Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

We are celebrating one year of making great beer in Julian this weekend with new beers and a new 16 tap draft system.  We will also have food catered on site on Saturday and on Sunday we also get the Chargers game vs. the Rams at 1:05 pm.

The 16 tap tower is fully installed and it is very impressive.  It will allow us to pour some different variations of our beers including a permanent nitrogen tap in addition to simply having more beers.  We are now also carrying Julian Hard Cider on tap and in the very near future we will be working on serving up a dry hopped version of Julian Hard Cider.

You will be able to enjoy several new beers this weekend.  Today (Friday) we have Tripp’s Tripel, Chocolate Vanilla Stonewall Stout and Habanero Hopster Doubchebag Double IPA on tap.  Tripp’s Tripel is light colored, 9% alcohol and full of fruity and spicy flavors from the Belgian yeast strain used in fermentation.  The overall malt impression is soft and hides the alcohol well.  The beer is named for Lindsey’s ancestors who lived in the area at the turn of the century.  I brewed the Tripel to be the ideal pairing with your Thanksgiving meal and if I do so say myself, I think it will be perfect with all of the holiday goodies – turkey, stuffing, cranberries and mashed potatoes (with beer gravy of course).

I think the Chocolate Vanilla Stonewall Stout pretty much speaks for itself.  And if you have to ask if the Habanero Hopster is spicy, you probably should not drink – it is wonderfully spicy but with the full flavor and aroma of the habanero pepper.

New Beers and Food

On Saturday the 22nd we will add two more beers to our line up – the return of Apple Pie Ale and the debut of our Rum Barrel Aged Kupfernickel Barleywine.  The barleywine was 11.1% alcohol going into the rum barrel and it has picked up plenty of flavor in the last six months.  The Apple Pie Ale is a little less tart than the first batch this season as the early apples have the most acidity and mid-season apples are a little sweeter.  The Apple Pie Ale will now again be available to-go in 32 or 64 oz jugs, however, the Rum Barrel Barleywine can only be enjoyed in the tasting room for now.  Both beers will be on tap all weekend.

Delicious food from local favorites Jeremy’s on the Hill will be available on Saturday.  Chef Jeremy is still working on the menu but so far I know there will be grilled chicken, burgers and an apple slaw.  If you have never eaten at Jeremy’s in Wynola (just 2 miles west of Julian) it is worth the stop.  Great food, cozy atmosphere, lots of boutique wines, a great selection of bottled beers and 2 taps of Nickel Beer.  Currently Jeremy’s is serving Julian Pale Ale and Devil’s Copper.  And the restaurant is open 7 days a week, so at least there is one place that you can always enjoy our beer.

On Sunday we will be showing the Chargers v. Rams game on both big screen TVs at 1 pm.  I will have the brewery cleared out this weekend with some additional bench seating as well so there will be plenty of space to enjoy the game.

All of our brewery merchandise has been re-stocked including sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts and men’s pocket t’s.  We have some new hats and a new Ladies Long Sleeve Burnout shirt.  For fans of Nickel Pickels, we have Garlic Dill and Chipotle Pickels for this weekend.  And as a very special treat we have a limited amount of Spicy Green Beans.  If you are in San Diego, you can always enjoy the Nickel Pickels at our pub O’Brien’s in Kearny Mesa.

Looking Ahead

We will be CLOSED on Thanksgiving, however, we will be opening from 2-6 pm on Wednesday the 26th so that everyone can have a beer and fill a growler for the big meal.  You know I will be filling several growlers of Tripp’s Tripel for our table.  We will then be open normal hours after Thanksgiving – 11:30-6 on Friday, 11:30-7 on Saturday and then we will open early on Sunday for the 30th for the Chargers v. Ravens game at 10 am.  I am already working on a brunch delivery again and we will have Jalapeno Gold on tap served up with the Ballast Point Bloody Mary Mix.  Look for a cask of Chocolate Vanilla Stonewall Stout to be tapped on Friday the 28th.

Fix It Pale is in fermentor and already tasting wonderful with lots of bright citrus fruit flavors.  I will be doing a keg of nitro Julian Pale Ale in the very near future along with a dry hopped version of the very popular Devil’s Copper.  There is even talk of doing a Blackberry Apple Pie keg.

That is your Nickel Beer News for now.  Lindsey and I would like to thank you for all of the support during our first year – it has been even more fun than we imagined.  We look forward to even more great things in the next 12 months, and of course, lots more great beer.  We’ll see you soon for a celebratory anniversary beer in Julian!  Cheers, Tom

Tom Nickel
Owner/Brewer