Beer Beer Festivals

The 14th-Annual San Diego Beer Week, presented by the San Diego Brewers Guild, begins on Friday, November 4th and we're excited to support the annual celebration saluting the Capital of Craft!

Last night I had the opportunity to not just visit a fantastic new brewery but also meet with five of the best chefs in San Diego. We were assembled to help raise money for Feeding San Diego, while also celebrating the launch of Flesh & Blood - Bitter Brothers new Golden Sour that has a stunning color and flavor of tart cherries and raspberry. Each of the five courses was inspired by and paired with one of their beers, for a culinary experience that I wish could be shared better than just my words and pictures.

When it comes to fruit beers there's a clear separation between purists and folks who just like an ice cold and refreshing adult beverage. While I love my more technical beers I also sometimes just want to grab something tasty from the fridge that I can enjoy without feeling like I need to look up exactly where the hops came from. Schofferhofer falls squarely in that later category with flavors that include Juicy Pineapple, Grapefruit, and Pomegranate.

There's nothing like sharing Thanksgiving dinner together as you celebrate the bond of family and friends while appreciating what you have. Good beer helps to cement that connection and enhance the holiday even further with incredible options! Take this opportunity to use any fancy beer glasses, and you might even like to decorate them with a leaf ornament for a memorable drink.

No matter which side you are on, roughly have the country is going to be disappointed based on the results of the election over the next few weeks. So, while some are wringing their hands and crying nervously, we love what Solemn Oath brewery in Chicago (Naperville, IL) is doing by reminding us of the patriotic role of beer in America and how no matter who you hope will win... beer makes bad news palatable.

What guy doesn’t love beer? Some are passionate about their brew, and may fancy themselves a Cicerone by hobby. Finding a gift that isn’t a six-pack may be challenging, so we’ve come up with a list of favorites across price ranges.

There are few social lubricants that are quite as effective as alcohol. There’s no denying that it plays something of a role in the social lives of many men. It helps us relax, feels good, and it honestly gives us a reason to spend time with our friends. However, too often “drinking with friends” is associated with binging and getting drunk, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re just looking for a chill drink, with no expectations of taking it any further, here are a few ways you can do that.

For a tiny island, Key West has a lot of stories - some are tales of greatness... others are tales of what might have been. In the case of Pan Am, it is a little bit of both. First In Flight Restaurant & Brewery celebrates this early aviation heritage on the site where Pan Am was born with craft beer and food.

You might be thinking, "Oh great, another article about places to go on a lads holiday. Yawn." But hold up there, buddy. This isn't just any old travel piece - this is for the beer lovers out there who crave a good pint more than anything else in life. So if you're a hophead with an insatiable thirst for adventure (and plenty of cold brews), then listen up.

Home brewing can be tricky and time-consuming, in the past it almost felt more like a chemistry experiment more than a fun activity to learn more about your go-to-brew. I know that a lot of guys out there are beer lovers who dream of making their own brews but don't know where to start and that's where Pinter comes in.  The Pinter Home Brew Kit offers a simple solution for DIY beer fans that is fun, affordable, and easy to use!

There are many great cities today that are a great choice for a beercation, but only Grand Rapids calls themselves "Beer City". It's a great destination that is located a close to Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis making it a great place for a weekend getaway. With more a Beer City Ale Trail boasting more than 80 breweries, it is certainly one of the top beer producers in the country. Experience Grand Rapids invited us to visit and see what all the fuss was about. Here's what we found!

Islands is one of my favorite restaurants to take my friends and that's because the food is always good and while the classics never change, they always have new offerings to switch stuff up too. On our recent guys weekend to Palm Desert, California they invited us to stop by and fuel up as well as taste their new Islands Golden Ale brewed in collaboration with Karl Strauss Brewing.

San Diego is an awesome town that is sometimes forgotten about or dismissed as simply a surf town, but what I have discovered over the past year is that there is an incredible amount of awesome things to do here beyond the beach including touring some of the almost 100 craft breweries, exploring vineyards in nearby Temecula and Romona, as well as visiting the Zoo, touring historic military ships and some of the best burgers and tacos in the country.

I'm guessing most of you guys love beer, I do too! Luckily, I've been blessed with numerous opportunities to visit some of the best beer cities in the country and in fact I live in San Diego - which is at the top of most lists of places for beer lovers to visit. However, these beercations are more than just hopping in the car and drinking. To make the most of your time and money it's important to plan ahead. This is your opportunity to try new things, expand your boundaries, and bond with your buddies around an awesome shared experience.

One of my favorite parts about traveling is experiencing new foods. There's an unspoken sense of truth and honesty that comes only by experiencing what a different culture loves to eat and drink. That's true when you travel overseas... but it's also true even while traveling through this country as I did a few weeks ago during a road trip through North Dakota.

When it comes to beer, it seems like everyone is an expert, so here's some beer trivia for you to help impress your friends....

As someone who hails from one of the top beer areas in the US, it's easy to forget that beer has a heritage that spans for hundreds of years. Despite the popularity of some of my "West Coast" favorites, it's refreshing to step back in time and try something that's been being brewed for hundreds of years like I did recently with Gulden Draak out of Belgium. 

San Diego is the craft beer capital of the country as far as I am concerned. While there are many towns across the country where there are fine people brewing great beer, no town has a culture of beer quite like San Diego. With more than 100 breweries in the county, there is something for everyone from large breweries like Stone, Ballast Point, and Green Flash to tiny ones like Intergalactic you are sure to find one that matches your personality. While I dream of one day having been to every brewery in San Diego, last weekend I took two friends on a whirlwind tour of five of my favorites.

When planning a guys weekend in Milwaukee, one thing that is likely at the top of your list is to visit a brewery. While most people will assume that means a stop at Miller, there are some incredible craft breweries here in town as well. The one we picked to visit during our Kia TurboCharged Weekend, was Lakefront Brewery and it happens to be one of the older craft breweries in the country.

A couple months ago, Heather and I visited The Headquarters in San Diego for a fantastic date-night. A couple weeks ago though, we had the chance to spend some more time there at a Chocolate and Beer tastings held at Dallmann Fine Chocolates.  This is just one of the fun ways to spend time at The Headquarters, which is located right downtown next to Seaport Village on Harbor Drive.