Ocean Bird


The folks at El Segundo have ticked off another bucket list collaboration partner (at least in my mind) with their latest DIPA with Pizza Port.

Day One is November 3rd and the brewery taproom will have special beers going or you can find bottled that day bottles to-go at reputable craft beer stores.

Pizza Port Special Can Release Schedule


Pizza Port has now been around for 30 years. And to celebrate, each of their Southern California brewpubs will be canning the Pub Release Series throughout 2017.

Nine beers are on the board and to help you plan your visits south from LA, here is the current schedule…
• March: Solana IPA (Solana Beach)
• May: The Jetty IPA (Ocean Beach)
• June: The Fish IPA (Bressi Ranch)
• July: Bottle Shop 10th Anniversary IPA (Carlsbad)
• August: TBD Beer
• September: Fest Bier Traditional German Lager (Bressi Ranch)
• October: TBD Carlsbad Village Beer (Carlsbad)
• November: Dusk Till Dawn Imperial Porter (San Clemente)
• December: Liquid Mistletoe Style TBD (Bressi Ranch)

Liquid Mistletoe sounds intriguing to me.

Be Logical


If I had been given the following True/False question, I would have gotten it wrong.

Have AleSmith and Pizza Port collaborated on a beer?

Now they have, which means that trick questions are now more logical. And of course it is hoppy, we aren’t living in a bizarro world.

Canning at the Pizza Port

If you are a Pizza Port and Port Brewing fan then you will like hearing that they have another location in the works (oh and they will be canning some beer there too)

It is in Bressi Ranch, which I am not familiar with but that is beside the point, there is time lapse video to be watched with quirky music……

Bagby beer

One of the hardest things to do in opening a brewery isn’t brewing the beer or designing the logo or hiring staff. Nope, one of the hardest things to do is find a suitable location. One that doesn’t require breaking through mile after mile of red tape and that can fit into your vision for now and the future.

And in California, what with prices still being higher than in other parts of the country that problem is exacerbated. Even for someone like Jeff Bagby who has Great American Beer Festival medals galore.

But now the good news. The Bagby Beer Company has taken that step and found a place to call home in Oceanside. They have taken over an old car dealership space. If all goes well, construction will begin in 2013 and maybe if the process goes according to plan beer will be made.

The San Diego scene shows no sign of flagging.

These are the Beers You are Looking For

Many a day I wish that Pizza Port was closer than San Clemente. Luckily L.A. gets the occasional beer and Blue Palms has done Pizza Port Tap Takeovers. But I think I may need to check out this special event in a Galaxy, far, far away…

The names are great and thankfully avoid the crappy prequels altogether though I don’t know if I could stride up to the bar and ask for a Bantha Poodoo.

Port Brewing Belgian Beer Fest

Now that I have fully recovered from the awesome amount of Belgian beers (25 on tap, 117 total)  Here are some photos and commentary….

bb1

As you can see, a beautiful day in Carslbad, California.

bb5

The first beer of the day!  Craftsman’s La Luz.  Great way to start.  Light but with a punch of flavor.  Really excellent beer for a sunny day.

The second beer was # 16 on the list. The infamous Lost Abbey, Cuvee de Tomme.  A super sour beer that is still way drinkable.  My first sip was way sour but it mellows and is just excellent.  Top beer of the day for me.

bb4

I was back at the taps for beers 3 and 4.  A Dubbel and a Quad.  The Dubbel from Hollister in Santa Barbara was good. Strong taste.  Made with raisin puree.  The even stronger quad was the Russian River Mortification.  11% alcohol and really good.  Both are excellent choices.

I was four for four.  Then I chose the only boring beer I had.  The Pizza Port Faceplant from the San Clemente location.  Not bad but the description said coriander and orange zest.  Didn’t taste it.  The alcohol must have obliterated the spicing.

bb2

Onto beers 6 and 7.  I left the draft list and for my last two beers chose European beers.  First was Baladin’s Al-Ikser.  Very complex.  A sipping beer not a “guzzling” beer for sure.  Had a great smell and almost too many flavors maybe due to the fact it was made with whiskey yeast. The final beer was Boon’s Marriage Parfait.  A vintage gueze.  The 2nd best beer of the day.  Sour but delicate.  Easy to drink which is saying something for gueze.  This was the 2003 vintage.

bb3

So Cuvee de Tomme, Marriage Parfait and La Luz are the top 3 but there were so many I didn’t try.  Among them the Saison de Lente from the Bruery, Cascade Sour Fruit Ale, Nogne Saison and Ommegang’s Chocolate Indulgence.  There is always next year.