Pizza Port Bressi Ranch: Unofficial/Official Groundbreaking

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Pizza Port Bressi Ranch
2794 Gateway Rd (subject to change)
Carlsbad, CA 92009

I had the good fortune to be able to attend the unofficial/official groundbreaking for Pizza Port's newest location in San Diego... Bressi Ranch (East Carlsbad). It was a gloomy day but spirits were high among the 30 or so attendees. OB Pizza Port sent a bus full of employees up for the occasion. Shark Bite and Carlsbad Chronic were on tap along with a nice spread of assorted BBQ... brats, sausages, "pork wings", etc. There was some candy for the kids, though the OBceans decimated that ;)

Denver Brewery WalkAbout

I was in Denver last week and was able to take some time to hit up a few breweries that were within "walking distance" from my hotel. I wish I would have had time to check out a couple more that were near that area, but I just couldn't get away from work commitments.

I made some notes on my phone about the beers I was able to sample and would like to share them with everyone. Some are more detailed/complete than others...unfortunately, no pictures for these reviews.

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Bear Republic Brewing Co.
345 Healdsburg Ave.
Healdsburg, CA 95448
www.bearrepublic.com

Bear Republic has some solid brews, most notably Racer 5 IPA. So when I had the chance to try something a little bit different I thought I would give BR a shot.

They did not disappoint...



Rye Specialty Ale (8%ABV)

Lagunitas IPA

Lagunitas Brewing Company
1280 North McDowell Boulevard 
Petaluma, CA 94954

Lagunitas has become one of my favorite breweries over the past couple of years. I have been impressed with all of their beers that I have had the opportunity to consume.

The first beer from Lagunitas that I will review is their basic IPA.




IPA (6.9% ABV)



Appearance:

Pours super clear with a nice caramel color. Nice 1cm head on first pour. Very light lacing.  Small bubbles. Agitation will reform head of 3mm

 

Smell:

Flowery, hints of melon and honeysuckle. Resin

 

Taste: 

Bright and bitter up front. Slightly sour with a smooth finish. Bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied and astringent.

Overall:

This beer is a clean easily drinkable IPA.  I would easily recommend this beer as a nice thirst quencher on a hot summer day.

San Diego Beer Review: Coronado Brewing Mermaid's Red

Coronado Brewing
170 Orange Ave
Coronado, CA 92118

Coronado Brewing has been around for a few years now and I am starting to see more and more of their bottled beers carried locally. I haven't had the chance to visit the brewery yet, but based on what I have tasted recently, I definitely need to get down there soon.

This first review will be on their Mermaid's Red. This is actually the first beer they ever brewed, and is a great example of why they have been able to grow into the operation they are today.

Mermaid's Red Premium Ale (5.7% ABV)


Appearance:
Pours a cloudy amber out of the bottle. A 1.5cm head forms with with medium bubbles and leaves a light lacing.


Smell:
Roasty malts. Hint of choclate and burnt sugar/caramel. Slight hop aroma, more of a spice than citrus/resin.


Taste:
The roasted malts give a hint of coffee, chocolate and caramel. There is a little bit of spice that plays on the tongue and pops with the carbonation. The bitterness hits the back of the tongue and the top of the month.


Mouthfeel:
Medium body with a nice bit of warming from the spice, not an alcohol heat.


Overall:
This is a beautiful Red that really highlights the qualities of a "traditional" red beer. Roasted malts, spicy hops and a little bit of bitterness at the back of the mouth. The additional hints of chocolate and coffee are a pleasant bonus.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
1075 East 20th Street
Chico, CA.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Sierra Nevada has been one of my favorite breweries for quite a while. My wife brought this home for me from a recent trip to the store...it is great when your wife supports your habit... ;)

I was very intrigued, I have just recently caught on to the Rye beer category and have had several different versions in the past few weeks. I know what you are thinking...where the hell is the review of those? I have been a bit lax on reviewing in the past couple of weeks, sometimes you just want to drink a beer and not worry about describing it...

Ruthless Rye IPA (6.6% ABV)


Appearance:
Pours exceptionally clear with a light amber/light caramel mix, think orangey brown. 1.5cm head on initial pour, good lacing, with medium sized bubbles. A 1cm head will reform with agitation.

Smell:
Citrus and resin with nice malt aroma to balance it out.

Taste:
Rye flavor up front, peppery with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel:
Astringent with medium body and carbonation.

Overall:
This is a nice clean Spring/Summer beer. The other Ryes that I have had recently have been a bit more "rye" flavored, some like biting into a slice of rye bread. If your not a fan of rye bread, some of these would be a bit harsh. Sierra Nevada's version would be a good introduction to this beer flavor for the uninitiated or those who steer away from rye bread for their sandwiches....

San Diego Beer Review: Iron Fist Velvet Glove Imperial Stout

Iron Fist Brewing
1305 Hot Spring Way #101
Vista, CA 92081

First off I need to thank my bro SG (you know who you are..) for the gift of this sweet bottle of Iron Fist VG!

Iron Fist Brewery is part of the growing North County Beer Triangle. This is an area that derserves exploring for any visitor to San Diego or Orange County. Hell, if you are anywhere is Southern California you need to make the pilgrimage to the North County of San Diego. You will find multiple high quality and nationally renowned breweries here, including but not limited to: Iron Fist, Port Brewing/Lost Abbey, Mother Earth Brewing,....hmmm...rather than go into this now I will make a separate post that discusses NC SD Beers in more detail...

On to the review...!

Velvet Glove Imperial Stout (9% ABV)

Appearance:
This beer pours thick and dark. The color is either a very very dark brown or it is pure black. I tried everything to get a hint of the true color..up to shining an extremely bright flashlight through the glass. The light did not penetrate any portion of the beer...so I am going with pure black here. On initial pour it forms a 2cm thick dark brown head with tight small bubbles. Beautiful lacing from the head on the sides of the glass.

Smell:
Massive coffee notes (very roasty) with some malty sweetness.

Taste:
First taste hits you with big choclate and coffee flavor. Hint of hops in the middle of the tongue but I believe the majority of the bitterness here is from the espresso/coffee that as been inserted into the brewing process. I am both a dark chocolate and coffee consumer...sometimes in larger than normal quantities... ;) The bitterness here is definitely of the coffee variety and not dark chocolate. The is a sense of the sweetness of the malt here as well.

Mouthfeel:
Sliky and smooth. The carbonation provides a nice "pop" on the center of the tongue.

Overall:
A nice clean rendition of a chocolate stout, with a coffee bitterness that offsets it from a traditional chocolate stout. I would definitely recommend this beer in bottle form to anyone who is a stout/porter connoisseur. If you are just getting into stouts or porters...this beer might not be for you.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!