Hello Nickel Beer Fans!
You can now enjoy our beer in the tasting room every day of the week! We will be open Monday thru Thursday at 2 pm and at 11:30 am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And we will be staying open a little later some night to show Monday, Thursday and Sunday night Football during the NFL season.
Over the Labor Day weekend we will be open extended hours on Monday the 7th from Noon until 6 pm. We will have a taco cart at the brewery from Noon until 5 pm on Saturday serving up delicious tacos and quesadillas. It was a huge hit when it was here in July.
The Candied Apple delivers sandwiches, salads and pizzas every Saturday and Sunday from Noon until 5:30 pm. You are also welcome to bring your own food or picnic to enjoy on the patio. The weather is supposed to be just about perfect this weekend with temperatures in the high 70s.
The Beers
And now on to the good stuff – the beer. The new batch of Apple Pie Ale is on tap and I have given it a slightly different name – Wholly CRAB! Apple Pie Ale. This batch was made with 100% Transcendent Crab Apples from the Volcan Mountain Winery Orchard. The beer has a very pleasant tartness as the crab apples are very acidic. The next batch of Apple Pie is already in the fermenter and it will be a blend of apples and the pears from the brewery property.
By tomorrow, Friday the 4th, we’ll have 3 fresh hop beers brewed with San Diego grown hops. Right now you will find Star B Fresh Hop Pale Ale and My Way Fresh Hop IPA on tap. The Star B Pale was brewed with hops all grown in the Julian area. The majority of the hops came from Star B (mostly Chinook with some Crystal and Neo Mexicanus), Hopportunity Frams (Julian Gold, Nugget) and the local wild hops growing behind the Town Hall. The golden hued Pale is 5.7% and has a very herbal and earthy hop character.
My Way Fresh Hop IPA used Chinook and Cascade from Nopalito Farm in Valley Center with a dry hop of Crystal from Star B Pale. I brewed this 6.3% alcohol IPA to celebrate my 20 years in the San Diego beer business. I went full time at Home Brew Mart in Linda Vista in August of 1995 and I have been following my passion for beer ever since. The flavors evoke the aromas and tastes of stone fruit with a decided peachy note in the finish.
Friday afternoon we will be tapping Green Truck Fresh Hop Double IPA. This beer was brewed with more than 65 pounds of Zeus hops from Nopalito Farm. Zeus is similar to Columbus hops and the beer has big pine and citrus notes with a dry finish. This light colored hop monster clocks in at just over 8% alcohol.
Coming Up and Down the Hill
Right now our 2015 Kupfernickel Barleywine is on tap. I am not sure if the keg will last through the weekend though. If it doesn’t look for something special to take its place. Not sure exactly what as I have several fun options. Whatever it turns out to be, I will post it on the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany
I also have one more fresh hop beer in the fermenter that will be tapped next weekend. It was a collaboration with my friend Scot Blair, owner of Monkey Paw, Hamilton’s and South Park Brewing (a great fish spot if you are into seafood). We decided to take fresh hop beer in a different direction and brew a classic English Bitter. We used Glacier hops from SD Golden Hop Farm in Fallbrook. The beer should be just over 4% alcohol with lots of malt and toffee/caramel flavors blended with the Glacier hops.
If you can’t make it up the hill to taste our fresh hop brews, look for all four of them to be on tap at O’Brien’s in Kearny Mesa a the San Diego Wet Hop Weekend on September 11, 12 and 13. O’Brien’s will be tapping a keg of our Wholly CRAB! Apple Pie Ale tonight (9/3) and it should be on tap soon at Hamilton’s and West Coast Barbecue and Brew as well.
Around Julian you will find our beer on tap at the Grape Stomp Festa at Menghini Winery this Saturday, September 5th. We’ll have Back Country Gold, Wholly CRAB! Apple Pie Ale and Penalty Shot Pale all on tap. We’ll also beer on tap at the Apple Days Festival on September 26th and 27th also at Menghini Winery. Of course the Apple Pie Ale will be on tap at the Apple Days Festival.
That is your Nickel Beer News for now. I have to wish my mom a very happy birthday today! We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer. Cheers, Tom