Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

I’ve got lots of brewery news in this email including info on new beers, food at the brewery and special events in Julian where you can enjoy our beer.  Read on for all of the frothy goodness….

On Tap

Yesterday we tapped a new batch of the popular Hopster Douchebag Double IPA.  This pungent beer is full of Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade hops flavors with a little Mosaic thrown in for good measure.  It clocks in at 8.9% alcohol though it hides the alcohol well.  In addition to enjoying it in pints and tasters we are selling it to go in both 32 and 64 oz jugs.  I filled a few casks to serve in San Diego.  We don’t have dates confirmed yet, but look for casks to tap at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa and O’Brien’s in Kearny Measa.

Next weekend we’ll tap a brand new IPA brewed for the San Diego Toronado’s 7th Anniversary.  Eric and Ian came up from North Park to assist with brewing a 6% alcohol IPA loaded with citrus notes from Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe and Mosaic hops.  The beer is still dry hopping right now but I expect it to be ready to serve by next Friday, May 22nd.  It will be on tap at the Toronado for the pub’s anniversary party on Sunday the 24th.

For this weekend we have the Double Dubbel Belgian-style Quad on tap.  IPA 342, named for the experimental hop HBC 342 that it is made with, is on tap in both nitrogen and habanero versions.  The habanero version is very pleasantly spicy.  We also have the Jalapeno Back Country Gold on tap which makes a great bloody beer – try it with the Ballast Point Bloody Mary Mix in the tasting room.

Right now the 2015 batch of Kupfernickel Barleywine is in the fermentor and already tasting great.  It is a little drier than the 2014 version but about the same alcohol.  The beer is hopped with all Centennial hops and uses a blend of British and American yeast strains.  It needs a little bit of aging before being released but I expect to have some on tap by the end of June.  Our next brew day will be the Weekender Wheat, a German-style Hefeweizen.

Memorial Day Weekend

We will be open extended hours over Memorial Day weekend.  The tasting room is now regularly open until 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  We will be extending hours on Sunday the 24th until at least 7 pm.  We will be opening early on Monday the 25th (Memorial Day) at noon.

We have a charity fundraiser on Sunday the 24th serving up Indian Tacos.  The proceeds will go to help local students join class trips to Costa Rica and Washington DC.  I got to sample the Indian Tacos a few days ago and I can confirm that they are delicious.  I am working on having food on Saturday the 23rd as well – I will post up details if it happens on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany and send them out on Twitter @nickelbeerco.

Speaking of food, we are working with the Candied Apple to start delivery food service to the brewery tasting room the weekend of May 30th.  The tentative plan is to have a special menu of pub-style food and possibly pizza available from 12-5 on Saturday and Sunday that will be delivered to the brewery within 30 minutes of ordering.  I will send out the details when everything is finalized.

Anza Borrego Foundation Brew Day Opportunity

We are doing a very special collaboration with the Anza Borrego Foundation in June.  We are brewing a batch of beer to help support the Foundation on Sunday, June 7th.  And you can be a part of the brew day.  I will be making an Oatmeal Stout that we will be adding fresh vanilla beans to prior to serving.  To help raise money the Foundation is auctioning off the chance to experience the entire brew day and be a part of the beer making process.  There are also options to buy a commemorative pint glass and growler of the beer or attend a VIP Tapping Party at the end of June.

You can find all of the details on the fundraising project here: http://theabf.org/abbrew.  You can also find out about the Foundation’s mission to support the Anza Borrego State Park including land acquisition to expand the park.

Last Sips

There are always a lot of events in the summer and fall around Julian and we’ll have our beer at many of them.  Sunday, June 7th from 5-8 pm we be pouring beer at the Julian Historical Society Wine, Beer and Cheese Tasting taking place at Wynola Pizza.  Saturday, June 13th is The Dance put on by the Sons of the American Legion and held at Menghini Winery.  We’ll be pouring multiple beers during the all day concert and dance that will be headlined by the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash.  You can find all of the details including ticket info at: https://www.facebook.com/JulianBackcountryDance.

The very next weekend we will have beer at the Julian Blues Bash on Saturday, June 20th.  The Blues Bash is also held at Menghini Winery just 2 miles west of town.  You can find ticket info and performer info at: http://www.robb-bowerpresents.com/.

And right now at the tasting room we have 4th of July Parade T Shirts for sale with all proceeds going to help fund the 4th of July Parade – which will be on a Saturday this year.  We’ll have our beer at the American Legion BBQ on the 4th after the Parade.  Speaking of shirts, we have restocked our brewery merchandise and we have some new items on the way, including new women’s sweatshirts.  We now have 3 colors of the popular trucker-style hats and women’s tank tops have been restocked in red and black (men’s tank tops are on the way).  In addition to shirts, hats and sweatshirts we also have logo metal signs for sale.

Finally, a very happy birthday today to our good friend Mike Cook of Cook Pigs ranch here in Julian.

We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom