ipa

Labor Day is almost upon us again – already!  It’s been an odd year, thanks to an El Nino that has kept things unseasonably warm, but now that warm weather is going to be a blessing, because this is the official weekend Americans love to get out and fire up their barbecue. Burgers are the traditional grilled food of choice, but there’s no need to worry too much about pairing your beer to your food. Since Labor Day is a time to hang around outside with friends, consider pairing your drinks to the weather instead! Since the odds are that it’s going to be a warm day, stock up on light beers with light flavors and a relatively low alcohol content so that you don’t get thirsty and end up taking an impromptu nap and missing the party! IPAs, or…

We officially entered summer in the northern hemisphere this week! So far it’s looking like a wonderfully mild summer – the stuff dreams of people who aren’t lucky enough to live here are made of.  It also is looking more and more likely that we’re entering an El Nino season, which means we might not have to worry so much about drought in the near future.  Hooray! So now that we’ve finished talking about the weather, let’s talk about what makes the summer so special in southern California – specifically, San Diego. If you think it’s because of the beer, give yourself a gold star.  It’s definitely the beer! Summer is when all the best local IPAs start to really shine, and they really are the best local IPAs.  West Coast IPAs were born and perfected right here in San Diego….

This man just found out he's not drinking craft beer for Superbowl Sunday. Superbowl Sunday is approaching with the speed of an overcaffeinated runningback and we are ready! How about you? Not ready, you say? Well, with this quick and easy primer, you will be as well.  We're assuming for the purpose of this discussion that you are serving the normal Superbowl Sunday munchies: chips, dips, guacamole, et cetera.  And you don't want to bust out the big beer, and who can blame you?  Try these more nuanced brews on for size. First of all, the best thing to drink with salty, cheesy snacks is a good thirst-quenching beer with a bold and hoppy flavor, like an IPA. San Diego is famous for its IPAs!  Apparently, it's our water.  Or else it's just San Diego's inherent awesomeness. Whatever the reason,…

Hey baby, it's nearly the Fourth of July.  We love this time of year! The days are at their longest and warmest and everybody is in a party mood for Independence Day.  We prefer the annual San Diego rite of passage of heading out to the beach, where you can barbecue next to the surf, but really, there's fun to be had just about anywhere! We know that you're probably going to have a cookout, so we won't waste our time recommending food.  You know what to do. What we have done, however, is once again sampled some of San Diego's finest in order to help you best pair your favorite local brews with your meals! We'll start off with an oldie, but a goodie – a classic in the vibrant world of San Diego's beer scene: Karl Strauss's Red…

 The long Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer here in San Diego, and this is the first weekend of the year that beaches are well and truly packed with slowly reddening bodies roasting in the late-May sun. Speaking of barbecues, potlucks are an unofficial Memorial Day tradition along with – you guessed it – beer!  Here are our beer suggestions for your celebration: In hot weather, light beer reigns supreme; it's best for keeping you cool on sunny days. We recommend the wonderfully named Witch's Wit from The Lost Abbey, which includes grapefruit, orange, and coriander.  And let's not forget hops. Stone IPA is one of San Diego's iconic IPAs, and it's perfect for a backyard picnic. Taking it down a notch, hefeweizen is a nice accompaniment to the coleslaw and ambrosia that somebody inevitably brings to…

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

Beer dinner at PB Ale House 12/8/11 This was an amazing meal with expert food pairings by the chef at PB Ale House.   After being seated next to Karl, clearly a regular based on the number of hugs from the beautiful wait staff, and Ballast Point’s very own sales person Laura Slayter, things got underway quickly.  We were early so PB Ale House offered up a sampler of their own and for the life of me I cannot remember what it was, however it was a tasty start. For the first course we got to dive into BP’s Abandon Ship Smoked Lager. Yum, it was hard to not drink it all before the food pairing arrived, but arrive it did and it paired nicely.  It was a Brioche Monte Cristo with La Quercia Prosciutto and New York White Cheddar…