FIRST LOOK: SD Brew Project

San Diego beers took 14 medals at the 33^rd Annual Great American Beer Festival. It’s where craft beers go to be celebrated, drank, judged. Here are a few of our favorites and ones we’d most like to spend quality time with:

GOLD MEDAL: Old Numbskull by AleSmith Brewing Co.

First place out of 51 entries in the category. Barleywine isn’t wine. It’s confused. It’s beer. A very old beer invented in England back when showers were a pretty irregular thing and septic systems were a loopy sci-fi concept. Maybe that’s why barleywines are one of the strongest, thickest style of beers on the planet. Couple glasses of Old Numbskull (11% ABV) and those long-dead Englishmen would’ve blissfully forgotten how often people in their neighborhood used the word “squalor.” Barleywines age really well, just like wine. If you like dark fruit and hops, Old Numbskull is for you.

GOLD MEDAL: Oatmeal Stout by Benchmark Brewing Co.

There were 94 entries in its category (Session Beer), so huge congrats to the Mission Gorge brewery. Why make a beer using breakfast food? Because oatmeal gives it a real smooth, silky, creamy body. Benchmark’s tastes like chocolate, coffee, and all that is dark and good in this world. At 4.8% ABV, you can drink a couple of these and maintain basic language skills.

GOLD MEDAL: White Ale by Saint Archer Brewing Co.

This took top prize in the Belgian-Style Witbier category (65 entries). Saint Archer is just killing it. First, they’re owned by pro skaters, surfers and snowboarders. So their release parties are well-tanned and high in swimsuit models. But pretty, mocha-tinted, world-class athletes wouldn’t matter if your beer tasted like sadness. This gold medal suggests Saint Archer’s taste pretty great, and we agree. You know witbiers—spicy, refreshing, light. This one tastes like coriander and orange peels. Yes, like Moroccan food. It’s excellent.

GOLD MEDAL: Witty Moron by Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Stations

If Karl Strauss invented craft beer in San Diego, Stone exploded it. They distribute most other craft beers in town (they literally haul their “competitors” beers in refrigerated trucks to retail outlets). They created a scene. Witty Moron has the usual witbier spices, but it’s darker, more complex. The poetry major of witbiers.

SILVER: Guillaume by Pizza Port Ocean Beach

Second place out of 94 entries in the Session Beer category (session means lighter beer with a lower alcohol content so you can drink more than one of without losing all motor control). Unless our math is bad, that’s about top 2-3% in the nation. Awesome work by one of the early leaders in San Diego’s craft beer scene. It’s a golden ale, 4.4% ABV. A touch sweet. You just surfed and the sun is out? This is your beer.

SILVER: Hop 15 by Port Brewing Co.

This beer always wins awards. It’s good at doing that. It’s also good in your mouth. Hop 15 is not shy at 10% ABV. It’s definitely made for the small glass, high class beer crowd. As you can guess by the name, it’s hoppy. Beer people call it “sticky” and “resinous.” Wonder if they refer to their weed as “refreshing.”

BRONZE: Le Freak by Green Flash Brewing Co.

In the American-Belgo-Style Ale category, this took second place out of 69 entries. Le Freak is a combination of Belgian-style Trippel and American Imperial IPA. It’s day-glo orange in the glass with a little bit of citrus, a little bit of flower and a little bit of funk. One of my personal favorites in San Diego. Green Flash is set to open a new brewery/tasting room in Poway.

BRONZE: Mosaic Session Ale by Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

This is a hoppy little IPA brewed as a “session” beer. It smells like grapefruit and a tropical vacation well-spent. Perfect for those 100-degree days in October when you’re just sitting around talking about global warming with your buds.

BRONZE: The Pupil by Societe Brewing Co.

Third place at the country’s biggest beer festival is a huge honor. Yet this still feels like they were robbed. What a great beer. It’s got a nice full body with a touch of oiliness. Oily can be good (Thai food is proof). Grapefruit, assorted citrus, endorphins. Big fan.

ALPHA KING: Pound Town by Belching Beaver

You thought Belching Beaver was a pretty interesting name. Well, the Vista-based brewery doubled down on your shock value by naming their double IPA “Pound Town.” This 10.3 ABV ditty hasn’t been released yet. But oh you bet it will now. Wide and far.

For a full list of winners, click here.

