Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

We have a number of things going on this week for St. Patrick’s Day both up in Julian and down the hill in San Diego.  I also have news on the upcoming Taste of Julian in April and the Rhythm and Brews Festival in Vista.

Tapping Today

At the tasting room we now have 3 versions of the C.C. O’Neill’s Irish Red on tap in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  C.C. O’Neill’s is named for my very Irish bar owning great grandfather who lived in Minnesota in the early 1900s.  We have the regular draft version and a keg tapped on nitrogen – the same way that Guinness Stout is dispensed – giving the beer a creamy head and a smooth finish.  For the third version, I took charred oak chips and soaked them in whiskey for two weeks before adding the whiskey addled oak chips to a keg of the beer.  The effect is subtle but unmistakable with a pleasant woodsy-vanilla flavor in the finish that leaves a hint of whiskey aftertaste.  All 3 versions will be available when we open at 2 pm today.  We also have Stonewall Stout, Filthy Paws Porter and our Constantine’s Russian Imperial Stout for those looking for something dark.

Down the hill we will have a Nickel Beer Night at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa featuring Volcan IPA, Devil’s Copper and C.C. O’Neill’s Irish Red.  West Coast will be tapping a 5 gallon keg of the Whiskey Soaked Oak Chip Irish Red on Thursday for St. Patrick’s Day.  There will be Corned Beef and Cabbage plates with mashed potatoes on Thursday to pair up with our beer.

Also happening this evening, O’Brien’s Pub will tap a keg of Constantine’s Russian Imperial Stout at 5 pm.  The pub has a keg of C.C. O’Neill’s for Thursday along with the only cask version of the Whiskey Soaked Oak Chip Irish Red.  Look for lots of Corned Beef Specials from O’Brien’s including a Reuben with Nickel Pickels.

In addition, we will have Irish Red on tap at Jeremy’s on the Hill and Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park on Thursday the 17th.

Beer Dinner

Speaking of Jeremy’s, we will be partnering up with them for a family-style beer dinner on Friday the 18th featuring a complete Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes meal with a Bailey’s Irish Cream Mouse for dessert.  There will be lots of sides and specials during the meal.  We will be pouring 4 beers – Irish Red, Stonewall Stout, Apple Pie Ale and since it is San Diego we will have Volcan IPA.  The dinner with beer inclusive is just $35 and starts around 6 pm.  Our friend Donn Bree will be providing live music for the meal.  For reservations or more information, please call Jeremy’s on the Hill at 760-765-1587.

Coming Up

This weekend we are going to tap a keg of our 2015 Barrel Aged Kupfernickel Barleywine on Saturday.  The barleywine was aged in a Bourbon barrel that contained 36% Rye Whiskey giving the beer flavors of both spirits.  It has been a little while since we had this on tap in the tasting room and I am very excited to see how it is tasting.  As an added bonus, we will be offering 32 oz growler fills of the barleywine while the keg lasts.

There is a new delivery service in Julian named Orange Crate that is delivering food from four local restaurants – Jeremy’s on the Hill, Wynola Pizza, Candied Apple and Carmen’s.  The service is operating Friday, Saturday and Sunday so you can now get food from any one of those four places delivered to you at the brewery.  You can check it out at: https://www.myorangecrate.com/.

We will be participating in two upcoming events down the hill.  On Saturday, April 9th we will have beer at the Rhythm and Brews Festival in historic downtown Vista.  The music and beer event will run from 1-4 pm with a VIP ticket that gets you in an hour early.  For tickets and more info, please visit: http://www.sdrhythmandbrews.com/.  This Saturday the 19th we will have Jalapeno Gold at the San Diego Latino Film Festival which is hosting a beer garden in Fashion Valley.  You can get more info here: http://sdlatinofilmfestival.com/.

The annual Taste of Julian is coming up on Saturday, April 9th.  It is a self guided tour through Julian’s restaurants and tasting rooms that gives a bite or sip of what each is doing.  We offer up 3 oz beer samples with a selection of our Nickel Pickel treats.  The Taste goes from 1-5 pm on the 9th and tickets are $25 if purchased in advance.  Free parking is available for the event.  This is a great way to see what Julian has to offer and to taste beer, cider and wine all in one day.  Ticket info and general information can be found at: http://julian-california.com/to-see-do/special-events/taste-of-julian/.

Last Sips

I will have a new IPA out soon named Leap Day IPA – it was brewed on February 29th.  It is 100% German hopped using Polaris to bitter and German Blanc for flavor, finish and dry hopping.  It has a unique citrus/melon flavor profile.  I am hoping to have it on tap in the next 10 days – I will post on our Facebook page when it is ready to go.  We have lots of Nickel Pickels for sale right now.  In addition to our regular Spicy Dill and Garlic we have Chipotle Pickels, Bread and Butter Pickel Slices, Spicy Carrots and Pickeled Spicy Green Beans and Asparagus.  Finally, I have to say congratulations to Lindsey who took SIX ribbons in the Julian Daffodil show this past weekend.  The Daffodils are in bloom all over Julian, be sure to enjoy them while they last.

That is your Nickel Beer news for now.  Be sure to toast St. Patrick this Thursday.  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom