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Beer |OT2| Can't stop won't stop the fresh hop

codhand

Member
still worth a visit; fresh draft, hand pump casks, limited releases, did you know that they distill spirits too which are actually quite good? i know theyre owned by constellation brands, but for an out of towner into beer, i see no reason not to at least check it out.

Ballast-point-tasting-room-2016.jpg


looking at this list, and yeah, you actually cant get this shit anywhere, well except at ballast point that is.
https://www.ballastpoint.com/beers/barrel-aged/
 

HiResDes

Member
still worth a visit; fresh draft, hand pump casks, limited releases, did you know that they distill spirits too which are actually quite good? i know theyre owned by constellation brands, but for an out of towner into beer, i see no reason not to at least check it out.




looking at this list, and yeah, you actually cant get this shit anywhere, well except at ballast point that is.
https://www.ballastpoint.com/beers/barrel-aged/

Touche, there are just so many breweries in San Diego if I'm not mistaken that I wouldn't personally want to spend what little money I have there.

I mean if I'm not mistaken Alpine, Green Flash, Stone, AleSmith, Mission and even Mikkeller have breweries there.
 

Chris R

Member
Fuck Ballast you can get that shit anywhere.

I'm not paying $16 for a 6 pack of the grapefruit sculpin. Instead, I'll enjoy a single pint or maybe as part of a sampler of it in their taproom :p

Hamilton's in South Park. Tiger!Tiger!, Toronado, and Modern Times in North Park. Bottlecraft in Little Italy (right next to the Ballast Point there,) or the one in Liberty Station. Most of those places carry a pretty good selection to choose from except for Modern Times, but I listed them cause they're gud.

Thanks, was thinking about visiting the North Park area after meetings one night, good to have a few more choices to visit if I do.

Touche, there are just so many breweries in San Diego if I'm not mistaken that I wouldn't personally want to spend what little money I have there.

I mean if I'm not mistaken Alpine, Green Flash, Stone, AleSmith, Mission and even Mikkeller have breweries there.

I'll look those up. Problem is I'm very limited to where I can travel to and don't have a ton of my own time. Kinda why I asked about the places central to downtown.

Just wanted to see if people knew the area better than me since I've only been to San Diego a single time like 23 years ago.
 

HiResDes

Member
Yes it is. Lagers aren't usually my first choice but I thoroughly enjoy this one. One of our local breweries does some damn fine lagers too (including their Octoberfest).
I love Fifth and Vine if you're talking about Moerlein. Also their OTR Ale, but maybe that's mostly out of nostalgia.

I also love Paulaner Oktoberfest offerings. I think they're up there with Ayinger.


Erdinger maybe third
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
still worth a visit; fresh draft, hand pump casks, limited releases, did you know that they distill spirits too which are actually quite good? i know theyre owned by constellation brands, but for an out of towner into beer, i see no reason not to at least check it out.




looking at this list, and yeah, you actually cant get this shit anywhere, well except at ballast point that is.
https://www.ballastpoint.com/beers/barrel-aged/

They don't, the owner of the distillery bought it out and operates it as Cutwater now.

Touche, there are just so many breweries in San Diego if I'm not mistaken that I wouldn't personally want to spend what little money I have there.

I mean if I'm not mistaken Alpine, Green Flash, Stone, AleSmith, Mission and even Mikkeller have breweries there.

As far as I am concerned Alpine doesn't exist anymore. Green Flash just bought the recipes and that's it.

Mikkeller does have a brewery here but its too expensive and not good enough.

Societe is still great if you're in SD, Rip Current is quite good, AleSmith is the best local brewery, but we have hundreds of them. I could probably name 30 but I think we're up to like 150 now.

Other than the obvious answer of Ballast Point, any breweries/tap rooms in the Downtown San Diego area that are must visits? Visiting in two weeks for business, trying to plan my schedule now since I have limited personal time

Most breweries aren't actually in downtown. You can go to any number of local places that have craft beer downtown, e.g. Neighborhood or Monkey Paw. Don't go to 10 Barrel. That's not actually local, it's just a BMC brewery posing as a local brewery. There is a Ballast Point tasting room in Little Italy, also (which is downtown).

30th Street in North Park you can spend all day on and if you're going somewhere for craft beer that's not downtown, I strongly recommend that's where you go. The Toronado craft beer bar is there (this is where you go if you want to tell your friends you had Pliny the Elder), as is a Rip Current tasting room and a Modern Times tasting room on the same street. If you go up to Adams from there (the street I live on!) you can find the Blind Lady Ale House, which is always one of the top 100 beer bars in America except haha don't actually go there unless you like kids running around everywhere while you drink.
 