The Best San Diego Beers

San Diego beers took 14 medals at the 33^rd Annual Great American Beer Festival. It’s where craft beers go to be celebrated, drank, judged. Here are a few of our favorites and ones we’d most like to spend quality time with:

GOLD MEDAL: Old Numbskull by AleSmith Brewing Co.

First place out of 51 entries in the category. Barleywine isn’t wine. It’s confused. It’s beer. A very old beer invented in England back when showers were a pretty irregular thing and septic systems were a loopy sci-fi concept. Maybe that’s why barleywines are one of the strongest, thickest style of beers on the planet. Couple glasses of Old Numbskull (11% ABV) and those long-dead Englishmen would’ve blissfully forgotten how often people in their neighborhood used the word “squalor.” Barleywines age really well, just like wine. If you like dark fruit and hops, Old Numbskull is for you.

GOLD MEDAL: Oatmeal Stout by Benchmark Brewing Co.

There were 94 entries in its category (Session Beer), so huge congrats to the Mission Gorge brewery. Why make a beer using breakfast food? Because oatmeal gives it a real smooth, silky, creamy body. Benchmark’s tastes like chocolate, coffee, and all that is dark and good in this world. At 4.8% ABV, you can drink a couple of these and maintain basic language skills.

GOLD MEDAL: White Ale by Saint Archer Brewing Co.

This took top prize in the Belgian-Style Witbier category (65 entries). Saint Archer is just killing it. First, they’re owned by pro skaters, surfers and snowboarders. So their release parties are well-tanned and high in swimsuit models. But pretty, mocha-tinted, world-class athletes wouldn’t matter if your beer tasted like sadness. This gold medal suggests Saint Archer’s taste pretty great, and we agree. You know witbiers—spicy, refreshing, light. This one tastes like coriander and orange peels. Yes, like Moroccan food. It’s excellent.

GOLD MEDAL: Witty Moron by Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Stations

If Karl Strauss invented craft beer in San Diego, Stone exploded it. They distribute most other craft beers in town (they literally haul their “competitors” beers in refrigerated trucks to retail outlets). They created a scene. Witty Moron has the usual witbier spices, but it’s darker, more complex. The poetry major of witbiers.

SILVER: Guillaume by Pizza Port Ocean Beach

Second place out of 94 entries in the Session Beer category (session means lighter beer with a lower alcohol content so you can drink more than one of without losing all motor control). Unless our math is bad, that’s about top 2-3% in the nation. Awesome work by one of the early leaders in San Diego’s craft beer scene. It’s a golden ale, 4.4% ABV. A touch sweet. You just surfed and the sun is out? This is your beer.

SILVER: Hop 15 by Port Brewing Co.

This beer always wins awards. It’s good at doing that. It’s also good in your mouth. Hop 15 is not shy at 10% ABV. It’s definitely made for the small glass, high class beer crowd. As you can guess by the name, it’s hoppy. Beer people call it “sticky” and “resinous.” Wonder if they refer to their weed as “refreshing.”

BRONZE: Le Freak by Green Flash Brewing Co.

In the American-Belgo-Style Ale category, this took second place out of 69 entries. Le Freak is a combination of Belgian-style Trippel and American Imperial IPA. It’s day-glo orange in the glass with a little bit of citrus, a little bit of flower and a little bit of funk. One of my personal favorites in San Diego. Green Flash is set to open a new brewery/tasting room in Poway.

BRONZE: Mosaic Session Ale by Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

This is a hoppy little IPA brewed as a “session” beer. It smells like grapefruit and a tropical vacation well-spent. Perfect for those 100-degree days in October when you’re just sitting around talking about global warming with your buds.

BRONZE: The Pupil by Societe Brewing Co.

Third place at the country’s biggest beer festival is a huge honor. Yet this still feels like they were robbed. What a great beer. It’s got a nice full body with a touch of oiliness. Oily can be good (Thai food is proof). Grapefruit, assorted citrus, endorphins. Big fan.

ALPHA KING: Pound Town by Belching Beaver

You thought Belching Beaver was a pretty interesting name. Well, the Vista-based brewery doubled down on your shock value by naming their double IPA “Pound Town.” This 10.3 ABV ditty hasn’t been released yet. But oh you bet it will now. Wide and far.

For a full list of winners, click here.

