What’s Happening

Hello Beer Fans!

There is much to celebrate this week at O’Brien’s.  Last week, the pub was named the U.S. Soccer Bar of the Year in the Best of U.S. Soccer awards.  And we will conclude our 18th Anniversary month with a Russian River TION weekend and our Taste of Bagby dinner on Sunday.  The next few days are going to be very fun at the pub.  Read on for all of the details.

Soccer Party Tonight

We kick off the merriment tonight, Wednesday the 25th with a party for winning Soccer Bar of the Year.  Thank you to everyone who voted.  We beat out 43 other Official U.S. Soccer Bars for the honor and garnered 25% of the vote.  There is a US Men’s team match tonight at 5:30 pm against Panama.  To help get in the mood, we will be serving $3 pints of Sierra Nevada Celebration all night long starting at 5 pm.  You can expect the USA chalice to get filled and passed around regardless of the outcome of the game.

The USA women just won their qualifying group for the Olympics and play a make or break semi final this Friday against Costa Rica at 5 pm.  Win and they go to London no matter what happens in the final.  Lose and they watch the games on tv from home.  The games are Universal Sports Network, which will also be showing the Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in March.  If you don’t get USN or would like to find out more about the channel, call1-800-55-GET-US, or visit http://www.universalsports.com/soccer/viewers-guide/index.html.  The final for the Women’s Qualifying will be Sunday the 29th at 5 pm against either Canada or Mexico (their semi-final is at 8 pm on Friday the 27th).

TION Weekend

Before we get to our TION weekend, we will be tapping a cask of Alpine Melonhead IPA at 5 pm on Thursday the 26th.  The beer is on tap now and it really does have a melon note in the aroma that also reminds one of jolly ranchers.

Starting Friday at 5 pm, we will have at least 17 Russian River beers on tap along with some vintage bottles on our list and RRBC pint glasses for sale.  All but one beer is in a full keg, so I expect nearly all of the beers to make it through the weekend.  So if you can’t make it by Friday night, just stop in on Saturday and Sunday and you will still find plenty of great beer on tap. Tyson will be pulling out some vintage versions of Supplication, Temptation and Consecration on tap for Saturday night, the 28th at 5 pm.

The beer list is very impressive and includes at least one TION beer and one pub beer that we have never had on tap here at the pub.  I am sending it along here for you to check out:

Pub Beers:

Gaffer’s Bitter           English-Style Bitter                               4.7%           5, 10 or 16 oz

Porter                           Robust Porter                                 6.1%           5, 10 or 16 oz

Blind Pig IPA                 American IPA                                    6%              5, 10 or 16 oz

Pliny the Elder               Double IPA                                        8%              5, 10 or 16 oz

Belgian-styled “Tion” Beers on Tap: (with TION definitions underneath):

Redemption                    Belgian-style Blond                           5%              5 or 14 oz

To change for the better

Rejection                        Black Beer                                      6.1%           5 or 14 oz

To refuse as lover or spouse, to cast off

Perdition                        Biere de Sonoma                               6.4%           5 or 14 oz

Eternal damnation

Damnation                     Belgian-style Strong Golden             7%              5 or 14 oz

To condemn to a punishment or fate

Defenestration               Belgian-style Hoppy Blond              7.1%           5 or 14 oz

A usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office)

Salvation                       Belgian-style Dark Strong                 9%              5 or 9 oz

Deliverance from the power and effects of sin

Batch 23 Damnation       Tripel aged with oak chips                10.5%         5 or 9 oz

Stronger version of Damnation brewed every 23 batches of Damnation in honor of a late friend

Mortification                  Belgian-style Quadrupel                     11.0%         5 or 14 oz

The subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort

Compunction                Sour Blond with Pluots                    5.8%           5 or 9 oz

Anxiety arising from awareness of guilt

Sanctification               100% Brettanomyces beer                6.2%           5 or 9 oz

The state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after baptism or conversion

Supplication                 Barrel aged sour brown w/ cherries  7%              5 or 9 oz

To ask humbly and earnestly of

Temptation                  Barrel aged golden w/Brettanomyces         7.2%           5 or 9 oz

To entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain

Consecration                Cab barrel aged dark sour w/currants        10% 5 or 9 oz

To devote irrevocably to the worship of god by a solemn ceremony, to effect the liturgical

transubstantiantion of (Eucharistic bread and wine)
For those not familiar with TION beers, brewer Vinnie Cilurzo does a line of Belgian-inspired beers that all end in -TION, as you can see above.  Collectively, they are all referred to as his TION beers.

We will be doing 5 oz pours of all of the beers along with 9 oz pours on the barrel aged and sour beers and 14 oz pours on most of the remaining TION beers.  Pub beers will be available in 5, 10 or 16 pours.  We will have some vintage bottles out for Friday night as well and I assume that those will last all weekend as well.  We have several cases of Russian River pint glasses for sale for just $3 each.  It is going to be a great weekend of beer from one of the most respected brewers in the country.  There will be no Pliny the Younger until at least the middle of February, we will let you know when it comes in.  And we will not be doing the Festival Style Tasting this weekend, but it will resume next weekend on Saturday, February 4th.

The Party Continues

Sunday night we will be hosting our Taste of Bagby beer dinner at 6:30 pm.  The event is currently sold out, but we do have a waiting list started and we usually end up letting a few people off the waiting list in.  So if you want to go, get your name and phone number on the waiting list and we will let you know by Saturday if we have space.  We will be serving up the beers from the tasting the following Friday night at the pub, Friday the 3rd.  Everything for the tasting is coming in kegs, and some are full kegs, so we will have plenty of left over beer for you to enjoy including 547 Haight Imperial Red, Sticky Stout and the Strong Ale Fest 15th Anniversary Blend.

And just because we can, we have one last event for the Anniversary month on Monday the 30th – we will be tapping a keg of Ballast Point Victory at Sea at 3 pm.  This great Imperial Porter with coffee and vanilla is one we just can never get enough of, so enjoy it while you can.  Next week we will also tap a cask of Green Flash West Coast IPA at 5 pm on Thursday the 2nd.  And Tyson and I are already working on our events for the epic Craft Brewers Conference week in early May.

Brewing in Julian

We are installing the brewing equipment for Julian Brewing Company this week and next and should be brewing during the first full week in February if all goes well.  There is a picture of our 3.5 barrel pilot system on the Bailey Barbecue facebook page at: www.facebook.com/baileybbq.  The first beer will be a pale ale brewed with locally grown hops from Star B Ranch in Santa Ysabel.  Vince and I are working on a nitro tapped stout for beer number 2 and beer 3 should be something nice and hoppy for the IPA fans.  We’ll bring beer down the hill when we can, but the first few batches will probably stay up in Julian, so make plans to come up and visit the brewery at the end of February or in March.

I have been updating the Bailey Barbecue website.  We now have a live tap list along with an expanded listing of upcoming bands.  We also have links for places to stay.  The pet friendly Julian Lodge will give you 10% off for mentioning the Bailey Barbecue and they have an even better AAA discount.  Check out the improved website at www.baileybbq.com.  We have an easy one step sign up for our Bailey/JBC mailing list as well.  And if you are wondering what Vince’s latest crazy creation is – its smoked bologna, and it is awesome.

Thanks again for all of the support in the Best Soccer Bar voting.  We’ll see you soon for a great TION beer.  Cheers, Tom

US Soccer just announced its Best of Awards for 2011 and O’Brien’s won Soccer Bar of the Year with a commanding 25% of the vote in a field of 44 official US Soccer Bars.  As a thank you for all of the support, we will be tapping a keg of Sierra Nevada Celebration for the Wednesday USMNT against Panama and serving out $3 pints of it all night long.

We’ll have some pint specials during the Men’s game this Saturday at 6 pm as well.  And we have lots of USWNT action in the Olympic Qualifying tournament, starting tonight, Friday the 20th at 7:30 pm.  Expect the USA chalice to get filled many, many times over the next two weeks.

Read the full press release here with all of the US Soccer Best Of Awards: www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-National-Team/2012/01/2011-Best-of-Awards.aspx.  Thank you to everyone who voted for us and for all of the support throughout the year.  We will be featured as the January Soccer Bar of the Month on US Soccer and we will be getting a custom framed jersey to hang at the pub.

Cheers, Tom

Hello Soccer Fans!

We have a ton of USA matches coming up and you can watch them at the newly crowned 2011 US Soccer Bar of Year!  US Soccer just announced its Best of Awards for 2011 and O’Brien’s won Soccer Bar of the Year with a commanding 25% of the vote in a field of 44 official US Soccer Bars.  As a thank you for all of the support, we will be tapping a keg of Sierra Nevada Celebration for the Wednesday USMNT against Panama and serving out $3 pints of it all night long.  We’ll have some pint specials during the Men’s game this Saturday at 6 pm as well.  And we have lots of USWNT action in the Olympic Qualifying tournament, starting tonight, Friday the 20th at 7:30 pm.  Expect the USA chalice to get filled many, many times over the next two weeks.

Read the full press release here with all of the US Soccer Best Of Awards: www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-National-Team/2012/01/2011-Best-of-Awards.aspx.  Thank you to everyone who voted for us and for all of the support throughout the year.  We will be featured as the January Soccer Bar of the Month on US Soccer and we will be getting a custom framed jersey to hang at the pub.

Upcoming Games

Here is the list of upcoming USA matches.  The women’s Olympic qualifying tournament will take place January 20th – 29th.  The Men currently have 3 friendlies scheduled including a very rare Leap Day game.  Men’s Olympic qualifying will start March 22nd against Cuba in Nashville.  There will be a fresh batch of Alpine Red Card for the Men’s Tournament in March as Alpine is entering the beer in the 2012 World Beer Cup.

I’ll have more news about European matches in the beginning of February when the UEFA Champions League will return.  Carling Cup Semi Finals will be next week on Tuesday and Wednesday with Liverpool hosting Manchester City at 11:45 am on Wednesday the 25th.  The 25th will also be the second leg Copa del Rey Classico between Madrid and Barcelona at noon.

Fri 1/20:
7:30 pm – USA Women v. Dominican Republic – Universal Sports Network – Concacaf Olympic Qualifying

Sat 1/21:
6 pm – USA Men v. Venezuala – Galavision

Sun 1/22:
4:30 pm – USA Women v. Guatemala – Universal Sports Network – Concacaf Olympic Qualifying

Tues 1/24:
7:30 pm – USA Women v. Mexico – Universal Sports Network – Concacaf Olympic Qualifying

Wed 1/25:
11:45 am – Liverpool v. Manchester City – Carling Cup second leg semi-final – FSP
Noon – Barcelona v. Real Madrid – Copa Del Rey second leg quarterfinal – GolTV
5:30 pm – Panama v. USA Men – Galavision – Soccer Bar of the Year Celebration Party

Fri 1/27:
Women’s Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Semi-Finals

Sun 1/29:
Women’s Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Final

Wed 2/29:
11:30 am – Italy v. USA Men – ESPN2

March 22, 24 and 26:
Men’s Concacaf Olympic Qualifying on Universal Sports Network

That is your soccer update for now.  We’ll see you soon to celebrate winning US Soccer Bar of the Year!  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans!

O’Brien’s pub is celebrating its 18th Anniversary this month with two great events – Ballast Point Smoking Hot Beer Night and our annual Russian River TION weekend.  We also have some fantastic casks this month along with lots of new bottles on our list.  We finish off the month with a tasting with my good friend Jeff Bagby, the former all-world head brewer of Pizza Port Carlsbad.  There is lots of great beer on tap right now as well including Alpine Pure Hoppiness, Crazy Hazel and Nelson, Russian River Pliny the Elder and Firestone Double Jack.  Read on for all of the good beer details…

This Week

We have a very special treat this Wednesday, January 11th as we tap a cask of Sierra Nevada Celebration.  Only a few bars in San Diego got a cask of this delicious winter IPA and we are lucky enough to be one of them.  Celebration is always one of my favorite beers of the year and it has been a while since I have tasted it cask conditioned, so I am really looking forward to this.  We’ll tap it just after 5 pm on Wednesday night.  And be sure to save room for Cesar’s great Taco Night special.

Thursday the 12th we get into our Smoking Hot theme a day early with a cask of Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin.  This beer is not for everyone, but it is incredible.  I first had it at the Ballast Point Anniversary party and immediately fell in love with it.  We’ll tap the cask at 5 pm and don’t show up late as this one will likely not be around for very long.

Thursday we’ll also have two great food specials from the Bailey Barbecue – our smoked Wings and Sticks and Chicken Enchilada Pot Pie.  We smoke whole chickens for our pulled chicken and then take the whole wing and the drumsticks and set them aside to fry up and toss in Lindsey’s amazing house wing sauce.  These are some of the best wings I have ever had.  The pot pie has a red chicken chili filling in a perfect doughy crust topped with sour cream, green onions and cheese.  If you have not had one of the Bailey’s pot pies, do yourself a favor and show up hungry on Thursday.  Both items are limited so when they’re gone, that’s it for the night.  Expect them on the dinner menu around 5 pm.

Friday the 13th is our big Smoking Hot Ballast Point Beer Night with 9 different types of chili pepper beer and a few smoked beers as well.  Here is the unbelievable line up of chili beers: Indra Kunindra (cayenne), Roasted Poblano Piper Down, Roasted Serrano Pale Ale, Chipotle-Cacao Nib-Orange Peel Black Marlin, Guajillo Calico, Jalapeno Smokescreen, Thai Chili Wahoo Wheat with Ginger, Tabasco Sea Monster Stout.  And if that is not enough to make your mouth water (mine is watering writing this), we’ll also have Smoke Screen Helles and Abandon Ship Smoked Lager on tap along with a very rare keg of Ballast Point Rum Barrel Aged 3 Sheets Barleywine using barrels from their distillery.  All of this kicks off at 5 pm.  And Cesar will be doing Ceviche and Birria Tortas on Friday night to help quench your burning throat.

Friday will also serve as the kick off for our Ballast Point week.  On Saturday we’ll tap kegs of Victory at Sea, Barrel Aged Piper Down and Barrel Aged Sextant Oatmeal Stout at 5 pm.  And you can look forward to kegs of Fathom India Pale Lager, Brother Levonian Saison, Even Keel Session Ale and Sculpin throughout the coming week.  Our friend Ryan Glenn at Ballast Point summed it all up in the now immortal words of Charlie Sheen – “Winning!”

Playoffs

This weekend there are 4 NFL playoff games – 2 each day.  On Saturday we’ll have New Orleans v. San Francisco at 1:30 and Denver v. New England at 5 pm.  On Sunday, we’ll open at 11:30 am for the second half of the Ravens v. Texans game and then at 1:30 we’ll be able to boo Eli Manning and the Giants against the Packers.  Next weekend both games will be on Sunday – AFC championship at Noon and then the NFC at 3:30 pm.  We’ll stay open through the end of the second game.  The super bowl will be on Sunday, February 5th at 3:30 pm.

On Saturday, take advantage of our Tasting Flight – get 10 three ounce samples for just $15 and then get $1 off a full glass of any beer you just tried (some expensive and Belgian ales count as two tastes).  It is a great way to taste through our beers – especially this weekend with all of the great Ballast Point beers that will be on tap.  The special is good all day, so stop by anytime.

We also offer 10% off all of our bottles on Saturday and Sunday and we have just expanded our bottle list.  The list of one off beers was updated last week along with some new entries on the bottle list.  We have some amazing vintage beers that Tyson and I found while cleaning out the coldbox.  The 10% off is good for any import bottle to go as well.

The pub will be open regular hours for MLK day on Monday the 16th – 11 am to 10:30 pm.  We’ll have $10 craft beer pitchers from 4:30 pm until close for the first Monday with no football.  At least you can take heart that you have at least 33 weeks without a single disappointing Chargers loss.

I Need Your Help

Voting closes this Friday, January 13th for the Best of US Soccer Awards.  O’Brien’s is up for Best Soccer Bar.  If you could please take 30 seconds to vote at: www.facebook.com/officialussoccer?v=app_153503621416056 I would really appreciate it.  Last year we finished second in the closest voting of any category.  You don’t have to fill out every category and you don’t have to give any personal information.  Just follow the link, click on the US Soccer Bar logo, mark O’Brien’s and click submit.  You can vote once per day and there are only a few days left – so please help push us over the top.  There will be a celebratory party featuring a very special beer if we win.

And while I am talking about US Soccer, the next game will be on Saturday, January 21st at 6 pm against Venezuela.  There will also be some mid-day soccer action this week on TV.  Liverpool face Manchester City at 11:30 am on Wednesday the 11th in first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.  Also on Wednesday, Landon Donovan will be on the field with Tim Howard as Everton take on Tottenham at 11:30 am as well.  The UEFA Champions League will resume in February.

A Taste of Bagby

Our Sunday night tasting with brewer Jeff Bagby will be on the 29th of January at 6:30 pm.  Cost is $50, tax and tip inclusive.  I have a sign up sheet at the pub – cash only please.  The tasting is about 1/3 sold out and I expect it to sell out well in advance.  We will have some incredible beers including the 15th Anniversary Strong Ale Blend, Bourbon Barrel Night Rider Imperial Stout, Sticky Stout, Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Bubonic Chronic, Haight 547 Imperial Red and more.  This will be the last time to taste Jeff’s beers from Pizza Port Carlsbad.  He is hoping to open his own brewery later this year.

Looking Ahead

Next week we’ll have a freshly made cask of Alpine Whale (Wet Hop Ale) on Thursday the 19th.  We’ll have a cask of the Alpine/Fat Heads collaboration Melon Head IPA on the 26th.  It was brewed using an experimental hop that Shawn swears smells like watermelon.  Our Russian River TION weekend will be Friday to Sunday, January 27th, 28th and 29th.  We are expecting 11 different TION beers including some Batch 23 Damnation.  We’ll also have some specialty beers from the brew pub along with some vintage bottles and hopefully some 3 liters.  I’ll have more details as we get closer to the event.  For those that are wondering, Pliny the Younger will not be released until early February.  Look for it to be on tap towards the middle or end of that month.

Something very cool happened over the weekend – San Diego was featured in the New York Times as one of its 45 places to visit in 2012 for its amazing beer scene.  Read the write up here: travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html.  San Diego is number 14.  O’Brien’s, Hamilton’s, Pizza Port Bottle Shop, Stone, Karl Strauss and others were all mentioned in the article.

Finally, for you blues fans, we have an awesome band this Saturday up at the Bailey Barbecue in Julian – The Fremonts.  You can check them out at: www.thefremonts.com.  They play a great mix of early blues that make you want to get up and dance.  The band will start at 8 pm.  Bailey’s will be open all day from 11:30 am to 8 pm on Monday the 16th for the MLK holiday.  We’re also updating our website at www.baileybbq.com with new content and we have an easy one step sign up for our email list.

That is your good beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great chili pepper beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hoppy New Year Beer Fans!

We are ending the year with a bang at the pub as we have just greatly expanded our bottle list.  Our annual New Year’s Eve-Eve Party will be Friday, December 30th.  We’ll then be closed for the 31st and the 1st, and then back open on Monday, January 2nd for all of the college bowl games.  We have dates now for some of our 18th Anniversary celebrations.  And I am going to need your help in the Best of US Soccer Voting to make O’Brien’s the Best US Soccer Bar.  Read on for all of the details…

End of the Year

Only two more days to enjoy O’Brien’s before 2012.  We’ll be open normal hours on Thursday the 29th and Friday the 30th.  Thursday night we’ll tap a cask of Green Flash Imperial IPA at 5 pm.  Friday, we’ll be doing our annual New Year’s Eve-Eve party on the 30th.  We’ll have Pliny, Pure Hop and plenty of Champagne flowing all night and plenty of great bottles to celebrate the new year including a new sparkling hard apple cider and an apple dessert wine from Appeltroew in Wisconsin.

We’ve been doing a lot of behind the scenes work at the pub the last few weeks.  I finally got the nitrogen generator that I have wanted for a long time for our draft system.  The system compresses nitrogen into a storage tank and then blends it with carbon dioxide from a bulk tank.  Its a slick system that is going to eliminate the old gas cylinders we used to have.  It is also step one in getting ready to expand our draft line up next year.

Step two was to clean out the coldbox and make some more room for draft beer.  Tyson, Fix It Paul and I spent several days while we were closed cleaning up my years of beer hoarding.  Paul built new shelves in the coldbox that give us more storage room and room to stack some additional bottles for the list.  And thanks to my obsessive beer buying habits, Tyson and I found some crazy vintage gems to offer up for the end of the year.

We added a ton of new bottles to the list, which is now 4 pages long.  Among the new additions are a huge collection of Stone vintage bottles – 03, 04 and 07 Double Bastard, 04, 05, 06 and 08 Old Guardian, 10-10-10 Vertical Epic and some 10th Anniversary IPA.  I apparently hoarded a lot of beer in 2007 including Fantome Noel and Alaskan Smoked Porter and I found a case of 2005 Thomas Hardys Ale, an amazing English barleywine that is 11.7% alcohol.

There is also a new list of single bottle beers that we found in our beer spelunking.  There are some great beers that we only have one bottle left of and many are priced to more.  So be sure to check out the single bottle list on page 4 of the new bottle list.  As another added bonus, we found a bunch of beer that had no label, or the label was torn or wrecked to the point where we didn’t want to sell them, or they are beers that we don’t carry.  So there are two crates and two boxes of beer along the back wall that are full of free bottles.  Please feel free to take some next time you are by the pub.

The pub will be CLOSED Saturday and Sunday, December 31st and 1st for the New Year’s holiday.  We will however, be open all day 11 am to 10:30 pm on Monday, January 2nd so that you can watch all of the college bowl games.

Best US Soccer Bar

O’Brien’s is again up for the Best US Soccer Bar in the Best of US Soccer Voting.  Last year, we came in second in the closest voting of any category to a bar with multiple locations in Chicago.  This year, I feel we deserve the win.  The biggest event US Soccer had this year was the Women’s World Cup and we did an awesome job hosting viewing parties with the San Diego Sea Lions and we were featured ever so briefly on ESPN during their live feed from the bar.

Please help push us over the top this year and vote at: www.facebook.com/officialussoccer?v=app_153503621416056.  Just click on the Best Soccer Bar section and vote for O’Brien’s.  You did not need to submit a name or email or any personal information.  You can vote daily for the next 15 days.  I really appreciate your help with this and promise to throw a party when we win.

18th Anniversary

January will be the pub’s 18th Anniversary.  O’Brien’s was the first account for many of San Diego’s great breweries including Pizza Port.  The pub opened in 1994 before there was a local beer scene.  It is an honor to be a part of the history of O’Brien’s.  This will be mine and Lindsey’s 9th year of owning the pub.  I can’t believe how much things have changed in that time.  Our local beer scene is moving ahead at light speed.  I honestly never thought I would see the day when brewery tasting rooms would serve cask beer.  There is more good beer and more places to get it than ever before.  San Diego truly is a beer wonderland.

To celebrate the 18th anniversary we have some great events lined up.  We are going to do a Ballast Point Smoking Hot night featuring smoked beers and chili pepper beers along with a cask of Habanero Sculpin.  We’ll have casks of AleSmith IPA, Alpine Wet Hop Ale and Alpine Nelson.  At the end of the month, we’ll have our 18th Anniversary weekend featuring our annual Russian River TION weekend on the 27th, 28th and 29th.

And we’ll wrap it all up with a beer tasting on Sunday the 29th at 6:30 pm with Pizza Port Carlsbad head brewer Jeff Bagby.  Jeff is leaving Pizza Port to pursue opening up his own pub.  But we’ll be drinking the last of his great Port beers including the Strong Ale Festival 15th Anniversary Ale Blend.  I’ll have more details in the next email – cost, when to sign up, beer list, etc…

Julian New Year’s

We will be open all New Year’s weekend up in Julian at the Bailey Barbecue.  We’ll be open at 11:30 am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with the kitchen open until 8 pm each day.  We’ll have a huge new year’s bash on the 31st with live music from local rockers Derailed and the saloon will be open until 1 am.  We’ve got Blind Pig and Alpine O’Brien’s IPA on tap along with Sculpin, Coronado Stoopid Stout and Mongo.  We’ll be showing the Chargers game on the big screen on Sunday and all of the college bowl games on Monday.  I’d like to thank everyone from the pub for their support of our new business, we really appreciate it.  You can follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Baileybbq.

That is your good beer news for now.  It has been a great year at the pub and we believe that 2012 will be even better.  Lindsey, myself and our entire crew – Tyson, Michele, Kat, Tiff, Jeni, Coral, Humberto, Cesar, Said, Jose and Luis would like to thank you for making the pub such a wonderful place to work and wish you a very happy and prosperous new year.  May the good beer and good friends get even more plentiful in the new year.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Holiday Beer Fans!

Winter is a great time to be a beer drinker.  Nearly every brewery has a special release for this time of year and it always seems to be something wonderfully strong and tasty.  We’ll be tapping a bunch of domestic winter beers this weekend and we still have some great Belgian Christmas beers on tap as well.  We will be hosting a potluck from 2-9 pm this Sunday the 18th at the pub.  And Taste Cheese will be doing another Pop Up Market just in time for the holidays next Tuesday the 20th from 4-8 pm in the pub parking lot.  Read on for all of the details.

This Week

Tonight you can enjoy lots of great beer at the pub including North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, New Belgium Snow Day, Anchor Christmas, Alpine Crazy Hazel, Gouden Carolous Noel, Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale and of course lots of great hoppy beer like Alpine Duet IPA, Coronado Idiot IPA and Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.  Wednesday is also taco night, so be sure to check the specials board out front for what tasty treat Cesar is creating tonight.  Tomorrow, Thursday the 15th we will tap a cask of Stone Ruination IPA at 5 pm.  This delicious beer is always great on cask.

For the weekend, we will be tapping a bunch of domestic winter ales.  In addition to the New Belgium, Anchor and Lagunitas mentioned above, look for Coronado Cherry Porter, Karl Strauss Two Tortugas (an awesome Belgian-style Quad that won a medal at the GABF), Sierra Nevada Celebration and Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi.  And due to a delivery snafu from last week, look for St. Bernardus Christmas to be on tap Friday night as well.  We’ll get everything flowing around 5 pm Friday night and keep the beers on all weekend.  Saturday at 6 pm, the Aztecs play in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana-Lafayette.

On Sunday the 18th, we are going to have our employee party.  Unfortunately, Michele is not able to come, but lucky for you she volunteered to work the pub and host a potluck party.  Our kitchen will be shut down, but the pub will be open for beer and football from 2 pm to 9 pm.  The Chargers have a night game at 5:20 pm against the Ravens and the pub will be open until the game is over.  Bring a dish to share and a serving spoon, we’ll have paper plates, napkins and plastic ware for everyone to use.

Next Week

Mary of Taste Cheese will be setting up shop just outside the pub on Tuesday, December 20th from 4 to 8 pm.  She will have a great selection of cheese to take to your family gathering or to just share with friends.  The last market was a big success, but some cheeses sold out early, so get there early for the best selection.  I don’t know exactly what will be there, but as soon as I find out, I will post it up on the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/obreinspubsd.

On Wednesday, we will be tapping our keg of AleSmith YuleSmith around 5 pm and enjoying some holiday cheer with our annual caroling party.  We have some very gifted singers in the pub who manage to make everyone sound good and we always get a few musicians to help out with the tunes.  Festivities usually start around 8 pm.  Look for more details early next week on the Facebook page.

Thursday the 22nd we will enjoy a cask of Alpine Duet IPA at 5 pm.  We have not had one in a while and I am sure that it will not last long.  Friday the 23rd will be our last night open before shutting down for the Christmas weekend.  Make sure to stop by and get your hop fix in.  The pub will be CLOSED Saturday, Sunday and Monday, December 24th, 25th and 26th.  We will resume normal hours on Tuesday the 27th at 11 am.

Looking ahead, we will have our annual New Year’s Eve-Eve party on Friday, December 30th with lots of great beer and plenty of Roerderer Estate sparkling wine.  The pub will be CLOSED Saturday and Sunday, December 31st and January 1st for the New Year’s Holiday.  We will be open normal hours on Monday, January 2nd and we’ll have our great $10 pitcher special starting at 4:30 pm.

Bailey BBQ Pies and Music

We are taking orders for apple pies for the holidays from Bailey Barbecue.  I will be bringing down the fresh made to order pies on Tuesday the 20th from Julian.  We will be offering our classic mini pies or full size pies in Traditional Apple, Crumb Top Apple and our award winning Crumb Top Apple and Pear.  Cost is $8 for the mini pies or $14 for the full size pies.  To order, all you need to do is respond to this email with what you want by Friday, December 16th at noon.  I will bring the pies down to O’Brien’s for pick up starting at 5 pm on Tuesday the 20th.  You can pick them up anytime until we close on Friday the 23rd.  If you want to serve the pies after Christmas, they freeze very well.  We’ll have directions on how to keep and re-heat your pies ready when you order.  You can just pay for the pies at O’Brien’s.

This weekend the Bailey is hosting the very unique Chucko Show of humorous music.  I mentioned last time that Chucko sings songs you might hear on the old Dr. Demento radio show.  It is a great time and the whole show is a benefit for local resident Blind Dave, who will also be playing the guitar and signing.  Show is at 8 pm on Saturday the 17th at the Bailey BBQ.  The show is not for the easily offended, but is perfect for the easily amused.  We’ll also be tapping a keg of Blind Pig IPA for the evening.  And if you need a food recommendation – try Vince’s new Burnt Ends Beef Brisket sandwich, it is a little bit of bbq heaven.  He smokes the brisket, cubes it and then re-smokes it while soaking in barbecue sauce.  The meat is so tender and so saucey – it is making me hungry just writing about it.

Over winter break, we will be open at 11:30 am on Thursday and Friday, the 22nd and 23rd.  Like O’Brien’s, we will shut down for the 24th, 25th and 26th.  Unlike O’Brien’s we will be open for the 31st and the 1st.  We will be opening for lunch at 11:30 am every day from Thursday the 29th through Monday the 2nd.  Local classic rock band Derailed will be playing the New Year’s Eve show.  You can keep up to date on all of the latest happenings at the Bailey Barbecue and the news on the impending brewery opening by getting on our email list – just reply back to this email with the word Julian in the subject or body of the message.  You can also stay current with us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/baileybbq.

Tyson and I are working on the plans for the pub’s 18th Anniversary in January including a Ballast Point Week featuring smoke and chili pepper beers and our annual Russian River TION weekend.  We are also planning a Sunday night tasting with brewer Jeff Bagby who will be leaving Pizza Port Carlsbad as of January 1st.  You can check out a bunch of Jeff’s great beers at the Toronado Pizza Port Tap Takeover for New Year’s Eve – and the Toronado will be open until 2 am that night.

That is your good beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great Winter beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans,

The 15th Strong Ale Festival is this Friday and Saturday at Pizza Port Carlsbad with more than 75 beers over 8% alcohol.  The festival will run from 4 to 11 pm on Friday the 2nd and 11 am to 11 pm on Saturday the 3rd.  Beers from all over the USA will be there – there will be 9 different states represented – and lots of great San Diego beer.  We are also making a special 15th Anniversary Ale blended from beers made at all 4 Pizza Port locations, many of which are barrel aged.  All styles of beers will be available: Double IPA, Imperial Stout, Belgian Ale, Barrel Aged beer, Belgian-style beer, Lager, Strong Scotch, Imperial Porter and more.

Admission to the festival is just $30 and includes a special festival tasting glass and 8 taster tickets each good for a 4 ounce pour.  Additional tastes are just $1 each.  Try the Coaster or Sprinter trains to get there, or ride Amtrak to Oceanside and cab it down.  There are also lots of nearby hotels to crash in.  For directions and more info, visit www.pizzaport.com.  This is going to be a great time.

Back at the Pub

On the pub front, we’ll be doing our annual pre-Strong Ale party with casks of Green Flash Le Freak and West Coast IPA on Thursday the 1st.  We’ll also have Pure Hoppiness, Duet IPA and Nelson Rye IPA on tap from Alpine.  And there is Thursday night football, which is bird themed – Eagles v. Seahawks – at 5:20 pm.

