Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

Happy Halloween Weekend!  It is finally beginning to look like fall up in the mountains – even though our temperatures will be in the low 70s this weekend.  At least the evenings have been cool.  The trees are looking pretty as the leaves start to drop.  Most of our pear trees are already turning bright orange at the brewery.

We will have some very tasty treats on tap for your drinking pleasure this weekend.  Today, Friday the 30th, we will release our first Barrel Aged Stonewall Stout.  The beer was rested in Bourbon barrels that contained 36% rye whiskey and the beer has picked up flavors of both spirits.  The barrel flavors and aroma blend with the beer rather than dominate it.  It will be on tap all weekend in 5 and 9 ounce pours and you will have to enjoy it in the tasting room as we will not be selling it to go.

Also new this weekend perhaps more in the trick department will be Scorpion King IPA.  I chopped and added fresh Scorpion peppers to a keg of Or The Highway IPA (for more on Scorpion Peppers check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_moruga_scorpion).  Scorpion peppers are among the hottest in the world at about 1.2 million Scoville units or about 4 times as much as a habanero.  The heat does not immediately hit you but instead warms the back of your mouth and throat while also warming your chest.  The heat builds as you drink it so this beer is not for the faint of heart.

And if you have not tried the new Or The Highway IPA is tasting great.  I brewed it to mimic the flavors of the popular My Way Fresh Hop IPA, but alas, there are no more fresh hops.  It was brewed with Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal and Chinook hops and clocks in at 6.3% making it very drinkable.

Saturday night we will be hosting a Halloween costume party and probably staying open a little later than usual.  Show up in costume after 5 pm and get $1 off your first pint (that’s pints, not 9 oz or 5 oz).  We have done a little holiday decorating and we’ll have candy out for those that need a sweet treat.  Last year Halloween was really fun at the brewery and hopefully you can stop in and make us part of your plans.  Rumor has it that we will have an entire JFK themed group of costumes including Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O.

Sunday morning we will open at 10 am for the Chargers v. Ravens game.  Granny’s Kitchen will be delivering brunch for the game and we’ll put the order in around 10:30 am for delivery between 11 and 11:15.  The Chargers may be painful to watch but the food will be good and we’ll have Ballast Point Bloody Mary Mix which pairs perfectly with the Jalapeno Gold.

San Diego Beer Week

Next Friday kicks off the county-wide celebration of all things malt and hop known as San Diego Beer Week.  We’ll have some special releases at the brewery and we will have some beers around town throughout the event including our first ever sour beer release.  Here is where I expect our beers to be during SDBW:

Friday, Nov. 6: URBN Pizza and Brewing, East County Tap Takeover.  Beer TBD
Saturday, Nov 7: Toronado California IPA Day.  Or The Highway IPA on tap
Saturday, Nov. 7: O’Brien’s Pub Sour Day.  Sour Crab Apple Pie.
Tuesday, Nov. 10: Ballast Point Little Italy Wild Game Dinner.  Saison Saludos
Thursday, Nov 12: West Coast BBQ and Brew Stout Night.  Draft and Barrel Aged Stonewall Stout
Friday, Nov. 13: O’Brien’s Barrel Aged Night.  2014 Rum Barrel Aged Kupfernickel Barleywine
Saturday, Nov. 14: O’Brien’s Three Amigos Day with Nickel, Bagby and Lost Abbey.
The beer line up for this is still being finalized but I am planning on Saison Saludos, 2014 Tripp’s Tripel, Double Dubbel Animal Style (Rum Barrel Aged Belgian-style Quad released for Beer to the Rescue) and a cask of Chocolate Barrel Aged Stonewall Stout.

We’ll have some specialty beers coming on tap at the tasting room as well for SD Beer Week.  I will have the details of that in the next email.  This year’s Tripp’s Tripel is in the fermenter as is the next batch of Apple Pie Ale.  Our second anniversary will be coming up immediately after SD Beer Week on the weekend of November 20-22.  We’ll have Bourbon Barrel Barleywine and Tripp’s Tripel on tap along with some vintage barrel aged beers throughout the weekend.

We hope to see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom