Archive: Aug 2012

We’ve already covered how to dip your toe in the unfamiliar waters of wine if you’re a beer lover. Now if you’re a wine-drinker trying to unravel the mysteries of beer, we can help you! We have consulted the greatest craft beer experts of our time, who by a lucky coincidence work here, at San Diego Beer and Wine Tours, for ways to navigate the seas of San Diego’s craft beer scene with ease. If you love deep, plummy reds like pinots, we think a darker beer with coffee notes will be right up your alley, like Alesmith’s Nautical Nut Brown Ale. (We love this beer!) A stout or a porter, like Rogue’s Chocolate Stout, will also make your palate sing. If you like your wines (reds or whites) really dry, you’ll probably love bitter ales like IPAs. One of…

  Let’s say you’re a beer lover trying to figure out what all the fuss is about wine. We recommend going by the beers you love, of course. The good news is, if you're a microbrew fan you're already well on the way to learning to appreciate the nearly-infinite varieties of wines!   If you love ales or lagers: Try dry white wines such as Napa Valley or Sonoma chardonnays, such as the Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay. The dryness and mouthfeel of the wine will provide a tasty and familiar way to quench your thirst on hot days. If you love bitters or IPAs, you're already learned to that astringency is your friend, so sip on a verdicchio.  Tannins should also be a treat for you, so try a bordeaux on for size. If you love stouts: You want more…

At San Diego Beer and Wine Tours we delight in the the "Dog Days" of summer because we know how to beat the heat.  In southern California it has been really, really, really hot– How do you stay cool in heat like this? If you're looking for ideas, as usual, we have plenty. Hamilton's Tavern.  Dark, comfortable, and cool in every sense of the world, Hamilton's has an enormous beer selection, good food, “Firkin Fridays,” where they open up a cask – and most importantly of all, Hamilton's has a hard-working AC. While you're there, explore the lovely community of South Park, which has plenty of low-key watering holes where you can sample fabulous local craft beers.  If you want a fresh sea breeze to cool your sweaty brow, we love the La Valencia Hotel's balcony bar overlooking La Jolla Cove. The…