Rey Knight at a Bottlecraft event

Butcher’s Brewing, whose beers are available at many local Whole Foods and Sprouts locations, will no longer be a contract brewer with Bayhawk Ales in Irvine — the same company that helped craft beers for the now-defunct Airdale Brewing Company.

Butcher’s owner Rey Knight and his team recently completed the purchase of Manzanita Brewing Company’s original brewery, which includes the tasting room, fridges, warehousing and all brewing equipment.

“We have high hopes for the guys at Butcher’s,” said Manzanita president and co-owner Jeff Trevaskis. “We’ll work with them every step of the way as Santee’s brewing community grows.”

Manzanita’s new tasting room was unveiled in July just 1/4 mile down the road, and the company is looking to open a distillery next door.

Participating breweries / beers:

Manzanita / Where There’s Smoke and Rustic Horizon Red

Monkey Paw / Ashes from the Grave Smoked Beer (AleSmith collaboration) and Rich Man’s IIPA

Societe / The Pupil IPA and The Harlot Belgian Pale Ale

Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door for the 11a.m. – 6p.m. festival. With a ticket comes 12 tasters of beer; food is available for purchase. For an additional $1 donation to the About the Music Fund, you’ll get a taste of an Automatic Brewing Co. beer created specifically for this event. Click here to buy tickets.

It is awesome to see new faces become fixtures in the festival circuit. Relative newcomers Rough Draft and Latitude 33 will be serving beers along with the brand-new Fezziwig’s Brewing (not open to the public, yet, but you can read about them on page 20 of our May 2012 issue).

(Psssst! … The first ten individuals to comment on this post get a free ticket to the Craft Beer Block.)
Limit one per person – must include e-mail address, first name and last name in your comment. You’ll need to show ID to pick up tickets from Will Call. Tickets are all gone!

The Karl Strauss crew celebrates their 2012 World Beer Cup Gold Medal for Red Trolley Ale. Photo: Ryan Lamb

San Diego brewers earned 16 medals at the 2012 World Beer Cup. The winners were announced at the Gala Awards Dinner/Ceremony, which took place immediately following the 2012 Craft Brewers Conference. Out of 95 categories of beer, San Diegans won 5 gold medals, 3 Silver medals, and 8 Bronze medals. In total, 799 breweries entered 3,921 beers from 54 countries. 218 judges from 27 countries determined the winners. The SD winners and their categories are listed below.

Category - Winning Beer and Brewery – Award

Coffee Beer – Bacon & Eggs by Pizza Port Ocean Beach - Gold
Irish-Style Red Ale – Red Trolley Ale by Karl Strauss Brewing Co. - Gold
Imperial India Pale Ale – Poor Man’s IPA by Pizza Port Carlsbad - Gold
English-Style Brown Ale – Longboard Brown by Rock Bottom La Jolla - Gold
French-and-Belgian-Style Saison – Carnevale by The Lost Abbey - Gold

Old Ale or Strong Ale – Decadance 2010 Old Ale by AleSmith Brewing Co. - Silver
Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale – Two Tortugas Belgian Strong by Karl Strauss Brewing Co. - Silver
American-Style Black Ale – Tarantulas 2.0 by Pizza Port Ocean Beach - Silver

Barelywine-Style Ale – Old Numskull by AleSmith Brewing Co. - Bronze
Chocolate Beer – Odin’s Raven by Alpine Beer Co. - Bronze
American-Belgo-Style Ale – Le Freak by Green Flash Brewing Co.  - Bronze
Imperial India Pale Ale – Palate Wrecker by Green Flash Brewing Co. - Bronze
Experimental Beer – Where There’s Smoke by Manzanita Brewing Co. – Bronze
American-Style Brown Ale – Great American Brown by Pizza Port Carlsbad - Bronze
American-Style Stout – A.B.L.E. American Stout by Pizza Port Ocean Beach - Bronze
Belgian-and-French-Style Ale – Gift of the Magi by The Lost Abbey - Bronze

Congratulations brewers!