Friday the 2nd we will be doing a night with Iron Fist Brewing out of Vista.  We’ll have 4 beers on tap: The Gauntlet double IPA, Velvet Glove Imperial stout, Uprising (a hopped-up Tripel) and Martial Law (a Belgian ale aged with sour cherries).  Head brewer Brandon Sieminski will be stopping by to share some beers and answer questions about the year old brewery.  Also on Friday night, you can hear me on FM 94.9 during the Rock and Roll happy hour from 7 to 8 pm.  I’ll be talking about the Strong Ale Fest and sharing some of the beers from it as well.

On Sunday, you get a full day without any frustration from the Chargers.  The downside, they could well ruin your Monday night on the 5th.  Upside, at least you can get $10 pitchers in which to drown your sorrows.  The Dolts take on Jacksonville at 5:30 pm on the 5th.  For fans of the other kind of football, the UEFA Champions League will have its final days of group stage matches on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 6th and 7th.  We’ll have all of the games live at 11:45 am on both days.

Coming Up

Next week we tap an unexpected cask of Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale on Thursday the 8th at 5 pm.  I thought it was all gone, but we found one just laying around and decided it was high time to drink it up.  Friday the 9th is our big Belgian Christmas Ale draft night with Christmas beers from Gouden Carolous, St. Bernardus, Delirium, Scaldis, Chouffe, Affligem and St. Feuillien all on tap starting at 5 pm.  Many of these beers are available in bottles right now on our list.

The following week, we’ll have a cask of Stone Ruination IPA on Thursday the 15th.  Then we have a night of domestic Winter beers on Friday the 16th.  We will have Sierra Nevada Celebration, Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi, Rogue and lots of other great ales on tap, look for more details in a future email.  We’ll also be doing another Taste Cheese Pop Up Market right before Christmas, but I do not have an exact time yet.

The pub will be CLOSED, December 24th, 25th and 26th and December 31st and 1st.  We will have our annual New Year’s Eve-Eve party on Friday, December 30th.

For Dr. Demento Fans

So this is totally off the beer topic, but in my mind worth sharing.  I grew up listening to the Dr. Demento show, a three hour radio program of silly songs that were often a little crude or provocative, but always funny.  We are hosting a special evening of music at Bailey Barbecue known as the Chucko Show.  It features the same type of humorous songs as the old Dr. Demento radio shows.  Think of a folk singer version of Wierd Al Yankovic and you just might have an idea of what Chuck is about.  Though not for the easily offended, it is for the easily amused.

The show will be at 8 pm on Saturday the 17th at the Bailey in Julian and it is 21 and up only.  There is no cover charge, but the event is a fundraiser for a local resident, Blind Dave, who you might have figured out is blind.  So a $5 tip in the hat is suggested.  If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out www.drdemento.com and then decide whether or not I am crazy.  If you want to have fun hearing a great night of funny music that you won’t hear anywhere else, then please join us for the Chucko Show.

My apologies for the off topic plug, but it is just too good not to share.

That is your good beer news for now.  Tyson and I are already working on plans for the pubs 18th Anniversary in January.  Russian River TION weekend and a Ballast Point Smoking Hot night (smoke and chili beers) are both in the works.  We’ll see you soon for a great strong ale, hopefully this weekend up at Pizza Port Carlsbad.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer and Cheese Fans!

Tuesday the 22nd we have a special treat at the pub right before the Thanksgiving holiday – a Taste Cheese pop up market from 4 to 8 pm with tons (well maybe just pounds) of wonderful cheese for sale.  Our friend Mary Palmer will be setting up her farmers market tent with some great cheeses to make your Thanksgiving day gathering even more tasty.  Pub regular Spanky will also be there selling heirloom plants and vegetables.  Look for Mary to have Chimay Biere, Roaring 40s Blue and Winchester Super Aged Gouda from Temecula among many others for sale.

This is a great way to stock up for the long holiday weekend on fantastic cheese while also enjoying a great beer.  If you would like to keep up to date on where Taste Cheese is selling its wares, send your email to Mary at: tastecheese@yahoo.com. Tyson has a ton of great beer on the list right now as we tap through the last of our Beer Week beers and our regular favorites return.

On Wednesday night, the 23rd, Tyson will be hooking up the jockey box one last time with some special beers including Ommegang Aphrodite, Chouffe Biere de Soliel, Bear Republic Heritage Barrel Aged Scotch Ale, Dogfish Head Sahtea and Pangaea and St. Feuillien Blond.  No cask this week as we will be CLOSED Thursday and Friday, the 24th and 25th for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday and Wednesday are also UEFA Champions League match days with live games both days at 11:45 am.  On Tuesday, you can enjoy Manchester United v. Benfica, Lyon v. Ajax, Napoli v. Manchester United or Bayern Munich v. Villareal.  Wednesday has another block buster match up – AC Milan v. Barcelona.  Also on Wednesday, Arsenal host Dortmund and Chelsea travel to Bayer Leverkusen.  The last Champions League matches of the year will be in two weeks on December 6th and 7th.  Team USA is off until January.

On Saturday, we’ll reopen with our normal hours – 11:30 am to Midnight – and feature our festival style tasting.  Get 10 tastes for just $15 and then get $1 off a full pint of any beer you just tried (please be aware that some expensive beers will count as two tastes).  We’ll also be rolling out some Belgian Christmas bottles for Saturday night.  Look for N’ice Chouffe, St. Bernardus Christmas, Affligem Noel, Delirium Noel, Gouden Carolous Noel and St. Feuillien Speciale and locally we’ll have Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi.  We’ll be getting new Christmas beers in over the next few weeks, so keep checking the bottle list.  Our Belgian Christmas draft night will be Friday, December 9th.

Looking Ahead

On Sunday, the Chargers host the Broncos at 1:15 pm.  The team just can’t seem to do anything right except complete passes to opposing players.  But like a good car wreck, I just can’t look away.  Monday night, the New York Football Giants take on Drew Brees and the Saints at 5:30 pm.  We’ll have our great pitcher special all night from 4:30 pm to Close.  Just $10 for craft beer pitchers, $14 for strong/rare beers and $16 for Double IPA pitchers.

By the time you read this, the VIP session of the San Diego Strong Ale Festival may well be sold out.  The regular fest will start at 4 pm, Friday, December 2nd at Pizza Port Carlsbad and I expect most of the VIP beers to still be flowing at 4 pm.  So if you don’t have tickets and you want to try some of the VIP beers, just get there early.  Jeff and I are expecting to tap 100 different beers over the 2 days, so there will be no shortage of 8% plus alcohol beer for you to enjoy.  The fest will run from 11 am to 11 pm on Saturday.  Get a hotel, hop on a brewery tour bus or try the Coaster or Sprinter trains to get to Carlsbad.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving with friends and family.  Bring good beer to share with those you love.  And be thankful for all of the people who serve our country and community so that we may enjoy this holiday together.  May the holiday find you safe and happy.  Cheers, Tom, Lindsey and the O’Brien’s Staff.

Hello Weary Beer fans!

The ten day madness that is San Diego Beer Week is over and the pub is back to its normal every-week-is-beer-week-around-here mode.  We have some incredible beers left from our events – we served well over 100 different beers for Beer Week.  Tyson will be tapping a round of great beers tonight, Friday the 18th, and some wonderful Belgian ales tomorrow night on Saturday the 20th.  We have some great things on tap right now including some of the final versions of AleSmith Speedway Stout that we have left, Redstone Sunshine Nectar, Ballast Point Bourbon Barrel Black Marlin Porter (which has a tart, wine-like finish), Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 Year, Russian River Pliny the Elder is back and we just got Sierra Nevada Celebration on tap.  We’ll also have some more Alpine O’Brien’s IPA this weekend.  Read on for all the details….

This Weekend

Tonight, Friday the 18th, look for Kern River Class V Stout, Coronado Brandy Barrel Aged Barleywine, Port Brewing Older Viscosity, Great Divide Rumble and Dogfish Head Pangaea to be on tap at 5 pm.  And when any of these beers blow, we have other great beers to tap right behind them.  We’ll also be getting a bunch of Alpine beers delivered today, so look for more Alpine beers on tap later tonight as well.

Saturday the 19th Tyson will be rolling out some great Belgian beers including 3 Russian River barrel aged beers – Consecration, Supplication and Temtptation along with Malheur, Ommegang Aphrodite and Chouffe Bier de Soliel.  Look for the Ommegang/Chouffe collaboration Gnommegang on tap right now.  And we’ll get back to our festival style tasting on Saturday so you can sample through the tap list in 3 ounce pours.  On Sunday the 20th, The Charger face Da Bears at 1:15 pm from Soldier Field.  I am sure that the weather will be just lovely.  Join us on Monday night for football and our amazing $10 pitcher special from 4:30 pm to close.

Next Week

We have a short week with Thanksgiving next week.  The pub will be CLOSED Thursday and Friday, the 24th and 25th for the holiday.  Buy some great local beer at the store to drink with friends and family or visit one of the other great pubs around town that will be open one or both of those days – Toronado, Hamiltons, Churchills, Downtown Johhny Browns, etc…  Find a complete listing at www.sandiegobrewersguild.org.

We’ll be open normal hours Monday, Tuesday and even staying open a little later on Wednesday the 23rd.  Saturday and Sunday the 26th and 27th will also be normal hours – 11:30 am to Midnight on Saturday and 11:30 am to 6 pm on Sunday.  We’ll be tapping some great beers that never made it to our beer week line up for Wednesday night.  The Chargers play again at 1:15 pm on Sunday the 27th against the Donkeys, uh I mean Broncos.

The following weekend we can look forward to a Monday Night Football game between the Chargers and Jaguars on December 5th.  That Friday, December 9th, we will have our annual Belgian Christmas Beer night with lots of great draft beers and bottles.  I am a huge fan of Belgian Christmas beers – often dark, strong and spicy.  And while I am dreaming about Belgian beers, there is still some room left on our newest pub trip to Belgium – The Great Belgian Christmas Beer Tour – visiting London, Bruges, Antwerp and the Essen Christmas Beer Festival featuring more than 150 different Christmas Beers.  For more information visit Ciao! Travel’s website at www.ciaotravel.com, or talk with pub regular Bill Snider nearly any night at the pub – just ask a bartender for an introduction.

Strong Ale Festival

The first weekend in December will be the San Diego Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad on Friday and Saturday, December 2nd and 3rd.  This will be the fest’s 15th Anniversary and to celebrate, we will be blending up a special barrel aged beer concoction with beer from all four Pizza Port locations.  We are expecting to tap 100 beers over the two days between the VIP and regular sessions.  The festival will run from 4 to 11 pm on Friday and 11 am to 11 pm on Saturday.  This is a good one to get a hotel for or take the Coaster up to Carlsbad.

The VIP session will be 1 to 4 pm on Friday the 2nd.  It will feature first crack at the list of beers along with some special 5 gallon strong ale kegs on tap.  Tickets for the VIP session of the Strong Ale Festival are on sale now at Ticket Derby.  Here is the link: ticketderby.com/event/san-diego-strong-ale-festival-id-6627.  The session is already over 80% sold, so don’t wait until December 1st to get your tickets.  I expect them to be sold out by Thanksgiving, if not sooner.  If you can’t get tickets to the VIP session, just show up at 4 pm on Friday – nearly all of the VIP beers will still be flowing.

Jeni and Friends in Julian

We are going to have a special live music show up at the Bailey BBQ in Julian on Saturday, November 19th with Behind the Wagon.  The band will feature at least one song with our very own bartender Jeni.  If you have been looking for an excuse to come out and visit, this is a great one.  The band plays from 8 pm to Midnight and we’ll have all 16 draft beers flowing.  We’ve got Celebration, Mongo, Sculpin, Double Dry Hopped Ruination, Angel’s Share and Mission Dark Seas Imperial Stout on tap right now.  The kitchen will be open until 8 pm, so show up early enough to try the BBQ.  In addition to Jeni, Kat and Coral will both be there along with a whole host of folks from the pub.

If you want a place to stay, try the Julian Lodge right in town.  They are pet friendly, offer a discount if you mention Baileys BBQ and have an even better discount if you have AAA.  If you want to get on our Julian email list for all of the latest news up there, just reply to this email with the word Julian in the subject or body.  You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/baileybbq.

That is your good beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans!

The 10 day beer extravaganza that is San Diego Beer Week is at the half way point.  We have poured some incredible beers and hosted some wonderful beer folks.  The next 5 days will be more of the same.  Bear Republic night was great last night – the pub was full but not crowded and 11 amazing beers on tap.  If you missed it, we still have a bunch of them on tap today including Apex IPA, Racer X and Cafe Racer 15 – a special double IPA brewed for Bear’s 15th Anniversary (it is delicious and it probably won’t make it until Thursday night).

Here is the remaining line up for our Beer Week events:

Wed 11/9: Kern River Night – we will have JO IPA, Sequoia Red, Class V Stout and Class X Stout on tap and Class V stout on cask with cocoa nibs and vanilla bean – and just added, we will have Kern’s Pumpkin Ale on tap.  Class X is the Bourgon barrel aged version of the Class V and it is awesome.  Most of these beers are in 5 gallon kegs, so they won’t last long.  We’ll be doing 5 and 10 ounce pours on the Class X.  The JO IPA is in a full keg, but I still think it won’t last until Thursday.  So try these beers while you can.  Brewer Kyle will be on hand to share some beers and answer questions about his award winning brews.

Wednesday will be Bailey BBQ night in the pub kitchen as we haul down some smoked pulled pork from Julian.  Look for Pork Nachos, Pork Tacos and the Bailey BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich on torta bread.  In addition, we’ll have Bailey BBQ’s award winning apple-pear crumb pies for dessert.  You will not want to miss this.

Thur 11/10: Cask Festival with 5 cask ales including Coronado Blue Bridge Coffee Stout, Alpine Hoppy Birthday, Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin and Victory at Sea and Green Flash 9th Anniversary IPA.  We’ll tap the Blue Bridge and Hoppy Birthday at 5 pm along with the Habanero Sculpin.  Look for the Victory at Sea and GF 9th Anniversary to be tapped at 8 pm.  Thursday is Chili Pot Pie night.  Lindsey’s amazing beer chili filling a pot pie crust.  Yes, it is as good as it sounds.  Did I Mention Chargers v. Raiders Thursday Night Football at 5:20 pm?

Fri 11/11: Tyson’s Barrel Aged Beer Night.  You just know it is going to be good.  His plan is tap as many different types of barreled beer as possible – rye, whiskey, scotch, cabernet, pinot noir, chardonnay, bourbon, brandy and rum.  It should be as many different barrels as Corbin can count with his pants up and his shoes on – which is 9.  It will be an amazing collection of great barrel aged beers, some sours, and some incredible flavors.  We pulled out some of the beers the other day – these are all barrel aged: Black Marlin Porter, Great Divide Rumble, Gonzo Imperial Porter, Consecration, Temptation, Supplication, Coronado Brandy Barrel Barleywine, Angel’s Share, Older Viscosity, Rodenbach Vintage 2008 and Ola Dubh.  USA v. France at lunch at Noon.

Sat 11/12: Night of a Million Zillion Speedways.  12 versions of this 12% alcohol Coffee Imperial Stout.  Kopi Luwak Speedway cask is the rumor from AleSmith.  We’ll have a special dessert plate featuring cheese, fruit and chocolate.  Most of the versions will be different from last year, though some favorites like the coconut and barrel aged will both be there along with new ones like Mole, Mexican Chocolate, Orange/Rum, Chipotle and Spearmint.

We will again be pouring the beers in sample flights with 2 oz pours of the beers.  I am thinking that we will do 2 taster flights of 6 beers each.  That is going to be 24 ounces of 12% alcohol Speedway Stout if you try them all.  So please be careful.  This is going to be a busy night, so please be patient as we try to make sure that everyone gets to try the beers.  We’ll start pouring at 5 pm and the beers should last several hours.

Sun 11/13: Lost Abbey Rare Beer Tasting with Tomme Arthur.  This event is already sold out.  Consider checking out the Beer Garden at Torrey Pines Lodge.

Lots of San Diego hotels are running specials if you book through the Beer Week website at www.sdbw.org.  I do have a favor to ask if you are coming to San Diego from out of town and you are staying in a hotel.  If you could ask one of the bartenders for a survey sheet, the San Diego Brewers Guild would greatly appreciate it.  It is a quick 9 question survey that will ask where you came from, where you stayed, how long you stayed, etc… very basic stuff.  The Visitors Bureau would like to know about the people coming in from out of town.  The information is only for gathering statistics and you will never be contacted by anyone or your name used in any way.  Even if you live in the county, but you are staying in a hotel, you can fill out the survey.  Thanks much for your help.

In addition to our great events, there are hundreds of happenings all over the county.  Check out www.sdbw.org to find an event near you.  Also happening during Beer Week is the Beer Garden at the Torrey Pines Lodge.  This is a collaboration festival between the San Diego Brewers Guild and Chef Celebration of San Diego.  It teams chefs and breweries together to create unique food and beer pairings.  This is one of the closing events of SDBW and will happen on Sunday the 13th from Noon to 3 pm.  You can buy tickets for both events at the sdbw.org website.

Tickets for the VIP session of the San Diego Strong Ale Festival are on sale now at Ticket Derby.  Here is the link: ticketderby.com/event/san-diego-strong-ale-festival-id-6627.  The session is already 50% sold, so don’t wait until December 1st to get your tickets.  The fest will be December 2nd and 3rd at Pizza Port Carlsbad.  The VIP session is from 1 to 4 pm on the 2nd.  We’re working on a blend of barrel aged beers from each of the Pizza Port locations for the 15th Anniversary Strong Ale beer – should be awesome.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday the 15th we will be showing the USA v. Slovenia match at 11:30 am for lunch.  The Thursday after Beer Week, the 17th, we’ll tap a cask of AleSmith YuleSmith at 5 pm.  This great once a year strong red ale is always very tasty on cask.  On Friday and Saturday, the 18th and the 19th, we’ll be hosting our Best of Beer Week nights featuring a bunch of the kegs we couldn’t finish off from the previous two weeks.  Given what we had left over last year, these will be two incredible nights at the pub, without all of the Beer Week crowds.  On Sunday the 20th, The Charger face Da Bears at 1:15 pm from Soldier Field.  I am sure that the weather will be just lovely.

There is still some room left on our newest pub trip to Belgium – The Great Belgian Christmas Beer Tour – visiting London, Bruges, Antwerp and the Essen Christmas Beer Festival featuring more than 150 different Christmas Beers.  For more information visit Ciao! Travel’s website at www.ciaotravel.com, or talk with pub regular Bill Snider nearly any night at the pub – just ask a bartender for an introduction.

We are going to have a special live music show up at the Bailey BBQ in Julian on Saturday, November 19th with Behind the Wagon.  The band will feature at least one song with our very own bartender Jeni.  If you have been looking for an excuse to come out and visit, this is a great one.  The band plays from 8 pm to Midnight and we’ll have all 16 draft beers flowing.  The kitchen will be open until 8 pm, so show up early enough to try the BBQ.  If you want a place to stay, try the Julian Lodge right in town.  They are pet friendly, offer a discount if you mention Baileys BBQ and have an even better discount if you have AAA.  If you want to get on our Julian email list for all of the latest news up there, just reply to this email with the word Julian in the subject or body.  You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/baileybbq.

That is your good Beer Week news for now.  I’ll have more updates next week.  Check Facebook and Twitter for more daily updates from Tyson.  We’ll see you soon for a great beer.  Cheers, Tom