What’s Happening

Hello Beer Fans!

It is hard to believe that it is almost March of 2009.  St. Patrick’s Day is lurking just a few weeks away.  This year it is on Tuesday, March 17th.  We’ll have all of our great food specials including Corned Beef and Cabbage, Guinnes Stew and the Bacon Guinness Beer Cheese Burger.  We’ll also have a number of great stouts on tap including a cask of Alpine Boris Imperial Stout.  But first, let’s get you up to date on what is happening this week at the pub.

We have some great new beers on tap including Lagunitas Imperial Red, Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin Oatmeal Stout and Pizza Port San Clemente Killer Dana double IPA.  We also have Green Flash West Coast IPA and AleSmith IPA on tap.  Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig will both be back on tap on Thursday afternoon.  Because Russian River has sent down so much specialty beer recently, including Pliny the Younger, there have been brief shortages of some of the beers.  That said, this should be the last time this happens for a while.  Supply lines are restocked and the Pliny will be flowing no later than 4 pm Thursday.

THIS WEEK

Thursday the 26th we feature a double whammy of great local casks.  We have a full size cask of Ballast Point’s incredible Victory at Sea which is a coffee Imperial Porter.  And we have a 5 gallon cask of Alpine O’Brien’s IPA.  Both will tap at 5 pm and all of our local beers will be on special Thursday evening.  And Lindsey will have her famous Beer Chili for Thursday night along with the new Chicken, Proscuito and Brie sandwaich.

Friday the 27th we will host a Palm Brewery night.  Palm is a brewing group in Belgium that produces Palm, Steenbrugge and Rodenbach.  While Rodenbach is still not available again, I have some kegs stashed away for just such an occasion.  So we will have three beers on draft: Palm, Steenbrugge Dubbel and Rodenbach Grand Cru.  There will also be some very nice Palm and Steenbrugge glassware for sale.  This will be a great night of Belgian beers at the pub.  And like every night, it will also be a great night for hoppy beers.  Look for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Humberto’s fantastic new Tortas on the food specials board.

Saturday night is a great time to come to the pub.  Because we are in a business district, the many people who work around the pub are not there over the weekend.  The crowds are always moderate and the beer is just as good.  And for a parking tip – I never use the lot, it is filled with too many teenage drivers who do not know what they are doing.  There is almost always street parking on Convoy or Opportunity or just around the corner on Ruffner.  You can look for the new Fuller’s 2008 Vintage ale in the bottle over the weekend along with the De Proef Flemish Primitive Wild Ale – not quite sour, but with a pleasant wild yeast flavor.  We still have bottles of Russian River Consecration and Batch 23 Damnation.  And all bottles are 10% off all weekend both in house and import bottles purchased to-go.

NEXT WEEK

Looking ahead to next week, we will tap the first of our two Sierra Nevada casks.  We don’t get many, so this is a special treat.  The first will be Chico IPA, a double IPA, tapped on Thursday, March 5th at 5 pm.  The second is an Imperial Smoked Porter that I can not wait to try on Thursday, March 12th.  I also have a 5 gallon cask of Green Flash Imperial IPA coming that I am going to try and tap for the 5th if it shows up in time.  If not, look for it on the 12th.  We will also have a Sierra Nevada beer cheese on the 12th.

And speaking of Beer Cheese, Lindsey has the Alaskan Smoked Porter, Bacon and Green Onion beer cheese this week.  It is a really incredible blend and the smokiness of the beer is detecable.  Look for Beer Cheese Plates as well as To Go Tubs.  There will be plenty of Guinness and Cheddar Beer Cheese for St. Patrick’s Day.  Check the board next to the tap list for all of the current flavors available to go and the food specials board for the Beer Cheese Plate.

Next week we will also have a small Russian River night on Friday, March 6th.  We will have 6 beers on tap and 6 more in the bottle.  Most will be hoppy and we will only have one TION beer on tap.  There will be a keg of Pliny the Younger tapped at 11 am during lunch, so bring your drinking shoes.  Check the pub for the complete line up of beers and bottles.

New beers that you can look forward to over the coming weeks include: Hollister Bowling and Beyond double IPA, Karl Strauss 20th Anniversary bourbon barrel Tripel, Kern River IPA, Anderson Valley Anniversary Double IPA, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid and Ballast Point Sextant Stout on the nitro tap.

BELGIAN BEER PARTY

Tickets for the Pizza Port Belgian Beer Party on sale now at the Pizza Port website – www.pizzaport.com.  The festival is Saturday, March 28th at Pizza Port Carlsbad in TWO 6 hour sessions – 10 am to 4 pm and 5 pm to 11 pm.  There will be more than 100 Belgian and Belgian-style beers available.  Admision is $40 and includes a Belgian beer glass and 8 taster tickets.  Additional four ounce tastes are just $1 each.  This is one of the best collections of Belgian beer in the country.  If the tickets sell out via the pre-sale, there will not be tickets available at the door.  So if you want to go, buy your tickets now.  The first session is nearly 50% sold out already.  Look for a pre-party at Pizza Port Carlsbad on Friday, March 27th featuring 10-20 draft Belgian beers.

One last tip – if your bartender tells you that you should have a glass water – listen to them and don’t argue about it.  We all want to have fun and the bartenders are there to help us make sure that we will come back safe another day.  Water is good for you and helps prevent hangovers.  You really can’t drink enough water, so bottoms up.

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

Hello All,

We are back from our weekend in San Francisco and the Toronado Barleywine Festvial.  Along the way we stopped by Russian River and picked up some more kegs and bottles for another Russian River night.  This time, we got full kegs of 5 different beers, so we should be able to have 10 different Russian River beers on tap.  Look for more details in next week’s email.

Tonight, Thursday the 19th, we tap TWO Alpine casks – Duet IPA and Boris Imperial Stout, both at 5 pm.  We also have plenty of the great Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter on tap.  Look for a cask of it next Thursday the 26th.  I will also have some bottles of Russian River Batch 23 Damnation out for sale tonight.  It is a strong version of Damnation aged with oak chips that is brewed every 23 batches – this is currently batch 46.  Look for it on the draft/specials board.

Friday the 20th is our Full Sail Brewing night with Old Boardhead Barleywine, Wreck the Halls (a winter seasonal that is an IPA) and Lupulin IPA all on tap.  We should also have some Full Sail pint glasses for sale.  Next Friday the 27th we will host a Palm Brewing night with several Belgian beers on tap and glassware for sale.

And in festival news, tickets for the Belgian Beer Party are now on sale thru the Pizza Port website at www.pizzaport.com.  The festival will be held in two 6 hour sessions on Saturday, March 28th – 10 am to 4 pm and 5 pm to 11 pm.  Each session will have identical beer lists.  Tickets are $40.  If the tickets sell out on line, there will be no tickets available at the door.  So if you want to go to a particular session, make sure to be your tickets on line.  The first session is nearly 1/3 sold out already, so don’t delay.

That is your quick update for now.  Look for a full email next week.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Good Beer Fans!

There has been a lot media attention on O’Brien’s this week.  Draft magazine recently ranked us as the best beer bar in San Diego and several local TV stations have picked up the story – you might have seen our taps, or even one of our bartenders on Channel 5, 6 or 7 in the last week.  Other local pubs that were honored include: Hamilton’s, Ritual Tavern and the Neighborhood.  It is always nice to be recognized with an award.  But really, it is all about the beer.  We are not showy, we are not fancy and we don’t want to be.  We serve good and we intend to keep serving the best beer we can to you, our wonderful customers.  I think these awards are also an excellent reflection of our staff.  Without them, we would not win these accolades.  Good beer in an unpleassant environment, is still unpleasant.  So a very heartfelt thanks to our bartenders: Micaela, Michele, Coral, Kat and Tiff and to our ktichen staff that cranks out all of that wonderful food: Humberto, Cesar, Jose, Said and Luis.

There has been a lot of turnover on the taps this week and we are fully geared up for our AleSmith night tomorrow.  On tap right now we have fresh kegs of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (which means we have the Big P – 1/2 Pale and 1/2 Bigfoot), Alaskan Smoked Porter, Stone Double Bastard, Alpine Pure Hoppines and AleSmith My Bloody Valentine.  We also have plenty of new bottles on our list including New Belgium Dark Kriek – a cherry beer from the very limited Lips of Faith program, Russian River Consecration, De Dolle Still Nacht, Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene, Boulevard Quadruple, Hair of the Dog Fred and 3 liter bottles of Russian River Damnation.  The very popular Dansk Viking Blod mead is back in stock as well.

Tonight, Thursday the 12th, we will tap a cask of AleSmith My Bloody Valentine at 5 pm.  And tomorrow, Friday the 13th is our AleSmith Draft night with 6 beers on tap – My Bloody Valentine, Nautical Nut Brown, Horny Devil, IPA, Speedway Stout and Winter YuleSmith!  The guys from AleSmith will be stopping by throughout the evening as well.  It will be a great night of local beer and a great way to spend Friday the 13th!

Over the weekend we will be open normal hours, even on President’s Day.  Saturday the 14th is likely to be a little slow due to Valentine’s day, so if you want to come by when the pub is not crowded, stop by Saturday night and hang out with Micaela.  Sunday we will be open from Noon to 6 pm and Monday the 15th we will be open from 11 am to 10:30 pm.  We will have our regular pitcher specials on Monday night and Fish and Chips and Fish Tacos both Sunday and Monday.

Lindsey now has her delicious beer cheese available To-Go.  She is selling packed 8 ounce tubs and there is a board posted right by the draft list with what flavors are available.  I know we have some of her 5 Cheese Italian Blend with Affligem Blond and Guinness and Cheddar and just created last night – the Alaskan Smoked Porter with Bacon and Green Onion.  The bacon beer meets bacon beer cheese.  Look for some great specialty burgers as well on the specials board with the beer cheese such as the Italian Burger on grilled sourdough with spinach and proscuito.

Next week we will have a keg of Ballast Point’s delicious Victory at Sea on tap Wednesday night at 5:30 pm.  Thursday the 19th we have a double whammy of Alpiine casks – Duet and Boris Imperial Stout.  The stout is just a 5 gallon cask, but the beer is over 10%, so it should be around for a while.  Friday the 20th we will feature some beers from Full Sail Brewing Company.

Looking further ahead, we will host a Palm Brewing night on the 27th with several Belgian beers on tap.  I am planning another Russian River night with not quite as many beers, and hopefully not quite as many people.  More the beers will be in full kegs this time instead of 5 gallon kegs.  And Lindsey’s birthday is coming up on March 6th and what she wanted for her birthday was a keg of Pliny the Younger.  So our next keg of the Younger will be on tap at 11 am on Friday, March 6th.  Yep, lunchtime Younger.  It is evil, but that is just the way life is sometimes.

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

Hello Soccer Fans!

It has been a while since my last email and I apologize.  Our anniversary month kept me very busy – we tapped more than 95 different beers in January.  It was fun while it lasted, but I am glad it is over.  With the UEFA Champions League starting back up in two weeks, you can expect more regular updates again.  This weekend is an FA Cup weekend in England but there is one make up league game.  And if you are getting this email early enough in the afternoon, you can even see the Brazil v. Italy friendly tonight at 8 pm on Fox Soccer Channel.

The big news of course is the start of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying and the opening match of the Hexagonal tournament is USA v. Mexico in chilly Columbus, Ohio.  The game sold out in 30 minutes and this is sure to be a real battle on the field.  The USA is 8-0-2 in the last decade at home versus Mexico.  And rumors are swirling that Mexico boss Sven Goren Erickson might be in consideration for the newly vacant Portsmouth job.  The USA is at full strength with no major injury concerns.  The game kicks off at 4 pm and I will replay it right afterwards around 6:15 pm for the after work crowd.  US Soccer is asking fans to wear red for the game, so come to the pub in red and cheer on the USA!

Here are the upcoming games:

Tuesday, 2/10:

8 pm – Brazil v. Itlay – FSC

Wednesday, 2/11:

11 am – Germany v. Norway – Gol TV

Noon – Argentina v. France – ESPN2

Noon – Japan v. Australia – World Cup Qualifying – FSC – also at 8 pm

4 pm – USA v. Mexico – ESPN2 with a replay at 6:15 pm

5 pm – Iran v. South Korea – FSC

Thursday, 2/12:

3 pm – Ireland v. Georgia – World Cup Qualifying – Setanta

Friday, 2/13:

11:30 am – Hoffenheim v. Bayer Leverkusen – Gol TV

3 pm – Spain v. England – from Wednesday – Setanta

Saturday, 2/14:

On Tape – Swansea v. Fulham, West Ham v. Middlesbrough, Watford v. Chelsea

11:30 am – Napoli v. Bologna – FSC

1:30 pm – Blackburn v. Coventry City – FSC

2:20 pm – IRB Sevens from Petco Park in San Diego

5 pm – Sheffield United v. Hull City – FSC

6:15 pm – Portsmouth v. Manchester City – Make up league game – Setanta

7 pm -Betis v. Barcelona – Gol TV

Sunday, 2/15:

On Tape – Derby v. Manchester United, Everton v. Aston Villa

11:30 am – Inter Milan v. AC Milan – FSC

All Day – IRB Sevens from Petco Park in San Diego

Monday, 2/16:

11 am – Arsenal v. Cardiff City – 4th Round Replay – Setanta – also at 4:45 pm

Wednesday, 2/18:

11:55 am – Manchester United v. Fulham – Setanta – also at 6:30 pm

3 pm – Aston Villa v. CSKA Moscos – UEFA Cup – Setanta

4:45 pm – Werder Bremen v. AC Milan – UEFA Cup – Setanta

8:15 pm – Bordeaux v. Galatasaray – UEFA Cup – Setanta

Thursday, 2/19:

11 am – Shakhtar v. Tottenham – Setanta – also at 5:15 pm

Saturday, 2/21:

On Tape – Bolton v. West Ham, Manchester United v. Blackburn, Aston Villa v. Chelsea, Arsenal v. Sunderland

11:30 am – Palermo v. Juventus – FSC

1:30 pm – Bologna v. Inter Milan – FSC

2 pm – Middlesbrough v. Wigan – Setanta

3:30 pm – Stoke City v. Portsmouth – FSC

3:45 pm – Aston Villa v. Chelsea – Setanta

5:30 pm – Arsenal v. Sunderland – Setanta

Sunday, 2/22:

On Tape – Liverpool v. Manchester City, Fulahm v. West Brom, AC Milan v. Cagliari

Noon – Newcastle v. Everton

2 pm – Napoli v. Genoa

Tuesday, 2/24:

11:30 am – Inter Milan v. Manchester United – ESPN2

11:30 am – Tentatively Arsenal v. Roma – Setanta

2 pm – Lyon v. Barcelona – ESPN Classic

Other games to be on TV announced soon

Wednesday, 2/25:

11:30 am – Chelsea v. Juventus – ESPN2

11:30 am – Tentatively Real Madrid v. Liverpool – Setanta

2 pm – Real Madrid v. Liverpool – ESPN Classic

Other games to be on TV announced soon

Those are the games for now.  More Champions League action on March 10th and 11th.  This week look for AleSmith My Bloody Valentine on cask on Thursday and an AleSmith Draft Night on Friday the 13th!  Lindsey now has her excellent beer cheese available to-go.  Check the pub for current flavors.  Go USA.  Cheers, Tom

Tonight, Friday the 6th we host a Mission Brewery Night with 4 beers on tap – IPA, Blonde, Hefeweizen and Imperial Alt, which is a double version of the brewery’s Alt beer – a German-style Amber.  All of the beers are on tap now and should last through the weekend.

Saturday the 7th we have a keg of Russian River Pliny the Younger at 5 pm.  This time we have a full keg and there will be no TION night.  However, we will have a keg of Consecration and bottles of Beatification and Damnation available in addition to Damantion 3 Liter bottles (which will be 10% off all weekend!).  Sunday we will be open normal hours, Noon to 6 pm.

Next week I will send out a full email detailing our AleSmith night on the 13th which will include a keg of YuleSmith.  My Bloddy Valentine is also on tap right now.  Cask of Bloody Valentine on the 12th at 5 pm.  See you soon.  Cheers, Tom