Cheers: Local Beer News Roundup

There is also a lot of beer news, and so much gets missed every week. Here is your monthly round-up of updates from around the region.

• The PakTech Recycling Program has been expanding. You can now drop off yours at all four Burgeon Beer locations. Paktechs are the plastic can-holders on your favorite craft four or six packs. I stopped by Burgeon’s Carlsbad location to drop off mine and have an Invitados, which was a really enjoyable amber Mexican lager. Read more about the Brewcycling Collaborative recycling effort in previous Cheers! columns here and here.

  

• Rouleur Brewing Company’s Preston Bewley completed the 7-day, 545-mile Aids/Life Cycle road bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The ride raises monies to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center to provide free HIV/AIDS medical care, testing, and prevention services. The raised $17,783,136 in 2022, alone. Since its inception, the ride has raised more than $300,000,000. Congrats to all the riders, and a loud shout-out to Preston, Rouleur, and Team Cretins for their efforts.
• The SD Brewer’s Guild is celebrating 25 years of beer. Last weekend marked the release of specialty beers brewed with the Guild’s ZAMBA hop blend and 25th-anniversary glassware. Head to your favorite Guild member (or all your favorite Guild members) to try their version of the anniversary beer. The ZAMBA hop blend is known for its tropical, tangerine, and stone fruit flavors. Purchases of the special release beer and glassware help raise funds for the SD Brewer’s Guild.
• Event alert: Aztec Brewing Company’s Video Game Music Festival is returning June 24-25th. Two full days of video game-inspired bands. Tickets range from $20-40.
• Black Plague Brewing is celebrating its 5th anniversary with special beer releases, including a 4-hop pale ale collaboration with June Lake Brewing. Congrats to the team at Black Plague for reaching this milestone. I’ll attempt five kick-flips in your honor—and land zero.
• Belching Beaver Brewery recently represented San Diego on the other side of the Earth. They won four big awards at the 2022 Australian International Beer Awards, including Champion International Beer, Best Specialty Flavored Beer, and Other Flavored Specialty Beer for Viva La Beaver, their Mexican Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout. The fourth was for American Style India Pale Ale for their No Worries IPA.

  
• Cutwater Spirits is also bringing awards back to the county. They won California Distillery of the year and RTD (Ready-To-Drink) Producer of the Year at the New York International Spirits competition.
• Jacked Up Brewery, Backyard Brewery and San Diego Sunshine Craft Spirits are co-hosting the 5th Annual Homebrew Competition. Register at any of the three locations, and get to work. This year’s categories are Session or “Lawnmower” Pale Ale, Fruit Beer—Hazy or Wheat, Scottish Wee Heavy Ale, and Stout or Porter. Awards ceremonies will be held July 31st at Jacked Up Brewery in Escondido.
• In their latest collaboration effort, Karl Strauss Brewing has teamed up with hard kombucha makers Boochcraft to make their first beer infused with tea and botanicals. Considering Karl Strauss been brewing for more than 30 years, it’s pretty amazing there are still firsts to cross off its beer brewing list. “When Worlds Collide” is a grapefruit-hibiscus IPA blended with black tea and ginger. The beer will be released on June 23rd for a limited time
• Finally, this weekend is Father’s Day. I have very distinct memories of my father running home from the restaurant he owned to tuck my brothers and me in at night. I remember the scent that enveloped him as he leaned over to wish me good night. It was imprinted on my brain, and even now, it gives me the feeling of safety and comfort. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized the smell was from his evening whiskey cocktail.In honor of my father, maybe skip the tie and pick up any bottle from Pacific Coast Spirits and get a free branded rawhide flask with your purchase. The offer is available June 17 to June 19 at Pacific Coast Spirits location in Oceanside.

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