available, plus food pairings from restaurants like Local Habit and URGE American Gastropub. Visit
sandiegohistory.org for more information.
February 18th BeerNerdz Seasonal Blind Tasting
This unique blind tasting allows the seasoned beer connoisseur and the beer novice to test their tasting skills in a fun, social setting. Alpine’s Exponential Hoppiness will make an appearance alongside other San Diego special releases. The event goes from 5:30p.m. - 8:00p.m. at The Beer Company downtown, and tickets are $10 off the $40 price tag if purchased before February 9th at
beernerdz.com.
February 21st
Barrel & The Beast When Alchemy first opened in 2009, the restaurant made clear that it wouldn’t be competing with its neighboring tavern Hamilton’s on the craft beer front. Since its start, Alchemy has stayed true to its word by offering just a couple craft beers, but starting this month, the two businesses will collaborate on what will become a
quarterly pairing event. To kick things off, Barrel & The Beast invokes oaky, smokey, caramelly flavors with a four course pairing by Chef Ricardo Heredia and Scot Blair of Hamilton’s. Expect whole roasted pig and big-barrel aged flavors. The dinner starts at 6pm and is $75, all inclusive. Reservations are available by calling 619-255-0616.
February 25th
Best Damn Night of the Barrels
Sid from Best Damn Beer Shop downtown organizes high-quality tastings of extremely rare beers every few months. This go round, West Coaster is teaming up with the shop to promote the most insane tasting lineup yet. West Coaster IPA by Hess Brewing will be availble on draught and cask, and is free to tasting-goers. The cost is $50 presale or $55 at the door. Tickets and the full beer list (minus the secret keg) are available at
ticketsrevolution.com/barrels.
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