Beer in San Diego 2014: Beercation!

Last year I took a little beercation to San Diego in June (and which I blogged about here), which consisted of extending my work trip just a few days after I had already been working there for my real job. We decided to repeat a visit this year to visit other breweries we had on our list that we didn’t have time to get to. This time, rather than staying by the trendy Gas Lamp district with all the bars and restaurants and night life, we stayed by Old Town so I could all the margaritas I wanted (of F and I, only I have a driver’s license). You know, priorities.

Here’s a little peek at some of the breweries and beer in San Diego during our long weekend.

Alesmith Brewing

AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego CA AleSmith Brewing Company, example of their menu of beers to choose from for tasting AleSmith Brewing Company, many taps of beers to try
Our first stop (we did 3 our first afternoon/evening after arriving just after lunch on Saturday) was Alesmith Brewing. It was very crowded inside. This was our first time learning that there are companies that do brewery tours to various breweries. So, even though a place may be extremely packed, at one point it seemed half the place cleared out as those on the brewery tour would get packed into their tour bus and driven away. I think within 10-15 minutes, both F and I had counter space for our beer tasters and even our little cheese tasting that we bought.
AleSmith Brewing Company, example of their menu of beers to choose from for tasting

Like many breweries, there is a food truck that anchors at the brewery for a bit to serve food so the brewery doesn’t have to manage a food kitchen. In this case, since the food truck was providing lots of sausages, which equals meat, which vegetarian F could not eat, we just had the cheese box to tide us over and moved on to the next brewery.
Alesmith Brewing, cheese plate to go with our tasting portions of beer Alesmith Brewing, cheese plate to go with our tasting portions of beer

Alesmith does offer tours, but only once a week, on Saturday at 2:00PM which because of our flight, we unfortunately missed. But, the tour is free!

One thing I should also warn is that there is no place to sit here- everyone is standing. I also want to encourage you to try their seasonals and nitro and cask offerings. The year round offerings you can find in bottles at various places here in Portland, so F and I were already familiar with many of their beers and focused in on the ones we had not tried before. And don’t be shy about ordering the taster size!

If you like coffee, chocolate, and/or porters, I highly recommend the Speedway Stout.

Ballast Point Brewing

Ballast Point Brewing, Old Grove location
So, it turns out Ballast Point Brewing‘s Old Grove location was where TWO beer tour buses visited at the same time as we did, which meant when we first entered it was packed like a madhouse. They do have an outdoor patio area where many people ended up going to enjoy their beers, and probably the aroma of the Philadelphia Cheesesteak food truck/tent that was there.

My favorite beer here was the Indra Kunindra, which they had their regular as well as a bourbon barrel aged version. The Indra Kunindra is a curry coconut stout, with an emphasis on Indian curry aroma and flavors. They have more than a dozen other beers if that’s not your cup of tea, and they have a lot of different styles they do so there will be something to please you, don’t worry.
Ballast Point Brewing, Old Grove location, example of their large menu of beers to choose from Ballast Point Brewing, Old Grove location, example of their large menu of beers to choose from

There were a lot more beers that we hadn’t had here at Ballast versus Alesmith, so he responsible, smart choice was getting tasting portion sizes. I couldn’t believe it when I saw other people on the beer tour getting full glasses. Ballast Point does have 2 other locations (and it’s pretty nice how you can see what is on tap on their website), but the Old Grove location has the most beers. On the other hand, their Little Italy location (which we visited later) has a kitchen with seafood to have with your beer! They are still in the midst actually of building yet another location.
Ballast Point Brewing, taster sizes of various beers Ballast Point Brewing, taster sizes of various beers A taster of a beer at Ballast Point A taster of a beer at Ballast Point

Ballast Point does multiple free tours every day at the Old Grove location, and we were in time to make one of those tours. During the tour, we learned they also have a distillery here at their Old Grove location, and you can also tour/taste their in a speakeasy atmosphere! Unfortunately since F doesn’t drink spirits and I have to drive so could not partake, we skipped that experience and went to another brewery…

Before we move on, just a few photos from the second location of Ballast Point, the one in Little Italy, that we also visited. If you do visit this Little Italy on India street location of Ballast, do not miss walking one block down India Street to Bottlecraft, which has a nice selection of bottles, a flight of beer from bottles, a couple drafts, and sometimes they offer beer classes including a beer and cheese tasting event I saw at end of July. There were some beer bottles that we can’t get in Oregon that we purchased and packed in our suitcase from this store.
Ballast Point Brewing, Little Italy Location
Ballast Point Brewing, Little Italy Location Ballast Point Brewing, Little Italy Location

