What’s new in brew for January

The beer landscape is always changing in San Diego. Here’s a look at what’s new on the brew scene (and a couple of events) in January.

Do me a flavor: New beers to cheers

Break Line Traditional Bock

Would you believe the best American version of a traditional German bock is brewed in ... San Marcos? Two consecutive gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival deem that statement a cold, hard fact. Rather than question, head to one of Rip Current Brewing’s pair of tasting rooms and experience it for yourself. One of the finest lagers in a town awash in ales, it’s a focused beer that tastes like beer, with a mild sweet breadiness balanced beautifully by Old World hops. Prost!

Rip Current Brewing Company, 1325 Grand Ave., #100, San Marcos; 4101 30th St., North Park , ripcurrentbrewing.com

Sweet Ride

The gold medal-winning best Bohemian-style pilsner in the country is brewed by O-side’s Bagby Beer Company. Order one, experience the crisp, clean, yet flavorful (are those ... yes, they are ... HOPS!) taste and be prepared never to go back to humdrum lawnmower beer.

Bagby Beer Company, 601 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside, bagbybeer.com

Let’s go to the hops: January beer events

Jan. 7 | San Diego Brew Fest

A beer festival just one week into the New Year. What took so long?!?! Start the ’17 suds-sipping year off with a bang at this alfresco event bringing together droves of brewers elated to finally be over their NYE hangovers.

Noon, NTC Park, 2455 Cushing Road, Liberty Station, Point Loma, sandiegobeerfest.com

Jan. 22 | Family Dinner

Chef-turned-brewery-owner “Bitter” Bill Warnke likes pairing new beers with old taste buds. Join him at his tasting room with extended members of the Bitter Brotherhood hailing from various local restaurants for a (bitter)sweet supper!

5 p.m. Bitter Brothers Brewing Company, 4170 Morena Blvd., Bay Ho, bitterbrothers.com

Coming to a head: What’s new in brew or coming soon

There’s a new avenue for entry into the local brewing scene. Conceived by local developer H.G. Fenton, a pair of Brewery Igniter campuses in Miramar and North Park provide leasable, ready-to-brew facilities complete with cold storage and tasting rooms, allowing ale entrepreneurs to test out their biz concepts without the initial outlay for construction and machinery. It has proved so successful that a third Brewery Igniter is on tap for El Camino Real (near Faraday Avenue) in Carlsbad. Meet its soon-to-be tenants ...

Rouleur Brewing Company

Sharing its name with sure-tired French cyclists, this interest will roll into existence from a homebrewing owner who is making the jump to the pros with the assistance of a world-class international brewery consultant. His aim is create beers that are alternative versions of popular styles such as blonde, golden strong and India pale ales that trade convention and guidelines for adventurousness.

5840 El Camino Real, Suite 101, Carlsbad, rouleurbrewing.com

Wiseguy Brewing Company

Another homebrewer of the award-winning variety is taking up the second suite in the new complex and aiming to come in big with a beachy aesthetic and plenty of hoppy beer to really drive it home. It will be like being in San Diego ... uh, wait. Look for numerous IPAs plus a bevy of Germanic beers - altbier, doppelbock, schwarzbier, dunkelweizen. It will be like being in Berlin, but in San Diego. That’s more like it.

5840 El Camino Real, Suite 100, Carlsbad, wiseguybrewing.com

More...

Meet your brewer: Nick Ceniceros