San Diego brewers take on big boys

Several North County microbreweries are hoping to carve their niche into the beer industry much like Samuel Adams and Pete’s Wicked did in the early 1990s by battling giants like Miller, Coors and Anheuser-Busch, it was reported today.

Northern San Diego County is getting such fame for its microbreweries that state Highway 78 between Oceanside and Escondido has been called a “near- mystical route for visiting breweries” by Food & Wine Magazine in its June issue.

The North County Times says several local breweries launched in the past couple of years have already built up steady following. One microbrewery has expanded its distribution to the East Coast, and several have brought home top honors from national competitions.

The Brewers Association named Port Brewing as the nation’s best small brewing company for 2007. The association named Alesmith Brewing Co., in San Diego’s Miramar neighborhood, as the best small brewery last year.

Beer Advocate magazine called the Stone Brewing Co. the “best brewery on earth” in December and rated Five Stone beers among its top 25. The region’s brews are known for their varied and frequently aggressive use of hops, the flower cones from a plant in the hemp family, which gives some beers a tart or bitter flavor.

Labels on Green Flash Imperial IPA, from a brewery in Vista, describe the beer as a “San Diego-style IPA.” North County brewers credit San Diego’s Karl Stauss brewery and a range of other brew pubs with first exposing local drinkers to new varieties, including porter, a dark, chocolaty ale; India pale ale, which is lighter and heavily hopped; and all manner of beers with hints of strawberry, orange and other fruits.

The variety has multiplied since then. Local beer lists now include Stone Brewing Co.’s Cali-Belgique IPA, an India pale ale that is hoppy and vaguely fruity; and Port Brewing Co’s Lost Abbey Ten Commandments, a reddish ale that contains raisin puree and 9 percent alcohol. Paul Gatza, executive director of the Brewers Association, and several local breweries told the North County Times much of the region’s success comes from sharing ideas.

Most carry one another’s beers in their tasting rooms and bars. Stone has even developed and brewed several varieties in cooperation with other breweries.

“It’s like the music scene,” Greg Koch, co-founder of the Stone Brewing Co., told the North County Times. “Sometimes you just get this vibe that’s going in a region and you sort of play off each other.”

Tags: SDNN

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