Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

The NFL season is underway and though Mel’s Packers lost, the Chargers are currently undefeated!  We will be opening on Mondays for the rest of the year to show Monday Night Football.  This Monday, the 8th, we will be staying open late to show the entire Chargers v. Cardinals game that kicks off at 7:20 pm.  We’ll open the doors at 3 pm and show the first game of the double header at 4:10 pm – Giants v. Lions.

Our new Monday special will be $13 pitchers of most beers and $17 for IPAs and the Stout.  That means you can get Back Country Gold, Julian Pale, Devil’s Copper, Weekender Wheat and more for barely over $3 per pint in a pitcher all night on Mondays.  And feel free to bring your own snacks to enjoy during the game, just please clean up after yourself.

The regular Monday hours are going to be 3 pm to 7 pm or the end of the game.  We’ll stay open and show the game as long as people are there enjoying it.  And no matter what we will stay open until 7 pm every Monday.  If the game is a dud or a total blow out by halftime and everyone leaves, we will as well.  We are just seeing how things go as we start to expand the hours.

The next Charger game will be at 1:05 pm on Sunday the 14th against the Superbowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.  The game is already sold out so it will be on TV.  The following week there is a 10 am game against the Bills on the 21st and we will be opening up early to show it.  We should have the Jalapeno Gold on tap and some spicy bloody mary mix on hand to mix up some Bloody Beers.  And we are hoping to have a brunch delivery set up so that you could come to the brewery and order brunch from a local restaurant and have it brought to you – I will have the details as soon as we finish making them up.  We will be open for every Chargers game and you can find the complete schedule here: http://www.chargers.com/schedule/index.html.

New Beers

The new Star B Fresh Hop Pale was a huge hit over Labor Day weekend – by far the beer we poured the most over the 5 days.  And now we have our other wet hop beer on tap, ZP Fresh Hop IPA.  The beer used 30 pounds of wet hops from Valley Center split between three varieties – Cascade, Crystal and Zeus (also known as Columbus).  It is roughly the same alcohol as the Star B at 5.8% but packs a little more hop punch since we used more wet hops, hence calling it IPA (though it is mild compared to our other IPAs).

The Jalapeno Gold is back on tap and available for growler fills as well.  I took off the Redstonewall Stout – our stout/vanilla cinnamon mead blend.  But don’t worry, it will be coming back and we will be doing several events around San Diego with it including events at Hamilton’s, Toronado and West Coast BBQ and Brew.  The event at Hamilton’s in South Park will be on Thursday, October 9th and will feature several draft meads (honey wines) from Redstone Meadery in Boulder, Colorado in addition to the Redstonewall Stout.

Speaking of events in San Diego, we do have some casks coming up later this month.  On Thursday the 18th both O’Brien’s and West Coast BBQ and Brew will tap wet hop casks.  O’Brien’s will have the only cask of Star B Fresh Hop Pale topped up with several ounces of fresh picked Star B Chinook hops at 5 pm.  Just before that, West Coast BBQ and Brew will tap a cask of ZP Fresh Hop IPA with some fresh picked Star B Nugget and Columbus in the cask.  I plan to be at both tappings that day.  It is very likely that there will be some draft kegs of Nickel Beer at both spots.

Beer and Cigars

We will be hosting our first Cigar Afternoon at the brewery with our friend Maurice, owner of Transit Van Shuttle and V12 Cigar Club on Sunday, September 21st.  The event will run from 1-3 pm and you are welcome to bring your own cigars or Maurice will have some for sale.  I will be tapping a preview keg of our Rum Barrel Aged Kupfernickel Barleywine for the weekend to pair up with the cigars, though I also think the Stout and the Devil’s Copper will work very nicely.

As an added bonus, Maurice and Transit Van Shuttle are offering FREE transportation from Ramona to the brewery and back.  The vans will leave Ramona at 12:30 and return around 3:30 pm.  The vans will also be running into town from the brewery if you have a significant other who might want to shop in Julian.  To take advantage of the free Ramona-Julian transportation, please call Transit Van Shuttle at 760-789-7252 or email them at transitvanshuttle103@gmail.com.

You are free to bring your own snacks to enjoy with the cigars and even your own chairs or ash trays if you would like.  We’ll have some pop up tents around for additional shade on the patio.  It should be a great afternoon to enjoy a beer and cigar in the fall in Julian.

Grape Festa

Julian’s version of a wine festival, the annual Grape Stomp, will be at Menghini Winery on Saturday, September 6th from 11 am to 7 pm.  There will be about 10 local wineries pouring and you know I would not be mentioning this if we did not have beer there.  Look for Julian Pale Ale and Devil’s Copper on tap – the new batch of Devil’s Copper is particularly nice.  You can also stomp actual grapes in a huge wooden tub.  For more information visit: http://www.julianca.com/Grape-Stomp.html.  Tickets are available at the door or VIP tickets can be purchased in advance.  The entire event is a fundraiser for the Julian Chamber of Commerce, so you can drink for a good cause guilt-free.

That just about does it for this email.  Jeremy’s on the Hill is moving the Fried Chicken special that featured our Julian Pale Ale to Thursday nights.  Jeremy’s is still carrying Julian Pale Ale and Weekender Wheat but look for one of our local wet hop beers to be on tap there soon and then some Apple Pie Ale in October.  I expect the Apple Pie Ale to be on tap by the 18th of September.  We’ll also have Nitro Stonewall Stout and Habanero Red, White and Brew on tap in the near future.

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

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

I have lots of good things to share this week – extra hours, the return of Volcan IPA, draft beer at Jeremy’s on the Hill and more live music this Saturday.  The race to be the honorary mayor of Julian is underway and we’ll have an old time debate next Saturday in town.  And this Sunday the month-long madness of the World Cup comes to a close with the final at noon on the 13th and we’ll be setting up an extra big screen TV for the game.

All is well at the brewery after the fire – we used it as an evacuation center for us, our bartender Mel and all of our collective animals.  It was definitely the first time we had any goats or chickens at the brewery.  And our poor dogs had to get thrown in jail – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202954605960881&set=a.2212122457330.2119970.1075571931&type=1&theater.  Here is the view from the brewery patio around noon on July 3rd: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202953992105535&set=a.2212122457330.2119970.1075571931&type=1&theater.

World Cup and New Beers

We will be open from noon to 4 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 8th and 9th, for the World Cup semi-finals.  Tuesday at 1 pm we get Brazil v. Germany and Wednesday at 1 pm its Argentina v. Netherlands.  Both games pit South America v. Europe – no European team has ever won a World Cup in South America.  We’ll be doing growler fills in addition to tasters and pints both days.

Look for our new Weekender Wheat on tap for the games.  It is a German-style Hefeweizen full of banana and clove aromas from the yeast.  It is very light and drinkable at 4.5%, a perfect summer beer.  By Thursday, Volcan IPA will be back on tap.  It has been too long since we have had it on tap and hopefully I will be able to keep it on tap from here on out.  It is tasting great and it will get even a little more hoppy as I do the final dry-hopping in the serving tank this week.

Music and the Final

This Saturday, July 12th we will have another FREE acoustic music show on the patio from 6-8 pm.  Local musicians Paul Cruz and Chris Pawlicki will be back and I hear that they are going to bring up a violin player to join them.  Expect a fun mix of classic rock songs from the 60s and 70s.  The tasting room will be open until at least 8:30 pm on Saturday.  As the sun goes down on these warm summer nights, there really is no better place to go out for a beer (especially when there is great live music).  Feel free to bring your own picnic or snack food to enjoy on the patio during the show.

For the World Cup Final next Sunday, July 13th, I will be setting up an extra big screen TV in the brewery and bringing in some benches so that we will have plenty of seating.  As with the music show, feel free to bring in your own snack food (just make sure to clean up after yourself please).  We’ll also be showing the 3rd place game on Saturday at 1 pm.  Despite being the losers game, the 3rd place game is often one of the more entertaining matches of the tournament as many young players get their first change to play in the World Cup.

Jeremy’s and the Mayor’s Race

After months of planning and talking about it, we now have 2 draft beers on tap at Jeremy’s on the Hill in Wynola.  They will carry Julian Pale Ale full time along with a second beer that will rotate monthly.  To start, Jeremy’s has Red, White and Brew IPA on tap.  The Pale Ale is a very food friendly beer that pairs well with a wide range of dishes with its slight malt sweetness.  The IPA’s hoppiness is the perfect foil for spicy food and the citrusy/smokey hop character will complement any grilled meat.

Jeremy’s is also open 7 days a week making it the only place in Julian to get draft beer every day of the week.  For directions, hours and menus, check out – http://www.jeremysonthehill.com/.  The food there is really good and in addition to our beer, the restaurant has an excellent boutique wine list and a fantastic bottled beer selection.  Lindsey believes they have the best Fish and Chips (served 11-4 pm on the lunch menu) and every Friday they pair our Pale Ale with their awesome homemade Fried Chicken special.

The unofficial honorary Mayor of Julian race is underway.  The race is a fundraiser to help renovate Julian’s town hall.  There is now a collection box at the brewery with a slot for all 4 candidates, but we all know the only one that you are going to vote for!  Every penny equals one vote and the person who raises the most money/votes will be named the honorary mayor for the year.  There will be a website up and running soon where you can make online donations to the cause.

We will have a tongue in cheek debate at the Town Hall on Saturday, July 12th at noon.  The premise is to answer questions about issues facing Julian from its gold mining heyday like the growing red light district and secret underground tunnel to the brothel.  You can find more information about the project and the debate at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julian-Town-Hall-Restoration-Project/1438103546449398.

As a candidate, I can assure you that I will run an honest campaign – I fully intended to use beer to help buy your votes.  How is that for honesty?  I am hoping to do some events down in San Diego featuring our beer to help raise money, once I get those planned I will certainly post up about it.  My campaign slogan is “Law, Order and Cold Beer” after the famous Clint Eastwood mayoral slogan of “Law, Order and Ice Cream” when he ran for mayor of Carmel.

That is your Nickel Beer News for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

The World Cup is in full swing and hopefully you have had a chance to enjoy our Penalty Shot hoppy pale ale.  The beer was featured in the San Diego Beer News blog by the San Diego Reader as the Beer of the Week: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/jun/26/beer-nickel-pale-world-cup/.  I will be brewing another batch of the beer to keep it on through the Summer months.  In the coming weeks look for both a nitro version and a cask conditioned version to grace our taps.

Saturday night, June 28th we will have our second evening of acoustic music on the patio.  Local musicians Bill Everett and Pete Dunbar will be strumming acoustic roots, Americana, classic rock, oldies, country and more starting just after 6 pm and going until it gets dark around 8 – 8:15.  The show is free and we’ll keep the tasting room open until at least 8:30 pm for your imbibing enjoyment.  The patio is a perfect place to enjoy a beer as the sun goes down.  Feel free to bring your own food or snacks to enjoy during the show.  All ages are welcome and you can make use of our free wi-fi before the show.

Also on Saturday we will have the afternoon World Cup match between Colombia and Uruguay on the big screen at 1pm.  On Sunday, we will have surprising Costa Rica v. Greece at 1 pm.

We have re-stocked our merchandise again and we have new trucker-style one size fits all adjustable hats in stock.  We have men’s and women’s tank tops well stocked for the warm weather.

ON TAP

The Stonewall Stout is on both draft and nitrogen right now.  We’ll have a keg of nitro Filthy Paws Porter coming on tap soon – it is also our last keg of the Filthy Paws.  Follow the Facebook page to see when it be served – https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany.  The Kupfernickel Barleywine is still on tap, though this might be the last weekend we are serving it for a while.  We will have a special blend of the barleywine and the Julian Pale Ale on tap soon though that is quite delicious.

I have a new German-style Hefeweizen in the fermentor that will be on tap next weekend.  It will be a perfect warm weather beer.  The yeast gives the beer the classic banana and clove spiciness that the style is known for.  The beer will be just under 5% with a hazy straw yellow color.  I should have it on tap when we open on Saturday, July 5th.

Around Town

I am working to get draft beer on tap at Jeremy’s on the Hill in July.  We are installing a two tap kegorator that will allow Jeremy’s to keep Julian Pale Ale and a rotating specialty beer on tap.  I will certainly keep you posted as to when we expect to pour the first beer.  Also look for an amazing fried chicken special at Jeremy’s all summer long on Friday nights.

Finally, I am proud to announce that I have been asked to run for the title of Honorary Mayor of Julian to help raise funds for the Town Hall restoration project.  The campaign will be taking place the entire month of July.  There are four of us running for “Mayor” and the one of us that can raise the most money will be named the winner.  There will be collection boxes around town and we will have one at the brewery as well next week.  There will also be a campaign website with donation information.  In the meantime, you can follow updates on the restoration project on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julian-Town-Hall-Restoration-Project/1438103546449398.  My platform for the 1880s themed campaign will be: Law, Order and Cold Beer.

That is your Nickel Beer news for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

We are going to open up this Thursday, March 27th to show the SDSU v. Arizona sweet 16 game in the NCAA basketball tournament.  We will open at 5 pm, tip off is at 6:15 pm and we will stay open until the end of the game which should be around 8:15 pm or so.  We’ll be doing a Happy Hour special with $2 off all pitchers while we are open on Thursday, so you can get a pitcher of Back Country Gold or Julian Pale Ale for just $15.  Feel free to bring your own food to snack on for the game.  Even if you don’t want to watch the game, you can stop by for a pint or a growler fill.

Thursday night will also mark the return of our popular Chinook IPA.  That means that we will have 3 IPAs on tap – Chinook, Hop Heaven Farms IPA and Volcan IPA.  The taps will be full and for the first time we will be pouring 11 different house beers.  In addition to all of the great hoppy beers, the Filthy Paws Porter is being poured on the nitrogen tap and it is dark, creamy goodness.  I have a nitro keg of Devil’s Copper for the future and I will be making a keg of nitro Vanilla Bean Stonewall Stout.

And for you fans of the Fix It Pale, we just tapped the last keg so enjoy it while you can.  In its place we will soon have the new Demolition Extra Pale Ale, a 5.8% light colored but very hoppy beer.  It was brewed to celebrate the one year anniversary of us taking over the building and starting work.  Julian Pale Ale and Back Country Gold are both in the fermentors and Barleywine will be coming up very soon in the brew schedule (and then I will be filling rum barrels with it).