Lost Abbey Brewing

The Lost Abbey Tasting Room entrance
Of the three breweries, The Lost Abbey Tasting Room was our favorite that we visited for this trip. We are probably a little biased because we adore barrel aged beers and they also have a lot of Belgian style beers. Also, they have a LOT of beers available at their tasting room – more than 20, which beats out the Ballast Old Grove location, and a lot more beers were new to us as they don’t distribute to Oregon.
The Lost Abbey Tasting Room The Lost Abbey Tasting Room

We had a good idea that we were going to really be tasting a lot more beers here, which is why we also made it our last stop for the day so that we could take all the time we wanted until they kicked us out because it was after last call. Apparently a lot of other people (including 2 small tour vans, which is how I was able to spot it after driving past it in the industrial park area that it is located) had the same idea because it was pretty busy when we first arrived. I also really like that they took the time to decorate with art on the wall, most tasting rooms don’t think as far as this detail of art outside their beer t shirts and logos.
The Lost Abbey Tasting Room

“In this place we have faith in British fungus”, which they make sounder cooler by saying it translates to “In the Wild Yeast We Believe”, a testament to them mucking around so freely with Brett despite it’s wild and untamed nature as a yeast.
The Lost Abbey Tasting Room, sign above the threshold of their barrel room reads In Illa Brettamoyces, Nos Fides, which means In this place we have faith in British fungus which they then summarize as In the Wild Yeast We Believe

Thankfully, Lost Abbey had a great food cart/tent serving food as we really needed it as we tasted beers: Criscito Pizza. We went with the Honey Garlic pizza with honey, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil, and it is just as delicious as it sounds. Other pizza options were a classic Margherita, a Grandma (basic cheese), a Brooklyn (essentially a sausage pepperoni) and Carbonara with roasted egg, parmesan, mozzarella, bacon, fresh basil, and olive oil. Pretty much I’m going to try to make that latter pizza myself at home it sounds so good, but probably not as fine as theirs from a wood fired oven.
The Lost Abbey Tasting Room, their visiting food truck/tent when we stopped by was Criscito Pizza. We went with the Honey Garlic pizza with honey, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil The Lost Abbey Tasting Room, their visiting food truck/tent when we stopped by was Criscito Pizza. We went with the Honey Garlic pizza with honey, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil

Margarita Time in Old Town

After driving around to various breweries, it was great to park the car at our little hotel in Old Town and then be able to walk to attractions.

I don’t care that this is touristy, I still really liked Fiesta De Reyes. It’s a plaza that includes two restaurants (Barra Barra Saloon and Casa de Reyes restaurant). You will see the Saloon right before the fountain entrance to the plaza, and then walking past the fountain you enter the area with the stage, restaurant, and lots of little shops around the perimeter of the plaza.
Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego Fiesta De Reyes Plaza in Old Town San Diego, with events like Folklorico Dancing M T 5:30-9 Sat Sun 11:30-2:30, Live Music every Thu Fri and Sat night, and Mariachi Fiesta De Reyes Plaza in Old Town San Diego, with events like Folklorico Dancing M T 5:30-9 Sat Sun 11:30-2:30, Live Music every Thu Fri and Sat night, and Mariachi

I didn’t enjoy this perk, but apparently at the Saloon Kids under 12 eat free all day, every day, with the purchase of an adult entree. However, we ate at Casa de Reyes because from there you can vaguely see the stage, where they have events like Folklorico Dancing Mondays and Tuesday 5:30-9 and Saturdays Sundays 11:30-2:30. They also have Live Music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and Mariachi! So it was very lively in there.
Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego, with lots of stores on the perimeter of the Casa De Reyes restaurants including jerky and root beer, garden, olive oil, art, hot sauce, and a winery Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego, with events like Folklorico Dancing M T 5:30-9 Sat Sun 11:30-2:30, Live Music every Thu Fri and Sat night, and Mariachi. These benches are right across from the stage which is hidden by the cactus on the left... Eating lunch at Casa De Reyes, part of Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego, with events like Folklorico Dancing M T 5:30-9 Sat Sun 11:30-2:30, Live Music every Thu Fri and Sat night, and Mariachi. These are not the mariachi musicians they are referring to.

One of the fun things surrounding the plaza are little taco stations. Inside these little booths you can get fresh tortillas that are put into street tacos, made right before your eyes.

Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego, behind these little booths you can get fresh tortillas that are put into street tacos, made right before your eyes. But, don't take your margarita with you when you order!

If you are looking for just hot fresh tortillas (corn or flour), you can also get them at various open air stations along San Diego Avenue (I specifically remember some by Cafe Coyote), so as you may be sobering up from the margaritas you could consider walking it off a little by walking down this street (turn around by Arista Street).

It also may turn out that while you are walking down Arista you may come across Churchill Cigar and Wine Bar, which includes wine, cigars, and actually a dozen taps if you want more beer that you can enjoy in their heated patio with a large screen TV. We were sad to see the Blackhawks Game 7 and that’s all I’m saying about that.

There is also in Casa De Reyes, in one of the little shops surrounding the restaurant (more towards the back, past the restaurant actually) is a place called Hacienda de las Rosas Winery Tasting Room. There, you can have flights of wine OR beer at a huge hand-carved pinewood bar or sitting at various little cozy wine barrel tables.
Hacienda de las Rosas huge hand-carved pinewood bar, try a flight of wine or microbrew beer Hacienda de las Rosas huge hand-carved pinewood bar, try a flight of wine or microbrew beer Hacienda de las Rosas huge hand-carved pinewood bar, try a flight of wine or microbrew beer

Hacienda de las Rosas has the charm that would expect of a local cafe, but even better because they have wine and beer and the owners (this is family owned with the parents and children working) are very sweet, and they name their wines after horses they have in their stables at their ranch/winery. They had a really yummy sangria with their Sauvignon Blanc wine with ginger ale, lemonade, cinnamon, and pinch of brown sugar that was super refreshing. Stopping here is a great breather from the energy of Old Town because it’s so relaxing and personal, versus the party in most of the rest of Old Town.

Make sure you check out that fountain that celebrates margaritas while you are in Casa de Reyes plaza. The bars here are very serious about making sure you aren’t thirsty.
The Bar at Casa De Reyes, part of Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego
A margarita fountain at Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego Eating lunch at Casa De Reyes, part of Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego: a Legendary House Margarita with this traditional margarita features premium tequila, orange liqueur and house made sweet and sour. Have one on the rocks or blended with a salted rim, and you can ask your server for mango, strawberry, peach or raspberry to put your personal spin on this classic!

Some examples of the Mexican food awesomeness: the first two are from Casa de Reyes (including a Suiza Shrimp Burrito with shrimp sautéeed with onions, tomatoes and peppers, plus rice, cheddar and jack cheese and jalapeno aioli), and rest are from where I thought I had the best margaritas, Cafe Coyote and also the very messy Lobster Puerto Nuevo Style. Because of course I’m going to get my seafood in too while in San Diego.
Eating lunch at Casa De Reyes, part of Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego Eating lunch at Casa De Reyes, part of Fiesta De Reyes in Old Town San Diego: Suiza Shrimp Burrito, shrimp sautéed with onions, tomatoes and peppers, plus rice, cheddar and jack cheese and jalapeno aioli Chips and the excellent salsa at Cafe Coyote in Old Town, San Diego Cafe Coyote in Old Town, San Diego, freshly made flour tortilla filled with cheese Margarita from Cafe Coyote in Old Town, San Diego Margarita from Cafe Coyote in Old Town, San Diego Cafe Coyote in Old Town, San Diego, Maine Lobster served Puerto Nuevo Style With: Mexican Style Rice, Refried Beans, Handmade Tortillas, Drawn Butter & Fresh Salsa Cafe Coyote in Old Town, San Diego, Maine Lobster served Puerto Nuevo Style With: Mexican Style Rice, Refried Beans, Handmade Tortillas, Drawn Butter & Fresh Salsa

So that summarizes the drinks and eats of our beercation in San Diego. We did also visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, but you probably don’t want to see just animal photos, and honestly between the two zoos I like the San Diego Zoo better. Balboa Park nearby has some beautiful architecture and multiple museums, and you might even want to walk across a suspension bridge: all of this is roughly in the same area.
Architecture of Balboa Park, a great walk and lots of museums in San DiegoArchitecture of Balboa Park, a great walk and lots of museums in San DiegoArchitecture of Balboa Park, a great walk and lots of museums in San Diego

I’ve also been to La Jolla before which I recommend a stroll in the area along the beach and Girard Avenues and Prospect Streets of this upscale beach gown and having dinner one evening after watching the sunset (such as below). The Gas Lamp District, which is where we stayed last time, is another one to stroll around in the evening for drinks and dinner.
Sunset in San Diego at La JollaSunset in San Diego at La Jolla

I have also liked driving across Coronado Bridge and checking out the famous Hotel Del Coronado. In the ferry area (the other side goes almost to the Gas Lamp District) there is a nice little sidewalk path where you can observe and San Diego skyline. The beach by Hotel Del Coronado (which are all free and public) are great for a walk to watch sunset. And then you get ice cream at the hotel or stop for a bite while walking along Orange Avenue (the main street on this island).
View of the San Diego skyline from Coronado Island, near where the ferries are Glimpse of the Coronado bridge behind the flamingos

For something unusual, did you know you can take sand castle building lessons here in San Diego? Or how about brunch with the Waffle King and Sir Wafflelot at a kitschy diner The Waffle Spot?

Now having taken 2 beercations here (you can look at this and my previous post for the full set of pictures), my ranking of breweries/tasting rooms to visit in terms of experience and beer can currently be summarized as

  1. Brunch at Karl Strauss: Because beermosas. And if you go to the location out of Karl Strauss Sorrento Mesa there is a little Japanese Garden there too. And it’s a buffet. With beermosas. And also a beer flight to go with your all you can eat brunch. Beermosas and buffet brunch!
  2. Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. The atmosphere here gorgeous, where you can just order a beer and then walk the backyard with its small streams, a waterfall, various patio furniture, seats around a firepit or two or three if you are willing to wait for one of those tables. This is a brewery restaurant, similar to Karl Strauss, and several food items come with beer pairing recommendations or include beer as an ingredient.
  3. The Lost Abbey Tasting Room. They just have tremendous beers if you like barrel aged or Belgian styles and the space is unique and the beer very difficult to get here in Portland. This is where I found the beer the most to my personal taste, but Karl Strauss and Stone Brewing have a lot more of an experience with the atmosphere as well as good beers, so that’s how it ended up third here as a recommendation. If you care more about beer than the overall experience of the tasting, this would be the top. Also, Lost Abbey is 21+ while the other 2, as restaurants, can have broader appeal and audience.
  4. Green Flash Brewing Company is a fun brewery to visit, and they have a lot of different kinds of beer to taste, many which are harder to find here in Portland.
  5. After a day at Solana Beach, having pizza and beer at Pizza Port. If you have kids in your group, this is a good one because the kids can enjoy the pizza and games while you enjoy trying lots of different microbrews.
  6. Ballast Point Brewing has lots of seasonals, the one in Old Grove has a speakeasy/hidden tasting room for liquor, but  and if you go to the one in Little Italy you can also have seafood in their tasting room (they have a separate kitchen with a separate register but in the same space).
  7. Alesmith Brewing has tasty beers but is more crowded and standing room only
  8. In the Gas Lamp District, Neighborhood and Knotty Barrel Gastropub have huge beer selection and food with their own kitchen, unlike Lost Abbey, Green Flash, Ballast Point Old Grove and Alesmith that have food trucks be food providers which rotate, so check their website. Since they are in the Gas Lamp district they may be a convenient stop before or after dinner there.

Have you visited any of the places I did, what did you think? Or is there something I missed out on that I should make sure I try next time I’m in San Diego?

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Eating Alone at a Restaurant

Do you ever feel weird eating alone in a restaurant? Or doing to a food festival event alone? I don’t.

I never think twice about anyone else I see eating alone- it doesn’t seem awkward or lonely to me. The only time it ever seems out of the ordinary is when the hostess at a restaurant asks me how many and after I reply, they say “Oh, Just one?” which dampens my “Yep” only for a moment as I realize not everyone is as comfortable with this and it may not be as common. I did a Google Search and it came up so many times with guides and advice on dining alone. What? It never even occurred to me that some people are intimidated or actively avoid it, or need tips on things to do while eating alone.

I have no problem with dining on my own- before I had smartphones (as I have been eating alone here or there ever since college), I would have a book I might read. Now, I might be reading RSS feeds or the news on my phone. Of course, both of these usually only work until the food appears. So most often I am people watching- curious about other diners, or I watch the restaurant work, and contemplate what today, right now, must be like from their perspective. And usually I get lost in my own thoughts.

Sometimes I sit at the bar. The bar might have a TV, but most of the time, the TV is just a front though- I might only be watching until something on the screen sparks a thought, and then I follow that thought down the rabbit hole. Sometimes, I am at the bar because it is a really trendy restaurant but getting a seat for one at the bar where I still have access to the menu is a great sneaky way to get in without the wait. Sometimes, I am actually sitting at the bar because I want to eavesdrop which might be harder to do depending on the restaurant seating arrangements. See above paragraph about taking in other perspectives.

At a food festival, attending alone means I can go at the perfect pace for me, in the order I want. And if I want to just take 2 bites and then put the rest in a ziploc bag in my purse and move on, I can and be less self conscious about the fact I have a purse full of accumulated food. Though, I guess I just announced I do this to the internets…

But many times, I will make a reservation on OpenTable- yes, for one. And I will sit at that table in the restaurant by myself and enjoy it. I won’t rush either- in fact I will often enjoy and savor my food more because I am not multi-tasking with conversation.

In fact I sometimes treasure being able to eat alone at a restaurant because it means I can be as greedy as I want. 

I might order the most expensive dish, or a dinner of all appetizers and sides, or 3 dishes that all have cheese since I love cheese and no one can stop me! I don’t have to share and can pick and eat all the crunchy bits off the dish before they go into the take home box(es) and get soggy. I don’ t have to worry if there is a vegetarian option for F. I don’t have to coordinate schedules of anyone to try the place. I don’t have to be social- I can just enjoy the food and my own thoughts, I can think over my workday or other internal matters I just need to work through mentally and not get distracted. 

So on the last night in San Diego when F just wanted to relax and watch TV in the room, I didn’t hesitate to go on my own to LOUNGEsix, the rooftop outdoor lounge overlooking the Gas Lamp quarter on the Solamar Terrace. I decided to sit at the bar. Part of the area was partitioned off for a wedding (where you see the tents), and there were also a few scattered drinkers/diners around in the darkness of that evening. Some of the other guests seemed to be there for work, although I did overhear a group of 4 people (half male, half female) come up and the guys then ask the bartender for whatever shot of liquid panty removers he could concoct. Two women also came up to the bar and introduced two guys that happened to already be sitting there a shot with chaser as an opener to conversation. I don’t think the shot buyers in both these cases were in San Diego for work. Probably.

LOUNGESix, Solamar Terrace, San Diego Gas Lamp district, outdoor dining, rooftop dining

As for myself, I had the Chili Mango Margarita with chili infused Cuervo Tradicional Silver Tequila, Cointreau, mango syrup, and house sour mix, which came in a generous size. And then there was the Raw Vegetable Salad with Burrata, summer squash, squash blossoms, carrots, cucumber, croutons. This was one of the most prettiest salads I have ever seen. And seriously, I love burrata, and the fact there was a good amount of it, but moreso I loved the freshness of everything that was on this plate and play of textures.

Chili Mango Margarita with chili infused Cuervo Tradicional Silver Tequila, Cointreau, mango syrup, and house sour mix at LOUNGESix, Solamar Terrace, San Diego Gas Lamp district, outdoor dining, rooftop dining Raw Vegetable Salad with Burrata, summer squash, squash blossoms, carrots, cucumber, croutons at LOUNGESix, Solamar Terrace, San Diego Gas Lamp district, outdoor dining, rooftop dining

I also ordered a cheese plate, which was full of greatness, but is not pictured. That’s because even I have a ceiling when it comes to dining alone. The wedding party had been playing romantic Spanish guitar music for a while during their dinner service, and then had just transitioned to the first dance of the bride and groom, and then the dances with the parents and bridal party. Meanwhile on TV was being shown a montage of various men and women in the military who had served now surprising their loved ones with their return home. With the music playing around me, and then looking at the tears of joy and loving embraces of relief of the wives, children, and pets made me a little teary eyed as well, and I decided I could just take that cheese plate to go and watch some TV (apparently, Treehouse Masters, where they brought Ireland to California) with F snuggled back at our hotel room. I mean, I’m only human.

And also I rocked the rest of that cheese plate for breakfast, blue cheese in the morning, yeah!

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Beer in San Diego

I don’t discriminate against beverages- juices, sodas, hard liquors, cocktails, beer, wine… I am equal opportunity for deliciousness. This post however, happens to be highlighting beer in San Diego while I was there the last week in June because I did happen to have quite a bit of it. I was there for a few days for work, but then extended my stay over the weekend into vacation, with F joining me on Friday. F drinks mainly just beer. San Diego has lots of great craft beer- I only covered the tip of the iceberg here, and hope to continue my exploration when I return to San Diego March 2014.

Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing

First, I had a sampler with some of the guys I was working with on my work trip at Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing. I didn’t believe anything was so good I would go back on a second trip- it was more of the close location and the laid back atmosphere of a sports bar with lots of moving pictures on the many screens to relax after a day of work that drew us there. From the sampler, my favorite was the McGarvey’s Scottish Ale, but sitting outside the light Paradise Pale Ale Duck Dive Hefeweizen and California Gold also hit the spot.

Oggi's Pizza and Brewing, San Diego, California Oggi's Pizza and Brewing, San Diego, California, sampler tray, beer sampler Oggi's Pizza and Brewing, San Diego, California, sampler tray, beer sample

Second, when F arrived, we had a beercation, where we visited on our first Friday evening two gastropubs in the Gas Lamp district reknown for their vast beer selection.

Ok, first, I have to admit we stayed at the Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton hotel, which means every evening they have a complimentary 1 hour beer and wine social to sample local beverages for guests. So F and I were able to try the Dawn Patrol Dark by Port Brewing Company. This was a special seasonal beer that was nice and chewy English style dark ale with its nutty maltiness. Perhaps I had it the next evening as well. And then we went out for more beer at two places. Yes.

Knotty Barrel and Neighborhood in the Gas Lamp district

The first, Knotty Barrel we stumbled upon on the way to our destination and decided to stay for a short visit. It was after all, already on the way… Also it was damn hot and we wanted a rest under their roof for shade and refreshment to continue our quest. We were impressed with the huge list of beers on the wall, and that they had a long card to fill out of 16 options for putting together your own small sampler of up to four 4oz pours if you didn’t want full glasses/bottles from their extensive menu of 22 drafts and more than 80 bottles. After a DunkelWeizen by Stumblefoot Brewing Company and Hefeweizen by Black Market Brewing Co. which were my favorites of what I sampled, it was time to move on.

Knotty Barrel, San Diego, East Village, gastropub Knotty Barrel, San Diego, East Village, gastropub

So refreshed, we headed towards Neighborhood, with their tap of only 25 drafts and 50 bottles, but their selection had more unique beers, including those that were harder to find and higher alcohol/barrel aged. Because of working up to lunch earlier that day and then logistics of shipping boxes back to work and airport drop off of coworkers and retrieval of F, I had eaten lunch rather late and was not very hungry for dinner. S

o, I found myself continually reading the script of beers on the chalkboard and in the helpfully named “These Are The Things You Drink” drink booklet. In retrospect, maybe I was not very hungry for dinner because I was all full of liquid, such as Biere de Chocolat by Almanac Beer and 10 Commandments by Lost Abbey, and because we had not enjoyed it before a Chimay Blanche (Cinq Cents).

Neighborhood, San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, gastropub Neighborhood, San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, gastropub Neighborhood, San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, gastropub

Stone World Brewing World Bistro and Gardens

Saturday, we wandered the 1 acre garden at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. The atmosphere here is a wondrous escape, where you can just order a beer and then walk the backyard with its small streams, a waterfall, various patio furniture, seats around a firepit or two or three… and what would be usually mild San Diego weather. The bistro portion is vast, seating hundreds, with soaring ceilings and a mix of wood and stone (naturally) and a small river that runs inside the restaurant with koi. One side are huge glass doors which opens up the the outside tables for dining, which further expand out to the aforementioned gardens. This is probably about 30 minutes outside of San Diego and I was driving, so I limited myself to a single Stone Smoked Porter.

My only disappointment was that we didn’t see many unique beers that you could not see anywhere else on tap or in bottles at the World Bistro. So we actually ended up trying new beers by ordering other bottles they had on their menu (and at least they do offer a pretty good selection there!), such as Beaver Milk Stout by Belching Beaver and a Goudenband by Brouwerij Liefmans

Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido

Brunch at Karl Strauss in Sorrento Mesa

Next, Sunday was brewery visit day, where we started with the brunch buffet of Karl Strauss Brewing Company.

Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California

The location we visited at Sorrento Mesa included a gorgeous view of Japanese Gardens and a koi pond as you enjoyed a beer flight with your brunch OR a beer mimosa which mixed their Windansea Wheat hefeweizen with champagne. I was SO full from their generous offerings at their brunch buffet. Items included an omelet station, bagels with cream cheese that you could further top with smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy, a pasta station, a carved meat station, little waffles you could top with strawberries and cream, a selection of fresh cut fruit too, warm chips that you could scoop artichoke cheese dip, boneless buffalo wings, little bbq ribs, a whole table of baked goods for sweet desserts, cocktail shrimp and ahi tuna…

In fact, they even suggested pairings with a board on the wall that suggested certain items of food to enjoy with the offerings of their featured june brunch beer flight. For instance, they suggested their raspberry hef balsamic salad or blueberry crumb tart with their Winadansea Wheat, the Red trolley BBQ Pork shanks or beer brined roasted turkey with their Red Trolley ale, the blue cheese salad, boneless buffalo wings, or Thai basil curried chicken with their Tower 10 IPA, or the blackened salmon with mango salsa or carrot cake with their Blackball Belgian IPA.

sign from Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California

I was stuffed for the rest of the day. The service was great – even though they were really busy, servers made sure to take away our plates, check on our drinks, refill champagne in mimosas, even come around with samples of some of their beer for the tables.

sign from Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location of the beer mimosa using Windansea Wheat hefeweizen, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California

Green Flash Brewing Company

This brewery visit was then followed by a visit to Green Flash, with their 20 taps, including some which don’t really get to Oregon and stay local. An example of this was a Saison Diego golden farmhouse ale brewed with Seville orange peels, Chinese ginger that was very refreshing but carried interesting flavor profiles even in its lightness. I also liked their Barleywine and their Double Stout With Serrano Chiles. The Green Flash tasting room is part of their warehouse/production facility, with most standing along the long counters that curve in a U from the entrance, although there is a small area of outside seating, and a different food truck that visits outside that you can purchase food from to balance the beers. Definitely a different atmosphere from which we had just visited.

Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, California

Pizza Port at Solana Beach

And then one more different kind of atmosphere- we finished up with pizza and beer while enjoying the Pacific Ocean breezes at Pizza Port at Solana Beach. This pizza joint/brewery is small and open to families, including the requisite arcade games in the back and bench shared seating that is first come first serve. You go up to the counter and order, and then wait to hear your name called and go back to pick up your pizza. They did have an interesting selection of beers to select from besides their own brews, and the pizza combinations were above the norm. For instance, F (since I was still full) ordered a pizza with asparagus and squash, which you see me enjoying with my choice of their selections that visit, Saison De Mule

Pizza Port, Solana Beach, San Diego, California Pizza Port, Solana Beach, San Diego, California

Coronado Brewing

The last beers before we returned to Portland was at Coronado Brewing and it was my last chance at fish tacos- Wahoo Fish tacos with onion rings. Here, my favorites were the refreshing Orange Avenue Wit you see below, as well as a smoked style beer from the sampler F created (you could get a sampler of their core, or write your own selected sampler on a postcard which you could then mail to yourself/others) called Rauche Sham Bo.

Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California

Too late for our visit, but perhaps not too late for you… Untappd (which is how I track my beers- ok, if I remember to check them in, a great app you can use to understand what you like and don’t like or remember what you had before, or help look up when deciding beers to order) and Brews Up (a craft beer promotions organization and membership program in San Diego) are teaming up to put together a brew based scavenger hunt that will take you to up to 60 different breweries in the San Diego area. This was entirely coincidence that I was writing this post last night and this contest starts today until September 2. The scavenger hunt involves reading clues and then checking in a beer at that brewery’s location using Untappd at 16 of the 60 breweries that are answers to the riddles. The grand prize are a pair of VIP tickets aboard the Brews Cruise, San Diego’s 1st ever floating craft beer festival, and other prizes include some prizes that are geared a bit more towards San Diego locals, but also brewery merchandise, so don’t feel like you can’t go enjoy a Beer Vacation even if you don’t live in San Diego.

I wish they were doing something like that in Portland- I don’t even need a grand prize, just making it a game on promoting and knowing your local breweries sounds educational and fun! July is Oregon Craft Beer Month though, so you should still expect more beer reports coming up- I’m just getting started!

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