Nothing like the bar down the street pulling out a keg of Lagunita's High West-ified. Probably one of the best and least-Lagunitasish Lagunitas beer. Sad that is is done with.
 
I love Fifth and Vine if you're talking about Moerlein. Also their OTR Ale, but maybe that's mostly out of nostalgia.

I also love Paulaner Oktoberfest offerings. I think they're up there with Ayinger.


Erdinger maybe third

Taft's. Not really sure the last time I had a Moerlein beer. Love having Taft's new place much closer now.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Wait, so the founder of Alpine doesn't even work there anymore? That's a shame, it was such a good brewery, as hard to find up here as it was.

It does, I think if you go out to Alpine it's still running but I don't think they brew any of the core beers on site, just the limited ones.
 

Chris R

Member
Most breweries aren't actually in downtown. You can go to any number of local places that have craft beer downtown, e.g. Neighborhood or Monkey Paw. Don't go to 10 Barrel. That's not actually local, it's just a BMC brewery posing as a local brewery. There is a Ballast Point tasting room in Little Italy, also (which is downtown).

30th Street in North Park you can spend all day on and if you're going somewhere for craft beer that's not downtown, I strongly recommend that's where you go. The Toronado craft beer bar is there (this is where you go if you want to tell your friends you had Pliny the Elder), as is a Rip Current tasting room and a Modern Times tasting room on the same street. If you go up to Adams from there (the street I live on!) you can find the Blind Lady Ale House, which is always one of the top 100 beer bars in America except haha don't actually go there unless you like kids running around everywhere while you drink.

Ya, probably going to hit up 30th Street in North Park on Tuesday night after my meetings and the basically required schmooze fest afterwards.

Would be cool to have more time but it just didn't plan out that way :(
 

Lotto

Member
They don't, the owner of the distillery bought it out and operates it as Cutwater now.

This was interesting to me. Completely re-branded and managed to be somewhat of a pioneer in craft spirits here now. I haven't been there yet but they have a newly built place right next to the Saint Archer tasting room/brewery.

As far as I am concerned Alpine doesn't exist anymore. Green Flash just bought the recipes and that's it.

Don't say that :( Nelson just tapped at their brewpub in Alpine! I miss it.
 
As you know I’m nornally obsessively drinking every single fresh hop in existence, but I ended up having unexpected heart surgery last week which slowed me down some. Time to get back on the train.

So far this year I've had
Two Beers - Fresh Hop (Centennial)
Fremont - Field to Ferment Centennial
Fremont - Field to Ferment Amarillo
Fremont - Field to Ferment Citra
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon (Citra and Simcoe)
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon Hazy Pale (Ekuanot and Mosaic)
Reubens - Amarillo FH
Reubens - Mosiac FH
Reubens - FH Crikey
Lagunitas (Seattle) - 90 Miles to Ballard (Mosaic)
Mazama - Fresh Hop Green Magic (Centennial)
Cloudburst - Back and Forth. Forever (Centennial)
Cloudburst/Varietal - Wet Bandits (438 and Cascade)
Breakside - Simcoe FH
Breakside - FH Wanderlust (Cascade)
Holy Mountain - Cone and Cone (Citra and Simcoe)
Aslan - I Stand IPA (Centennial)

I've got cans and bottles of the following on deck:
Holy Mountain/Cloudburst - Wetwired (Mosaic)
Gilgamesh - Fresh Hop Fresh Prince of Ales
Matchless - CLS (Centennial)
Ft. George - Fresh IPA
Three Magnets - Little Juice Smoothie Freshie (Citra and Mosaic)
Gigantic - Sodbusted V (Simcoe)
Founders - Harvest Ale
 
Narwhal is way better than I've come to expect from Sierra Nevada. Between it, Otra Vez, and Bigfoot, they churn out some good stuff once in a while.

Yeah, Sierra isn't really a brand I seek out much and now that I think about it, I don't actually see many bottles down here -- most of their beers are things I've had on tap -- but they're a solid brewery. Narwhal in particular is on the higher end of Imperial Stouts IMO.

As you know I'm nornally obsessively drinking every single fresh hop in existence, but I ended up having unexpected heart surgery last week which slowed me down some. Time to get back on the train.

Fremont - Field to Ferment Centennial
Fremont - Field to Ferment Amarillo
Fremont - Field to Ferment Citra
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon (Citra and Simcoe)
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon Hazy Pale (Ekuanot and Mosaic)

Damn, glad to hear you made it through okay and back in action enough to already be drinking beer again.

