What’s Happening

Hello All,

Just a short update this week on our upcoming beers.  Tonight, Thursday the 31st we will tap a cask of Ballast Point’s Big Eye IPA at 5 pm.  And as always all of our local beers including AleSmith, Alpine and Port Brewing will be on special.  Tomorrow we feature the beers of Sierra Nevada with the return of the delicious Torpedo IPA and the great Southern Hemisphere Harvest.  Both beers will be on special all day long including $10 pitchers during lunch.  You can also look for a keg of Alpine’s Duet IPA on tap on Friday and kegs of Lightning Elemental Pils, Coronado Islander IPA and Mission Hefeweizen on tap by Sunday.

Our Stone Bus is sold out but Brewery Tours of San Diego is also providing rides up to both sessions of the Stone Anniversary Party.  There is but one seat left as of this morning for our Beer and Cheese Tasting this Sunday at 6:30 pm.  However, we will be starting a waiting list – never does everyone show up, so there might be a little extra room.

Next week we will tap a cask of Pizza Port San Clemente’s El Camino IPA on Thursday, August 7th.  And looking ahead to the week of August 11th, I already have some great events planned.  Monday the 11th we will release the new batch of Alpine’s Exponential Hoppiness, Tuesday the 12th is the return of Pizza Night with Pizza Port co-owner Vince Marsaglia and beers from all of the brewpubs, Thursday the 14th we feature a duo of Alpine casks – Exponential Hoppiness and Duet IPA both tapped at 5 pm and Friday the 15th we will feature 15 different IPAs and Double IPAs on tap – all of them in full kegs – including Blind Pig, Pliny the Elder, Racer X, Green Flash Imperial IPA, Coronado Islander IPA, Pure Hoppiness, Poor Man’s IPA, Torpedo IPA and more!  On Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th we will be offering 5 oz sample flights of the beers so that you can sample them all!

That should make you thirsty for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great beer.  Cheers, Tom

So the plastic vs. stainless keg tasting was last night with Port Brewing’s Wipeout IPA.  A was the stainless keg and B was the plastic keg.  The preferences were pretty much split 50/50 last night with most folks not registering any difference.  At the request of some of the customers and local brewers, we are going to repeat the experiment in August with kegs of Lightning’s Elemental Pilsner.

Tonight is our X-Mas in July celebration and the Scaldis Noel is already on tap with La Chouffe’s N’ice Chouffe coming later this afternoon.  There is also some of the delicious Shark Attack cask left for tonight as well.  Look for the cask around 5:30 pm.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans!

A web-only update this week for you.  We finally have the Stone 12th Anniversary bitter chocolate oatmeal stout on tap.  It is very dark and has definite bitter bite to it.  There is also a new keg of the great Ola Dubh in.  All three Dansk Meads are now available – Viking Blod (hops and hibiscus flowers), Klapojster (with caraway seed which is traditional in Scandanavian aquavit) and G. I. (with hops and ginger).  And though the Gouden Carolous Cuvee van der Keizer Rood is gone on tap, we will have it in the bottle for Thursday night.

Tonight, Wednesday the 23rd we have a keg of Deschutes XX Black Butte which is a double version of the great Black Butte porter (partially blended with whiskey barrel aged double porter) and a keg of the brewery’s Anniversary ale, which is a wit beer.  Thursday the 24th we will tap a cask of Port Brewing’s Shark Attack double red.  The same night we will also be hosting a special plastic vs. stainless keg tasting with Port Brewing’s Wipeout IPA.  We will have two kegs of the beer on tap – one in a plastic keg, the other in a stainless keg.  We will be doing side by side 5 oz samples for just 25 cents!  See if you can taste the difference.
 
Friday the 25 we host our annual Christmas in July special.  I have kegs of Scaldis Noel and La Chouffe N’ice Chouffe to tap and some Belgian winter ales in the bottle to put on special.  I’ve got about a half dozen winter bottles to put on special.
 
There are still 8 seats left for our Beer and Cheese tasting with Taste Cheese shop on Sunday, August 3rd at 6:30 pm at the pub.  The theme is Local Brews and Domestic Chews.  We paired all local beers with American artisan cheeses.  There are some fantastic pairings in the class that I am looking forward to trying again.  Cost is $40 and you can sign up at the pub (cash only) or contact Taste to use a credit card (find the link to them on our website).

That is all for now.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans!
 
We have some fantastic new beers on tap at the pub right now.  Last night we hosted an impromptu Craftsman Brewing Night with Cabernale (made with cabernet grapes), Heavenly Hefeweizen and Tripel White Sage (spiced with white sage) all on tap.  All 3 beers are still around today for your drinking pleasure.  We also have two great Belgian ales on tap – Scaldis and Gouden Carolous Cuvee van der Keizer Rood.  This is blond version of the Grand Cru of the Emperor that is 10% and released for the Spring.  This is the first year that the beer has been imported into the US.  Both it and the regular Grand Cru of the Emperor are now using their Flemish names – Cuvee van der Keizer.  We also have the new 2008 vintage in bottles now.  Anvil Ale is now on tap from AleSmith and we continue to roll along with Blind Pig and Russian River IPA still both on tap full time.  Look for the Stone 12th Anniversary Ale to be on tap this weekend.
 
Tonight, Thursday the 17th we host a Green Flash night to celebrate the brewery’s Best of Show award for West Coast IPA at the San Diego County Fair last month.  Brewer Chuck Silva will be there around 5:30 or so to share some beers and answer questions about his great brew.  We will tap a cask of the West Coast IPA at 5 pm.  We also have the Green Flash Imperial IPA on tap and a keg of the West Coast for when the cask blows.
 
Over the weekend you can take advantage of our 10% off all bottles special on some new releases.  We have two new Belgian-style IPAs, one Belgian, one Ameican.  The Belgian is Gouden Carolous Hopsinjoor and it is golden, 8% abv, bitter and very carbonated.  The American is Hugh Malone from Allagash which is stronger and a bit softer but still with plenty of hop aroma and flavor.  The name is a play on the hop oil co-humulone (like Pizza Port’s Lou P Lin).  We also have a new geuze from Kasteel – Geuze Fond Tradition, which is very well balanced.  The Redstone Boysenberry Nectar is back in stock.  And for the weekend we will have the Dansk Danish meads back in stock including Klapojster and Viking Blod (they are arriving Thursday or Friday).  And if you miss the Stone Sour Fest this weekend, don’t fret – more than half of the beers there are available at O’Brien’s right now.  Home of a sour beer festival every day of the year!
 
On the food front, we have the Papillon Brie back in and we are using it on burgers and in the great Papaillon Brie prosciutto Chicken Melt.  For Friday night we will have the gooey goodness of the Chimay Cheeseburger back.  And on every Sunday and Monday you can enjoy our beer battered Fish Tacos and Fish and Chips.
 
Next week we have a full week of beer events.  Monday the 21st we have our weekly pitcher special – $9 pitchers of craft and local beer and $13 pitchers of strong ales from 4:30 pm until close.  Wednesday the 23rd we are tapping a keg of Deschutes XX Black Butte which is a double version of the great Black Butte porter and a keg of the brewery’s Anniversary ale, which is a wit beer.  Thursday the 24th we will tap a cask of Port Brewing’s 2nd Anniversary double IPA which just a hugh hop monster.  The same night we will also be hosting a special plastic vs. stainless keg tasting with Port Brewing’s Wipeout IPA.  We will have two kegs of the beer on tap – one in a plastic keg, the other in a stainless keg.  We will be doing side by side 5 oz samples for just 25 cents!  See if you can taste the difference.
 
Friday the 25 we host our annual Christmas in July special.  I have kegs of Scaldis Noel and La Chouffe N’ice Chouffe to tap and some Belgian winter ales in the bottle to put on special.  I might even be able to dig out a few more draft specials – I will post more up at the pub next week.  The annual Mammoth Beers and Blues festival is coming up the following weekend on August 1st and 2nd.  And we should be getting our new merchandise in at the end of that week – more men’s shirts and girl’s tank tops.
 
There are still about 10 seats left for our Beer and Cheese tasting with Taste Cheese shop on Sunday, August 3rd at 6:30 pm at the pub.  The theme is Local Brews and Domestic Chews.  We paired all local beers with American artisan cheeses.  There are some fantastic pairings in the class that I am looking forward to trying again.  Cost is $40 and you can sign up at the pub (cash only) or contact Taste to use a credit card (find the link to them on our website).  Our AleSmith tasting is now sold out.  And mark your calendars now – December 5th and 6th for the San Diego Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad.  It falls on the 75 Anniversary of the full repeal of prohibition and to mark the occasion we will be serving 75 beers all over 8% abv!
 
That is your good beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great craft beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend.  It seems as though everyone survived the pub closing down for a day and not being able to drink on the beach.  Lindsey and I were able to spend some time with friends and family and it was a perfect excuse for me to do little other than drink beer and cook ribs.

This week I have another new tasting to announce – Local Brews and Domestic Chews – with our friends George and Mary Palmer from Taste Artisan Cheese and Gourmet Shop in Hillcrest.  It will pair local beers with the best in American craft cheeses.  Unlike many of our regular tastings, we will only be hosting the one night – no return leg at Taste this time.  Mary wrote up a nice blurb on it which I will include here.  There is also a special offer for those who sign up soon to join us for selecting the beer and cheese pairings on Monday the 14th:

Taste Cheese & O’Brien’s Pub Present:

 

Local Brews / Domestic Chews

An Evening of Local Craft Brews & American Artisan Cheeses

 

Sunday August 3rd

6:30pm @ O’Brien’s Pub

$40.00

 

Join us as we celebrate summer with some of San Diego’s finest craft beers paired with an all-American menu of artisan cheeses and other tasty treats from around the country.  If you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, then perhaps you’re unaware that San Diego is home to several of the world’s finest breweries (by some accounts, three of the top ten micro-breweries are here!).  And if you’re still under the impression that American cheese is individually wrapped and processed (not to mention flavorless), then it’s time to update your thinking.  And what better way than with a menu showcasing some of San Diego’s best local beers, expertly paired with amazing cheeses produced on small farms here in California and in other states around this great country of ours.

 

Early Registration Special Offer

Did we say ‘expertly paired’?  Well here’s your chance to be one of the so-called experts!!  Simply sign up for the Local Brews / Domestic Chews class by this Friday July 11th, and we’ll enter your name into a drawing to join our tasting panel on Monday July 14th at 4pm.  The winner and a guest will help our beer and cheese experts create the menu for the class. 

 

You can sign up at the bar (cash only please) or you can call Taste and use a credit card at (619) 683-2306 – there is also a link to taste on our website in the Friends section.

 

And there is still room for our vintage and barrel aged beer tasting with AleSmith and owner/brewer Peter Zien.  As expected, there were a flurry of sign ups right away, but we still have about 10 seats left.  This tasting will be Sunday, July 27th at 6:30 pm and will feature around a dozen beers.  I will be meeting with Peter and Bill from AleSmith at the end of this week to finalize the beer list, but I can tempt you with the fact that there will be multiple vintages of YuleSmith.  Lindsey will be cooking up some light snacks for the tasting as well.  Cost is $30 and you can sign up at the bar (again, cash only please).  I will be posting up signs for the AleSmith tasting at the pub this week – so far I have only announced it on the email.  So I will issue the same warning as last week – if you really want to go, sign up very soon because this event will likely be sold out by next weekend.

 

At the pub we have some new beers on tap right including the Shipyard Old Thumper ESB which is a very authentic English ale.  We also tapped kegs of Firestone’s Lil’ Opal wit beer and Lightning’s Ionizer Lager, which is 8.3%, pale colored and quite good.  Blind Pig and Russian River IPA are both still on tap as well for your hop drinking pleasure.  We will have Full Sail Prodigal Sun IPA, Stone 12th Anniversary Ale and Mission IPA on tap soon along with the Deschutes Anniversary Ale which I understand to be a double version of the Black Butte Porter.  After the North Coast Old Stock Ale is gone we will have another keg of Harviestoun’s 30 Year Ola Dubh which is aged in 30 year old Highland Park Reserve whiskey barrels.

 

On the bottle front, Stone’s 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout will be available Thursday night.  And we will be getting in some other new bottles including Allagash Hugh Malone (a hoppy Belgian inspired beer) and a new hoppy golden ale from Gouden Carolous called Hopsinjoor that I was able to try at the 24 Hour Belgian Beer Festival and it is quite good.  I have put out some 2005 Thomas Hardy’s Barleywine for sale in addition to the 2006 vintage.  For those who enjoyed the Avery 15th Anniversary Farmhouse Ale, it is now available in bottles.

 

Tomorrow night, Thursday the 10th we will tap a cask of Alpine Ale, which is a great warm weather hoppy ale.  Next week you can look forward to a Green Flash night on Thursday the 17th with head brewer Chuck Silva.  He will be bringing down a cask of West Coast IPA and the Best of Show trophy that the IPA won at the San Diego  County Fair – full of beer!  Stone Brewing Company will be hosting its second annual Sour Fest on Sunday the 20th – check out their website for more info.

 

I am working on a bus to the Stone Annviersary Party on Saturday, August 16th for the first session, but I am still waiting to hear back from the bus company.  When I know more I will post it up on the website.

 

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

Happy 4th of July Good Beer Fans!

I hope that everyone is looking forward to a fun 4th of July weekend.  O’Brien’s will be CLOSED on Friday, July 4th so that we and all of the employees may enjoy the holiday.  The pub will be open late on Thursday, July 3rd and we will be open normal hours over the weekend on Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th.  We’ll have our beer battered Fish and Chips and Fish Tacos available both days and we’ll have our normal weekend special – 10% off all bottles for in house or imports to-go – running as well.  And I have secured some more Blind Pig IPA, so it will be on tap on the 5th and the 6th too.

Tonight, Wednesday the 2nd we will tap a cask of AleSmith ESB at 5:30 pm.  And speaking of Blind Pig IPA it is still on tap right now as well – 5 days in a row so far.  Russian River IPA is back on tap and I just tapped a keg of Firestone Lil Opal, which is an excellent Belgian-style Wit beer.  Our two Redstone Meads, Sunshine Nectar (with apricots) and Black Raspberry Nectar are still on tap – try the Black Forest Cake – 2/3 Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, 1/3 Black Raspberry Nectar!  And if you didn’t get to try them last Friday, our 3 Oskar Blues beers – Gordon IPA, Dale’s Pale Ale and Old Chubb Scottish Ale are also still on tap.  The pub will be open until Midnight on Thursday to help kick off the three day weekend.  I’ve got some new bottles out including Fantome Brise Bons Bons, which translates to Ball Breaker – the beer is fruity with a good load of hops and an light amber hue.  I also found a case of Thomas Hardy’s 2005 Barleywine.

We have a very exciting tasting coming up at the end of the month with AleSmith.  Owner/brewer Peter Zien will be hosting an evening of vintage and barrel aged beers from AleSmith on Sunday, July 27th at 6 pm.  He will even be making some cheese for the event.  We haven’t set the beer list yet, but we expect to pour 10-12 beers and provide some light snacks from the kitchen to pair with a few of the beers.  Due to the rarity of many of the beers we will be tasting, I expect this event to sell out.  I am sending it out on this email before posting it up at the pub and before it goes out on the AleSmith email list.  So if you would like to go, my advice is to sign up in the next week or so to guarantee a spot.  The cost will be $30 (cash only please) and you can sign up at the pub starting tonight (Wednesday the 2nd).  In the meantime, look for the new Summer YuleSmith to be at the pub Thursday night and available in bottle shops around town this weekend.

Looking further ahead we will tap a cask of Alpine Ale next Thursday, July 10th.  The following Thursday, the 17th, will be a Green Flash night with West Coast IPA – which was named Best of Show at the San Diego County Fair – and brewer Chuck Silva will be stopping by with the BOS trophy.  On Thursday the 24th, we will have a special tasting of Wipeout IPA along with a cask of Pizza Port 2nd Anniversary IPA.  And going way ahead, I will be celebrating my birthday week at the pub August 11th – 15th – we already have Pizza night part II planned for Tuesday the 12th (with more pizza dough I swear) and a cask of Alpine Duet IPA saved for the 14th.  The Stone Anniversary Party is that Saturday the 16th and we will likely do a bus trip again, but I haven’t hashed out any of the details yet.

That should keep you thirsty for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great beer.  Have a wonderful 4th!  Cheers, Tom