Of all the beer festivals our friends at Pizza Port host, perhaps the most tenacious is this weekend's 13th Annual Strong Ale Festival. Not for the weak of palate, 75 beers all over 8%ABV will be featured on tap, some cask conditioned as well.
30 bucks grants festival goers 8 four ounce tasters, and a commemorative logo glass. Each additional taster is $1, and Pizza Port will be serving hearty food to match the celebrated, robust ales: grilled bratwurst with mustard sauce, and rye crust pizza.
Festival hours:
Friday, December 4th 4-11pm
Saturday, December 5th 11am-11pm
For more info on tickets, visit Pizza Port's website.
Cuvee de Tomme is Pizza Port's most award winning beer of all time, and now it's manufactured at The Lost Abbey, the Belgian-style ale sect of Port Brewing Company.
This Belgian strong, dark ale is named after head brewer of The Lost Abbey, Tomme Arthur. His recipe begins with a quadruple base of four fermentable sugars: malted barley, raisins, candi sugar and sour cherries. It is fully fermented before meeting the bourbon barrels where it's aged for one year, along with the sour cherries and wild Brettanomyces yeast.
The finished elixir is dark and rich with huge flavor at 11%ABV. Deep, sweet notes are countered with the tart cherries, and small bubbles of carbonation give the Cuvee its decadent, special occasion mouth-feel. Cuvee de Tomme is complex, and balanced between the fruit, spice, acidic notes and smoothness from the bourbon barrels. A must-have seasonal release by The Lost Abbey.
If you didn't make it to our Bear Republic happy hour during San Diego Beer Week, you have another chance this Friday, November 27th. In the spirit of giving thanks, we'd like to thank our loyal patrons for their continual support of the craft beer movement by offering 5 taps of Bear Republic beer at half the price.
Starting at 4pm and til it runs out, these are the taps you have to look forward to:
XPA
El Oso Lager
Mach 10
Rebellion
Norcal
San Diego Beer Week was the first time Bear Republic visited our city, and we're still excited that Neighborhood was their first impression of local beer culture. As with the original happy hour, the first 50 guests can take home their Bear Republic mug.
This November we're thankful to showcase one of Stone Brewing's most anticipated seasonal releases: Double Bastard Ale. Yeah, you can find it in bottles around town, but we're offering our supply on cask. The smoother carbonation from a cask pour affords this bold Bastard all the attention its flavors demand.
If you're a fan of big beers and haven't had this one, brace yourself, because it's huge. Double Bastard's strong malts and hops balance each other out for a caramely, bitter and citrusy beer all at once. With a deep amber pour and tan foamy head, this valiant 10.2% ABV beer is drinkable, and great for sipping, but only (according to Stone's website) if you're worthy.
Promoting craft beer is what we do, so when we found out that San Diego's first ever Beer Week was in the works, we were excited to be a part of the 10 day celebration. Since we never cease to be impressed with our local craft beer scene, we figured this would be the week to turn our kitchen upside down and produce 3 nights of prix fixe, original menus complete with pairings. Information for all events can be found below on this blog, and for SDBW events throughout San Diego, visit Beer Week's official website by clicking their logo above.
Since rules have absolutely no place in a week long beer celebration, we're kicking off the festivities by eating our dessert first. If 4 decadent courses paired with Belgian style ales from The Lost Abbey isn't tempting enough, we'll have several other varieties by the brewery and feature our regular menu as well. Brewer Tomme Arthur will be joining us for the event and sharing his knowledge about beer, and pairings (Fri 11/6).
In the days to follow we are proud to host both Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing Company(Mon 11/9), and Peter Zien of Alesmith Brewing Company(Thurs 11/12) who will lead our guests through their prospective 4 course meals with pairings. Additional taps and bottles will be available until we run out. Starting at 4pm on Monday the 9th, we're having a Stone Brewing happy hour with 2 for 1 specials. The first 40 people to order these beers get to keep their Stone pint glass. When the happy hour specials commence at 7pm, stay with us for the Stone Brewing dinner.
Karl Strauss brewed a small batch of San Diego Beer Week Imperial Pale Ale, and we're one of 5 local establishments to nab a keg. On Wednesday night (11/11)we'll tap it along with Fullsuit Belgian Brown and another selection from the brewery.
As we celebrate local craft brewers over the course of the week, why not show our support of local businesses, too? We're putting our beers in the hands of the experts at Venissimo Cheese for a pairing that will include 4 brews and 4 cheeses, available all week long. Menu to come in the next couple days...
Stepping outside of the local scene, we're doing a Bear Republic Brewery happy hour on Friday, November 13th. We feel quite honored to host this central California brewery because it's their first venture to southern California for an event. As with the Stone happy hour, the first 40 people to order Bear Republic beers will get to keep their glasses as well. Our 2 for 1 local pint specials will be honored Monday through Friday as usual, so take advantage this week of all weeks.
Following are our San Diego Beer Week events, with menus. Check back here for more details in the next few days.
