Alesmith X (Extra Pale Ale)

Alesmith X (Extra Pale Ale)Alesmith X Extra Pale Ale is an outstanding example of a pale ale brewed here in San Diego by the masters at Alesmith. This hazy golden beer is 5.5% alcohol, hopped perfectly and absolutely delicious. I consume this brew on a regular basis.

American Pale Ale (APA) is a style of American beer based at least originally on beers of the British pale ale tradition. They are pale to amber in color and generally their flavor and aroma is centered around the citrusy and pine character of American hops with caramel-like malt flavors and fruity esters from the ale yeast playing a supporting role. The style evolved in tandem with a renewed interest in ales and the insurgence of microbreweries in the United States which brought about a new focus on American hops.
- Wikipedia American Pale Ale

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Big Bear Mountain Brewery

Big Bear Mountain Brewery - Fresh BeerBig Bear Mountain Brewery - Yellow BuildingDriving up to Big Bear, I noticed a sign I’ve never seen before “Fresh Beer Brewed Here - 866-BEER”. Wait? There’s a brewery up in Big Bear? How did I not know this? Needless to say, I had to check it out before I went back home. It took a little convincing to get the crew interested in heading out, but I was able to wrangle a couple of guys for the mission.

Big Bear Mountain Brewery is located at 40260 Big Bear Blvd, 92315 in a large light yellow building. It’s hard to miss if you know it’s there, it’s the only yellow building in the area.

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Liars’ Club Alpine Tavern & Grill

Liar’s Club Alpine Bar & GrillThe San Diego beer scene took a bit of a hit when the Liars’ Club closed its doors late last year. We were shocked and saddened by the news. Lots of rumors are floating around as to the exact reason it happened, but we won’t get into that here. The good news, they’ve reopened into a much larger, much nicer location in Alpine.

Last night Jorge, Gretty and I dared the drive out 8 East about 630pm. There was light traffic and we made it from my driveway (La Mesa) to parked in the back of their lot in under 15 minutes! I’ve spent over 15 minutes looking for parking at the old location.

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The Tap Room

The Tap Room LogoWhile waiting for Ugly Bill a few Fridays ago, Matt and I ventured to the Tap Room for lunch. We had been there once before to try and watch a football game, but it was so packed, we left right away. This time, it was much quieter.

The Tap Room is your typical Pacific Beach bar (albeit newer and cleaner than most.) Lots of seating, multiple TVs, beach-themed decor, and ditzy, SDSU-student waitresses.

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Stone 11th Anniversary Ale

Stone 11th Anniversary AleThe Stone 11th Anniversary Ale does not disappoint. Weighing in at a hefty 8.7% you may assume it’s too big for your likings, don’t judge this beer by the numbers. The 11th Anniversary carefully balances many flavors to come up with a very enjoyable beer.

“The inspiration for making a Black IPA (or should we say “India Black Ale/ IBA”?) has been over a year in the making. As soon as we wrapped up the brewing of the Stone 10th Anniversary IPA, we started brainstorming ideas for the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, and the Black IPA concept was born. This was a challenging brew to formulate and achieve what we considered the ideal flavor balance of intense up-front hops with balanced roasted malt flavors, a deep, rich flavor, and a hearty bitterness…”
Mitch Steele
Stone Head Brewer

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The Aero Club

aero clubAhh, the Aero Club. We’ve all seen it, and we’ve all thought the same thing passing it on the 5 North. “What the hell kind of dive is that?” That’s were you would be wrong. Matt and I were pleasantly surprised to see that The Aero Club has it’s act together.

The beer selection isn’t incredible by any means, but adequate for a weeknight bar run. The bartender was super cool, pretty well informed about beer and just a little smarmy(just the way we lik em’) They had a good selection of music playing, and the place never felt pretentious or “scenester”

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C-Level

C-Level : Views to dine forSo the WTF crew went to C-Level last Friday night. I have to say that I’ve got a bit of an obsession with C-Level. Well, more to the point, I have an obsession with their Kobe beef burgers, but I digress. I’ve always had a great time there and this was no exception. After the debaucle that occured at The Linkery, we were hoping to have an easier night. When we arrived we were told it was going to be 30 minute wait, and like normal human beings he headed to the bar. Matt had the Stone Smoked Porter *awesome* and I had the Stone IPA. *also awesome* The girls, well, they had something sweet… Surprisingly, we got our table much earlier then expected and still had our first drinks, badass!

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The Linkery

The Linkery SignWhatever could go wrong, went absolutely horribly wrong. The Linkery’s entryway is full of their positive reviews and various awards they have received. This review will not be among them.

Somehow I knew that this night wasn’t going to be entirely enjoyable. Before heading to G’s house I had to make a pit-stop at the local ATM. I pull up to the machine, slip my card in, and press the “English” button. Then I wait, nothing happens. Hit “Cancel” nothing. “Spanish”, nada. The machine was completely locked up, thank you Diebold (and these idiots run our election?)!! After waiting for the system to timeout, the machine finally ejects my card. Onward to dinner…

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O’Briens Pub

O’Briens Pub Logo O’Briens Pub is our favorite place to grab some unique beers and excellent food. It’s not exactly a sports bar but they do show many soccer tournaments and Chargers games on their wide array of TVs. The large outdoor patio is the perfect spot to enjoy your food & beer while hanging out with your furry friends. Their massive bottle list and extensive tap selection boggles the mind.

Gretchen and I head here at least twice a month (sometimes more), our last visit was for the Chargers vs Packers game. The bar was about 60% full for the game with almost everyone cheering for the Chargers (minus Gretchen and some random old dude).

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The Ritual Tavern

Ritual TavernAfter hearing about this new place via Liar’s Club, Matt and I finally got around to checking it out. Located at 4095 30th St in North Park, The Ritual Tavern is a pretty nice place. Actually, a lot nicer than I expected. It has two areas: a small bar area, with access to an outdoor patio, and a more formal “dining” room, complete with candles and white tablecloths. Pretty fancy schmancy for a tavern!

The beverage list is fairly expansive, including local brews, imported bottles, and even some wines. Read more »

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