Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

I have some new beers and upcoming events to tell you about including two new beers on tap this weekend and a new collaboration on tap in the tasting room next weekend.  Tonight we have our Beer Dinner at Jeremy’s on the Hill at 6:45 pm.  Since it is Cinco de Mayo the entire menu is inspired by the cuisine of Mexico.  We will be pouring six beers including Jalapeno Gold, Take A Hike, Blue Truck Double IPA, Grapefruit Bighorn IPA, Irish Red and Tripp’s Tripel.  To make a reservation, please call Jeremy’s at 760-765-1587.

This weekend we have two new hoppy beers on tap.  The first is Hops to the Rescue Double IPA.  This beer was brewed as part of the Beer to the Rescue Campaign run by local beer writer Brandon Hernandez to benefit the Southern California Lupus Foundation.  Brandon and I collaborated on the Lion’s Blood Triple IPA last year and we decided to re-make the recipe into a much more drinkable 8% alcohol Double IPA.  The beer uses the same hops and grain ratios as the Lion’s Blood Triple IPA, just with the alcohol toned down.  The beer is full of hop flavor and aroma and finishes with a kiss of malt sweetness – to me it really does taste like the Lion’s Blood, just without the over the top alcohol.

The beer is on tap in the tasting room right now and we will be a few events with it as part of Beer to the Rescue.  Look for it at O’Brien’s on Thursday, May 18th and at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa on Thursday, June 1st.  If you would like to see a complete list of all of the Beer to the Rescue events, check out: http://www.beertotherescue.org/.

Also new this weekend is the Banner Grade IPA.  This IPA was brewed with Simcoe and Mosaic hops and clocks in at 6.9% alcohol.  It will go on tap when we open today at 11:30 am.  The beer is light colored and dominated by hop flavor and aroma with solid bitterness.  These two hops play very well with each with the punch of Simcoe providing a nice base and the more fruity Mosaic really coming through in the aroma.

While I am talking about our beer line up, Devil’s Copper took a Bronze Medal at the San Diego International Beer Festival this past week.  This beer uses both malted rye and crystal rye malt to create a unique, peppery flavor balance with caramel malt and Centennial hop flavors.  The Devil’s Copper is one of our year round beers and you will be able to enjoy it at the upcoming Julian Dance in June featuring the band Nancarrow.  The event is put on by the Sons of the American Legion and all money raised goes back into the Julian community.  For more details on the bands and ticket info, please visit: http://juliandance.org/.

And in case you missed it, the Grapefruit Bighorn IPA was named West Coaster’s Beer of the Week two weeks ago.  You can read the write up here: http://www.westcoastersd.com/2017/04/21/beer-of-the-week-nickel-grapefruit-bighorn-ipa/.  We use locally grown grapefruit from Borrego and then zest and juice them into the beer.  The beer is on tap now and available for growler purchases.

We will have beer on tap in Ramona this Saturday, May 6th.  The Chamber of Commerce is organizing a Motorcycle Poker Run that finishes off with a beer garden featuring live music and BBQ.  You don’t have to go on the ride to get inside the beer garden, which opens at 1 pm.  We’ll have Back Country Gold and Take A Hike on tap alongside other east county/back country breweries.  For more info check out: http://www.ramonachamber.com/back-country-motorcycle-poker-run.

Anza Borrego Foundation Fundraiser

We are hosting a special 50th Anniversary edition of Hikes and Hops with the Anza Borrego Foundation – for whom the Bighorn IPA was created.  There are two components to the event, a hike in the Laguna Mountains followed by a reception at Nickel Beer.  Here is the write up from the ABF:

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Hike with us
3 p.m.-5 p.m. Hop with us

Enjoy a 5-mile, moderately strenuous hike with fellow Anza-Borrego enthusiasts at one of ABDSP’s higher elevations- Lucky 5 Ranch! Afterward, we will regroup at Nickel Beer Co. in Julian for a taste of our 50th Anniversary Bighorn IPA and a special Borrego Grapefruit IPA.

Don’t fancy an IPA? Don’t worry- there are plenty of others to choose from. Fill your belly with some hearty snacks and hang out on the outdoor patio with your hiking buds while you enjoy your suds!

Registration includes two 9oz pours, delicious snacks, a 50th-anniversary patch and tote bag, and one chance to win our limited edition vintage-inspired Park posters.
So join us on this hopped up Hikes and Hopes to help celebrate 50 years of supporting the Park we all love!

To register for the event, please go to: http://theabf.org/hopped-hikes-and-hops.

Looking Ahead

Next weekend we will tap a keg of our collaboration with Karl Strauss – Double Mosaic IPA.  This is a stronger version of the brewery’s amazing Mosaic Session IPA.  Our version follows the Mosaic recipe but cranks it up to 7.5% alcohol and increases the bitterness accordingly.  I could not be happier with the way this beer turned out.  It is on tap at the downtown Karl Strauss for sure and you might be able to find it at other locations around town.  We will be tapping a keg in the tasting room next Friday, May 12th that will be on all weekend.  You will also be able to find the beer at O’Brien’s and next Thursday, May 11th it will be on tap at West Coast Barbecue and Brew.

At the end of the month we will have a double version of the Fix It IPA coming on tap in time for Memorial Day weekend – it will be called Fix It and Fugheddaboudditt (thanks to Alli for the authentic Jersey spelling).  We are working on having a food vendor for Memorial Day weekend as well and I will certainly post up all updates on our Facebook page.  The brewery will be opening early on Monday, May 29th at Noon for the holiday.

Finally, our summer Hefeweizen, Weekender Wheat, will be returning in early June.  That is your Nickel Beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom