It can be hard to shake the specter of an icon. Just ask Brian Jensen, who is opening Bock later this month in the former Hamilton’s Tavern space in South Park.
“We’re trying to make our own path and respect that Hamilton’s was great… [but] we’re not trying to recreate it,” promises Jensen. Hamilton’s helped revolutionize San Diego’s craft beer scene during its 14 years in business, before unceremoniously shuttering in 2020 in the wake of a costly fire.
Jensen hopes to highlight the good part of the history, and leverage his experience owning all six Bottlecraft locations and Vino Carta in Little Italy. Of course, running a restaurant isn’t quite the same as operating retail locations, but he doesn’t see that as a problem. “It feels really natural,” he says. Plus, that space and that neighborhood felt particularly poised to support a genuine craft beer bar that he knew he could deliver.
It’s a risky move—beer bars aren’t exactly thriving—but he knew if anyone could pull off a space dedicated to beer rather than a mix of wine and cocktails, he could. (Yes, there will be some wines as well, but really, it’s going to be about the beer.)
Bock will be a 21+ German-focused neighborhood pub with around 65 seats spread over multiple booths, with around 15 of those seats along the bar. Biersal is behind the food program, with items like a Bavarian soft pretzels, cheese and charcuterie plates, bratwurst, schnitzel, potato salad and more. “We’re not going to go full German, like playing polka all the time and making our staff wear lederhosen,” Jensen jokes.
He does plan to emphasize Old World-style beers over 30 taps, though, like classic English styles such as bitters and brown ales; Belgian styles like dubbels and tripels; and of course; German hefeweizens, dunkels, and bocks (obviously). Around half of the taps will serve a rotating variety of what he calls more “New World” style beers. “Whatever the brewers come up with next—it might be smoothies, hazies, IPAs… we want to offer that as well, to stay part of that conversation,” he explains.
Courtesy of Bock
It’s taken far longer than he anticipated to open—around four years, to be precise—but Jensen has seen both the local craft beer scene and the surrounding area evolve over that time. “People are just drinking differently than they used to 10 years ago,” he says. “People are looking for experiences for sure, but they’re also bringing back some nostalgia when it comes to what we think bars are like.” He points to the proliferation of cocktail-centric bars and hyper-immersive dining experiences now commonplace in San Diego. “That’s great, it’s just not for me.”
Now at the cusp of finally opening, Jensen says he’s bullish on the future of the local neighborhood beer bars. “We want to bring that atmosphere, but do it in a new way, do it our way,” he says. “[We’re] meant to be here in South Park.”
Bock is slated to open this March at 1521 30th Street in South Park.
Courtesy of Russian River Brewing Company
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
A (Russian) River Runs Through It
It’s finally February in San Diego, which usually means our most inconsistent weather, Museum Month, and a variety of Russian River Brewing events around town. The renowned Sonoma County brewery commands huge lines and frantic texts whenever their most famous triple IPA Pliny the Younger hits taps, but there are plenty of places with public events for the pre-planning type.
O’Brien’s Pub is always top of Russian River’s distro list, and they’ll host their annual Russian River tap takeover on select dates this month (as well as at their sister businesses West Coast Smoke & Tap House in La Mesa, The Pub at Lake Cuyamaca, and San Diego Brewing Company in Mission Gorge.) Pizza Port Solana Beach will have their own showcase on February 13. Even without Toronado’s legendary Pliny days, there are plenty of chances to get your uber-hop on.
I’m not particularly fond of Valentine’s Day, but I am a fan of hot dog eating contests. Fairplay in North Park is hosting a “super romantic eating contest” on February 14, and yes, there is a hot dog trophy. Consider me wooed.
One of the best breweries in San Diego—according to me, arguably the biggest beer nerd at the magazine—earned top honors in The Beer Connoisseur magazine’s annual “Best Of” issue for 2024. Pure Project tied with pFreim Family Brewers as runner-up in the Best Brewery in the world category. You heard that right—best in the world. We aren’t called the Capital of Craft for nothing! Huge congrats to the whole Pure team for the well-earned recognition.
My idea of the perfect romantic evening is irredeemably casual, so anywhere where I can recreate the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti scene without getting scolded by a maitre-d is probably the right move for me. Whether you want to keep it low-key or a super-luxe night out is more your speed, we’ve put together a great variety of places to go for Valentine’s Day this year, so don’t delay—make your reservation today.
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Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
