Novem-beer in San Diego

The month of November brings several can't-miss beer celebrations

On the heels of being named the best beer city in America by Men’s Journal, San Diego’s celebrating suds throughout November. The inaugural San Diego Beer Week is November 6–15 and, although it’s been in the works for months, it’ll no doubt be seen as a celebration of our city’s newfound claim to fame.

Partaking in the celebration won’t be difficult — more than 200 events (seriously) are going on at local restaurants, bars and outdoor events all celebrating craft beer. Especially those brewed in San Diego.

“Cities like Philly, Chicago and San Francisco all have a beer week,” says Scot Blair, Hamilton’s Tavern owner and member of the San Diego Brewers Guild. “This is our way of saying, ‘We have the best city in the nation for craft beer — the breweries are amazing and the places to drink great craft beer are amazing’ — so why don’t we do a beer week?”

The celebration kicks off with the sixth annual San Diego Brewers Guild Festival Friday and Saturday, November 6–7 at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park, where up to 23 local breweries will be pouring and pairing beer with food while musical acts entertain.

Yet Beer Week isn’t just about massive festivals. It’s as subtle and accessible as Stone offering specials at Round Table Pizza. While beer celebrations invariably cater to aficionados, one of Beer Week’s goals is to indulge people who aren’t in the know.

“The palates of people have changed, and beer is the new wine,” says Blair. “We’re making it accessible. Now the person who was drinking Bud Light on the couch is saying ‘Wow, what’s this brewery?’”

One of Blair’s more anticipated events is Hamilton’s re-creation of Mission Beach’s defunct Liars’ Club November 12, including the menu, the beer lineup and selections from the Liars’ Club’s famed jukebox.

“It was one of the best beer bars in America and we’re sad that it’s gone, but we’re gonna re-create it for one day,” says Blair.

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Unrelated to Beer Week, but no less monumental, is the La Jolla Historical Society’s Antique Brewery Fest November 21. This is a chance for beer geeks to sample from family or abbey-owned breweries in Belgium, England, Scotland, Germany and the Czech Republic, and to learn of beer’s fascinating history in the Old World. It’s a fund-raising event for the society so admission isn’t cheap, but with catering by Giuseppe’s, a souvenir glass to take away and the Continent’s greatest beers, this evening is worth any price for those who appreciate the finer brews in life.

Info for San Diego Beer Week can be found at sdbw.org, the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival at sandiegobrewersguild.org, and the Antique Brewery Fest at lajollahistory.org.

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