Over the weekend we will tap a cask of Hop Heaven Farms IPA on Friday.  The beer exclusively uses hops from Hop Heaven Farms in Baker City, Oregon.  It is a blend of Chinook, Cascade and Centennial.  Also, we are now open until 7 pm every Saturday night so you have more time to enjoy your favorite brew.

Taste of Julian

We are participating in the Taste of Julian on Saturday, April 12th from 1 pm to 5 pm.  It is a tasting tour of Julian that includes restaurants, wineries, Julian Hard Cider and of course Nickel Beer.  Everyone provides some sample bites and the majority of the places are right on main street, a few though require a short drive (there is also a shuttle service for a fee).  Tickets are $20 in advance and include the tasting samples at all participating locations.  Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event, but they will be $25 and can be purchased at Town Hall.  Town Hall also has discounted tickets for locals.

This event is a great way to tour around Julian and see what it has to offer.  All of the money goes to the Chamber of Commerce to support events throughout the year like the annual tree lighting in November.  For more information, including a list of the participating places, and to buy tickets on line visit: http://www.jma.memberlodge.org/TOJ.

Our First Award

This past weekend we won our first award at the brewery – at the Daffodil show.  Lindsey won 4 ribbons (2 first place) and a best in Division award.  Now in addition to great beer, we have award winning flowers.  After the show, she won a prize package from Just 2 Cowgirls in town.  It included a great hat, goat’s milk soap, jewelery, a very comfy t shirt and more.  Just 2 Cowgirls is right on Main Street in the Stonewall building just up the stairs on the north side of the street.  The owner is really nice and they have lots of wonderful stuff so be sure to stop by next time you are in town (it is a great place to go gift shopping).

In San Diego

We will have a little bit of beer coming down the hill.  Next Thursday, April 3rd we will have a cask of Chinook IPA at O’Brien’s.  I am hoping to have a night of Nickel IPAs at O’Brien’s in April as well.   I will be bringing some nitrogen tap beers to West Coast BBQ and Brew in La Mesa next week including the Filthy Paws Porter.  And look for some of our beers to be on tap at Fathom Bistro in the not too distant future.

That is your Nickel beer update for now.  We can’t sell Beer Cheese right now as we have been told we need a permit to do so (i.e. the government needs their pay off).  In the meantime, I am working on ordering a variety of beef jerky to sell at the tasting room and you are always welcome to bring food to snack (just clean up after yourself please or we might have to throw you in the jail cell).

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

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

Our trio of Stouts for St. Patrick’s Day last weekend was very successful – so successful in fact that the Vanilla Bean Stonewall Stout will likely be gone by the end of the day today.  But don’t fret – I will be making more of it and I have decided to try the next keg of it on the nitro tap.  So yes, there will be nitro Vanilla Bean Stonewall Stout in the near future.

When the Vanilla Bean Stout is gone I will be tapping more of the Apple Pie Ale on nitro.  This was a big hit when I first put it on and I am glad that it really does give a different flavor to the beer.  I don’t have very much of the Apple Pie nitro either, but I do have nitro kegs of Filthy Paws Porter and Devil’s Copper to tap when it is gone.

Tomorrow, we will be showing the SDSU v. NDSU game which should tip off just after 3 pm. The Aztecs made it a little too close for comfort on Thursday, but hopefully they can grind out another victory.  We’ll be able to show other NCAA games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well.  If the Aztecs make it to the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday we might just open for the game and do a little Aztecs happy hour.  Look for updates about that on our Facebook page.

New Beers

If you have not been by the tasting room in a few weeks, we have the new Hop Heaven Farms IPA on tap (and you need to check out our new jail cell door).  It 100% uses hops from Hop Heaven Farms in Bristol City, Oregon.  I met the hop grower on a beer trip and managed to get a little bit of Cascade, Chinook and Centennial from him to brew a few beers.  I figure each one will be a little different in the hop use while using the same base beer – a 6.5% beer with a little bit of crystal malt color and flavor.

A new batch of the Devil’s Copper is also now on tap.  And though not much changed with it, it is a little lighter in color and it has a little more rye malt character.  The beer has always had 5% malted rye in it.  This time I added a new grain, Crystal Rye Malt, that adds color and caramel flavor along with the distinctive, slightly spicy flavor of rye.

In the fermentors I have new batches of Chinook IPA and Julian Pale Ale along with a brand new beer – Demolition Extra Pale Ale.  It is a light-colored 5.8% beer with plenty of SImcoe, Summit and Citra hops.  It was brewed to honor the one year anniversary of us starting work on the building (which was April 3rd, 2013).  I have been tasting it regularly out of the fermentor (would you expect anything less) and it is tasting amazing. I can’t wait to get it on tap, but that won’t be until the end of the month most likely.

New Hours

We are slowly expanding our hours now that the time change has come.  We will now be open until 7 pm on Saturday nights.  We are working on expanding the days of the week as well, but that is still a little ways off.  Our new hours will be 11:30 am to 6 pm on Friday, 11:30 am to 7 pm on Saturday and 11:30 am to 5 pm on Sunday.  I should have more updates on the hours in the next email.

Taste of Julian

Instead of highlighting a single business as I have been doing.  I am going to talk about an event that highlights a number of Julian’s great businesses…

We are participating in the Taste of Julian on Saturday, April 12th from 1 pm to 5 pm.  It is a tasting tour of Julian that includes restaurants, wineries, Julian Hard Cider and of course Nickel Beer.  Everyone provides some sample bites and the majority of the places are right on main street, a few though require a short drive (there is also a shuttle service for a fee).  Tickets are $20 in advance and include the tasting samples at all participating locations.  Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event, but they will be $25 and can be purchased at Town Hall.

This event is a great way to tour around Julian and see what it has to offer.  All of the money goes to the Chamber of Commerce to support events throughout the year like the annual tree lighting in November.  For more information, including a list of the participating places, and to buy tickets on line visit: http://www.jma.memberlodge.org/TOJ.

That is your Nickel Beer News for now.  Follow us on Facebook for more regular updates at: https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany.  I don’t have our upcoming cask schedule done just yet, but I will post on Facebook when I do.  And we should have some Chinook IPA on cask at O’Brien’s in early April.  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

It almost seems like winter with some much needed rain.  Though it will probably be back to sunny and warm next week.  At least it makes for good beer drinking weather.  We have lots of great cask beer coming up around the county and at the tasting room.  Read on for all of the beery goodness…

Tonight, Thursday the 27th we will be tapping 4 beers and a cask at West Coast Barbecue and Brew.  The cask will be Volcan IPA with all Centennial for dry hopping.  It should be tapped by 4:30 pm.  On draft, we will have Julian Pale Ale, Fix It Pale, Bitter Beer Writer ESB and Filthy Paws Porter.  This will be the first time that we are serving the Porter outside of the tasting room.  It is dark, rich and has a light hint of smokiness in the finish from the use of Black Malt and very dark Crystal malt.  If you can’t make it by tonight, I expect most of the beers to be on tap through the weekend down there.  I plan to be there from 4 to 6 pm this evening – I am very much looking forward to the cask.  For more info on West Coast and directions, visit: http://westcoastbbqandbrew.com/

Over the weekend at the tasting room we will be tapping our first cask of Filthy Paws Porter which was dry hopped with Cascade.  We’ll put it on tap on Friday and it will be around all weekend.  Since the patio won’t be much use in the rain, I will be bringing in some benches into the brewery for some extra seating.  The new batch of Volcan IPA will be on tap as well so we will be back to filling IPA growlers again.  The Bitter Beer Writer ESB is back on the nitrogen tap alongside Stonewall Stout.  And who knows, it might just get cold enough for us to fire up the pot belly stove this weekend.

Next week, we will be tapping a cask of Volcan IPA at O’Brien’s on Thursday, March 6th at 5 pm.  That cask is dry hopped with all Amarillo hops.  And I filled a third cask to tap at the tasting room after the Porter is gone that is dry hopped with all Citra hops.  The casks are a nice way to experiment with some different hopping for the IPA.  Speaking of IPAs, the new Hop Heaven Farms IPA is done with primary fermentation and ready for more hops to be added.  All of the hops for this beer come from Hop Heaven Farms in Baker City, Oregon.  I don’t think it will quite make it on for next weekend, but it will definitely be on tap by the 14th of March.

Looking ahead, I will be making up some variations on the stout for St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  I will be making another Vanilla Bean Stonewall and I am working on a version inspired by Lindsey’s Pomanders using cocoa nibs, orange peel and clove.  We’ll also be filling a cask of Stonewall Stout for O’Brien’s for Thursday the 13th of March.

Finally, I just got in two Rum barrels that I am very excited about.  It is now time to get the barleywine in the tank and start making some barrel aged beer.  I hope also to brew an Imperial Stout into one.

That is your Julian beer update for now.  I hope to see you soon and share a Nickel beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

We never really had a grand opening at the brewery so this weekend we are going to fix that.  We will have 11 different beers on tap starting Saturday, including the new Apple Pie Beer and the new Porter.  It will also be our first weekend with a food truck at the brewery (it will be a local food truck from one of our favorite restaurants on the hill).  And the weather is going to be unbelievable for mid-February with temperatures up to 70 degrees over the weekend with plenty of sun – the patio will be the place to be.  So with all of these things coming together combined with the long holiday weekend, we decided that it is time for a Grand Opening Party on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Feb 15th-17th).

Since Monday is a holiday, we will be open 11:30 am to 5 pm.  I expect to be open a little later than usual on Saturday and Sunday this weekend as well – probably 7 pm on Saturday and 6 pm on Sunday.  We will be expanding our hours next month once we get past the time change which happens on March 9th.

Here is the expected beer line up for the weekend:
Back Country Gold
Julian Pale Ale
Fix It Pale
Bitter Beer Writer ESB
Devil’s Copper
Volcan IPA
Chinook IPA
Stonewall Stout
Stonewall Stout – nitro
Apple Pie Beer (exact name yet to be determined)
Porter (name also yet to be created)
and our Sierra Nevada collaboration O’Bryen’s 20th Anniversary Ale

Believe me, it is nice to have all of the taps flowing with good beer.  The Apple Pie Beer is carbonating right now and I am really pleased with the way it is tasting.  A little bit of CO2 has really brought all of the flavor components together – the apple juice, the base beer and the spices.  I did draw off one keg to put on the nitro tap in the future just to see what it is like.  The beer might be on tap Friday afternoon – if so, I will post on Facebook.  It will definitely be on tap when we open on Saturday.

The new Porter is dark, rich and delicious.  It is just over 6% alcohol and has a nice smokey dark malt character that comes from the use of lots of Black Malt and very dark Crystal Malts.  I hopped it with Cascade, but not too much.  I really wanted the dark malt flavors to play out.  In the coming weeks, look for a cask and a nitro keg to hit the tap line up.  The Porter will be on tap when we open on Saturday.

In addition to the fine food selections from the food truck, Lindsey will have some Beer Cheese available – the last batch of Chipotle Beer Cheese was particularly inspired.  Our 32 oz grumblers for To-Go beer have been re-stocked as has our brewery merchandise including men’s black shirts along with lady’s shirts and sweatshirts.  I have a new batch of Volcan IPA fermenting along with Devil’s Copper likely the next brew and Barleywine not far off.  Think of the Barleywine as a souped-up version of the Devil’s Copper.  Next month look for some special versions of the stout for St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

That is your NBC news for now.  We hope to see you over our Grand Opening Weekend for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

It almost feels like Winter up here this morning – rainy and cold, though it is supposed to stop raining in the next few hours and then be sunny through the weekend.  At least it will cool off a little bit so perhaps we will be able to fire up the wood burning stove.

This weekend we have some new beers to tap.  Today, Friday the 31st, I will be tapping a cask of Bitter Beer Writer ESB.  When I tasted the beer out of the fermentor I immediately thought that it would make great cask beer.  We have tapped two casks already down in San Diego and both were fantastic.  The flavor of the cask beer sits somewhere in between the nitro version (super creamy) and the regular draft (drier, more hoppy).  The cask is dry hopped with some extra Styrian Golding hops for a little added punch.  I think that the ESB is so far, the best cask I have done.  It will be flowing all weekend.

I will also be tapping a new draft beer – O’Bryen’s 20th Anniversary Ale.  It is a collaboration that was brewed at Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp for our pub O’Brien’s 20th anniversary this year.  The beer is amber hued, 7.2% and has a dry roasty flavor that comes from the use of roasted rye malt.  We barrel aged most of the beer in Rye Whiskey and Bourbon barrels and those versions were just released a few weeks ago at O’Brien’s.  We have a good amount of the barrel aged beer and it will be making its way on tap around town in the coming months.  West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa will be tapping the barrel aged versions of the beer in February as part of its 2nd anniversary celebrations.  Find out when by signing up for their email newsletter: http://westcoastbbqandbrew.com/.

Tapping the O’Bryen’s keg today will fill up our taps for the very first time.  We will have 11 drafts, 1 cask and Julian Hard Cider all flowing.  It will be good to see the tap tower full – hopefully I can keep it that way from now on.

Superbowl

I will begin prepping the brewery for our Superbowl Potluck Party today.  We will be setting up an additional big screen TV in the brewery to watch the game.  We’ve brought in extra bar stools and I will be bringing in some benches from our picnic tables to put in the brewery.  Hopefully there will be plenty of seating.

For the Potluck part of the gathering, we are asking folks to bring something easy to share and that people can eat with their fingers.  We’ll be putting out a buffet table with plates, napkins and silverware and we will have a power strip available for warm dishes.  We do not have a kitchen, so please do not bring anything that requires any on site cooking or prep.  Lindsey is bringing some home made pickles, Nickel beer mustard, cheese dip, chili cheese dip and beer cheese.  Her parents are bringing their famous pickled shrimp (which is absolutely delicious).  I have no idea how many people will be showing up, but I figure we will have at least 2 dozen people (and probably even more) there throughout the 3 pm to 7 pm time frame.  The kick off is at 3:30 pm and we will be open until roughly 30 minutes past the end of the game.

If you can’t join us for the game, consider bringing a growler to your party.  Lindsey also has some half pound containers of Beer Cheese for sale to-go in all three flavors – Traditional, Cracked Black Pepper and Habanero Cheddar.  We also have 4 oz sizes to-go.

Coming Up

The Apple Pie Beer continues to ferment along.  I knew the apple juice would take a little longer to ferment out.  After adding 60 gallons of raw apple juice, it is finally tasting like beer again.  It will still need a good amount of time to condition and clarify, but I am hoping to have it on tap by President’s Day weekend.

The new Porter is perfectly black and tasty.  It too is fermenting along nicely.  I used a large portion of Black malt in the beer in addition to Chocolate malt and the flavors are rich and smooth.  I also added some very dark crystal malts to the beer and the effect of them with the black malt gives a slight impression of smokiness though I did not add any smoke malt.  I was hoping for this effect as I like a little smokiness in dark, strong beers.  I expect the Porter could be on tap also by President’s Day weekend.

Since I seem to be focusing on President’s Day weekend, we will be open Monday, February 17th from 11:30 am to 5 pm.  I also expect because of the holiday weekend we will be staying open a little later on Friday, Saturday and Sunday – I will post details as we get closer.  And we will have our first food truck at the brewery Saturday, Sunday and Monday!  I am still working on the exact times, but I guessing somewhere in the 12-4 or 12-5 pm range.

Right after President’s Day I will be bringing up a keg of our current collaboration beer, Wrathchild, brewed with the good folks from Monkey Paw Brewing Company.  It is a smoked weizenbock brewed with a hefeweizen-style yeast.  It should be malty, fruity and smokey.  I am really looking forward to it.

We have a new tap handle for the Devil’s Copper made by our own Fix It Paul – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=675221485861744&set=a.493243347392893.124400.460197427364152&type=1&theater.  And Lindsey put up an American Flag pallet at the brewery that is now hanging outside the tasting room – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=673005296083363&set=a.493243347392893.124400.460197427364152&type=1&theater.  And if you have not seen our new Buffalo Nickel metal pub sign, you have to check it out – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=672389936144899&set=a.493243347392893.124400.460197427364152&type=1&theater.

We will be tapping a cask of Bitter Beer Writer ESB at the Toronado in North Park in February.  And towards the end of the month, we will be doing an event at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa as part of Larry’s 2nd anniversary celebrations there.  Keep up with what’s happening at the brewery between emails at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany and I post updates on our San Diego events and new beer tappings on Twitter – @nickelbeerco.

That is your Nickel beer news for now.  Thanks to everyone who came out to O’Brien’s this past Wednesday for our event – it was great to see so many friendly faces.  We appreciate all of the support.  We’ll see you soon to share a great beer.  Cheers, Tom

Tom Nickel
Owner/Brewer

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

After selling just a few kegs down the hill we are now getting around to doing some actual events down in San Diego.  Our very first multi-tap event will be Thursday night, the 23rd at Monkey Paw Pub and Brewery downtown.  It is owned by our friends Karen and Scot Blair who also own Hamilton’s and Small Bar.  I will be at Monkey Paw during the day to brew a collaboration beer for the 20th Anniversary of O’Brien’s – a smoked weizenbock we are calling Wrathchild.  If all goes well Monkey Paw will be serving up Devil’s Copper and the nitro version of Stonewall Stout all day and tapping our first cask of Bitter Beer Writer ESB in the evening.  I will post up the exact details tomorrow on the Facebook page once I get to the pub.  For more information and directions, please go to: http://monkeypawbrewing.com/.

Back up the hill at the tasting room this weekend we will be releasing another new beer – Back Country Gold.  As you might imagine, it is golden colored and brewed basically in the style of a Cream Ale.  It is lightly hopped with a nice malt flavor and a quick finish.  The perfect beer for these warm winter days we are having.  Keep an eye out for more Habanero Beer Cheese this weekend.  We now have two nitrogen taps flowing, one with Stonewall Stout and the other with Bitter Beer Writer ESB (both of which are tasting great if I may say so).  And in addition to our own beers we now have Julian Hard Cider on tap as both a non-beer and gluten free option.  Just like our beers, you can get the cider in 5 oz, 9 oz or 16 oz pours.

Looking Ahead

Next week will be our second San Diego draft event which will take place at O’Brien’s on Wednesday the 29th.  We’ll have 4 draft beers – Julian Pale Ale, Devil’s Copper, Volcan IPA, Stonewall Stout (nitro) and a cask of Bitter Beer Writer ESB all on tap by 5 pm.  For those who are not familiar with O’Brien’s, it is the pub that Lindsey and I own in San Diego.  You can find more info and directions here: http://obrienspub.net/.  Everything we are bringing down to O’Brien’s will be in a full keg so I expect several of the beers to be on tap for a few days, though the IPA will undoubtedly be quick to go.  Our next San Diego area events will be at the Toronado and West Coast Barbecue and Brew in February.

Next weekend we will be hosing a Pot-Luck Party for the Superbowl on Sunday, February 2nd.  We’ll be hooking up a 2nd TV in the brewery and bringing in more chairs and stools to fit everyone in.  Bring an appetizer/finger-food/snack or dessert to share with friends.  We’ll be putting out some food and snacks as well (there are rumors of some pickled goodies coming our way).  I will post up more details as we finish making them up.

