Hello Nickel Beer Fans!
This sun filled weekend we will release our new IPA, tap a new cask beer and we will have some new brewery merchandise in stock. We’ll also be showing the Chargers v. Chiefs on Sunday at 1:25 pm. And next week we will be open a few extra days to help celebrate the new year. Read on for all of the beer soaked goodness…
On Tap
On Friday the 27th we will tap our newest beer, Volcan IPA. It is a golden colored ale that clocks in at 6.9% alcohol. The beer is hopped with two of my favorite hops – Centennial and Columbus – throughout for bittering, aroma and dry-hopping. I have been dutifully doing quality control on the beer for the past week and I can assure that it is simply delicious. Though not quite 100% carbonated Thursday afternoon, it did not stop me from enjoying a pint full of its piney and citrusy flavors. It will be on tap when we open at 11:30 am on Friday – look for the massive wooden-burl lion’s head tap handle.
Also on Friday you can enjoy our first cask of the grapefruit-tinged Fix It Pale. Crystal is the predominant hop in the beer and it is also the hop that I used in the cask. Cask conditioned beers are unfiltered (as are all of our beers) and naturally carbonated. The lower level of carbonation and serving the cask on a beer engine combine to give the beer a smoothness that is different from normal draft beer. Nitrogen-tapped beers like Guinness are a modern play on the texture and feel of cask beer. I am really excited to see what a little extra hopping does to this already very enjoyable beer.
Our nitro tap will be taken over by a keg of the Devil’s Copper. Nitrogen dispensing makes this hoppy and malty ale super creamy. I have been making up at least one nitrogen infused keg from each batch of beer so far. And though all of the beers are designed to be served with normal CO2, it is fun to see what the nitrogen dispense does to each beer.
Along with these new beers, we’ll also be serving our JPA (Julian Pale Ale), Chinook IPA and Stonewall Stout all weekend. We will have a total of 8 taps flowing all 3 days. I don’t know if we will get it in time to tap this weekend, but we will be serving Julian Hard Cider in the tasting room in the very near future.
More This Weekend
In addition to the great beers look for 3 flavors of Beer Cheese made with our brews. We serve up tubs of the Beer Cheese spread with crackers for just $5 and you can buy the Beer Cheese to go. Look for 3 flavors: Traditional (made with JPA), Cracked Black Pepper (also made with JPA) and Chipotle Cheddar (made with Stonewall Stout). We have been making Beer Cheese at our pub O’Brien’s for a long time and it is very exciting to be able to make it with our own beer.
We just got in our new royal blue men’s shirts at the brewery this week. They have silver and black printing which really emphasizes the coin logo on the back of the shirt. All of our other brewery gear including hats, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts and women’s wear has been re-stocked as well. And we have new, unique item for sale – San Diego Brewery Poker Cards from Craft Company. It is a deck of playing cards and each card has a different brewery logo on it. Nickel Beer made the cut and is featured in the deck. We have them on sale for just $10 tax inclusive. You can check out the cards online at the company’s website: http://craftcompany.org/products/san-diego-county-breweries-poker-deck-of-cards. We have gift certificates too, if you are still in need of a great gift idea.
The ever present threat of blackout has been lifted for the Chargers v. Chiefs game this Sunday at 1:25 pm so we will be able to show it. We’ll know before kick off if the team still has a shot at the playoffs if they win. The Chiefs have already secured a playoff spot and have said that they might rest a few folks. There will be college bowl games on Friday and Saturday so it will be a full weekend of football.
On Sunday I will be brewing our next new beer, Bitter Beer Writer, a collaboration with local beer writer Brandon Hernandez. It will be an ESB-styled beer with British malts and yeast and European hops. I think it will be a great one to taste cask conditioned. And though I swear I did not bribe Brandon to do it, he did name Stonewall Stout as one of the Best New Beers in San Diego for 2013. Read the full article on his San Diego Beer News Blog at: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/dec/19/beer-2013s-best-new-beers/.
Looking Ahead
We will be starting 2014 with some special expanded hours to take advantage of what will likely be a very long holiday weekend. The tasting room will be open 11:30 am to 6 pm on Thursday the 2nd in addition to our regular hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We will also be open for the NCAA Championship Football game on Monday the 6th which kicks off at 5:30 pm between Florida State and Auburn. It will be a Monday night happy hour all night from 4:30 pm when we open until the game is over with $1 off all pints and pitchers of JPA, Devil’s Copper and Fix It Pale for just $13! Expect the tasting room to be open until at least 8:30 pm on Monday the 6th.
I am guessing that the Bitter Beer Writer ESB will be on tap the second weekend in January. Other upcoming beers include a Porter, Extra Pale Ale and Barleywine. The first batch of JPA is nearly gone, but don’t worry, the new batch is nearly ready to go and tasting fantastic. I hope to start selling some beer down in San Diego by the end of January as we fill up our taps at the tasting room. For those down in San Diego, O’Brien’s will have our Fix It Pale on tap when the pub opens at 11 am on Friday the 27th, but no guarantee on how long it will last.
The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend with sunny weather in the low 60s forecast all three days. It should be warm enough to enjoy a beer on our patio (which is dog friendly). You can find our hours, directions and links to places to stay up here all on our website at: http://nickelbeerco.com/. If you stay or shop in Julian, please let the merchants know that you are up here to visit Nickel Beer Company.
If you are thinking about getting some beer to go in one of our 32 or 64 growlers for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. The beer will stay fresh and carbonated if you keep it cold and unopened. Once you open the jugs, it is best to consume the beer the same day so that it does not go flat. Most jugs will last one or two weeks if kept cold and unopened. We can and will fill other brewery’s growlers – the existing brewery name and logo just need to be covered with tape or something similar.
Since this is the last email of 2013, I will wish everyone a very Happy New Year and may your 2014 be filled with happiness and great beer. A very sincere Thank you to all who have supported us during 2013 including our first few weeks open – Lindsey and I very much appreciate it.
That is your Nickel Beer news for now. Please share this email with your beer-loving friends, you can easily forward it with the link at the bottom of the email. You can keep up to date in between emails on our Facebook page – click on the link below. And I even have started a Nickel Beer Co. Twitter account (again, link to it is below). We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer. Cheers, Tom
Tom Nickel
Brewer/Owner