Here is the full list of where Nickel Beer will be for San Diego Beer Week. I’ll post up our special tappings at the tasting room later in the week. Cheers, Tom

Friday, Nov. 6: URBN Pizza and Brewing, East County Tap Takeover with Pearfect Apple Pie Ale

Saturday, Nov 7: Toronado California IPA Day. Or The Highway IPA on tap

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

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

Just a quick update for this weekend.  Today we release Saison Saludos (desde Julian).  This 9.7% golden hued saison was brewed as a collaboration between myself and my good friend Colby Chandler, head specialty brewer for Ballast Point.  We brewed the beer together last year at the Ballast Point in Little Italy to help celebrate the 20th Anniversary of O’Brien’s Pub.

The beer was so good that we decided to brew it again but this time up in Julian.  The beer was made with local honey and it is lightly spiced with Nutmeg, Thyme and Lemon Peel Powder.  It evokes flavors of white wine and farmhouse ales.  It will be available when we open at 11:30 am on Friday and we will be selling it to-go in addition to tasting in house.  A new batch of Devil’s Copper is also on tap and the C.C. O’Neill’s Irish Red is now on our nitrogen tap.

This Saturday the 17th our neighbors at the Julian CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) are hosting an open house.  They will have a BBQ kitchen set up all day starting at Noon so that tasty food will be just across the street.  The Candied Apple will be delivering food from 12-6 pm Friday thru Sunday and from 4-6 pm on Monday for Monday Night Football (which will be Giants v. Eagles on the 19th).  You are also welcome to bring your own food to enjoy on the patio.

On Sunday we’ll have the Chargers v. Packers game on at 1:25.  Next week the Chargers host the Raiders at 1:05 pm.  And speaking of next week, we’ll be releasing a new IPA called Or The Highway IPA.  It is 6.3% and full of grapefruit and floral hop notes.  I plan to tap our last 5 gallons of the My Way Fresh Hop IPA (which inspired the new IPA) with Or The Highway IPA on Friday the 23rd.

Down the hill you will find all 4 of our popular fresh hop brews at the Wet Hop Festival this weekend at O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa.  Starting Friday night at 5 pm the fest will have Blair’s Not Bitter, Star B Pale, My Way IPA and Green Truck Double IPA on tap.  Also tonight, 10/16, Hamilton’s Tavern will be tapping a cask of Blair’s Not Bitter as part of the pub’s anniversary celebrations.

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

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

San Diego is going to be sweltering this weekend, but temperatures will be much cooler up in the mountains with highs around 80 degrees.  It might not exactly feel like fall, but it is going to feel cool by comparison.  The late afternoon/early evening time has been perfect to enjoy a beer on the patio the last few days.  But enough about how nice it is up here, let’s get to the important stuff – the beer.

For this weekend Devil’s Copper is back on tap.  It is our Centennial hopped rye red ale and it is tasting great.  The new Pearfect Apple Pie Ale is on tap as well.  This version of the Apple Pie beer was made with a combination of local Hyslop crab apples and pears grown on the brewery property.  We have about two dozen pear trees at the brewery and while most of them went into the beer, we did send some over to the folks at Julian Cider Works who are fermenting the fruit into pear cider.  I am hoping to serve the fermented pear cider at O’Brien’s towards the end of the year.  Julian Cider Works will have its grand opening next weekend on Saturday the 17th. For more info on that, visit: http://julianciderworks.com/

Be sure to show up hungry on Saturday the 10th.  We’ll have the popular Taco Cart back serving up street tacos from 12-5 pm.  The Candied Apple is delivering food from 12-6 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to the brewery as well with a menu featuring pizzas, salads and sandwiches.  And you are always welcome to bring your own food to enjoy on our patio.

The Chargers play the Steelers at 5:30 pm on Monday the 12th.  We’ll be open until the end of the game.  At 5:30 pm we will be putting in an order with the Candied Apple for food delivery.  And since Monday is a holiday for some (Columbus Day) we will be opening at Noon instead of 2 pm making our Monday hours on the 12th Noon-8:30 pm.  The next Charger game will be Sunday the 18th at 1:25 pm against the Packers.

Down the Hill

You will be able to find our wet hop line up at O’Brien’s next week for the pub’s 13th Wet Hop Beer Festival.  We’ll be sending down Star B Pale, My Way IPA, Green Truck DIPA and Blair’s Not Bitter for the event.  I am thinking that the beers will be on tap Thursday night, the 15th, but check out O’Brien’s on Facebook for the latest update: https://www.facebook.com/obrienspubsd

Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park will be tapping a cask of Blair’s Not Bitter on Friday the 16th as part of their anniversary celebrations.

I am making a few plans for San Diego Beer Week with Nickel Beer.  On Tuesday, November 10th I will be at Ballast Point Miramar for the Home Brew Mart Reunion, bringing those of us who worked at Home Brew Mart and are now head brewers together with some of our beers on tap.  Saturday the 14th I will be teaming up with Bagby Beer Co. and Port Brewing/Lost Abbey for the 3 Amigos Day at O’Brien’s featuring beer from all 3 breweries.  We will also be featuring our first sour collaboration and some barrel aged Stonewall Stout and Kupfernickel Barleywine at O’Brien’s during Beer Week.  And though I don’t have a date for it, we will be sending some beer to West Coast BBQ and Brew in La Mesa including the Bourbon/Rye Barrel Aged Stonewall Stout.

That is your Nickel Beer news for now.  Look for the Saludos Saison, a collaboration with Ballast Point, on tap later this month.  And if you come up looking for local apples to take home, try Wynola Flats Produce.  It is on Highway 78 between Julian and Jeremy’s on the Hill in Wynola.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

Although it does not quite feel like it yet, the calendar is insisting that it is fall.  The apples and pears are ripe on the trees so perhaps it really is fall.  No matter the weather or the season, we have some great beers coming down the hill and a very special collaboration in the fermenter.  And with our expanded hours, you can now enjoy beers in our tasting room every day of the week.  Here are all of the details on the upcoming events and brews….

This Weekend

We’ll be opening at 10 am on Sunday the 27th for the Chargers v. Vikings game.  Granny’s Kitchen will be delivering brunch for us.  We’ll put the food order in about 10:30 am with food expected around 11 am.  In addition to tasty brunch, we’ll have the popular Ballast Point Bloody Mary Mix – it is particularly good with the Jalapeno Back Country Gold.  Look for a pre-mixed Ballast Point Bloody Mary coming in a 12 oz can using the Ballast Point Fugu Vodka and their Bloody Mary Mix.  I got to taste one the other day it is awesome.

This weekend is the Apple Days festival taking place at Menghini Winery.  The event will run from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.  There are lots of vendors (including great ice cream from Niederfranks) and family activities.  Of course, there is Nickel beer.  We have Irish Red, Julian Pale, Filthy Paws Porter and the debut of the new Pearfect Apple Pie Ale.  The Pearfect Apple Pie Ale was made with a blend of Hyslop Crab Apples 50/50 with our pears from the brewery property.  I expect to have it on at the tasting room for next weekend as we finish off the end of the Wholly Crab! Apple Pie Ale.

For more info on the Apple Days Festival, visit: http://www.julianca.com/apple-days.html

We just tapped our last kegs of Hopster Douchebag Double IPA and Penalty Shot Pale.  I am not selling the Hopster to go so that everyone can enjoy it in the tasting room.  We also have our Green Truck Fresh Hop Double IPA on tap so this is the first time that we have had 2 Double IPAs on tap.  I have to say that the current tap list is very hop friendly.

Wet Hops Down the Hill

We have two great events this coming week in San Diego.  On Monday the 28th we will be doing a Monday Night Football Keep the Glass Night at Hamilton’s in South Park with our 16 oz logo mason jars.  On tap we will have all 4 of our San Diego fresh hop beers including 3 different versions of the Blair’s Not Bitter brewed with Hamilton’s owner Scot Blair.  Look for Star B Pale, My Way IPA, Green Truck Double IPA all on tap.  Then there will be cask, draft and nitrogen versions of the Blair’s Not Bitter, which is a 4.1% English-style Best Bitter made with Glacier hops from San Diego Golden Hop Farm.  This will the only place that all 3 versions of the Blair’s Not Bitter will be on tap at the same time.  I expect everything will be on tap when they open at 3 pm on Monday.

Wednesday night, the 30th, we finish off the month at West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa with another full line up of wet hop beers – Star B, My Way, Green Truck and both draft and nitrogen Blair’s Not Bitter.  All of the brews should be on by 4 pm and I highly recommend showing up hungry in addition to thirsty.  The BBQ at West Coast is great and I have been loving the new Burnt Ends Sandwich.

I am planning to be at both Hamilton’s and West Coast to enjoy these once a year fresh hop brews.

Last Sips

We have expanded our hours.  We are now showing Monday, Thursday and Sunday night football and we open for all Chargers games.  On game nights, we will be open until at least 7:30 pm and we will stay open until the end of the game as long as folks are there watching it.  Here are the new hours:

Monday: 2 pm to 7:30 pm (or end of game)
Tuesday: 2 pm to 6 pm
Wednesday: 2 pm to 7 pm
Thursday: 2 pm to 7:30 pm (or end of game)
Friday and Saturday: 11:30 am to 8 pm
Sunday: 11:30 am to 7:30 pm (or end of game)

Yesterday I had the privilege to brew with my good friend Colby Chandler from Ballast Point.  We made a beer that we brewed together down at the Little Italy Ballast Point last year called Saludos Saison.  It was brewed to help celebrate the 20th Anniversary of O’Brien’s and it was inspired by Brasserie Dupont’s Avec Les Bon Voeux (which translates roughly to With Best Wishes).  The Dupont beer is a strong golden hued Saison around 10% alcohol.  Our version has some honey and is lightly spiced and should also be right around 10%.  I expect to have it on tap in about 3 weeks in the tasting room and we are trying to coordinate releases at O’Brien’s and Ballast Point Little Italy.

Local restaurant The Candied Apple is now delivering food to the tasting room from 12-6 pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  You are also welcome to bring your own food anytime.  I am planning to have some vendors in October including the taco cart on Saturday the 10th and BBQ on the 17th.

Finally I would like to offer up a big congratulations to all of the San Diego breweries that took medals at the Great American Beer Festival, especially Rip Current for being named the Very Small Brewing Company of the year.  You can find all of the winners listed here: http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners/.  We did not enter this year, so you won’t find us listed!

Thanks for enjoying Julian our mountain brewed beer.  We’ll see you soon to enjoy a hopefully fall-like day (don’t forget about the upcoming lunar eclipse).  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

You can now enjoy our beer in the tasting room every day of the week!  We will be open Monday thru Thursday at 2 pm and at 11:30 am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  And we will be staying open a little later some night to show Monday, Thursday and Sunday night Football during the NFL season.

Over the Labor Day weekend we will be open extended hours on Monday the 7th from Noon until 6 pm.  We will have a taco cart at the brewery from Noon until 5 pm on Saturday serving up delicious tacos and quesadillas.  It was a huge hit when it was here in July.

The Candied Apple delivers sandwiches, salads and pizzas every Saturday and Sunday from Noon until 5:30 pm.  You are also welcome to bring your own food or picnic to enjoy on the patio.  The weather is supposed to be just about perfect this weekend with temperatures in the high 70s.

The Beers

And now on to the good stuff – the beer.  The new batch of Apple Pie Ale is on tap and I have given it a slightly different name – Wholly CRAB! Apple Pie Ale.  This batch was made with 100% Transcendent Crab Apples from the Volcan Mountain Winery Orchard.  The beer has a very pleasant tartness as the crab apples are very acidic.  The next batch of Apple Pie is already in the fermenter and it will be a blend of apples and the pears from the brewery property.

By tomorrow, Friday the 4th, we’ll have 3 fresh hop beers brewed with San Diego grown hops.  Right now you will find Star B Fresh Hop Pale Ale and My Way Fresh Hop IPA on tap.  The Star B Pale was brewed with hops all grown in the Julian area.  The majority of the hops came from Star B (mostly Chinook with some Crystal and Neo Mexicanus), Hopportunity Frams (Julian Gold, Nugget) and the local wild hops growing behind the Town Hall.  The golden hued Pale is 5.7% and has a very herbal and earthy hop character.

My Way Fresh Hop IPA used Chinook and Cascade from Nopalito Farm in Valley Center with a dry hop of Crystal from Star B Pale.  I brewed this 6.3% alcohol IPA to celebrate my 20 years in the San Diego beer business.  I went full time at Home Brew Mart in Linda Vista in August of 1995 and I have been following my passion for beer ever since.  The flavors evoke the aromas and tastes of stone fruit with a decided peachy note in the finish.

Friday afternoon we will be tapping Green Truck Fresh Hop Double IPA.  This beer was brewed with more than 65 pounds of Zeus hops from Nopalito Farm.  Zeus is similar to Columbus hops and the beer has big pine and citrus notes with a dry finish.  This light colored hop monster clocks in at just over 8% alcohol.

Coming Up and Down the Hill

Right now our 2015 Kupfernickel Barleywine is on tap.  I am not sure if the keg will last through the weekend though.  If it doesn’t look for something special to take its place.  Not sure exactly what as I have several fun options.  Whatever it turns out to be, I will post it on the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany

I also have one more fresh hop beer in the fermenter that will be tapped next weekend.  It was a collaboration with my friend Scot Blair, owner of Monkey Paw, Hamilton’s and South Park Brewing (a great fish spot if you are into seafood).  We decided to take fresh hop beer in a different direction and brew a classic English Bitter.  We used Glacier hops from SD Golden Hop Farm in Fallbrook.  The beer should be just over 4% alcohol with lots of malt and toffee/caramel flavors blended with the Glacier hops.

If you can’t make it up the hill to taste our fresh hop brews, look for all four of them to be on tap at O’Brien’s in Kearny Mesa a the San Diego Wet Hop Weekend on September 11, 12 and 13.  O’Brien’s will be tapping a keg of our Wholly CRAB! Apple Pie Ale tonight (9/3) and it should be on tap soon at Hamilton’s and West Coast Barbecue and Brew as well.

Around Julian you will find our beer on tap at the Grape Stomp Festa at Menghini Winery this Saturday, September 5th.  We’ll have Back Country Gold, Wholly CRAB! Apple Pie Ale and Penalty Shot Pale all on tap.  We’ll also beer on tap at the Apple Days Festival on September 26th and 27th also at Menghini Winery.  Of course the Apple Pie Ale will be on tap at the Apple Days Festival.

That is your Nickel Beer News for now.  I have to wish my mom a very happy birthday today!  We’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans,

This weekend we will be releasing the 2015 Kupfernickel Barleywine at the tasting room.  As an added bonus I will be tapping a very limited amount of the 2014 Kupfernickel alongside it.  Both beers will be on tap when we open on Friday the 31st at 11:30 am and remain on tap through the weekend.  We will only be serving the 2014 Barleywine in 5 oz glasses and we will not be offering either version of the barleywine to go right now so I expect both versions to be on tap all weekend.

You might also notice that the tasting room is cooler than usual – thanks to our new A/C unit.  We got a high efficiency ductless A/C unit which will also act as a heater for the colder months (though we will still be lighting the wood burning stove for when the temperature really dips down).  We hope enjoy the cool temperatures in the tasting room.

Right now we have Pickeled Asparagus and Spicy Green Beans in addition to our Spicy Garlic Dill Nickel Pickels.  Chipotle Pickels will be coming soon.  All of beef jerky flavors – teriyaki, smokey, spicy, black pepper and habanero have all been restocked.

Sip of Julian

Nickel Beer will be participating in the first annual Sip of Julian on Saturday, August 8th.  It is a self guided tour of Julian’s Winery, Brewery, Hard Cider and Mead tasting rooms.  Menghini Winery, Witch Creek, Blue Door, Golden Coast Mead, Orfilia, Volcan Mountain Winery, Nickel Beer Company and Julian Hard Cider are the spots participating.  Each stop will have small bites of food in addition to samples of their wares.  We are planning to have a selection of Nickel Pickel goods along with some Nickel Beer Cheese.  The event will run from 11 am to 5 pm on the 8th.  The cost is $25 and you can buy tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1856889

Ticket sales are limited and they are roughly 50% sold at time of writing.  You can pick up maps, logo glasses, and confirm age verification starting at 10 am the day of the event at Julian’s Chamber of Commerce located at Town Hall on Main Street.  For more information, please contact Julian’s Chamber of Commerce at 760-765-1857 or online at: http://www.julianca.com.  For the latest info on what beers we will have on tap that weekend, check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany

Beer Around Town

We will have a few beers coming up at O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa.  This Saturday, August 1st look for Borrego Dark Sky Vanilla Oatmeal on tap all day starting at 11:30 am.  O’Brien’s will have a case of our Nickel Beer/Anza Borrego Foundation pint glasses for sale and there will be a pint glass and pint of beer special for just $7 all weekend.  Thursday the 6th O’Brien’s will tap the first ever cask of Tahoma IPA at 5 pm.  I plan to be there to enjoy a pint of it (or two, maybe three).

We will have our beer on tap at several upcoming events at Menghini Winery including the Grape Stomp Festa on Saturday, September 5th, Julian Music Festival on Saturday, September 19th and the annual Apple Days Festival on September 26th and 27th.  I expect to have a selection of Back Country Gold, Julian Pale Ale and Devil’s Copper on tap at the various events.  For a complete listing of events in Julian – including the Julian Lions Horseshoe Tournament on September 6th – check out: http://www.julianca.com/calendar.html

Coming Soon

The first batch of this season’s Apple Pie Ale is in the fermenter.  It was made with 95% Transcendent Crab Apples and right now it has a very pleasant green apple-like tartness.  I am hoping to have it on tap by August 8th.  Also in the fermenter is our first fresh hop beer brewed with San Diego grown hops.  The beer used 42 pounds of Cascade and Chinook hops picked the very same day from Nopalito Farms in Valley Center.  Look for it on tap by the middle of August.  More wet hop brews are coming with hops from Star B Ranch in Santa Ysabel and San Diego Golden Hop Farm.

We will have the popular taco cart back on Saturday, September 5th over Labor Day Weekend.  We will be open expanded hours on Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend.  And we will be expanding our regular hours in September when the NFL season starts.  The tasting room will be open for Thursday, Sunday and Monday Night Football which means we should be open until at least 8 pm Thursday thru Monday.  We are also hoping to open up on Tuesday so you can enjoy our beers 7 days a week.

You are always welcome to bring your own food to the brewery and the Candied Apple also delivers pizzas, salads and sandwiches until 5:30 pm on the weekends.  We are looking to bring more food vendors to the brewery during the fall including a BBQ truck.

That is your beer update from Julian.  We hope to see you soon at the tasting room for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans,

Happy 4th of July!

Julian will be celebrating with its annual parade from noon to 1 pm down main street complete with a fly over by vintage war planes.  We’ll be open 11:30 am to 6 pm on the 4th and  you will also be able to find our beer at the American Legion BBQ Cookout on the 4th.  We will be open normal hours on Friday the 3rd – 11:30 am to 8 pm and Sunday the 5th – 11:30 am to 6 pm.  If you come up on the 4th through Ramona, expect Main Street to be closed down between noon and 1 pm for the parade.

New Beers

Last weekend we tapped the Borrego Dark Sky Vanilla Oatmeal Stout.  The beer is 6% alcohol and made with 20% oats.  Fresh vanilla beans were added to the beer in the conditioning tank.  The flavors are well balanced between the vanilla, stout notes and oat finish.  We are currently pouring the beer on draft and nitrogen tap.

Dark Sky was a collaboration with the Anza Borrego Foundation and a portion of the proceeds from the beer will be donated to the ABF to help with its mission to preserve and expand the Anza Borrego State Park.  We will be doing a fundraising weekend with the ABF July 24th, 25th and 26th featuring a special cinnamon and chocolate version of the Dark Sky Stout.  For more information on the ABF, please visit: http://theabf.org/

New on tap this weekend is Penalty Shot Pale, our hoppy summer soccer themed beer.  It is on tap just in time for the Women’s World Cup Final this Sunday between Japan and the USA.  We’ll be showing the game at 4 pm and staying open late if the game goes into extra time.  Penalty Shot is light in color, 5.5% alcohol and brewed with Mosaic and Simcoe hops giving the beer plenty of hop fruitiness.

In the not too distant future we will be tapping a little big of this year’s Kupfernickel Barleywine – most of the batch will be going into Rye/Bourbon barrels for aging.  This year’s batch is 10.5% and full of Centennial hop flavors.  We’ll also have a new batch of Tahoma IPA coming out with an extra round of dry-hopping now that I have Tahoma whole flower hops to use in the serving tank.  And it won’t be long before I am brewing fresh hop beers with local San Diego grown hops.

At the Brewery

Our new shade cover is nearly finished at the brewery and it looks great.  We are finishing up the trim work on it and we still have a new bar rail to put in along the fence.  The structure utilizes local logs for support and local cedar beams for framing.  We have moved 3 of the tables underneath it which makes the patio a perfect place to enjoy a beer during the summer.

The Candied Apple is delivering food every Saturday and Sunday from Noon until 5:30 pm with a menu that includes sandwiches, salads and thin crust pizzas.  Candied Apple is a great local coffee and pastry shop – if you have never been it is worth the stop to pick up some fantastic desserts (more than just apple pie) and fresh baked bread.  The Skordalia Dip is a must try – like hummus but a Greek, garlic based version.

We have a full supply of Nickel Pickels for the weekend including a few tubs of Spicy Green Beans.  You can also find Nickel Pickels incorporated into food specials at O’Brien’s in Kearny Mesa and West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa.

Down the Hill

We have some beers coming down the hill this month.  On Sunday the 5th you will be able to enjoy Penalty Shot at both O’Brien’s and West Coast BBQ for the Women’s World Cup Final.  Both spots will also have casks of Penalty Shot coming up – I’ll post the dates on our Facebook page once they have been locked in: https://www.facebook.com/NickelBeerCompany

We’ll be doing a big draft event with our friend Scot Blair at Hamiltons in South Park on Friday, July 24th.  Right now we are planning to have 8 beers on tap including a cask of Volcan IPA, 2015 Kupfernickel Barleywine and a rare San Diego keg of the Apple Pie Ale.  I will have more details as we get closer to the event.

The very next day we will have Volcan IPA and Stonewall Stout on tap at the Races in Del Mar.  The beer will part of the San Diego Craft Beer Festival where you can get a wristband to do tasting from more than 50 breweries and you can also purchase full pints of anything on tap.  Find all of the details at: https://www.dmtc.com/calendar/detail/beer

That is your Nickel Beer News for now.  Come up and enjoy these long summer days up in the mountains and we’ll see you soon for a great Julian brewed beer.  Cheers, Tom

Hello Nickel Beer Fans!

I’ve got some new beers to tell you about and we are now having food delivered every Saturday and Sunday to the brewery.  You will be able to find some Nickel Beers down the hill this month including at the San Diego International Beer Festival.  And you have a chance to join me in the brewhouse this Sunday to help support a great cause.  Here all of the tasty details….

On Tap

This week our German-style Hefeweizen, Weekender Wheat, returned to the line-up.  This cloudy, 4.5% alcohol wheat beer is perfect for summer with aromas of banana and freshly baked bread.  It is light, refreshing and easy to drink.  It is on tap now and I expect to carry it on tap until the fall.  For you hoppy beer fans the new Dog Year IPA brewed for the Toronado’s 7th Anniversary is on tap and tasting great as is the popular Hopster Douchebag Double IPA.