I know that many of you would like to see us expand our hours, and while that is coming, it is not happening soon enough to accommodate everyone.  We will be open on Monday, February 17th for Presidents Day next month.  And I am often around the brewery on Mondays doing work.  If you see my green Toyota Tundra in the parking lot and you need your growler filled, feel free to stop by.  I might not have a lot of time to chat, but I will be happy to fill your jug and send you home happy (exact change or paying by credit card will be appreciated).

In the tank right now I am doing a grand experiment.  I am fermenting a beer with 60 gallons of raw apple cider produced from local apples down at Calico Ranch in Wynola to create an Apple Pie Beer.  It is tasting great so far and it has a very strong pronounced apple flavor.  I am thinking that it is going to take a little more time than normal to condition the beer but I expect to have it on tap by the middle of February.  Next up on the brew schedule is a Porter and then it will be time to make more Devil’s Copper.

When In Julian

I am trying to highlight a place to eat, shop or stay in Julian each email.  This week I want to let you know about a nearby B&B – Butterfield Bed and Breakfast.  It is just down the road from the brewery – not even three quarters of a mile away according to Google.  The inn has several different rooms all decked out in a particular theme.  There are pictures of the rooms on the website at: http://www.butterfieldbandb.com/.  All of the rooms have cable tv, private bath and several have wood burning fireplaces.  Included is a country gourmet breakfast.  The same nice folks also have a cabin for rent separate from the B&B if you want to be more on your own.  You can find that at: http://www.blackoakcabin.com/.  As always, please let the local businesses know that you came up to visit Nickel Beer Company.

That is your Nickel Beer news for now.  Hopefully we will see you at the tasting room or around town.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Beer Fans!

Our Bitter Beer Writer ESB will be on tap this weekend – hopefully in both draft and nitro versions if all goes well.  I am going into the brewery today to transfer the beer and fill a number of casks to serve down the hill.  The beer was a collaboration with local beer writer Brandon Hernandez who explains the background and the brew day on his San Diego Beer News blog: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/jan/09/beer-embracing-my-bitter-beer-writer-status/.  The beer used primarily British ingredients but ramped up to more American standards in terms of the alcohol, bitterness and hop level.  The beer should be on tap by early Saturday afternoon – check our Facebook page to confirm that.

We have upgraded our tasting room TV to a 42 inch screen for Sunday’s Chargers v. Broncos divisional playoff game.  The new TV looks great and I can only hope that we get to watch yet another improbable Chargers victory on it.  We’ll be open at 11:30 am on Sunday so we can show the second half of the 49ers v. Panthers game.  On Saturday, we’ll have the Saints v. Seahawks game at 1:30 pm which should be much closer than the last time these two teams met.  The next round of the playoffs will take place on Sunday, January 19th.

There is a new flavor of Beer Cheese this weekend for you spice fans – Habanero Cheddar Beer Cheese made with Devil’s Copper.  It is a very pleasing spiciness that still leaves  you craving more.  We’ll also have our Traditional and Cracked Black Pepper Beer Cheeses both made with out Julian Pale Ale.

Looking Ahead

Next weekend we will tap a cask of the popular Volcan IPA on Friday the 17th.  The cask is dry hopped with extra Columbus hops so it should come out nice and tasty.  Our newest beer, Back Country Gold, is just finishing up with primary fermentation.  It is a light colored ale brewed with German-style hops.  I expect it to be on tap by Friday the 24th.

As mentioned, we will be doing some events down the hill in San Diego.  On Thursday the 23rd I will be at Monkey Paw Brewery in the East Village downtown to  brew a collaboration beer for our pub O’Brien’s 20th anniversary.  In the evening Monkey Paw will be tapping a keg of nitro Stonewall Stout, Devil’s Copper and a cask of Bitter Beer Writer ESB.  The following week, I will be at O’Brien’s doing an event also with a cask of Bitter Beer Writer ESB on Wednesday the 29th, but I have not set the draft list yet.  I am hoping to bring down 4-5 styles of beer.  On the 29th, the Bitter Beer Write himself will be there to sign autographs and take pictures, or maybe more realistically just enjoy a beer with us.  In February we’ll be doing events at Toronado in North Park and at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa as part of West Coast’s 2nd Anniversary celebrations.

In addition to being asked where to stay, where to eat is one of the big questions we get asked a lot.  So I figured that I would mention some of the places we like to eat each email.  This week’s restaurant is Romano’s, an Italian spot that has been serving Julian since 1982.  We really like their Sausage Pizza with Garlic.  They make their own sausage so the Sausage Sandwich is also great as is the homemade Meatball Sub which has baseball sized-meatballs on it – just remember to add cheese to it.  They have a full menu of Italian favorites and be sure to see what the daily special is.  And if you have had your fill of beer (not likely, I get it) you can get an inexpensive carafe of house wine.

That is your Nickel Beer News for now.  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom