Rock & Roll Happy Hour

Wrapping up a week of non Ballast Point beers with Jeff and David from Ballast Point as they've been shocasing thier "friends" beers leading up to The Art of Beer happening on March 14th. We end with a beer that has traversed space and time to arrive in the glass we're drinking out of. Societe Brewing's The Visitor is a bright IPA that still has hits of pine with a clean and balanced finish.

With the plethora of tropical IPAs out in the market today I was surpised to see Pizza Port throw their hat in the ring with Coastin' but in true Pizza Port form they make this IPA true to style and focus on the hoppiness of their beer with a hint of tropical-ness.

It is noticably DANK in the studio and it's not because someone just dropped by the dispensary. It's because Jeff & David from Ballast Point brought in the brand new Hazy IPA from Coronado Brewing called Hazy Weekend. Adding to their "Weekend" line up of beers this hazy is exactly what you would imagine a Hazy Weekend in San Diego tasting like.

Another day that Jeff from Ballast Point, didn't bring an Ballast Point beer! Instead we sip Fall Brewing's Tora! Japanese Lager and talk about how Fall's can art really seperates them from every other 6-pack.

It's been too long since we've seen Jeff from Ballast Point in the studio, this week he drops in to talk about the upcoming Art of Beer showcase happening at Ballast Point Little Italy. The crazy thing is, this whole event is based around some of San Diego's oldest and more storied breweries and Ballast Point isn't even pouring thier own beer for it! We start things off with an offering from Karl Strauss and thier Hard Cherry Cola with packs a HUGE cherry cola flavor in an 5% AVB beverage.

MItchell from Smile Spirts hit it a few times this last week. Smile Spirts is like a vacation in a can, something that could have only been spawned in San Diego. Smile Spirits Pineapple Orange Voda Soda is what a San Diego vacation would taste like if you put it in a cocktail. A perfect blend of Pineapple and Orange with that signature Smile light carbonation and zero alcohol burn will envoke visions of palm trees, perfect beaches and the outline of our toolbox skyline at sunset.

It's one of the most iconic cocktials that is also the most simple, a Cranberry Voda Soda from Smile Spirits delievers on expectations you'd have from any bartnender in your favorite spot in town.

It's a dangerous proposition putting "Spicy" on a cocktail because you can instantly cut your audience in half but for Smile Spirits it's almost a dare beacuse once you try their Spicy Vodka Mule you'll understand why there was never a regular vodka mule for them. Huge aroma of green jalapenos with that same fresh green flavor and ZERO heat or warmth!

With the San Diego sunshine (most of the time) it's hard to beat this go-to Smile Spirits cocktail, Lemonade Tea is the perfect mixture of Black Tea with Lemonade with just the right amount of carbonation. At 7% ABV this does not drink like it!

Mitchell from Smile Spirits is back! As we get into spring time, there is no time like now to get into Smile Spirits. Bringing good news of more distribution in 2026, we start with an instant classic that was suppose to be a "season beverage" their Smile Espresso Martini.

Viscus is the best way to describe todays beer. At 18% ABV Gravitas Infinitum has it's own gravitational pull. Aged for three months in bourbon barrels pulled out, then agaed again in fresh bourbon barels, then agaed again in even more fresh bourbon barrels. Finally finished with Tahitian vanilla for the perfect ending the day or blasting off into the next 10 years.

Winslow from Pure Project loves his barrel program and you can taste the passion in the glass! Today showing off their Deja Fruit Barrel Aged Sour with Nectarines and Strata hops. What makes this farmouse saison truly uinique is the once-used necatrines that offer up a very subtle addition of flavor along with the light hop addition.

Toasting to ten years of Pure Project with another Anniversary beer you'll find on tap this weekend. Going back to the "murk" with Planetary Alignement Murky IPA, is like sipping a tropical drink in paradise. Big pineapple and mango flavors with subtle hints of orange peel.

Winslow from Pure Project drops a bomb on how many Pure Project beers will be on tap during thier Anniversary party on Saturday. It's no surprise they can feature 50 plus beers when they are constatly dropping seasonals like today's West Cost Pale called Sun Rays Like Stilts. Taking it's name from Tommy Guerrro the beer, like the song drifts on like a cloud on a calm breeze. Aromas of resin, citrus hit upfront while it instantly cleans up making way to the crushable Pale Ale on the back end.

Just another reason why its near impossible for a San Diego craft beer fan to completely make it through a "dry January," this weekend finds Pure Project celebrating their 10th Anniversary! All week Winslow from Pure Project joins us in the studio to talk about what you'll find on tap this weekend including today's beer, The Force West Coast Pilsner, brewed using an experimenal hop to showcase a bright citrusy yet peachy-pine profile with a light crips malt backbone.

After a week of celebration O'Brien's Tion weekend, its here! Only one beer can mark this mometious occation and that's a blend that Russian River and the O'Brien's crew put together for O'Brien's 25th Anniversary, say 'Hello' to Ovation and say 'Goodbye' if you miss it because the last kegs of it are on tap this weekend!

It is without a doubt the Grand Poobah for out of market IPAs, Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder is like a mark of honor at San Diego watering holes. Due to their strict policies on how their beer should be handeld, you'll only find it on tap in places that have high standards of excellence in their beers and O'Brien's is one of those spots! In fact outside of their Tion weekend its one of the few spots in town where you can almost all the time find it on tap.

O'Brien's Tion Weekend approaches and while it hightlights Russian River's "Tion" beers, the brewery also has a wide range of styles outside of their speciality Belgians. Today I get to try my first Russian River Hazy IPA and from what I already know about the brewrey it 100% lives up to expectations

Russian River is known for it's IPA's from the Pliny family to one of the most OG Blind Pig, there's a flavor for everyone! Blind Pig IPA is one of my favorites because of it's brite almost "lemony" notes and it's ties back to the San Diego beer scene that Tom Nickel from O'Brien's does a fanstic job in explaning!

Kicking off the 32nd Anniversary for O'Brien's their Tion Weekend is upon us! Celebrating one of the more storied Califronia breweries Russian River makes a wide variety of well known hoppy beers as well as Belgian inspiried styles all bearing a name ending in "Tion." We'll get into one of the more rare beers on tap today with Beatification that is naturally fermented from their "Cool Ship" in Windsor.

BONUS BEER! They couldn't help themselves, after wrappign with Treevana our friends from Burgeon Beer decided to crack open a bonus beer after the Rebelution started playing. Lagoon View gives us a great counterpoint to the Campsite IPA we tried earlier in the week. Beefing up the body and ABV allows the brewers to venture off into the world of new hop products to give you that consistent Burgeon thumbprint of huge flavor up front with a clean finish.

Tomorrow is the big Burgeon 9th Anniversary party so we wrap the week with one of their flagship beers, Treevana IPA. Big flavor, bright citrus aroma and some where between old school and new school bitterness...it's no surprise why this is Melody's favorite beer of all time.

Stripping it down to the basics of a Burgeon Hazy IPA! Moonlit encompasses everything that is being free outdoors and of course in true Burgeon style it's light an very crushable. Drinking this Double Dry Hoppy Hazy my have you asking, "did I really see a butt on the can, or was it my imagination?"

We've all heard of KISS, Keep it Simple, Stupid. That is exactly what Burgeon Beer does with this resurected classic! Campfire IPA is at its most simple; the best most flora hops, grains and yeast. I truly enjoyable sip after sip, simple IPA that big on flavor and crushable without beating you over the head with too much of anyone thing...you might said it's perfect for when you're sitting around the campfire in the company of the people you enjoy the most.

One of the things that makes the Burgeon Beer 9th Anniversary party so special is all the guest brewers they intive to pour at the event. Some even stick around for a collab brew day! Today Mel and Tori brought a brand new collab with Cannonball Creek Brewing that just hit shelves in time for the Anniverary! Beware this beer will fool your mind because nothing that smells this dank should be this crushable.

It's going to be a beautiful warm week and a stellar weekend for Burgeon Beer to celebrate their 9th Anniversary! All week Tori and Mel join us in the studio to talk about beer, community and music. We start our journey together with an iconic beer for San Diego, Carlsbad Crush, light, bright, citrusy and infintely crushable!

It was a tropical blast in the studio from the moment Erik from Good Pressure Brewing craked the top on the growler. Huge aromas of guava and oranged bast your senses and that rolls right into the taste!

We FINALLY got to the IPA from Good Pressure Brewing! Althought visison of yesterday's Blonde still dance on my taste buds, this IPA stands up! IF a San Diego IPA history lesson could be poured in a glass this would be in, color similar to a the legendary Green Flash West Coast IPA but a body and bitterness profile that is more in-line with what IPA drinkers now enjoy.

Part of starting a brewery is knowing what you want to be known for, for Erik at Good Pressure Brewing it's a beer he's been constantly building in his head for the last 15 years. Say "hello" to Good Pressure Brewing Blonde, a beer that grabs the best parts of multiple categories to make one ridiculously drinkable all day kind of beer.

Two things Erik from Good Pressure Brewing likes to focus on are drinkability and having options for all, with today's Limeade Hard Seltzer he demonstrates both! An easy drinking 5% AVB Hard Seltzer with real lime makes this a very "Zippy" beverage on tap and a great selection for any non-beer drinker that finds their way into the taproom.

Wrapping up Last Call for 2025 with a brewery to watch for 2026! Started by Erik and his wife, Good Pressure Brewing in Grantville is cranking out great vibes and great beers to serve East County and their local nbhd. This week we'll get into this new spot that just opended thier doors at the start of December and we'll start with a traditional German Pilsner.

Santa Tom brought a stocking stuffer! A bonus beer he brought out after our last tasting. Taking a trip down south to La Cerveceria Minerva for their Stout that hits with flavors that you can't find in San Diego.

It's only fitting since in the past Tomme Arthur held down Beer Santa responsiblities that Tom Nickel brings a Lost Abbey beer to end the week of Santa Tom's Christmas Beers. A rich barrel aged Old Ale that delievers on big dark fruit charactereists and a lot of booze. A great beer to age or as Tom puts it, gift to a friend and then invite yourself over when they open the bottle.

This is the absolute MUST HAVE Belgian Christmas Ale. It's the liquid form of fruit cake; full bodied, furity with zesty season aromas, St Bernardus Christmas Ale is the perfect co-pilot for holiday adventures just mind the ABV.

Santa Tom is upping his game again for our hump-day Wednesday! Showcasing what expert barreling can do to an already amazing stout, pouring out Nickel Beer's 12th Anniversary Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.

Santa Tom Nickel is back with more Christmas cheer from across the pond! A legendary brewery Huyghe Brewry in Melle, Belgium that's known from it's pink elephants on the bottle of Delirium gives us this amped up version of the infamous Belgian blonde with Delirium Noel. Smooth and full of dark fruit flavors it's hard to beleive that this beer hits at 10% AVB.

It's holiday beer time and Tom Nickel aka Santa Tom has swung in with his best wears from O'Brien's and Nickel Beer Company! All week he's making the yule time beery with choice slections like this perfect San Diego Christmas beer from Brasserie Dupot called Avec Les Bon Voeux. Intense aroma of ripe banana with a hint of citrus and baking spices.

Breathe deep of the terroir of El Cajon! Naturally fermented from the Burning Beard Cool Ship, In Praise of Flanders is the Beard's answer to other more syurpy flanders, the tiny bubbles and cherry sweetness dance on your palate with a subtle earthiness that can only be East County.

It's back and perfect for the holidays! Burning Beard has a fresh batch of Banksy ESB on tab for all the Extra Special B.....Peoples. As Jeff put's it, "Its an English hug that's perfect along side your Spotted Dick."

This is one of those few moments where we get to drink that last of a beer. Created for Wet Hop season, Burning Beard's Wet Hop Dankness is a super sticky-icky, weed-adjacent IPA that will wreck your tastebuds and have you begging for me. Now that I'm thinking of it, I probably did you a favor drinking the last of it!

IYKTYK, there is a secret menu at Burning Beard! Today's beer is one you won't find on the menu but if you talk to your beer-tenders at the Beard they may have let you in on the secret. Brain Damange is a blend of two different Hazy IPAs. But, blending wasn't always welcome at the Beard, Jeff talks about exactly how this once forbidden practice became a flavor playground.

Back after a long Thanksgiving week with our friends from Burning Beard! This weekend they are kicking off a three day benifit at the brewery; Friday and Saturday Punk Rock Saves Christmas and Sunday Hip Hop Saves Christmas! We get into the nitty-gritty over a often overlooked Germanic style of beer called Sticke with Something Sticke In My Eye.

A perfect way to end a great week of NA beers from Athletic Brewing! With the holiday season it can be difficult to satisfy that "winter wamer" category with a Non-alcoholic option, but Athletic nails it with their Winter Wonder Winter Warmer!

Being a memeber has it's benifits with Athletic Brewing, like today's hoppy monster Triple Palm Triple Hopped IPA. Today Chris, John and Chris brought a memebers only beer that will have hop-heads asking, "how quickly can you sign me up?"

I've always said drinking beer for a good cause is the best reason to drink beer. Well Athletic Brewing takes that a step further, so I can drink beer for a good cause and have it be a little better for me because its non-alcoholic! Every year Athletic partners with Yakima Chief Hops and a armed services orginization to creat a beer that gives back to our military heroes. The beer is called Ready Front IPA and this years beer is second to none!

Music and collabs are in the very blood of Athletic Brewing, so it was an easy partnership for Althetic and The Warpped Tour to collab on a Hoppy Pale Ale called Side Stage. Bright citrus flavors with a hint of citrus and tropical hop flavors all balanced with a clean finish will have you asking your self, "are you sure this is a NA beer?"

Coming down from San Diego Craft beer week it seemed like a good idea to take a break from beer. But, I didn't want to take a break from beer so I invited the crew from Athletic Brewing to showcase what they've been working on in Beer-amar! With 5 days of non-alcoholic beers to get into, Johnn, Chris and Chris started in easy with their Golden called Upside Dawn.

Tom was gushing over what he called one of his most perfect beers while we were talking about DDH Pliny the Elder and as soon as we fired off into Tom Waits, he pulled out a bottle of Russian River's Shadow of A Doubt. Sit back and relax as he breaks down why this is only one of three beers he wouldn't do anything to change.

There's a lot of San Diego connections with Russian River including one part owner that calls Julian home. So, they make it a priority that The Pub at Lake Cuyamaca is always stocked with Russian River beer, more so this week as for SDBW they are featuring the Santa Rosa Brewery! One of the special beers on tap include this double dry hopped version of Pliny the Elder.

San Diego Beer Week is a tribute to the camaraderie amongs brewers from San Diego and beyond! Tonight O'Brien's celebrates that was a night to Kern River Brewing and friends! Lots of like-minded hop-forward brewers coming together to share the passion of their craft. Tom has brought one of the beers that fits into the bill, a collab with Brandon from SanDiegoBeer.News and McIlhenny Brewing called Highest Five IPA.

Leave it to San Diego to have an oddity like being home to possibly the only Schaerbeek Cheery grove outside of Belgium. Chad who's behind Lyon's Peak Brewing has painstakingly bought them to Jamul to focus on one time of beer, the Handgeplukte Kriek.