On Saturday the 6th we will be pouring a keg of Chocolate Vanilla Stonewall Stout.  It has been a while since I have made one of these kegs so I do not expect it to last too long.  One of the reasons we are tapping it is because I will be brewing a Vanilla Oatmeal Stout on Sunday the 7th and you could be there to help – but more on that later.

The Candied Apple is now delivering food to the brewery every Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm to 5:30 pm.  The special brewery menu features pizzas, sandwiches and salads.  We have menus posted around the brewery.  The Candied Apple also has great pastries and apple pies.  Come hungry and thirsty to the tasting room this weekend.

Also in Julian this weekend you can enjoy our beer at the Historical Society’s Wine, Beer and Cheese Tasting at Wynola Pizza on Sunday evening from 5-8 pm.  We’ll have four beers there including Stonewall Stout, Julian Pale Ale and Weekender Wheat.  There will be cheese and snacks along with local wine.  Cost is $25.  Jeremy’s on the Hill is bringing back Fried Chicken Fridays paired up with a pint of Nickel Beer.  The chicken is delicious and goes perfectly with a pint of our beer.

Be The Brewer This Sunday!

This Sunday we are making a collaboration beer to help raise money for the Anza Borrego Foundation.  I will be making a Vanilla Oatmeal Stout on Sunday the 7th and you can be in the brewhouse with me to make the beer.  The Anza Borrego Foundation will be doing a VIP Tapping Party for the beer release on Saturday, June 27th.

The brew day this Sunday will start at 9 am and end by 2 pm.  Lunch will be included and you will get a ticket to the VIP Tapping Party and a growler of the beer to take home.  During the brew day you will be able to learn about the entire brew process and help make the beer.  For more information and to sign up to help support the ABF, please visit: http://theabf.org/events and click on the Brew Day Fundraiser up top.  This link will also take you to the sing up for the VIP Tapping Party and other ABF events including the Hikes and Hops with the Volcan Mountain Foundation in July.

Down The Hill

Tonight, Thursday the 4th, we will be tapping a cask of Hopster Douchebag Double IPA at O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa.  The cask is dry hopped with Mosaic hops.  In addition to lots of hops, the pub will be doing Nickel Beer Brat specials.  And every burger at O’Brien’s comes a Nickel Pickel on the side.  We’ll also have beers at O’Brien’s on Wednesday, June 10th as part of 3 brewery event also featuring Alpine and Rip Current.  Look for Dog Year IPA, Hopster Douchebag, nitro Stonewall Stout, Weekender Wheat and our first ever keg of nitro Habanero IPA 342 all on tap.  Get more info on O’Brien’s at: http://obrienspub.net/

Next week West Coast Barbecue and Brew in La Mesa will be hosting our beers on Thursday the 11th.  West Coast will have a cask of Hopster Douchebag and draft kegs of Dog Year IPA, nitro Filthy Paws Porter, Weekender Wheat and Highland Brown.  There will be Nickel Beer Brat and Nickel Pickel food specials all night.  Check out West Coast’s 28 tap beer selection online at: http://westcoastbbqandbrew.com/

We will have 3 beers on tap at this year’s San Diego International Beer Festival at the San Diego County Fair on June 19th, 20th and 21st.  The festival runs for 5 sessions over the 3 days and will feature more than 350 beers from around the world and all over the USA.  We are sending Jalapeno Back Country Gold, Volcan IPA and Stonewall Stout.  For complete times and ticket info, please go to:http://sandiegobeerfestival.com/

Finally, you will find our beers out at Menghini Winery for two great local events.  June 13th is The Dance with bands and dancing all day from 2 – 10 pm.  We’ll have Devil’s Copper on tap and there will even be beer from Societe Brewing Co.  The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are the headliner.  Get more info and tickets at: http://www.juliandance.org/.  Then on June 20th, we will have a full line up of beers including Back Country Gold, Weekender Wheat and Devil’s Copper at the Julian Blues Bash – http://www.robb-bowerpresents.com/.

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!

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