San Diego Beer and Wine Tours says Change is Good! (Part II)

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 our recent favorites is Green Flash’s Palate Wrecker.  It’s really, really, really bitter, but also has a lot of spicy and citrusy elements to it. It’s called Palate Wrecker, by the way, because it is so astringent that you can’t taste anything else while you’re drinking it. Stone Ruination IPA is another good one – but don’t try it first in a flight!

For those of you who like your wines sweet and light, stay with me here. As counterintuitive as it might seem, we think you will love sour beers. Their fruity notes and complexity fade into a sweet aftertaste. Consider starting with Lost Abbey’s Red Poppy Ale as your entree into the world of sours,  especially if you like cherries.

We hope this helps you get started in the brave new world of beer tasting. After all, San Diego is the craft beer capital of the world – might as well make the most of it.

Onward!

Brooke “Hoppiness is a state of mind” B.