3rd Annual Beerfest at Petco Park

Hey fellow beer drinkers, the Padres will be holding their 3rd Annual Beerfest tomorrow before they play the Arizona Diamondbacks. It starts at 5 pm and lasts until first pitch. Admission to Beerfest is free if you already have a ticket to the game. Samples for the beer will run anywhere from $3 to $6. 

Some of the breweries that will be participating are Ballast Point, Karl Strauss, Stone, Green Flash, Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium. There will also be live music. Sun, beer, and baseball, doesn't get a whole lot better than that. So cruise on out and join the fun. 

Green Flash Release Party

If you guys like Green Flash Brewing Co. than we suggest you check this event out. Green Flash will be bottling their San Diego Beer Series: 30th Street Pale Ale, Park West Porter, and East Village Pilsner. To celebrate this, Green Flash will be having a release party on June 26th, which is a Tuesday. They will also be providing complimentary shuttles from South Park, North Park, and Normal Heights. The event will go from 3 pm to 9 pm, so come help celebrate with them. For more information follow the link, Green Flash Release Party.

San Diego International Beer Festival

The San Diego International Beer Festival captures what beer drinking is all about: being social and trying new things. Not to mention, who wouldn't want to hang out by the beach in Del Mar with over 100 different breweries. This year 15 countries will be represented by the breweries participating, as well as a ton of craft breweries from the US and San Diego. Some of the breweries that will be participating include Alpine Beer Company, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, Green Flash Brewing Co., Hess Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co., Deschutes Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and a bunch of others. There will also be a competition held for the breweries and home brewers. This event is being held June 22nd-24th at the San Diego County Fair. A total of 5 sessions will be held throughout the weekend (two on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday). For more information you can check out the website San Diego International Beer Festival. We hope all you guys will come out and enjoy the festivities with us. Cheers.

Saison: A Belgian Style Ale brewed with spices

Today I brewed a batch of Saison, it is a Belgian style ale brewed with spices. My girlfriend bought me a gift card for my birthday to Hydrobrew in Oceanside. I cannot wait to see how this beer turns out. I have been starting to become a really huge fan of belgian style ales.

 Saison in the fermenter.

 Steeping grains

 Saaz hops.

 Bitter orange for flavor

 Irish moss for clarity

Nothing better then brewing while drinking a home brewed Kingston Pale Ale.

SD Beer Geeks Visit Green Flash Video

Our Trip to Green Flash Brewery

Yesterday, we got the opportunity to go to Green Flash Brewing Co., drink a little bit, and get a little tour of the place, thanks to John and Chris. Needless to say, it was a fun learning experience. Green Flash was founded in 2002 by Mike and Lisa Hinkley, with a passion for craft brewing in San Diego. Today, it is one of the more popular breweries in San Diego County. Quite frankly, I'm surprised they aren't more recognized around the state and country. Their beers are have a unique style, and are delicious, a must try for any beer enthusiast.

Their menu includes the West Coast IPA, Hop Head Red, which is a red IPA, Double Black Stout Ale, Imperial IPA, Trippel Ale, the Le Freak Ale, which is a mix between the Trippel and American Imperial IPA styles, Saison Diego Ale, a Barleywine, Rayon Vert, which is a Belgium-style pale ale, Grand Cru Dark Ale, the Friendship Brew Ale, and our favorite the Palate Wrecker. Not only does Green Flash offer a variety of great beers, but the atmosphere is so much more friendly and welcoming than some breweries we have been to. Not to mention, they have the food situation on lock down there. Outside there are four food trucks, serving great food. It's a pretty cool place for the younger beer enthusiast.

We were lucky enough that Chris gave us a tour of the facilities. It was awesome to see the process he goes through as one of the brewers, to bring this deliciousness to our tables. We were able to get some pretty cool pictures of the place, so check them out.

This is a 13 pound bag of hops. 

Kegs!

Overflow pump.

Mash Tank

Bottling Line.

Heady Topper By:The Alchemist Review!

My mom’s cousin has a brewery in Waterbury Vermont. It's called The Alchemist; His Double IPA Heady Topper is rated as one of the best beers in the country. Unless you travel to Vermont it is impossible to get hold of one of these beers. Fortunately, my cousin came out this past November and brought me about 16 cans of this beautiful delicious beer! Here is my review! Enjoy and hopefully one day you will get your hands on this perfect beer! CHEERS!

Pours a nice hazy orange color, with a big creamy head on top. A fair amount of sticky lace left behind.

Wonderfully aromatic with a ton of citrusy hop character. Grapefruit and orange stick right out there. A fair amount of sweetness, with even a slight vanilla-like note, that is certainly unexpected but rather pleasant.

The bright and citrusy hop aromas carry over well into the palate. Deliciously hoppy without the mouth puckering bitterness you often find in DIPAs(double IPA’s). Sweeter than your typical IPA/DIPA but not cloying at all.

Comes across with a nice smooth and creamy medium body feel. Overall, Heady Topper is hard to beat. One of the best Double IPA'S I have had and I am not just saying that because of my relation to the brewer=] Cheers!