Full list of winners can be found here.
Further reading: Peter Rowe’s post on SDUT 

Special thanks for the backup from Pete Rowe, Brandon Hernández, and Jeff Hammett during the awards ceremony. SD has some awesome beer media! Post updated 5/6 1:55a.m. with corrected number of breweries and beers entered from the BA press release.

Construction Day 1 in mid-November

MORE BAR IN MIRAMAR –
Who doesn’t like more bar space? Both AleSmith and Ballast Point are renovating their tasting rooms for your beer-drinking enjoyment. The AleSmith tasting room will begin its transformation in January, and will include a new, larger bar with a built-in beer engine, additional restroom, and a display area for both AleSmith awards and its growing barrel program. Stay tuned to their newsletter or West Coaster’s website for information regarding temporary tasting room closure, and look forward to the grand re-opening party in the first quarter of 2012. Some of the tasting room changes at Ballast Point are already underway, and upon completion will include more floor space, a new look, and more taps. The tasting room will tentatively be closed right after the New Year, giving you a bit of time to get over that hangover before jumping back in the saddle.

AND IN PIZZA PORT NEWS –
Jeff Bagby, Director of Brewpub Operations for Pizza Port and head brewer at Pizza Port Carlsbad, who led the Pizza Port family to thirteen medals at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival, will be leaving the company at the end of the year to pursue his own venture. Stay tuned for more information as it comes via our website and future issues. Updates 12/7: follow-up coverage of this story is available on San Diego Beer Blog, TheFullPint.com, Brewery Rowe and BeerNews.org. According to a post by Jeff Hammett at San Diego Beer Blog, Bagby’s assistant at Pizza Port Carlsbad, Ignacio “Nacho” Cervantes will be continuing to brew as he and other members of the team fill most of Bagby’s duties. TheFullPint.com reports that the ideal location for Bagby’s new brewery will be in North County San Diego, but that nothing is set yet. A bit more commentary and quotes available at Brewery Rowe, too. Also, it looks like San Clemente head brewer Noah Regnery is on his way out as well. In other Pizza Port news, Barbara Henry at the North County Times then reported that Pizza Port has plans to build a new two-story, 37,050-square-foot facility in Carlsbad at Palomar Airport Rd and Gateway Rd that would serve as a production and distribution facility as well as Pizza Port’s fifth brewery restaurant location. Henry also reports that it will also house a canning facility. Pizza Port’s proposal goes before the Carlsbad’s Planning Commission tonight at 6 p.m. and a copy of the report to the Planning Commission can be seen here.

(l-r): Jeff Babgy, Vince Marsaglia, Ignacio Cervantes, Brandon Edwards, Mike Aubuchon, Yiga Miyashiro and Noah Regnery

ELEVEN IN 2011 –
In January 2011, West Coaster selected 11 craft beer-related businesses or events that we predicted would make an impact over the coming year– check out that feature on our website within the Editorial tab. Now, as 2011 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back, measuring up what they’ve done and previewing what’s in store for 2012. Tap Hunter, featured on the cover last January, will look to relaunch their iPhone and Android apps, promote their 2nd annual Brewery Awards, and launch a new craft beer job-finding component of the website, CraftBeerCareers – all in early 2012. In March they’ll speak about social media’s interaction with craft beer at SXSW in Austin, and then head on to the Belgian Beer Tour with Ciao Travel in April. Tap Hunter also helped organize the first annual Beer-Con last August with fellow 11 in ’11 member Awesome Beer Drinkers. Drinkers’ frontman Michael Bowen confirmed that he’s looking to extend Beer-Con to two days for next year so that the Saturday sessions are preceded by brewery tours, and a dinner event the Friday prior. Look for more breweries to be involved next year as well. And even with all that on their plate, the Drinkers will still engage in more, smaller-size and scale beer tastings in 2012. Brew Diego has expanded their focus from brewery video tours to other efforts, most notably beer fundraising events. “Craft Beer Gives Back,” an event held in conjunction with Awesome Beer Drinkers and graciously hosted at Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery, raised $1000 for the Monarch School’s expansion project thanks in large part to beer donors Deschutes, Hess, Marin, Widmer and Green Flash. 2012 is all about more brewing for Manzanita Brewing Co., whose new 30-barrel Criveller steam-powered brewing system should be starting up in late December or early January. The new 12,000 square-foot building dwarfs the old facility a ¼ mile down the road, which is for sale as a turn-key brewery in our gift guide. Hess Brewing has grown substantially over the past year and change. Production in their first quarter of business, the third quarter of 2010, yielded fourteen barrels – the same amount that made it to events during this year’s ten-day San Diego Beer Week, including a “tap takeover” at Bottlecraft and brewmaster’s dinners at Local Habit and the Bristol Hotel. Look for more barrel-aged beer (bourbon barrel-aged Ex Umbris Rye Imperial Stout is in the works for March), a new brewing facility (rumored to be in North Park by mid-year) in addition to the current Miramar space, and the possibility of canned beer in the future. Family-owned Iron Fist Brewing Co. in Vista will be looking to hit their stride with production in 2012, with 3000 barrels/year the target. To help facilitate this, three 60-barrel conical fermentors and a new bright tank are joining the ranks, which means more beer for the East Coast is on the horizon. Also look for more barrel-aged beers and a 5% ABV breakfast stout made with cold-pressed coffee. We, too, are still wondering where in Europe Stone Brewing Co. will touch down as the first American craft brewery to head overseas, but there’s less mystery surrounding Stone Liberty Station, the 20,000 sq. ft., 400-seat brewery-restaurant slated to open in late spring 2012. Stone alumnus Lee Chase and his nano-brewery Automatic Brewing Co had a goal for 2011: to create six different beers using coffee. So far, Chase has completed five renditions of doubly-buzzing beer, with his sixth on the way this December. More news on the horizon for Automatic includes the possibility of moving the two-barrel brewhouse from within Blind Lady Ale House to his newest joint, Tiger!Tiger! (pending proper licensing). Given his record, we predict Chase will have plenty of tricks up his sleeve come 2012; West Coaster’s here to keep you posted. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits will continue its major expansion in 2012 by adding more tanks at the Scripps Ranch facility. Like a fighter that’s moved up in weight class, the brewery will compete for the title of Champion Mid-Size Brewing Company at the 2012 World Beer Cup, hosted on our home turf this May; in 2010, BP won the award in the small brewery category. Also, look for Longfin Lager to come out in six-packs in 2012. San Diego Beer Week 2011 boasted nearly 550 events over 10 days in San Diego County, and you can bet next year will only be bigger. The 33rd Annual American Homebrewers Association National Homebrewers Conference took place in sunny San Diego last June with the help of extremely dedicated individuals. You can find more coverage of that blockbuster event in the July 2011 issue, available to read online. Look forward to our Twelve in 2012 picks out this February. Have predictions for the craft beer industry’s most impactful members and companies in 2012? Email ryan@westcoastersd.com

SAN DIEGO BEER WEEK, TAKE 3 –

- The biggest news from November was the return of San Diego Beer Week, which officially kicked off with the Brewers Guild Festival on Saturday, November 5th. But it was the night before the big event that set the tone for the week long celebration of brewers, specifically, the launch party for “the official book of San Diego craft beer.” The San Diego’s Top Brewers event was coordinated by Chefs Press, the book’s publishers, and Tap Hunter. Fans packed into the vast Mission Brewery to gather the signatures of our town’s top brewers featured in the book. Melani Gordon of Tap Hunter said that she overheard The Lost Abbey’s head brewer Tomme Arthur saying something like, “This is maybe the last time this small group of brewers will be able to gather in a setting as intimate as this.” And he was right – with all the hectic schedules these brewers have, this night at Mission Brewery was truly something special.

Setting up for Assembly

- The next night, another unique event took place at Sea Rocket Bistro. Assembly, a vegan beer pairing dinner put on by Chef Chad White, local fundraisers LoveLikeBeer and San Diego Beer Blog‘s Jeff Hammett, featured rare beers from Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin – a vegan brewery led by a vegan brewer. Veganism and craft beer, huh? Organizer Kory Stetina said, “I think the modern craft beer movement and the vegan/vegetarian movement share a common bond that is ‘conscious consumption.’ In both movements, unless your parents were able to pass on what (in their time) would have been more uncommon tastes or beliefs, most members of each community today have had to go through some period of questioning and challenging tradition– whether it be taste-muted, mainstream beer or the traditional, meat-based American diet– unlearning previous tastes, re-creating them and modifying purchasing habits with a newfound vision for what they have re-learned to be considered ‘good’ or in line with their larger purpose.” Stetina also noted that because both movements are fairly young, there’s a lot of “uncharted territory for the crafts to grow and expand” through the experimentation of creative chefs and brewers. To see more about this event, visit the West Coaster website and search “Assembly” or visit our Facebook page for all the photos.

- “The only human event during Beer Week,” according to beer bar baron Scot Blair, was 3rd Fling, a disc golf tournament at Morley Field in North Park hosted by Hamilton’s Tavern & Green Flash Brewing Company. The third annual event was weld halfway through San Diego Beer Week, and gave sixty-four participants the chance to step out of the bars and onto the course for a day of breakfast burritos, disc flinging and meeting new people. The after party at the sponsoring bar in South Park was a fitting way to end the day, with the winners tapping a cask of Green Flash 9th Anniversary IIIPA, the perfect pairing for chicken mole plates dished up by the Hamilton’s team. West Coaster can hardly wait for 4th Fling next year.

Setting the teams for 3rd Fling

- Post-Beer Week, we asked readers on our website what they liked– or didn’t– about the ten-day extravaganza. Out-of-towner Brian Schmaltz was visiting for just over 24 hours and hit-up a variety of events. He enjoyed introducing friends to “some good brews” at the Sierra Nevada beer pairing at URGE Gastropub, before making his way out to Alpine for lunch the next day. After that, he holed up at Toronado in North Park, drinking some rare New Belgium Peach Love with “Love Master” Jamie Mastin in between other solid beer choices. Jon Kneier commented that he couldn’t remember having so much barrel-aged beer available during one week. His highlights included Dogfish Dirty Dozen at O’Brien’s Pub, the Flavors of Yeast event with White Labs’ Neva Parker at Sea Rocket Bistro, the selection of sour and rare beers available at Pizza Port OB, and the Night of a Million Zillion Speedways at O’Brien’s. Craig Barnett said he very much enjoyed the Brewers Guild Festival by taking the time to talk with beer folks that worked the booths. Fallbrook resident Bill Jackson only made it to one event during Beer Week– the Pour it Black beer festival held on the last day at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. He hopes that next year there will be more beer events up in his neck of the woods. What did you think of San Diego Beer Week? What would you like to see next year? Send your feedback to ryan@westcoastersd.com and we’ll whisper in the ears of those who make it all happen.

Brewmaster Mitch Steele giving Jean Newcomer and Greg Weiler a private tour of the facilities. Photo courtesy of Stone Brewing Co.

500TH STONE UNTURNED –
Jean Newcomer, an employee of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Wilmington, Delaware, along with her long-time partner Greg Weiler selected Stone Brewing Co. to be the 500th brewery they’ve ever visited. The duo arrived on November 15th to a surprise welcome from Brewmaster Mitch Steele who led them on a private tour of the brewing facility in addition to a guided tasting and special lunch in the gardens. Newcomer and Weiler also indulged in Stone 2010 Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale Aged in Bourbon Barrels, which is – fittingly – part of the Quingenti Millilitre (500 ml) series.

Daniel Love, Ken Wright and Brandon Sieminski discussed San Diego's growing craft beer community, while sampling great-tasting beers!

Throughout the presentation, guests were encouraged to ask questions, and also provide any of their own knowledge about the topic. In combination with the delicious and flavorful beers, the participation from the audience created a great environment. The list of beers sampled included Mission Brewery’s Mission Blonde Ale, Mother Earth California Creamin’, Pizza Port Carlsbad Cow Stout, Black Market Rye IPA, Hess Ex Umbris Rye Imperial Stout and Manzanita Chaotic Double IPA. Those in attendance were also able to try very new beer releases, such as Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale and Iron Fist Martial Law.

By having Daniel Love and Brandon Sieminski in the audience, these brewers were able to discuss the stories behind their beers, while attendees had the opportunity to sample them. Love went on to provide individuals with advice about home brewing. “It’s not about the strongest beer (ABV %) you can make, but using the most robust and most ingredients.” He suggested the best type of beer to make is “something you can make and enjoy with friends.”

A timeline was also shown to describe certain occurrences and legislation that helped expand the craft beer industry throughout the country. Attendees learned that the Carter administration was responsible for legalizing home brewing in 1978. You can find some of the additional dates regarding the history of San Diego beer, which were referenced at last night’s Beer U, in our current issue.

If you did not have the opportunity to attend last night, Stone Brewing Co. hosts Beer U events often, covering a variety of topics. Check out their site for upcoming events. For our female readers, consider learning more about this Wednesday’s upcoming event at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Garden: Women Celebrating Craft Beer.

Full disclose: In addition to interning for West Coaster, I also work for Stone Brewing Co.

Anything else? Missing something? Drop us a comment or email

Wednesday
St. Patrick’s Day DrinkAbout (this is going to be epic, all events below are on the DrinkAbout route)
Anchor Brekles Brown Release @ Hamilton’s / Small Bar (we have it on good authority that the entire staff will be wearing Anchor jumpsuits)
Manzanita Night @ Sea Rocket Bistro

Thursday
St. Patrick’s Pre-Party @ O’Brien’s
Black Thursday @ BLAH (Flight of 6 Stouts/Porters on nitro)
Oyster Happy Hour @ Small Bar
Beef Reuben’s & Guinness @ Hamilton’s
Alpine Irish Red Cask (+more!) @ Main Tap Tavern
St. Patrick’s Day @ Toronado
St. Patrick’s Festival @ TapRoom
St. Patrick’s Oatmeal Stout on Cask @ all Karl Strauss locations (Starts 5pm)
St. Patrick’s Day Party @ La Jolla Brew House

Saturday
St. Patrick’s Day Party @ O’Briens
St. Paddy’s Oatmeal Stout Beer Release / Party @ Hess

DrinkAbout with Manzanita @ Sea Rocket
Four beers from 11 in ’11 member Manzanita Brewing will be featured at the ‘Rocket. Riverwalk Blonde, Rustic Horizon, Gillispie Brown Ale and a Double Dry Hopped IPA cask will be served in a $10, 6oz pour taster flight. Manzanita’s beer gets better every time I try it, and now that it’s on the swanky seafood DrinkAbout stop that is Sea Rocket Bistro, I have another excuse to experience their deliciously developing brews.