I've had all the Fremonts and my favorite by far is the Centennial. Unfortunately for me it's already long gone.
 

codhand

Member
As you know I’m nornally obsessively drinking every single fresh hop in existence, but I ended up having unexpected heart surgery last week which slowed me down some. Time to get back on the train.

So far this year I've had
Two Beers - Fresh Hop (Centennial)
Fremont - Field to Ferment Centennial
Fremont - Field to Ferment Amarillo
Fremont - Field to Ferment Citra
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon (Citra and Simcoe)
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon Hazy Pale (Ekuanot and Mosaic)
Reubens - Amarillo FH
Reubens - Mosiac FH
Reubens - FH Crikey
Lagunitas (Seattle) - 90 Miles to Ballard (Mosaic)
Mazama - Fresh Hop Green Magic (Centennial)
Cloudburst - Back and Forth. Forever (Centennial)
Cloudburst/Varietal - Wet Bandits (438 and Cascade)
Breakside - Simcoe FH
Breakside - FH Wanderlust (Cascade)
Holy Mountain - Cone and Cone (Citra and Simcoe)
Aslan - I Stand IPA (Centennial)

I've got cans and bottles of the following on deck:
Holy Mountain/Cloudburst - Wetwired (Mosaic)
Gilgamesh - Fresh Hop Fresh Prince of Ales
Matchless - CLS (Centennial)
Ft. George - Fresh IPA
Three Magnets - Little Juice Smoothie Freshie (Citra and Mosaic)
Gigantic - Sodbusted V (Simcoe)
Founders - Harvest Ale


holy shit, i knew it had to be something on account of it being fresh hop season and all, glad youre still here to tick another day!
 

Lotto

Member
As you know I’m nornally obsessively drinking every single fresh hop in existence, but I ended up having unexpected heart surgery last week which slowed me down some. Time to get back on the train.

So far this year I've had
Two Beers - Fresh Hop (Centennial)
Fremont - Field to Ferment Centennial
Fremont - Field to Ferment Amarillo
Fremont - Field to Ferment Citra
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon (Citra and Simcoe)
Fremont - Cowiche Canyon Hazy Pale (Ekuanot and Mosaic)
Reubens - Amarillo FH
Reubens - Mosiac FH
Reubens - FH Crikey
Lagunitas (Seattle) - 90 Miles to Ballard (Mosaic)
Mazama - Fresh Hop Green Magic (Centennial)
Cloudburst - Back and Forth. Forever (Centennial)
Cloudburst/Varietal - Wet Bandits (438 and Cascade)
Breakside - Simcoe FH
Breakside - FH Wanderlust (Cascade)
Holy Mountain - Cone and Cone (Citra and Simcoe)
Aslan - I Stand IPA (Centennial)

I've got cans and bottles of the following on deck:
Holy Mountain/Cloudburst - Wetwired (Mosaic)
Gilgamesh - Fresh Hop Fresh Prince of Ales
Matchless - CLS (Centennial)
Ft. George - Fresh IPA
Three Magnets - Little Juice Smoothie Freshie (Citra and Mosaic)
Gigantic - Sodbusted V (Simcoe)
Founders - Harvest Ale

Glad you're alright man. Had the Citra and Cowiche Canyon so far and they're super good. Gonna try to pick up Centennial and Amarillo eventually. Pretty grateful we had distro for these great beers this time around.
 

Mitch

Banned
Going to Pittsburgh today for a little weekend beer trip.

Our list so far is:
Winghart's for lunch
Brew Gentlemen
Voodoo Brewery
Hitchhiker Brewing
Dancing Gnome
Grist House
East End
Southern Tier
Church Brew Works

Any others worth checking out?
 

HiResDes

Member
Voodoo would be probably my number one destination, always wanted to try one of their hyped stouts. You can get Big Black Voodoo Daddy and Cowbell right now.
 
Had surgery last week that will keep me off beer completely for 3+ months, and I'll never be able to drink more than a pint at one time.

Whatta bummer.
 
Being healthy trumps drinking multiple beers, imo.

For real. After having open heart surgery I was ready to give up drinking if necessary but the doctors said it’s not an issue. My heart is healthy other than a busted valve. I’m on Warfarin (blood thinner) for a few months (had my valve repaired, if they had to replace it with something mechanical or from an animal I’d have to have to be on them forever) so no crazy bottle share binges but otherwise reasonable drinking is just fine.
 
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