Holiday

Father's Day was created to complement Mother's Day, and it is celebrated internationally throughout the year.  Here in the United States, Father's Day falls on the third Sunday in June.   The “Mother of Father's Day” in theUnited States was Sonora Smart Dodd, whose father raised her and her siblings after their mother died in childbirth.  She began trying to make it an official holiday back in 1909. It quickly caught on, and now fathers all over the world are honored for their contribution to families. Personally, we think that there is no better way to honor your father than by treating him to the delectable foods, wines, and beers we offer at our walking tours or our train tours.  After all, fatherhood is thirsty work! Brooke B., Cerevisaphile

  Werewolves, take note! The biggest and brightest moon of the year will be making an appearance for Cinco de Mayo. The full moon has had a dangerous reputation for centuries. Women have “moon babies,” people lose their minds, and emergency rooms fill up with people suffering from strange and exotic injuries, or at least that's how the old wives' tales go. Tales of crazy behavior and the moon's phases are so inextricably intertwined that they spawned the word “lunatic,” which comes from the Latin word luna, meaning, of course, moon. We don't think any of this is a bad thing. In fact, we think that this is a great time to go a little crazy! Come howl at the supermoon with us and we'll show you the best places to let your lunatic flag fly: Join us for the Cinco de…

Mother’s Day is coming up on the 13th, and we’re here to help!  If you’re looking for the perfect gift, look no further – our beer and wine tours will make your mother’s day. Dark beers were once known as”mother’s milk,” because hospitals in Ireland once gave stouts to expectant and nursing mothers to increase their milk…

Happy Cinco de Mayo! May 5th is a holiday that owes a lot to beer. First and foremost, it’s the day that commemorates the long-shot defeat of well-equipped French forces by the far scrappier Mexican soldiers in 1862, and whether beer was involved at the time is anyone’s guess. Cinco de Mayo, a minor holiday…

Tired of wine? Neither are we. But here’s a different way to enjoy Easter dinner: pairing it with craft beers. Since San Diego is a beer aficionado’s dream, we didn’t need to look too far to find local brews to sample with your food. Here are a few suggestions: Eggs or egg based dishes – Weissbier or wheat beer works well with eggs’ characteristic flavors. Try pairing with Wahoo Wheat Beer from Ballast Point or Windansea Wheat Hefeweizen from Karl Strauss. Ham – darker ales or lagers pair well with the smoky sweetness of Easter ham by offsetting the saltiness and amplifying other flavors. Try San Diego Dark Session Ale from Alesmith Brewing Company or Ugly, an American-style black ale from Alpine Beer Company. Lamb – Trappist ales or Abbey ales work well with the more delicate and lean flavor…

“Mr. and Mrs. Bliss, please follow me.” With that, we were welcomed into a palace. Paul Anthony, my partner in love and business, and I had a delightful Valentine’s dinner this year at the Addison Grand Del Mar. I’ve traveled all over the world and eaten many fine meals, but this was hands down the best meal I’ve ever had! The first thing I noticed and loved was the quiet of the place. The Addison is large and spacious, with fireplaces in each room, an open floor plan, and a huge, exquisite wine cellar. Despite the size of the place, we were seated in a luxurious private booth and treated as if we were the only people there. The wine director, Jesse Rodriguez, was brilliant, helping us choose our aperitif drinks and directing us through the menu. Because we felt…

It’s a great day to make soup. Here’s a tasty recipe that’s easy and full of delicious minerals! Yellow Lentil Soup Boil lentils in 3x the water. Turn off stove and let sit 2 hrs. Drain and rinse. Make broth by simmering veggies of choice with water, kombu (dried seaweed), dried mushrooms, garlic, onions, bayleaf, dried herbs such as thyme. Cook the lentils with the broth. Add sweet potato chunks last half hour of cooking. When done add salt, pepper and little curry powder and WeOlive olive oil. Cook for another 10 mins. Serve with warm crusty rye bread and butter and an IPA (my current fav is Lagunitas Hop Stoopid). Join us on a beer and food walking tour and taste some great local IPAs. -Shira Bliss, Lentil Lover

Orange poppies and purple iceplants are popping along the freeways, flocks of wild parrots are screeching like monkeys, and butterflies are happily fluttering around under a flawless blue sky – spring has arrived in southern California!   March 21st is a day known as the Vernal Equinox, when day and night are roughly the same length….

Saint Patrick's Day is on its way, and it's bringing a brand-new BEER TRAIN TOUR with it! Come celebrate the luck of the Irish with us as we sample the best brews San Diego has to offer. And in keeping with St. Patty’s Day, Go GREEN by traveling with us on this exciting beer tour…

Ask us about our Saint Patrick’s Day tours! Leap into something new, turn your routine on its ear, and have fun doing it! That isn’t just a suggestion – it’s part of a long and storied tradition. Leap years, as you probably know, occur only in years divisible by four (or, in the case of a brand-new century, by 400.) The extra day that gets added onto the end of February helps synchronize the Gregorian calendar with the solar year, keeping important dates, such as the spring equinox, from drifting off into other seasons. Since it is out of the ordinary, the Leap Year is also the subject of colorful folklore. In the British Isles, back when gender roles were much stricter, February 29 th was traditionally the only day that women could propose marriage to men; if he turned…