San Diego... land of sun and surf, palm trees and excellent IPAs. We planned a February trip from Portland in pursuit of some vitamin D, sand between our toes and crafts brews. Little did we know we would weather the worst storm in the last 10 years.
Luckily, we had a beer adventure to take our minds off the weather. After fortifying ourselves with fish tacos (South Beach Bar and Grille in Ocean Beach boasts the best and was recommended by Mr. and Mrs. EyeLuvBeer), we headed to our first brewery: Modern Times. Nestled among strip clubs and industrial buildings, there is no sign for this Brewery, just Google map's reassurance it is here somewhere. When we entered into the spacious brewery, we were pleasantly surprised by the amazing decor...a bar built out of old hardback books, a mural "painted' with sticky notes, and a wall mosaic of comic book pages all warmly illuminated. The friendly greeting we received was followed by a taster tray of excellent beers - those of note being the "Hoppy Tropical Wheat" which would be perfect for a HOT day with its lightness and citrusy hops and the "Black House Coffee Roast Stout" which is brewed from coffee roasted onsite and has a tag line "taste the OCD". Brunch anyone? We finished with a special pour of Monsters Park Imperial Stout. Boozy yet smooth at 10% ABV. We inquired about buying their beer as we eyed towers of empty cans in the brewery, but they were sold out! No "Blazing World Hoppy Dark Amber" for us to warm those rainy San Diego nights.
Alas, it was time to move on. We selected Acoustic Brewing, located in the shadows of the long defunct Mission Brewery. Acoustic has a cigar room,
