Just a quick web-only update this week.  Tonight is the San Diego Festival of Beer downtown.  The festival will feature more than 60 breweries and all of the proceeds go to benefit cancer charities in San Diego County.  Fest runs from 6-11 pm at Columbia and B streets near Karl Strauss.  For more info, check out www.sdbeerfest.org.

On the pub front, we will have some great glassware for sale on Friday night from La Chouffe, Chimay, Ecausinnes, Gavroche, 3 Monts and more.  Some glasses will be free with a bottle purchase, others will range from $1-$3.  There are a ton of great beers on tap as well.  We just tapped a fresh keg of Alpine Nelson Rye-IPA, Moylan’s Hopsickle is still flowing and Pliny the Elder will be back on today, hopefully in time for lunch.

On Saturday, no matter how you do it, please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and the many more who have lost their lives since making sure it never happens again.  A heartfelt thank you to all of those who help keep us safe while we sleep.

Sunday the 12th the NFL season will start and we will now be open at 11:30 am every Sunday.  Stop by for our great Fish and Chips or Fish Tacos and enjoy 10% off all bottles all day for on premise comsumption, or import bottles to-go.  The Chargers will play on Monday the 13th as part of a double header.  Their game against the Chiefs kicks off at 7:15 pm.  We will have $10 pitchers of all craft and local beers from 4:30 pm until closing.  The home opener will be Sunday the 19th against the Jaguars and it seems that a TV blackout is a very real possibility.

Next week look forward to a cask of Firestone Union Jack on Thursday the 16th and a night of beers from Manzanita Brewing Company on the 17th.  That is your good beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great beer.  Cheers, Tom

I was hoping to have sent this out yesterday, but that darn work thing got in the way.  This weekend the USD and SDSU men’s soccer teams face off in their cross town rivalry at USD’s Torero Stadium.  USD is hoping to break its school attendence record for a soccer match and is giving away USD Soccer Scarves to the first 500 fans.  Tickets are just $5 each and can be bought starting 1 hour before game time at the stadium – which is a great place to watch soccer.

The other big local upcoming game is Chivas USA v. Chivas de Guadalajara at 8 pm on Tuesaday, September 14th.  Tickets start at $20 and I am assuming that we can get a group rate together that would keep the price right around that without too many “handling fees”.  Please let me know if you are interested and I will see if we can get a group of tickets.  I figure the best thing to do is just meet at a pub downtown beforehand and walk over together for the game to Petco Park.  Just reply to this email and I will send out an email next week when I have heard back from some folks.

The next two USA matches will be against Poland in Chicago on Saturday, October 9th at 5 pm on FSC and then against Columbia on Tuesday the 12th also at 5 pm from Chester, PA on ESPN2.  The USA women play a two game series against powerhouse China on October 2nd and 6th.  The game on Wednesday the 6th from Chester, PA will be on ESPN2 at 4 pm.

League soccer is mostly on international break right now, so not much to speak of.  We will have a full slate of games from England, Italy and Spain next weekend.  The UEFA Champions League begins group stage play on September 14th and 15th.  The San Diego Flash are looking to play two more charity matches in September on the 11th and 25th – visit www.sandiegoflashsoccer.com for more information.  The San Diego Sockers will open their season on November 20th.

Those are your updates for now.  Look for a full soccer email in the next ten days.  Cheers, Tom

We have some great beer to help kick off your Labor Day weekend festivities.  Fresh Kegs of Alpine O’Brien’s IPA, Malheur 12, Russian River Pliny the Elder and Marin White Knuckle just went on tap and there is still some Alpine Exponential Hoppiness left (more will be coming in on Friday!).  Rodenbach Grand Cru bottles are back in stock and we have the very limited Dogfish Head Bitches Brew in bottles.  We have two great Ballast Point casks on Thursday (yes, one is Sculpin) and on Saturday the 4th we host the founder of the Chouffe Brewery from Belgium.  So here we go with one of those long, informative emails…

This Week at the Pub

Tonight, Wednesday the 1st we will have the Dogfish Head Bitches Brew 750 ml bottles for sale.  The beer is a blend of 3 parts Imperial Stout and 1 part honey ale made with Gesho Root.  It is dark, delicious and 9% alcohol.  It was made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Miles Davis album of the same name.  We have re-stocked our Ballast Point Sculpin IPA 22 oz bottles and Kern Rive J.O. (Just Outstanding) IPA is also now avaialable in 22 oz bottles.  We have some Gavroche, 3 Monts Golden and 3 Monts Amber Reserve bottles left from our Eurobrew night.  These are three great French ales – the Gavroche is a strong red ale, 3 Monts Golden is dry, hoppy and Duvel-like and the 3 Monts Amber Reserve, while not very dark in color is very rich and flavorful.  For fans of big, dark Belgian ales try the Ecausinnes Brune before it is all gone.  Blind Pig IPA should return to the tap line up tonight as well.

