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!

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.

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.

Anyone can grab a pack of Budweiser from the grocery store, but craft breweries offer unique flavor profiles and personalities that their customers can relate to. For the purpose of online marketing, that can account for a lot. People value authenticity in the brands they purchase.

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. Pairing beer with food helps to enhance the flavor and complement it well. It's always an exceptional idea to enjoy a pumpkin ale around this time or you could even use cranberry flavored beer! Freeze your glasses prior to pouring for an added frosty approach that will enhance beer even further!

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.

You've probably heard the terms "craft beer" and "domestic beer" before, but what do they actually mean? In the United States, craft beer is defined as any beer that is made in a small, independent brewery. This means that the craft brewery cannot be owned by a larger company. Domestic beers, on the other hand, are made by large breweries that are owned by major corporations. So what's the difference between these two types of beers? Let's take a closer look!

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.

Ok, so unless you are a good looking lady or a guy looking for a cougar, free drinks on a cruise ship is something you've probably always assumed were something impossible. The cruise industry depends on sales of alcohol to cover their bottom line since generally the price of your cruise barely covers the cost of having you onboard. Don't worry though. I'm one cheap SOB and over the years I've found a bunch of different ways to get free drinks on a cruise ship vacation. I'm sure I've missed some so I'd love to have you fill in the blanks for me by commenting below.

Visiting a brewery is one of the best ways to learn about a culture and community - or at least one of the most fun ways. That's why I was so excited to visit Alaskan Brewing Company's brewery in Juneau on a recent visit to the city. Since 1986, they've been developing creative beers that serve a local / regional audience but also serve as ambassadors of Alaskan culture to the lower 48!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

North Dakota is a natural wonderland filled with tons of great natural as well as urban adventures to discover. After a long day exploring history sites and museums, I can't think of much better than relaxing a pint of local craft beer. Luckily, I can do that in North Dakota! It's no surprise that as one of the top wheat producers that they are experiencing a boom in micro-breweries as well. Along with small-scale wineries and a handful of distilleries, this is a region that you won't want to miss.

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.