The Best San Diego Beers

Green Flash beer

The second iteration of Craft Beers + Bites pairs 10 local brewers with 10 local chefs—Green Flash and Alchemy are among the mix—on April 5 for an outdoor food fest to benefit the San Diego Brewers Guild and The Front Burner Fund. The event, which will take place at SILO in East Village’s Makers Quarter, also celebrates SDSU’s Business of Craft Beer Program. Once you’ve eaten and imbibed, stick around for ping pong, Bocce ball, and Jenga. And no need to leave Fido behind; dogs are welcome. Tickets are $30/$35 at the door. 753 15th Street

Green Flash beer

The second iteration of Craft Beers + Bites pairs 10 local brewers with 10 local chefs—Green Flash and Alchemy are among the mix—on April 5 for an outdoor food fest to benefit the San Diego Brewers Guild and The Front Burner Fund. The event, which will take place at SILO in East Village’s Makers Quarter, also celebrates SDSU’s Business of Craft Beer Program. Once you’ve eaten and imbibed, stick around for ping pong, Bocce ball, and Jenga. And no need to leave Fido behind; dogs are welcome. Tickets are $30/$35 at the door. 753 15th Street

It’s one of those “How has this not happened already?” ideas.

In three weeks, 57 Degrees will become the first bar in San Diego to offer exclusively local craft beers on tap (not counting places that have just a couple tap handles). We’re talking 28 local brews, from the biggies (Stone, Ballast Point, Green Flash) to little guys (Indian Joe Brewing in Vista, etc.).

The concept is called SD Brew Project, the brainchild of locals Beau Schmitt and Kyle Chaykowski. It basically splits 57 Degrees—a huge, 10,000 square-foot space—into two concepts, working in unison. 57 Degrees owner Russ Kindom had been looking for a partner to fill out the room. Schmitt and Chaykowski had been looking to open their own craft beer bar in East Village.

“After looking at the prices on licensing and build-out, we decided not to do it,” says Schmitt. “So we partnered with Russ. He’ll do wine and we’ll do beer. We’re renovating the central bar and opening the southwest wall with two garage doors so you can view the skyline and airport. You can literally see the smoke from the tires as they hit the runway.”

An idea like this wouldn’t work in most cities. But San Diego squats out another craft brewery every couple days. In terms of American craft beer, this city is the mother ship. “Every ounce of beer served will be local,” says Schmitt.

And every tap will be dedicated to a different brewery. Theyll be selling the beer for consumption on premise, as well as 22-oz. bottles to go. SD Brew Project is currently working with 35 local breweries. The tough part of their business plan will be getting the smaller brewers to deliver product, since many don’t have distribution systems in place like Stone, Ballast Point and Green Flash.

“People travel to San Diego just for the beer. We want to be a really central, reliable hub where people can try a ton of the craft beers on tap,” he says. “We’ll drive traffic to those breweries, with cards that give directions to each.”

Schmitt’s a regular at the Tap Room, and a fan of craft bars like Blind Lady Ale House and Hamiton’s. But he and Chaykowski are finance guys, not brewers. “I tried homebrewing once,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I brewed urine. Why do it when there are so many other people doing it better?”

The duo also worked with AP Precision Metal in Chula Vista for custom steel tasting flights that’ll hold 5, 4-oz. clear tasting glasses. They’ll host food trucks on Fridays, and look to set up 57 Degrees as an events space that holds between 500-550 people. One half wine, one half all local brew.

“The girls we know love going to 57 Degrees—go there on a packed night and it’s 70 women and 10 guys,” says Schmitt. “Now, there will be local craft beer on tap.”

To follow progress, check SD Brew Project’s website and follow them on Twitter.

SD BREW PROJECT’S CURRENT LIST OF BREWERIES

AleSmith Brewing Co., Aztec Brewing Co., Belching Beaver Brewery, Breakwater Brewing Co., Ballast Point Brewing Co., Coronado Brewing Co., Green Flash Brewing Co., Helms Brewing Co., Hess Brewing, Hillcrest Brewing Co., Indian Joe Brewing, Iron Fist Brewing Co., Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Latitude 33 Brewing Co, Lightning Brewery, The Lost Abbey Brewery, Mad Lab Craft Brewing, Manzanita Brewing Co., Mission Brewery, Mother Earth Brew Co., New English Brewing Co., Oceanside Ale Works, Offbeat Brewing Co., On-The-Tracks Brewery, Poor House Brewing Co., Port Brewing Co., Prohibition Brewing Co., Rough Draft Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co., Stumblefoot Brewing Co., Wet ‘N Reckless Brewing… more to come.