Hello Nickel Beer Fans!
We have had a great start to 2016 with the first piece of our expansion – a brand new brewing kettle – already in use. I have now brewed two batches on it including the Filthy Paws Porter which I am hoping to have on tap by the end of the month. We have new fermenters on the way as well that should be in place next month. The new tanks will be bigger than the current fermenters, and there will be more of them, so hopefully you will find more of our beer down the hill in 2016.
New Beers
The new Fix It IPA is on tap now and tasting fantastic. It is full of citrus and grapefruit flavors and highly drinkable at just 6.3%. It is predominantly hopped with Crystal hops and also uses Amarillo and Simcoe. This weekend we will tap a keg of the very popular Chocolate Vanilla Stonewall Stout on Friday the 15th. We will be doing growler fills this weekend of the beer as well since it is being served on normal CO2 as opposed to the nitrogen tap. And speaking of nitrogen, we have the last keg of our Blair’s Not Bitter Fresh Hop Ale on nitrogen right now. We are also on the last keg of the Saison Saudos – though I am saving one to tap later this year.
This Weekend
We’ll have the NFL playoff games this weekend. On Saturday we get Chiefs v. Patriots at 1:35 pm and then Packers v. Cardinals at 5:15 pm. Sunday we will show the second half of the Seahawks v. Panthers game when we open at 11:30 am and then at 1:40 pm on Sunday it is the Steelers v. Broncos. The Conference Finals will be on Sunday the 24th and we will be open for both of those games, the first one starts at noon. On Sunday, February 7th we will host our annual Superbowl Potluck Party for the big game.
On Monday the 18 we will be opening at Noon for the MLK holiday. The weather over the weekend is supposed to be quite nice with lots of sun and temperatures in the mid-50s. It will be nice to finally have some decent weather to play washers out on the patio again. Remember, you are always welcome to bring food to enjoy on the patio. And Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Candied Apple delivers sandwiches, salads and pizzas to the brewery from 12-6 pm.
Down The Hill
Tonight, Thursday the 14th we are having a Nickel Beer Night at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa. There will be seven of our beers on tap including the Barrel Aged Kupfernickel Barleywine. Also on tap will be Hopster Douchebag Double IPA, Fix It IPA, Tripp’s Tripel, C.C. O’Neill’s Irish Red, Apple Pie Ale and Stonewall Stout on nitrogen. I believe that all of the beers will be on tap when West Coast opens at 11:30 am today. In addition to great beer, look for food specials with our Nickel Beer Brats made by Don’s Market in Santa Ysabel. I plan to be there around 5:30 pm for some great food and beer.
Also happening tonight, O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa will tap a cask of Hopster Douchebag at 5 pm. Next week, O’Brien’s will tap a cask of Fix It IPA on Thursday the 21st. We should have some draft beer on tap at O’Brien’s as well including the Apple Pie Ale. O’Brien’s will also have a collaboration I did with Bagby Beer Company for the pub’s 22nd Anniversary. It is a dark, strong Old Ale that is just under 10%. It will be on tap at O’Brien’s Saturday night, the 16th at 5 pm. It will also be on tap at Bagby Beer Company in Oceanside starting this weekend. I will be bringing a keg up to the tasting room as well, check our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany/ to find out when it is on tap. I am guessing by next weekend at the latest. We will also be aging this beer in some Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon Barrels
If you pick up this week’s Reader, you will find a nice write up about the brewery. Here is the link to the story online: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/jan/05/beer-sixty-miles-nickel-beer/. We will have more of the sour and barrel aged beers mentioned in the article on tap again in the near future.
That is your Nickel Beer News for now. We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer. Cheers, Tom