Breweries

We at San Diego Beer and Wine Tours love this time of year. We are a truly international group, so our holiday memories range from bundling up and playing in the snow to shopping for Christmas presents under a relentless drizzle to merely switching from a spring suit to a full wetsuit before going surfing. There's one thing we can all agree on around here, though – it's one of the best times of the year! This year, winter has hit San Diego hard, bringing rains and chilly temperatures. That means we have the perfect excuse to wear our favorite scarves and curl up on the couch with blankets and our favorite novels. If you don't see what all the fuss about winter is about, let us help. We have some truly tasty ideas for warming up from the inside…

`Tis the season for giving. While we think that nothing is better than the gift of a winery train tour, chauffeured tour, or a beer tasting tour through beautiful San Diego, we also like to give back. In fact, it's one of the things we're most proud of! Did you know that a portion of all of our money made goes to San Diego's underprivileged children and teens, and another portion goes to people struggling with health or financial challenges? So every time you buy a tour, you're not just having a great time, you're also helping out people who need it.   If you prefer to donate directly, here are some of our favorite charities:   Summit4StemCell, tour guide Marti's organization of choice, is part of the Parkinson's Association of San Diego and supports non-embryonic stem cell research in…

San Diego Beer and Wine Tours invites you to join us November 14-18, 2012, for the week-long wine and culinary celebration: San Diego Wine and Food on the Bay's 9th Annual Classic! It's San Diego's premiere event for foodies and oenophiles, and that means we'll be there. Join San Diego Beer and Wine Tours for a great time with star sommeliers, wine makers, beer mavens, and some of the biggest names in the culinary arts. Be sure to stop by and sample the superb local wines by winemaker Tony Tiso of La Serenissima Vineyards, Warner Springs, San Diego (love your wines Tony!) and Bernard Guillas Executive Chef of La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club (mmm…Bernard you keep us coming back for more).   There will also be a taste-off for the "Chef-of-the-Fest" competition and some of San Diego's famous food trucks.  It'll be five days of…

Temperatures have dropped, the wind is blowing gustily, and San Diego has even seen a few chilly and rainy days. That means it's truly fall, the holidays are on their way, and it's time to start planning for the annual autumn feast, Thanksgiving.   While everybody knows the story of the beleaguered pilgrims seeking a more free way of life, the story of Thanksgiving would be remiss if we did not mention beer's role in it.  Beer, with its natural antimicrobial properties, was a dietary staple on ships in those days; as it was boiled, it was purer than most of the water that was available at the time, and because of its alcohol content it was not prone to going bad on long voyages. In fact, part of the reason the Mayflower established a colony at Plymouth Rock and…

We're now less than a week away from one of the most hotly-anticipated events of the beer world.  San Diego Beer Week is a way for San Diegans to celebrate the amazing beer culture surrounding us, and for people all over the world who are visiting spectacular San Diego.  Celebrate BEER WEEK with us at San Diego Beer and Wine Tours with the Ultimate Beer & Food Walking Tour. Beer Week starts November 2nd, and runs through the 11th. Yeah, we know, that's nearly a week and a half, but who's counting?  Its official kickoff event is the San Diego Brewer's Guild Festival on Saturday, November 3rd, when Mayor Jerry Sanders will help tap the first keg.  The rest of the long week is studded with all kinds of beer-related events, pairing classes, brewery showcases, and Q&A with some of the…

O'zapft is! Greetings, fellow beer lovers! As you're probably already well aware, Oktoberfest kicked off in Bavaria over the weekend. October is one of the best months for cerevisaphiles and those who love them for many reasons. First, you get all the wonderful fall ales and pumpkin-brewed specials. Second, the cooler weather just makes beer taste better – we don't know why, but it does. Instead of watching the leaves turn around here, we just watch the new brews appear. The most important reason why October is one of the best months for beer lovers is Oktoberfest, and all the good things that come with it! Since we're not in Munich, we can't attend the biggest fair in the world – but we can fake it by drinking our favorite traditional Oktoberfest brew. You probably already know about the Oktoberfests…

Let’s talk about the top best things to do in San Diego. Utter the words San Diego to a person from out of the area and immediately images of palm trees, beaches and pristine weather fill the imagination. To so many, San Diego means visiting some of the most beautiful beaches in California, but this city has so much more to offer for a holiday getaway or staycation. Great activities abound. You’ve heard of a beach vacation yes, but how about a “beer vacation”? To describe San Diego as a Mecca for craft and micro brews is an understatement. A more accurate description would be: The Land of Fantastic Beer. San Diego’s beer history dates back to 1989, when Karl Strauss opened the area’s first brewpub in over 50 years, and it was only a matter of time until other…

San Diego Beer and Wine Tours is pleased and proud to announce that we'll be part of the 18th Annual San Diego Festival of Beer on September 21st!  If you've never been to the San Diego Festival of Beer, you're in for a treat.  It's in the heart of San Diego's historic downtown area, conveniently located next to the Santa Fe Depot so you can just step off the train or trolley and walk over.  There are always great bands, fun people, and – of course – the best selection of the tastiest beers in the craft beer capital of the world.  The festival begins at 6pm and goes to 11, featuring the best from more than sixty local and not-so-local breweries, macro, micro, and nano, from Green Flash and Stone in San Diego, to Phoenix's Old World and Sea Dog…

It's September, the time the weather changes and the leaves start to turn (okay, maybe not so much around southern California, but we're practicing poetic license here) and stores sell out of backpacks and notepads. San Diego Beer and Wine Tours are champions of education and learning.  While we celebrate going back to school, whether you're heading off to college or graduate school or sending your kids to kindergarten, we don't think that education needs to stop when you leave the classroom.  We also think that learning should be fun.  In that spirit, we're offering $5 off our San Diego Wine Country Tour or our Beer and Food Walking Tour.  Not only will you be learning the history of San Diego's craft beer and wine, we'll also throw in some brewery and vintner science and before you know it, you'll…

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…