This New Year’s Eve I will be hosting a party at our new house. I’m looking forward to having my close friends over and not waiting in line somewhere, paying a cover fee, bumping into people and waiting over an hour to find a cab (or actually never finding a cab).
At our house this year, we will have a few delectable appetizers (chosen to pair with our drinks of course), wine and champagne and for our beer-loving friends, we are offering anything from funky, hoppy beers to light, “Blue Moon” types. Here’s a list of my top five picks for beer, my friend’s favs and some stores in San Diego where you can buy some of the best beers.
MY TOP FIVE BEERS FOR THIS NYE
- HITACHINO NEST BEER, White Ale – I had this recently at the East Village Asian Diner in Encinitas. It went very well with our food, it was mild, slightly hoppy and had a slight citrus taste with a nutmeg aroma.
- ALLAGASH BREWING COMPANY, Allagash White – This is a Belgian Style Wheat beer. Also with citrus notes and light and refreshing like the Hitachino White Ale. I had this beer while enjoying brunch at Prep Kitchen in Del Mar. The beer was medium bodied, a little velvety and not heavy. It went very well with Prep Kitchen’s Smoked Chicken Salad and the Tuna Melt (let it be noted they make their tuna salad in house with fresh poached Albacore, followed with remoulade, caramelized onions & aged gouda).
- GREEN FLASH BREWING COMPANY, Palate Wrecker – Described by Esquire as a “rollercoaster of floral and biscuit-y aromas, followed by a wallop of piney hops.” That’s about right. I tried this at Hamilton’s Tavern and loved it! Palate Wrecker “was originally brewed for the Hamilton’s Tavern 2nd Anniversary celebration.” Green Flash is located right here in San Diego.
- RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING COMPANY, Pliny the Elder – This is a Double India Pale Ale. It’s so intense, so hoppy, but it’s clean, and not overly-malty. I like this beer like the others because it’s big on taste, not too much alcohol and it doesn’t make you feel heavy.
- VICTORY BREWING COMPANY, Prima Pils – I had this at Small Bar, another favorite bar in San Diego. This is
hoppy (like I prefer most of the time) yet it is also refreshing. It has a light golden yellow color, a light sweetness with a slightly dry finish.
FRIEND’S BEER
And what do my friends like? Sharing favorite brands/varietals of beers, cocktails, wines and champagnes with friends is almost as exciting as when we used to play Barbies in the backyard (or when my Brother would actually let me play Atari with him). Here are my friend’s favs:
- “Ballast Point Indra Kunindra! So complex and perfectly spiced!” Bridget Coulter Cheslock
- “Delirium. Belgium beer. Its rich and tasty. Caramel flavors with a crispness. Its a heavyweight. And u got to love the high alcohol content. Had it at Small bar in university heights.” Monika Litch
- “Pale 31 is my go to American Pale Ale. It’s aroma hop forward with nice citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon coupled with a piney backdrop. The malt comes into play to balance this all out, leaving very little hop harshness and bitterness. It’s meant to be a session beer and it delivers! The accolades for this beer are endless.” Todd Malloy of FIRESTONE WALKER BREWING CO.
- “Right now I’m really liking The Dandy from Societe. It’s a good alternative to the hyper-hopped IPAs floating around out there. It’s lower alcohol and not as heavy which makes it easier to have a few without getting wasted. Also like Old Rasputin from North Coast on a nitro tap. It’s just a big, rich, bad a** stout.” Terry Taylor
- “Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Incredibly balanced & sleek. I had in a bottle at my place. Usually see the 90 Minute on tap & it’s legit, but there’s just something about the 60…” Mark J. West
- “Wookey Jack from Firestone Walker out of Paso Robles. It made the “Beers of 2013″ list from Draft Magazine.” Tara
Some great beers there. And I especially like the write up about the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (something for the beer aficionados): “60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped — more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?) 60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it’s the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!” Ahh this is great. Beer to me is like hard rock or sometimes folk rock music. Wine is like poetry. I love beer but I am a bit more of a wine fan, and especially love the way some winemakers talk about how they create and produce. Reading up on beer is just as fun. So next time you introduce your friends to a new beer – read up about the beer online. Here’s another great example of how the winemakers talked about Wookey Jack, Tara’s favorite beer:
“Wookey Jack is our first foray into the dark outer world of black IPAs. Rich dark malts and spicy rye careen into bold citrus laden hops creating a new dimension in IPA flavor. This brew has been left unfiltered and unfined to retain all of its texture and character. At 80 IBUs, Wookey Jack is gnarly on the outside yet complex and refined on the inside.”
IN SAN DIEGO? BUY YOUR BEER HERE:
Lovelywinehealthyfood 