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First taste of Second Chance Beer Co.
Two weeks ago, we checked in with Marty Mendiola, the veteran brewmaster making the transition from a long-running gig at Rock Bottom’s La Jolla brewpub to his very own brewery. At the time, he was...
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The Brew Project continues in Hillcrest
In a county where the bar and restaurant culture has grown to support local craft brewing companies, one entrepreneur goes to greater lengths than any other specifically in the name of San Diego beer....
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2015 Recap: Beers Past
This marks the first in a three-part line of year-end posts. Today’s will focus on the most alluring ghosts of new beers past from 2015. Each year, I have the pleasure (the honor, actually) of sampling...
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2015 Recap: Beer’s Present
Veteran Ray Astamendi’s Fall Brewing Co. tops my list of best new San Diego County breweries Each year, I take time to look back at the new brewing companies that opened within the past 12 months (or...
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Best Beer Futures: North
Indian Joe Brewing Co. owner Max Moran stands in front of his newly acquired building Twice a year, I assess the landscape of in-process brewery-owned projects and pick a few that I feel are the most...
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Beer of the Week: Second Chance Seize the Coffee IPA
Second Chance Beer Company’s Seize the Coffee IPA From the Beer Writer: Dark beers—your porters and stouts, imperial and lower-octane—are splendid canvasses for dark-roast coffee infusion. The rich...
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Societe holding the (other) Olympics of Beer
For as congenial and laden with heartfelt camaraderie as the brewing industry is, it is also extremely competitive. Proof of that is provided in the form of the World Beer Cup and other professional...
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Beer of the Week: Hillcrest / Karl Strauss All You Need Is Love (& Co.)
The version of All You Need Is Love crafted collaboratively by Hillcrest Brewing Company and Karl Strauss Brewing Company From the Beer Writer: I’m going to be frank. I am sickened by the rise of...
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September Events Sampler Flight
It’s another big month of beer festivals, brewery and bar anniversaries. Though we’ve assembled some of the higher-profile, better bets, there are far too many quality goings-on to get them all into...
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2016 Recap: San Diego’s Best New Breweries
It’s the final month of the year, and time to reflect on the year nearly gone-by. For me, that means assessing San Diego County’s brewery landscape. That’s what I’ll be doing in a three-part series of...
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What are the best breweries in San Diego? Having reported on the San Diego brewing industry for nearly 10 years and having written a guide to San Diego breweries, I get asked this question all the...
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Second Chance Beer building North Park tasting room
Veteran brewer Marty Mendiola’s Carmel Mountain-based Second Chance Beer Company will open a satellite tasting room in North Park later this year. Coming in at 1,820 square feet with 24 taps, capacity...
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Beer of the Week: Second Chance Clever Hoppy Name #3
Clever Hoppy Name #3 rye IPA from Second Chance Beer Co. in Carmel Mountain From the Beer Writer: A few years back, I headed the Naming Committee at Stone Brewing. This was at a time when that company...
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San Diego’s satellite tasting room projects
The future home of Little Miss Brewing’s tasting room in OB (three doors down from Culture Brewing’s satellite) Breweries make the best margin by far when selling their beer in their taprooms. With a...
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San Diego International Beer Festival winners
Winners of the San Diego International Beer Festival’s professional brewing competition were released today. A component of the San Diego County Fair’s annual festivities, the competition included...
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Beer to the Rescue back bigger than ever to help lupus patients
When I was diagnosed with the chronic auto-immune disease, lupus, in 2014, I felt very ill and entirely defenseless. I’d been suffering from the condition without a diagnosis for nearly a decade and...
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Sampler Flight: July Events
Summer’s in full swing and so is San Diego’s beer-drinking public. Rather than beat the heat, get right out in it and combat it with local ales and lagers at any of the featured events below. Still...
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Sampler Flight: September Events
September is stocked with a plethora of craft-beer events celebrating just about every type of beer out there. From ales infused with farm-fresh hops to tart tantalizers and, of course, Oktoberfest and...
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San Diego winners from 2017’s Great American Beer Festival
The team from Karl Strauss Brewing Company accepts a gold medal in the Honey Beer category at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival Winners from the 2017 edition of the Great American Beer Festival...
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Craft Q&A: Carli Smith
Head Brewer, Bold Missy Brewery I first met Carli Smith after being introduced by her mentor, Marty Mendiola. The former had recently resigned from his long-time post at Rock Bottom’s La Jolla brewpub...
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