Firestone Walker’s Matt Brynildson to make rounds in SD
On the 18th, Firestone Walker’s brewmaster will be in town at Hamilton’s for Firestone’s Firkin Friday. The following day, he will play host for the Grill at Torrey Pines’ Craft Beer Pairing Dinner – where his beer will be paired with the culinary talent of the Grill’s Kyle Bergman. Grill manager Stephen Kurpinsky sent me the following: “5-course family style dinner featuring all pork dishes from 2 heirloom, Vande Rose pigs, paired with delicious beer from Firestone Walker! Union Jack IPA  (ON CASK!  Really excited, it will be our first firkin tapping at The Grill,) Red Nectar Ale DBA (Double Barrel Ale) and Double Jack Abacus (First time that this rare, barrel aged barley wine will be released in the San Diego market!)” $55 for the best food & beer pairing you’ll find in town. For reservations, 858-777-6645.

Coaster Saloon

Upcoming Lightning Events
I’m really digging Lightning’s beers as of late (Prognosis: temporary hop overload.) My timing is excellent because they’re doing more and more events all over town. Today, they’ll be doing a pairing at Sammy’s Woodfried Pizza in Scripps Ranch, and tomorrow, they’ll be doing another pairing at Press Box Sports Lounge.

Coaster gets crafty
I sat down with Darren Renna of the Coaster Saloon on Monday. He brought me up to speed on the beachside bar/grill’s increasing craft beer program. Here’s the rundown: 32 handles, plans to rotate out 3-4 taps per month (with bi-weekly tap line cleanings, I’m told), a cask night in the works,  and upcoming beer + food pairings with BBQ. We’re supportive of the Coaster’s commitment to local craft beer. Darren explained the reasoning behind his choice to embrace better beer: “Local breweries won’t try and shove beers down your throat, and they have a vested interest in their product. Also, it’s easy to switch things up if a beer isn’t working out.” He also asked me to let local breweries know that there’s interest in doing a featured brewery/keep-the-glass night, and there is plenty of room for a jockey box.  On April 8th there’s a keep-the-pint w/ Ommegang. Also, I learned that the Coaster Saloon was one of the first Ballast Point accounts ever, and a ominous cult named the Theosophical society used to run Point Loma.

AleSmith Pairing @ La Gran Terraza
Located on the USD Campus, budding craft beer location La Gran Terraza will host Peter Zien for an AleSmith pairing dinner. The last pairing was with Stone and was ~$22 + tax & tip, so we’re assuming that AleSmith’s pairing will follow suit. 5 courses of gourmet food with generous pours at a great venue makes this one of the best secrets in San Diego Beer. At the gated USD entrance,  make sure to let the guard know your intentions so you can get a free parking permit.

11 in ’11 is our cover story for the January 2011 issue.  Scroll down on the editorial page to see where you can pick up a copy.

We recently overheard someone liken the San Diego Craft Beer Community to a Gold Rush-era Boomtown. We think it’s quite fitting. Instead of prospectors coming to stake their claim in search of gold, talented individuals and businesses in San Diego are grabbing their piece of the craft beer action by providing a resource, organizing local events or, well, making beer.  Here’s our 11 that will define 2011 in San Diego Beer.

TapHunter.com
Born alongside San Diego Beer Week 2009, TapHunter.com is the product of marketing maven Mel Gordon & husband/tech whiz Jeff “Flash” Gordon. TapHunter’s crowdsourced website & iPhone application help local beer lovers find where they can sip their favorite brews on tap.  Their 2010 SD Brewery of the Year Awards were a hit as AleSmith came out on top;  we’re looking forward to see who takes the prize in 2011’s vote.  What will set TapHunter apart in the new year is their Straight From the Tap program. A weekly online service that will team up with a local business to provide a special coupon/voucher deal, Straight From the Tap is geared to bringing the consumer substantial, targeted savings on the beer they love. Great deals on local beer? Yes please. Signing up is as easy as having an email address and visiting their website: taphunter.com/straight-from-the-tap

Stone Brewing Co.
The local behemoth of arrogance and innovation, Stone Brewing Co. is planning to open the Stone Company Store South Park sometime in 2011. This brilliant move will bring their palate-destroying beers closer to the greater San Diego population, while also helping define the already craft-beer saturated South Park end of 30th Street. Never satisfied or stagnant, Stone is simultaneously scouting a location in Europe to open brewing facilities. The last that West Coaster heard, Stone had narrowed the list of cities down to two: Bruges and Berlin. To feel what it’s like to be courted by Stone, or if you’re hankering to open the next big thing in Europe, check out their Request for Proposal online at stonebrew.com/rfp/

Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
No heavy-hitters list would be complete without Ballast Point, and San Diegans should expect more big things from both brewery & spirits departments in 2011. “We are not a one-trick pony, instead [we are] driven by the roots of home brewing,” assured Director of Sales Earl Kight. “We create and create again and again.” Nowhere is this more true than Home Brew Mart in Linda Vista, where it all began in 1992. Watch for HBM’s GM and BP Specialty Brewer Colby Chandler to continue producing interesting variations of the award-hogging Sculpin IPA, including ghost and habanero pepper versions. More key developments: bottle labels are being designed for both the highly-coveted Fathom IPL (India Pale Lager) as well as the Sour Wench Blackberry Ale. Longfin Lager, “that easy-drinking, warm-weather favorite, has a 12oz label and six-pack holder almost ready to go.” Let’s not forget that demand for the Pale Ale and Big Eye IPA continues to grow in the local market. With all of this planned production, the need for increased capacity is inevitable; rumor has it that the main brewery in Scripps Ranch will be gearing up for another serious expansion this spring.

BrewDiego.com
Founded by homebrewer Dan Brown, SD-native foodie/teacher Eric Martin and local church pastor Josh Carter, BrewDiego.com launched back in November as an intuitive and easy-to-navigate resource for San Diego Craft Beer.  Their main 2011 focus: producing high-quality videos that delve behind the scenes of the craft beer industry.  Whether it’s interviewing brewers, taking brewery tours, or documenting events,  BrewDiego will put faces to big industry names.  Their blogging and social media outlets are also being developed because, according to Dan, “we really enjoy the relationships and conversations we’ve had with the people who are brewing here.  We want to help bridge the gap between those brewing the beer and those drinking it.”  More specifically, their target audience includes enthusiasts eager to learn more, those locals who previously found getting into craft beer overwhelming, and beer tourists looking for creative local resources.

Lee Chase & Automatic Brewing Company
The talented UC Davis & Stone Brewing Co. Alumnus keeps his laboratory quietly secluded in the inner sanctum of Blind Lady Ale House. We’ve seen some deliciously clever beers from Lee. Examples include Automatic’s ginger & coriander’d #1 Belgian Ale, Chocolate Rain Oatmeal Stout, Sex Panther Strong Ale, and most recently, a duo of Belgian White Ales – Light Whitening and Thank You Mamm (which was actually pink!). Lee’s been covertly scouting and purchasing new equipment, but has been careful not to let slip what exactly he is up to. Whatever it may be, it’s going to rule. Blind Lady Ale House has redefined the dinner scene in Normal Heights, and Automatic Brewing is the first licensed brewery in the craft beer-saturated uptown neighborhoods. West Coaster will be watching him from behind an Honest Pint-certified brew & a slice of Napoletana-inspired pizza.

AwesomeBeerDrinkers.com
AwesomeBeerDrinkers.com started with Michael Bowen and Alex McKee. According to Michael, the mission of ABD is simple: “To bring the gospel of good beer to the masses, and help support the growth of the craft beer scene in any way we can.” How’d they choose their name, you ask? “The name was simple: Mike said ‘we have an Awesome idea’ and Alex said ‘we need more Beer to Drink.’” Aside from a well-put-together website that is developing into a fine resource for all things craft beer in San Diego, what will set Awesome Beer Drinkers apart in 2011 will be their monthly tastings.  The next ABD Tasting will be January 22nd @ The Beer Company in Downtown from 4-8pm.  To quote them: “We will be featuring a ridiculous assortment of hand-selected craft brews provided by the Best Damn Beer Shop for your tasting enjoyment.” For more details and to RSVP, visit AwesomeBeerDrinkers.com

Iron Fist
Iron Fist came out swinging when they opened their doors in October of 2010. Their revolutionary theme lends itself well to the line up of beers offered by this family-run brewery, as well as the brewer himself. Their brews are crafted by the youngest Head Brewer in San Diego – Brandon Sieminski.  At only 21, Brandon’s come up with quality brews such as the bold Dubbel Fisted and the crisp Spice of Life. His newest creation, The Gauntlet Imperial IPA, is unlike anything we’ve ever tasted (in the best way). Adrian Sieminski, Iron Fist’s sales representative & brother to Brandon, reports that the beer is spreading across the county. We expect Iron Fist to continue pummeling palates in 2011.

San Diego Beer Week 2011
Ready or not, SDBW is back in just ten months.  Simply considering the sheer number of events held during 2010’s countywide ten-day festival (close to 500), it’s difficult to predict what will come during the Week’s third incarnation in 2011.  What we do know is that the only way is up; unknowing San Diegans will begin to learn what the beer tourists already know, and the promotion of locally-produced beer will serve to strengthen the local economy.  SDBW is an all-around win for all businesses that believe in the power San Diego Craft Beer.

Manzanita Brewing Company
A member of the class of July 2010, Manzanita has been growing faster than anyone expected. After spreading into the adjacent industrial suite off Prospect Avenue in Santee, Manzanita expanded their tasting room from 90 sq. feet to 550 sq. feet. There’s now a 9 ½ foot full-size bar, a ~30 ft. standing bar surrounding the tables, and barstools that fill up the room. Manzanita will begin bottling 22oz bottles in 2011, and their production ability will expand with the upgrade from a 7-barrel system to a 20-barrel system. “We’re going to start bottling 1000 (bombers) a week and see how it goes, and expand our system as soon as we find equipment,” says Jeff Trevaskis, CEO of Manzanita. Head Brewer Garry Pitman is looking to begin entering Manzanita brews into local and national competitions in 2011 as well. Watch as the unique trademark handmade Manzanita wood taphandle carves a space in draft lineups around the county.

33rd Annual American Homebrewers Association National Homebrewers Conference
Former San Diego Brewers Guild President Colby Chandler said it best last month: “2011 is the homebrewer’s year to shine!  Now is the time to learn how to make beer San Diego!”  Whether you’re a new-comer to the homebrew scene, or a seasoned veteran, the National Homebrewers Conference is the place to be in June.  This year will mark the first time the conference has come to San Diego.  Another first: an opening-day Pro-Am Competition featuring San Diego’s best brewery/homebrewer teams vying for bragging rights in a free-for-all, no-style-guidelines match-up.  As of press time, several big San Diego names are scheduled to speak at the conference, including Port Brewing Co./The Lost Abbey’s Co-Owner and Brewmaster Tomme Arthur, Stone Brewing Co.’s CEO & Co-Founder Greg Koch, Owner of O’Brien’s Pub Tom Nickel, White Labs’ Founder & President Chris White, and AleSmith Brewing Company’s Owner Peter Zien.

Hess Brewing
Let there be no doubt, Hess Brewing convincingly anchors the western end of the Miramar brewery circuit with a nano-system that proves the merits of quality over quantity, producing 1.6 barrels, or just 51 gallons, per batch.  Expect that to change in 2011.  Hess just bought four new 3-barrel fermenters and is looking into some opportunities on a 15-barrel brewhouse to get beer into the marketplace.  Whether that means a re-design of their current space or a new Miramar location altogether, Propietor & CBO Mike Hess told us, “I expect that we’ll have around 200 barrels brewed in our second six months.  From there…who knows? That’s up to our fans!”  Other 2011 plans: a new growler, CU Boulder (Mike Hess’ alma mater)-style FAC (Friday Afternoon Club) festivities, and more limited release beers