Thursday the 2nd we start celebrating the weekend a little early with 2 tasty casks from Ballast Point – Sculpin IPA and Black Marlin Porter with Cocoa Nibs both tapped at 5 pm.  This is the first time that we have had the Black Marlin with Cocoa Nibs at the pub and I am really looking forward to it.  We also get to watch folks who likely won’t be Chargers play folks who likely won’t be 49′ers at 7 pm for the (thankfully) last pre-season game for both teams.  All of our local beers will be on special Thursday night as well.  The kitchen has Cambazola cheese back in stock.  It is a blend of Camembert with a layer of Gorgonzola which makes for a wonderfully creamy cheese with just a hint of blue cheese twang.  Look for the Chicken Cambazola Melt and the Cambazola Burger.  Keep an eye out as well for our new and very popular Hot Dog specials. 

And can you believe the NFL season will start on the 9th?  The Vikings travel to the Superdome to face the defending Super Bowl Champion Saints at 5:30 pm on a special edition of NBC Football.  The other kind of football is on international break this weekend and EURO 2012 Qualifying starts.  England will play Bulgaria at Noon on Friday the 3rd on Fox Soccer.  The UEFA Champions League will start group play on September 14th and 15th with all games live at 11:30 am.

Friday the 3rd we will kick off our Chouffe Weekend.  The Houblon Chouffe is on tap right now and no later than Saturday we will have Mc Chouffe, La Chouffe and N’ice Chouffe all on tap.  Houblon Chouffe is a strong Belgian golden ale made with American hops - a Belgian-style IPA.  La Chouffe is the brewery’s flagship blond ale – highly drinkable, this beer hides it’s 8% alcohol very well.  Mc Chouffe is a Strong-Scotch ale – a style that was originally brewed on the Continent for British troops stationed in Belgium during the World Wars.  N’ice Chouffe is the annual Christmas beer and we have been saving a keg of the 2009 vintage for just such an occasion.  This massive 10% alcohol dark beer is lightly spiced with thyme and curacao.

And why all of the Chouffe beer on tap?  It is because we will be hosting the founder of the Chouffe brewery, Chris Brauweraerts, at the pub on Saturday, September 4th from 3-5 pm.  Chris will be there to share some beers with us as well as answer questions about his fantastic brews.  Houblon IPA is his favorite Chouffe beer and I am sure that we will all be drinking quite a bit of it.  Anyone who has a Chouffe gnome hat, please wear it – there will be a free gift for all those who show up in their Chouffe hats!  Lindsey will be making an amazing La Chouffe Mac n’ Cheese as well as some special beer cheese plates.  Please stop by and help us welcome Chris to San Diego.  He is very excited to be visiting the Hoppiest Place on Earth and he is looking forward to trying our wonderfully hoppy San Diego beers.  As an added bonus, the Padres will be on Fox Sports at 1:10 pm on the 4th.

Great Belgian Beer Tour

In addition to Chris being at the pub, our friend and travel agent Bill Snider will be there with a sneak peak of the 2011 Great Belgian Beer Tour.  2011 will be our 7th year of pub crawling through Europe with Bill and friends.  Every year the trip has been amazing and in 2011 there are plans to visit the Chouffe brewery as well as Rochefort!  Please bring your questions for Bill about the trip, dates, itinerary, etc…  This is one of the best ways to experience the beer drinking culture of Belguim.  As we have hosted many Belgian brewers at O’Brien’s, we are warmly received at many of the best breweries: La Trappe, Gouden Carolous, Malheur and now Chouffe!  The trip culimiates in the two-day 24 Hour Belgian Beer Festival featuring more than 150 Belgian beers available for sampling.  It is a great time with good friends.  For more information on the trip, or Ciao! Travel, please visit www.ciaotravel.com.

And now for the one bit of bad news.  The pub will be CLOSED on Monday, September 6th for Labor Day.  We will be open normal hours Saturday the 4th, 11:30 am to Midnight and Sunday the 5th, Noon to 6 pm.  Normal hours will resume on Tuesday at 11 am and we won’t shut down again until Thanksgiving.  Enjoy the holiday.  Make a visit to one of the other fine beer bars in San Diego – Toronado, Hamilton’s, Churchill’s, Blind Lady, etc…  Find out where they all are with the new San Diego Brewers Guild Brewery Map.  It lists the location of every brewery, brewpub and beer bar in San Diego.  Pick up a free copy at the pub or find it online at the Guild website – www.sandiegobrewersguild.org.

Next Week – SDFOB

Next week we will tap a keg of Moylan’s Hopsickle on Wednesday the 8th.  This is a delicious, 10.5% double IPA that rivals Exponential Hoppiness and Pliny the Younger.  Thursday the 9th we have a cask of AleSmith IPA at 5 pm  It is always a great cask beer and we have not had in a while.  Friday the 10th is the San Diego Festival of Beer downtown from 6 pm to 11 pm.  Tickets can be bought in advance – only through today, September 1st though – for $30.  Tickets will be available at the door for $40.  This year there will be more than 70 breweries and each brewery is bringing 3 kegs so there will be a lot more beer than last year.  The festival also has a special deal with the W Hotel for discounted room rates.  Check out all of the info on the festival and find out about the cancer charities that the proceeds support at www.sdbeerfest.org.

Over next weekend we have the Padres on Fox Sports again at 1:10 pm on Saturday the 11th.  The NFL gets under way on Sunday the 12th.  We will be open at 11:30 am on Sundays starting on the 12th to match our Saturday opening time.  The Chargers don’t play until Monday the 13th at 7:15 pm against the Chiefs at Arrowhead.  It is part of a Monday Night double-header that includes LT and the Jets facing off against Baltimore at 4 pm.  We will have our amazing pitcher special from 4:30 pm until close Monday night – $10 pitchers of craft and local beers and $14 pitchers of rare/strong ales.  Great pints of beer for less $2.75 all season during Monday Night Football!  We will be opening early for the two 10 am Chargers games and staying open late during the two Sunday night games.

Belgian Beer and Food Tasting

Our next Sunday night tasting will be September 26th featuring a line up of great Belgian beers paired with small food plates and cheeses.  Tyson and I are teaming up with Wetten Importers for this tasting.  We are going to be using some incredible beers: Delrium Tremens, Gouden Carolous Hopsinjoor, Van Honsebrouck Bachus, Kasteel Donker, Lucifer, St. Louis Lambic and more!  We will even have all of the brewery glassware for each beer (and it will be available for purchase as well).  We already have some amazing cheeses set up with a few of the beers and we are working on the food pairings that will include a dessert.  The cost is $35 and I have a sign up sheet at the pub (cash only please).  The tasting will start at 6:30 pm on the 26th.

Looking Ahead

Look for two delicious lager beers from Ballast Point in the coming weeks – Abandon Ship Smoked Lager and Navigator Double Bock.  We will have a cask of Firestone Union Jack on September 16th.  Friday the 17th we will feature one of San Diego’s newest breweries – Manzanita Brewing Company – which is located in Santee (they will be hosting a big bluegrass festival and chili cook off in their parking lot on the 11th of September).  The Chargers host the Jaguars on the 19th at Qualcomm.  We get one more Fox Sports Padres game on Saturday the 25th at 1:10 pm.  We will have our annual Wet Hop Festival in October – dates yet to be determined.  The Ballast Point Anniversary Party will be October 16th.  San Diego Beer Week is coming November 5th through 14th.  The website www.sdbw.org is live and we will be posting events this week.  VIP tickets for the San Diego Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad December 3rd and 4th will be on sale next week.  Check the brewery website www.pizzaport.com next week for more info.  Keep up to date on all of the latest O’Brien’s tappings on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/obrienspubsd. 

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

We have a number of great new beers coming up this week along with some fantastic cask beers over next few weeks.  The tap line up has been particularly good the past week with tons of incredible IPAs – Duet, Nelson, O’Brien’s, Racer 5, West Coast and we will be getting more of the Kern River Just Outstanding IPA on tap before the week is over.  We also have the Widmer Braggot – a combination mead/beer that is 50% honey, 50% malt.  The NFL is in full pre-season mode with games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday – though I am not sure yet if we will get to see the Chargers take on Dallas on Saturday at 6 pm.  The next two pre-season games are on the road on August 27th (Saints at 5pm) and September 2nd (49′ers at 7 pm).  The regular season opener is Monday, September 13th at 7:15 pm vs. the Chiefs.  

Tonight, Wednesday the 18th, we will have Wintercoat Double Hop IPA from Denmark on special along with Cuvee des Jacobins, which is a Flanders Red Ale (sour, barrel aged beer).  Thursday the 19th we get to try the new Pizza Port Carlsbad IPA Que Onda on cask at 5 pm.  I have had it on tap at the brewery and it is delicious.  A big, hoppy IPA that is over 7.5% alcohol.  We will also have St. Peter’s Organic English Ale on tap for the first time.  We carry the brewery’s Sorghum Ale as our gluten-free beer.  We’ll also have some new bottles from French craft brewers.  Yes, they are some French who make good beer (mostly in the areas that border Belgium!).  We will have Gavroche Bier de Garde and Tres Monts Golden and Amber.  The Golden reminds me of Duvel – hoppy and very dry.  The amber is stronger with a rich, malty finish.  All three will be available in 750 ml bottles.  The NFL game will be Patriots v. Falcons.

Friday the 20th is Lagunitas night with IPA, Little Sumpin Sumpin Ale and Fusion II.  The Little Sumpin Sumpin Ale is a hoppy wheat ale that is just over 7% and designed for warm weather – which we finally have.  The Fusion II is part of a new series of limited release kegs from Lagunitas.  They are sending each batch of Fusion to only 10 distributors in the US (Lagunitas has nearly 80 distributors around the country).  San Diego got only 8 kegs of this limited release beer that is termed a “West Coast Mild”.  I know it is 6% alcohol and that is about it.  Not even our Lagunitas rep has tried it yet.  So this will be a nice treat to try something brand new from the brewery that few others will get to enjoy.  The Friday NFL game will be Philadelphia at Cincinnati.

On the food front you can check out the double meat Rueben.  Everyone liked the Double Dip so much, we decided to try it with our Reuben and it is delicious.  Friday is Torta day with Chicken or Roast Beef Tortas.  Over the weekend you can try a 1/4 pound hot dog.  Beer Chili will be ready for Saturday.  Lindsey has some great Beer Cheese available to go.  The Malheur 10 beer cheese with mustard was fantastic.  Next week you can find the Turkey-Bacon-Havartia on Fococcia bread on Tuesday (and on every Tuesday).

Stone Anniversary Bus

The Stone 14th Anniversary Party is this weekend on Saturday the 21st.  We still have a few seats available for our annual bus trip (we have 6 seats as I write this).  We are leaving the pub at 8:15 am to go to Port Brewing for some breakfast food and then on to the first session at Stone from 11 to 2.  Buy your own ticket to the fest online and the bus with beer included is just $25.  The pub will open around 7:45 am if you need to get a beer before you get on the bus.  Please be at the pub by 8 am so we can leave by 8:15.  We should be back by 3 pm.  If you are going on the bus, please park on the street on Convoy, Opportunity or Ruffner as we will need the parking spaces in the lot for our regular business.

Next Week

It is hard to believe that there will actually be football on Monday night next week.  Arizona will take on Tennessee at 5 pm on the 23rd.  We will have our great pitcher special in effect all season long – $10 pitchers of all craft/local beers and $14 pitchers of rare/strong ales from 4:30 pm until close.  So stop by and watch the games with some friends and enjoy some of the best craft beer in town for less than $2.75 a pint!

We will also get the other kind of football (the one actually played with feet) on Tuesday and Wednesday as the UEFA Champions League is in its final play-off round before the group stage.  We will have multiple live games at 11:30 am on both Tuesday and Wednesday with replays all day.  For the complete schedule check out the soccer page on our website or sign up for our soccer specific email to keep up to date on all of the games (just reply to this email and let me know you want to be on the soccer list).  You can keep up to date with the San Diego American Outlaws, our US Soccer Supporters group, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AOSanDiego.

Next Thursday’s cask night will be a good one.  We have two casks from Alpine Beer Company – Bad Boy IPA and O’Brien’s IPA.  The keg of Bad Boy didn’t even make it through Friday night last week, so I am expecting the cask to go quickly.  And if you have not heard, the pub at Alpine Beer Company is now open every Tuesday through Sunday at 11 am, closed Mondays.  They have a menu of great BBQ and more than a dozen Alpine beers on tap.  Just please be careful driving on the way home.  And speaking of new things, if you like Bloody Marys, you have to try Ballast Point’s new Bloody Mary mix.  I just tried it this past week for the first time and it is very good – nice pepper and spice notes.  You can buy it at the brewery, or you could call them to find out who else might have it around town.

Friday the 27th we will tap a couple of specialty kegs from Dogfish Head including Satea, which is a stein beer brewed with hot rocks and black tea; Theobroma, a beer based on Aztec records of a chocolate alcohol beverage with hot chilis; and the very popular 90 Minute IPA.  We may have a few more beers on tap, but at the very least we will also have Palo Santo Marron in the bottle.  The Chargers will take on Drew Brees (for a quarter anyway) and the Saints at 5 pm on Friday.

Looking Ahead

We will have the founder of the Chouffe brewrey in Belgium, Chiris Bauweraerts, at the pub from 3-5 pm on Saturday, September 4th.  We will have lots of Chouffe beers on tap and some great Chouffe-inspired food specials including Houblon IPA Mac n’ Cheese.  It is not too often that we get brewers over from Belgium, so please come help us welcome Chris to San Diego.  The pub will be open Saturday and Sunday during Labor weekend, but CLOSED on Monday, September 6th.  Starting September 12th, the pub will open at 11:30 am on Sundays to match our Saturday opening hours.

Tyson and I are planning our next Sunday night tasting and it is going to be a good one.  We are going to feature the beers of Wetten Importers (www.wettenimporters.com).  The company brings in some of the best beers in Belgium – Gouden Carolous, Delirium, Kasteel, De Halve Maan and Lucifer.  We are going to use a wide range of beers paired with cheeses and small food plates.  Tyson and I have come up with the cheese pairings and now we are working on the food pairings which will include a dessert.  The tasting will be Sunday, September 26th at 6:30 pm at the pub and the cost will be $35.  I will have a sign up sheet at the pub as of tomorrow, Thursday the 19th.  I do expect it to sell out, but not until a week or two before the event.

Tyson is doing a great job of posting all of the latest pub news on the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/obrienspubsd.  Keep up to date between the emails and see what has just been tapped.  Tickets for the San Diego Strong Ale VIP session will be on sale the first week of September.  The festival will be December 3rd and 4th at Pizza Port Carlsbad.  Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate my birthday last week – I had a great time and a number of wonderful beers.  That is your good beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great beer.  Cheers, Tom

The USA will host Brazil at the new Meadowlands in New Jersey this Tuesday, August 10th at 5 pm.  The game is a re-match of the 2009 Confederations Cup final which the USA lost 3-2 after leading 2-0 at the half.  This is the first post-World Cup match for coach Bob Bradley and the team.  The complete US roster can be found at: http://www.ussoccer.com/Teams/US-Men.aspx along with an article about Jermaine Jones being replaced by Jozy Altidore  on the roster.  Our squad includes 15 players who were at the World Cup in South Africa.  Several players in England who start league play this weekend have been left off including Clint Dempsey (Fulham) and Stuart Holden (Bolton).  Their respective teams play each other on the opening day of the season.  We’ll have a 5 gallon cask of Pizza Port Carlsbad’s Sharkbite Red on tap for the game.

The English Premier League opens this weekend with a full slate of games.  Manchester United won the opening Community Shield to claim the first silverware of the new season.  There are some big match ups on the first weekend with Liverpool and new boss Roy Hodgson facing Arsenal on Sunday the 15th.  The Carling Cup is under way as well.  Next week is the final round of play-off games for the Champions League on August 17th and 18th.  Those games will be televised and include the likes of Tottenham, Ajax, Werder Bremen, Zenit, and Sevilla.  The TV times for those games will not be available until later this week.

There are some great MLS match ups coming up including the New York Red Bulls taking on the LA Galaxy on August 14th at 3 pm.  That match will feature both of the new designated players for New York – Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez.  Concacaf Champions League play will start on the 17th and 18th as well with 4 MLS teams in this year’s edition. 

You can keep up to date with happenings on the US national team and local fans in our American Outlaws chapter on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AOSanDiego.  We will have a short, informal meeting right after the Brazil game if you would like to find out more – or you can check out the main Outlaws website at: www.theamericanoutlaws.com.  The next San Diego Flash Soccer charity match is scheduled for August 21st.  Find all of the details on San Diego’s newest pro soccer team at www.sandiegoflashsoccer.com.  The San Diego Sockers will kick off its season in November.

So here are the upcoming games:

Monday, 8/9:
11:30 am – Stevnage Borough v. Portsmouth – FSP – Carling Cup
 
Tuesday, 8/10:
11:30 am – Chesterfield v. Middlesborough – FSP – Carling Cup
11:30 am – England U21 v. Usbekistan U21 – FSC
5 pm – USA v. Brazil – ESPN2

Wednesday, 8/11:
11:55 am – England v. Hungary – FSP – also at 4 pm
4:30 pm – Philadelphia v. Real Salt Lake – MLS Direct Kick
4:30 pm – New York v. Toronto FC – MLS Direct Kick

Saturday, 8/14:
On Tape – Chelsea v. West Browm, Blackburn v. Everton, Wolverhampton v. Stoke City, Aston Villa v. West Ham
11:30 am – Fulham v. Bolton – FSC
3 pm – NY Red Bull v. LA Galaxy – FSC – see Henry, Marquez and Donovan
5 pm – Blackburn v. Everton – FSP
5 pm – New England v. Houston – MLS Direct Kick
5 pm – DC unioted v. FC Dallas – MLS Direct Kick
5:30 pm – Chelsea v. West Brom – FSC
6 pm – Real Salt LAke v. Columbus – MLS Direct Kick
7 pm – San Jose v. Kansas City – MLS Direct Kick
7:30 pm – Chivas USA v. Seattle Sounder – MLS Direct Kick
 
Sunday, 8/15:
On Tape – Liverpool v. Arsenal, Sunderland v. Blackburn
 
UEFA and Concacaf Champions League games on August 17th and 18th
 
That is your good football news for now.  Bundesliga will start on the 20th with Serie A and La Liga commencing on the 28th.  We’ll see you soon for some great soccer action.  Cheers, Tom

It is finally seeming like summer after a rather extended June gloom.  August is going to be a great month for beers at the pub.  We have some wonderful new brews flowing right now including Alpine Tuatara (a lower alcohol session ale that is highly hopped), Alpine Nelson Rye-IPA, Bootleggers Knuckle Sandwich Double IPA, there is still a little Bear Republic Racer X left and we just tapped a fresh keg of Alpine Duet IPA.  We have a rare Danish keg on tap from the Wintercoat Brewery – Double Hop – which is the brewery’s version of a double IPA.  It is 8.5% and well hopped.  There are kegs of Port 4th Anniversary, Stone Ruination and Deschutes Hop in the Dark in the queue as well.  As I write there are even still a few open seats on our beer bus to the Stone Anniversary Party on the 21st – cost $25 cash only please.  We will leave the pub at 8:15 am to go to Port Brewing for beer and breakfast and then to Stone for the first session.

There are a lot of August birthdays around the pub (happy birthday Leos and to what ever that other sign is at the end of the month).  This week we celebrate Steph’s birthday on the 4th.  Michele and Tiff both have birthdays later this month as well.  To help Steph celebrate we will be featuring 10% off all bottles on Wednesday night starting at 5 pm.  I am sure it will be Malheur time for most of the evening.  Lindsey will be serving up a special Beer Cheese Plate for the evening as well.  So stop by and wish Steph a happy birthday and help her celebrate.

Thursday the 5th we have a great double shot of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA – draft and cask at 5 pm.  If you stop by Ballast Point, you can check out the new Sculpin label.  The brewery has updated all of its bottle labels with a sleek, more modern design while still preserving the original artwork.  With a keg and cask of Sculpin, I expect to have the beer all night long, though I assume the cask will blow relatively early.  Russian River Pliny the Elder will also return to the tap list on Thursday night by 7 pm at the latest.

Friday is a Green Flash warm up night for our release party on the 7th of the new Beer de L’Amitie.  On Friday we will have Green Flash West Coast IPA, Imperial IPA, Summer Saison and a five gallon cask of the very tasty Imperial Red Ale tapped at 5:30 pm.  Friday is also Torta day around the pub with our delicious Chicken or Roast Beef Tortas.  Look for Chili Verde and the Turkey-Havarti-Focaccia sandwich during the week.  Saturdays we will be featuring a different style of hot dog over the next couple of weeks (Cesar’s has grilled onions, jalapenos and bacon!).

Release Party

Our Green Flash/St. Feuillien Beer de L’Amitie Release Party will be Saturday the 7th with lots of great beer.  The Beer de L’Amitie (Beer of Friendship) is a collaboration beer between Green Flash head brewer Chuck Silva and the brewers at St. Feuillien.  It is a strong golden ale made with St. Feuillien’s traditional yeast and spices.  Chuck added wheat and rye to the grain bill and the beer is hopped and dry-hopped with Amarillo.  I have not had it yet, but Chuck said yesterday that he is very happy with the way it is tasting.  The beer was brewed in March at St. Feuillien with Chuck and owner GFBC owner Mike Hinckley.  They were both on our annual Great Belgian Beer Tour and stayed a few extra days to make the beer.  The beer is now five months old, which is very typical for brewing and shipping time with beers from Belgium.  It is one reason that it is hard to compare Belgian and Belgian-style beers made here in town that are released after 4-6 weeks.

On tap we will have Green Flash IPA, Imperial IPA, Imperial Red Ale, Coffee Stout, Grand Cru, Palate Wrecker, Summer Saison and Super Freak (barrel aged version of the Belgo-IPA Le Freak).  From St. Feuillien we will have Tripel and Saison.  I expect all of those beers to be on tap by 2 pm on the 7th.  We will release the Beer de L’Amitie when Chuck, and owners Mike and Lisa arrive at the pub at 4 pm.  They will hang out and share beers with us from 4-6 pm.  I will also have bottles of the Beer de L’Amitie available for purchase to take home.  And I am sure that Chuck would sign them for you to make a great gift of this very limited release beer.  I expect the beer and all of the Green Flash beers to be on tap all weekend.  I have several kegs of the Beer de L’Amitie with more coming next week.  As an added bonus for Saturday, we will have the return of the Malheur 12 on tap!  Look for a special Green Flash beer cheese over the weekend as well.

Next Week

The 9th through the 15th I celebrate my annual birthday week at the pub.  It is really just an excuse to tap a bunch of really good beer all in one week, so everybody gets a present.  Here is the line up:

Monday 8/9 – Lost Abbey Angel’s Share and Port Brewing Older Viscosity (100% barrel aged Old Viscosity) both on tap

Tuesday 8/10 – USA v. Brazil live at 5 pm.  Rematch of the 2009 Confederations Cup final

Wednesday 8/11 – Russian River night with Pliny the Elder, Blind Pig, IPA, Supplication, Temptation and Consecration all on tap

Thursday 8/12 – Alpine Hoppy Birthday on Cask at 5 pm

Friday 8/13 to Sunday 8/15 – Alpine Triple Threat Weekend with the release of Bad Boy, Exponential Hoppiness and O’Brien’s IPA all in one day.  We will be the only place other than the brewery to get all 3 beers on the 13th (my actual birthday and the brewery’s present to all of us).  I am also expecting to have kegs of Duet IPA, Nelson Rye-IPA and Tuatara for at least 6 Alpine handles.  And as soon as something blows, I will have a keg of Ballast Point Sculpin to tap over the weekend.

That is your good beer news for now.  We have new issues of Southwest Brewing News and the Celebrator in the pub.  Friday, September 10th is the San Diego Festival of Beer downtown.  We’ll see you soon for a great Green Flash beer!  Cheers, Tom

We have had a few seats open up for our bus trip to see Real Madrid play the LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, August 7th.  I was able to buy some additional tickets and secure a larger bus for the ride up.  The cost for game ticket and bus ride (with beer on the bus) is $66 per person.  If you are interested, please email me and let me know.  The plan is to meet at the pub no later than 2 pm, start loading the bus just after 2 pm and be on the road no later than 2:30 pm.  The kick off is at 7:30 pm and we should be back at the pub around 12:30 am.  If you know people who might be interested, please forward this info to them.

Please join us for our viewing party for the USA v. Brazil game at the pub.  The game will be at 5 pm on Tuesday, August 10th.  Brazil has announced a mostly domestic based roster (but that includes Robinho) that only has 4 hold overs from the World Cup squad.  No word yet on the US roster, but you can figure most of those in the EPL will not be there.
 
The Premier League will start on August 14th.  Look for the Community Shield to be played on August 7th between Manchester United and Chelsea.  La Liga will start at the end of the month.  Europa League and UEFA Champions League qualifying is well under way.  And Concacaf Champions League qualifying wraps up next week with 3 MLS teams vying for spots.
 
Please sign the petition to support San Diego’s World Cup bid.  You can sign up at the O’Brien’s webpage, The San Diego Flash webpage or at the USA World Cup Bid webpage at: http://www.gousabid.com/city/local/san-diego-ca/.  You can also help the USA Bid get to 1 million signatures – it is just over 900,000!
 
Here are the upcoming TV games:
 
Saturday, 7/31:
12:30 pm – New England Revolution v. Philly Union – MLS Direct Kick
1 pm – FC Dallas v. Rapids – MLS Direct Kick
5:30 pm – NYRB v. Dynamo – MLS Direct Kick
6 pm – DC v. RSL – MLS Direct Kick
7 pm – Sounders v. San Jose – MLS Direct Kick
7:30 pm – Crew v. Chivas USA
 
Sunday, 8/1:

2 pm – AC Milan v. Lyon – Gol TV – Emirates Cup

4 pm – Arsenal v. Celtic – Gol TV – Emirates Cup
4:30 pm – LA Galaxy v. Chicago Fire – FSC

Tuesday, 8/3:

5 pm – Motagua (Hon) v. Toronto FC (Can) – FSC – Concacaf Champions League

7 pm – Metapan (Slv) v. Seattle Sounders (USA) – FSC – Concacaf Champions League

Wednesday, 8/4:

5 pm – Puerto Rico Islanders v. LA Galaxy – FSC – Concacaf Champions League
Also at 8 pm
 
Thursday, 8/5:
5 pm – Crew v. Union – ESPN

6 pm – FC Dallas – Inter Milan – FSC – also at 9 pm

Saturday, 8/7:

4:30 pm – New England v. DC United – MLS Direct Kick

5:30 pm – Kansas City v. Real Salt Lake – MLS Direct Kick

6 pm – Colorado v. San Jose – MLS Direct Kick

7:30 pm – LA Galaxy v. Real Madrid – FSC – Come join us for the game!

Sunday, 8/8:

On Tape – Chelsea v. Manchester United – Community Shield

3 pm – FC Dallas v. Philadelphia
 
Tuesday, 8/10:
5 pm – USA v. Brazil – ESPN

Wednesday, 8/11:

4:30 pm – Philadelphia v. Real Salt Lake – MLS Direct Kick

4:30 pm – New York v. Toronto FC – MLS Direct Kick

Saturday, 8/14: Premier League Kicks Off – Games TBD

3 pm – NY Red Bull v. LA Galaxy – FSC – see Henry and Donovan

5 pm – New England v. Houston – MLS Direct Kick

5 pm – DC unioted v. FC Dallas – MLS Direct Kick

6 pm – Real Salt LAke v. Columbus – MLS Direct Kick

7 pm – San Jose v. Kansas City – MLS Direct Kick

7:30 pm – Chivas USA v. Seattle Sounder – MLS Direct Kick
 
We’ll see you soon for some great soocer.   Cheers, Tom

The World Cup may be over, but that doesn’t mean that there is not plenty of great soccer action on TV.  Many European clubs are on North American tours including Celtic, Manchester United, Tottenham, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City.  Thierry Henry is now in the MLS with the New York Red Bulls who will host the New York Football Challenge July 22nd – 25th with all games on FSC.  The MLS All Star game will be on the 28th against Manchester United.  We have the MLS Direct Kick package for all of the regular season games.

The Premier League will start on August 14th.  Look for the Community Shield to be played on August 7th.  Europa League qualifying is already under way and Liverpool will play on July 29th – not sure if the game will be on Gol TV or not.  UEFA Champions League will have its third qualifying round at the end of the month as well.  The Concacaf Champions League also has qualifying games later this month.  And the USA will be back in action on Tuesday, August 10th against Brazil.

If you would like to go see some soccer, we are taking a bus trip up to the Rose Bowl to see the LA Galaxy take on Real Madrid on Saturday, August 7th.  Game tickets are $36 and the bus trip should be around $30-$35 with beer to drink on the way up.  We only have about 10 seats left – if you are interested in going, please email soon.  Locally, the San Diego Flash soccer club will have another eshibition match on Saturday, July 24th at 4 pm at Balboa Stadium on the San Diego high school campus.  The game is a tribute to the World Cup – wear any country’s jersey and get half price tickets.  For more info visit www.sandiegoflashsoccer.com.

Please sign the petition to support San Diego’s World Cup bid.  You can sign up at the O’Brien’s webpage, The San Diego Flash webpage or at the USA World Cup Bid webpage at: http://www.gousabid.com/city/local/san-diego-ca/.  You can also help the USA Bid get to 1 million signatures – it is almost at 900,000!

Here are the upcoming games:

Saturday, 7/17:

4:30 pm – USA Women v. Sweden – FSC – also at 8 pm and noon on Sunday

4:30 pm – NY Red Bulls v. Columbus Crew – MLS Direct Kick

5:30 pm – Real Salt Lake v. FC Dallas – MLS Direct Kick

6 pm – Kansas City Wizards v. Colorado Rapids – MLS Direct Kick

Sunday, 7/18:

Noon – Celtic FC v. Seattle Sounders FC – ESPN

4:30 pm – DC United v. LA Galaxy – FSC

Wednesday, 7/21:

4:30 pm – Manchester United v. Philadelphia Union – ESPN

5 pm – Celtic FC v. Sporting Lisbon – FSC - also at 8 pm

Thursday, 7/22:

5:30 pm – NYRB v. Tottenham – FSC – also at 8:30 pm

7:30 pm – San Jose Earthquakes v. LA Galaxy – ESPN

Friday, 7/23:

5:30 pm – Manchester City v. Sporting Lisbon – FSC – also at 8:30 pm

Saturday, 7/24:

1 pm – FC Dallas v. Toronto FC – MLS Direct Kick

4 pm – San Diego Flash World Cup Tribute Game – Balboa Stadium

4:30 pm – Houston Dynamo v. Crew – MLS Direct Kick

6 pm – US Soccer U-19 Boys National Championship game – FSC

7 pm – Chivas USA v. RSL – MLS Direct Kick

Sunday, 7/25:

12:30 pm – NYRB v. Manchester City – FSC

3 pm – KC Wizards v. Manchester United – FSC

Tuesday, 7/27:

5 pm – Toronto FC (Can) v. Montagua (Hon) – FSC – CCL qualifying

7 pm – LA Galaxy (USA) v. Puerto Rico Islanders (PR) – FSC – CCL qualifying

Wednesday, 7/28:

7 pm – Seattle Sounders FC (USA) v. Metapan (Slv) – FSC – CCL qualifying

Saturday, 7/31:

12:30 pm – New England Revolution v. Philly Union – MLS Direct Kick

1 pm – FC Dallas v. Rapids – MLS Direct Kick

5:30 pm – NYRB v. Dynamo – MLS Direct Kick

6 pm – DC v. RSL – MLS Direct Kick

7 pm – Sounders v. San Jose – MLS Direct Kick

7:30 pm – Crew v. Chivas USA

Sunday, 8/1:

4:30 pm – LA Galaxy v. Chicago Fire – FSC

Thursday, 8/5:

5 pm – Crew v. Union – ESPN

Tuesday, 8/10:

5 pm – USA v. Brazil – ESPN

We’ll see you soon for some great soocer.   Cheers, Tom