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Happy Independence Day! Today's the day the United States formally declared its independence from Great Britain, way back in 1776.  Fourth of July celebrations include displaying the American flag, parades, and fireworks, not to mention the all-important barbecues. All of those are wonderful, but we’d like to suggest a slightly different way of celebrating this great day. If you are thinking, “Hmmm, we bet this involves beer,” you’d be absolutely right.  Here’s our idea for a patriotic afternoon of leisurely local craft beer sippin’: Green Flash Hop Head Red (1 bottle) Avery Brewing Company’s White Rascal (1 bottle) Repeat as necessary.  The red ale and white beer represent, of course, the red and white stripes of our great nation’s flag.  But what about the blue? we can hear you asking now.  That took some special legwork, and you have to go…

Did you know that June is San Diego Craft Beer Month?   Yes, we know it's almost over. We have been out sampling all the delights San Diego's beer scene has to offer! But if you've missed it so far, don't worry.  There's still a solid week of events left, and plenty of beer to go around.  Here's a smattering of them. If you like beer flights – and who doesn't? – stop by Carnita's Snack Shack in North Park. Their tastings are $7 per flight, every night, and always local beers.  And they're all delicious!  Try some of their food, too. Modern Times Brewery is dropping a new beer this week, just ahead of its first anniversary party next month.  What a year it's been for them! If you haven't tried out their beer before, now's the time. No,…

Happy Father's Day! Today's the day that we stop to thank our fathers for doing their part to bring us into the world – and raise us! Did you know that Father's Day isn't a very old holiday? In 1972, then-president Richard Nixon signed a proclamation that made the day a federal holiday. So Father's Day is probably younger than your dad, which means he labored away, unappreciated, for years before there was finally a day delegated just for him.  We'd love to make up for that, so we found this list of Dad-themed craft brews he can try out. Better yet, we've also put together a special beer tour just for him. (You can come too, of course!  In fact, we'd love to see you there.)  We love our moms, but we don't think dads get as much thanks as they…

Memorial Day is a day we honor all our military women and men. Originally, it was called Decoration Day, where you would visit graves of loved ones who had been killed in action, strewing flowers over their tombstones. Over time, though, it became a way to celebrate anyone who served in the armed forces, alive or dead. Today, Memorial Day is not only a way to give thanks to our loved ones who serve in the military, but it also marks the unofficial start of summer. “May Gray” might be here, but in San Diego's temperate climate, that's no excuse not to fire up the barbecue and have a beer with your family and friends. Just make sure it's craft beer, because you don't want to deprive anybody of the best brews in the world. As a matter of fact, some breweries…

We're not gonna lie – Earth Day is one of our favorite days of the year around here. Since our inception, we've been all about saving the planet.  Just check out some of the information on our carbon-footprint-reducing train tours and our emphasis on buying local! By the way, if you're a beer and wine nut, one of the best things you can do is buy locally.  It's not just that you'll get better beer and wine, even though you will, or feel more connected to the local environment while you sip, even though you are.  No, the best reasons to drink locally is twofold: first, you're supporting our vibrant Californian wine and beer culture and keeping local jobs coming, and second – and this is a biggie –  by directly supporting all the local brews, you're reducing the enormous,…

There's no such thing as a perfect child. Admit it – you were a brat growing up just like all the rest of us. Do you see those grey hairs on your mom? Those are your fault, every single last one of them. That time you came home three hours late without calling? The time you got under the sink and tried to eat Drano? How about the time you brought home that really inappropriate “friend” in high school? Oh, we know. We've all been there. At this point, the only appropriate question is, “How can I make this up to my mom?” The answer is simple: with wine. That's why we at San Diego Beer and Wine Tours have put together a wonderful Mother's Day gift to help you apologize for all those months as a kid you spent…

Today is April Fool's Day, also called “The Worst Day on the Internet.” In an age where just about anything can go viral, and gullibility is compounded by clickbait, it's best not to trust anything for the next 24 hours or so. We promise to not be part of this trend. We, instead, embrace an original rite of spring, the "renewal festival," which occurred in many cultures throughout the world and were characterized by lighthearted pranks and a temporary reversal of the accepted social order. (Yes, we know that the whole mockery mess supposedly began when France shifted from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one somewhere in the 16th century, thereby switching the New Year to January 1st instead of April, but we prefer the friendlier origin story.) So, we are taking this opportunity to announce that we are…

Happy Spring! The vernal equinox is the first day of spring. That’s when the day and night are roughly equal in length. Now nighttime is just going to keep getting shorter, until we’re at summer’s glorious peak! Not that springtime in San Diego is anything to sneeze at, unless you’re allergic to pollen, of course. In fact, it’s one of the most gloriously beautiful times of the year here, with rare flowers popping out of the desert and cherry blossoms adorning Balboa Park. It’s also a great time of year to sit outside and sip some light springtime wines. We recommend light-bodied wines. Here are a few to try: Prosecco is a light and sparkly wine, and at its best it’s fruity without being oversweet.  It’s also quite wallet-friendly, running about $10 a bottle. Perfect for sipping with or without…

  Statue of Dionysius, the Roman god of wine and the harvest. Also the most fun god. True story. Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue shriller than all the music Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear. Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March. Caesar: What man is that? Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.  March 15th supposed to be a day that bad things are bound to happen.  The phrase "beware the ides of March" comes, like so many other things in the English language, from Shakespeare.  There's actual history behind the saying. As you may have guessed, March 15th is the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated, setting the stage for the Roman Republic to become the Roman Empire.  But the middle of March wasn't…

Above photo courtesy of my dear friend and neighbor, please respect the ownership of this photo and do not distribute, thank you-Shira Bliss Top o’ the Irish to ya! There aren’t many things we love more than beer, food, and wine, but if there was anything that went with them it would be dogs. “Hardly a bar in Ireland didn’t have a dog,” says our own Shira Bliss, ” and I’d love to see more of that in the US.” Shira’s our resident Ireland expert – after all, she was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saint Patrick’s Day! You can’t get much more Irish than that. San Diego is one of the most dog-friendly cities in the world, so in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day we’ve compiled a list of places you and the pooch can go tip…