Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Beer Week Basics: New English

An English lesson or, more aptly, a lesson in New English, as in San Diego's New English Brewing Company.

The first three businesses I focused on in my five-part series on local breweries in honor of San Diego Beer Week were pretty well known. Still, I thought it was important for those just catching the craft beer bug to get the details on why they’ve become as popular as they are. Today, however, my focus shifts to a company that has experienced impressive growth during each of its years in business, yet hasn’t attained household name status. That company is: New English Brewing Company.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/28/34493/

The Basics: The formula at this four-year-old operation is simple: an Englishman bringing the English ales of his homeland to residents of his current homeland. That’s the idea that drove former engineer Simon Lacey to go into the brewing business, and what continues to drive him to this day. Originally, he was a brewer without a brewhouse, and brewed his beers on a rented system at Five Points’ Mission Brewery Plaza. This year, Lacey made a big step forward when he opened his very own production facility near his home in Sorrento Valley. That space is very much the product of his own elbow grease, and includes a tasting bar equipped with dual beer engines for doling out creamy, heady pints that would pass muster at the public houses where he first learned to love the beers he is now devoted to doing justice.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/28/34496/

The Beers: Lacey is very happy with the taste and composition of his beers, and he should be. They are, as he set out to accomplish, akin to those one would find across the pond. While praiseworthy, oddly enough, that may be the chief reason New English’s growth has been slower than that of other brewing companies to hit the scene in the past decade. English ales are, by and large, much milder, rounder, and breadier than the typically aggressive, sharp, and hoppy products flowing from local breweries. Long story short—there’s a disconnect between what Lacey’s producing and the average San Diego drinkers’ palate.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/28/34497/

That said, as beer drinkers’ knowledge and experience rise, so too will their thirst for something different, something more. With so many beer-crazy people in America’s Finest City, it’s easy to forget that, in reality, we’re still in the very early stages of the craft beer movement. There’s a place for Lacey’s balanced-versus-overly-botanical Trooper’s Tipple India Pale Ale, and mildly delicious Explorer ESB. While IPA is a popular acronym, most people don’t even know what ESB stands for. The answer is Extra Special Bitter, and New English’s ESB is, indeed, extra special, as is its Brewers Special Brown Ale, which is actually far more flavorful than most brown ales being produced in San Diego and, in my humble opinion, the best brown in town.

One More Round: Though his is one of the tightest local beer line-ups with three year-round beers, Lacey also produces seasonal brews that are worth a taste and befitting the times of year during which they are released. These include his refreshing Why Not? Wheat, and Pacific Storm Stout, which is available from now into winter.

Whereabouts: You won’t see New English (11545 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 305, Sorrento Valley) driving by the business park in which it resides. Pull in and head to the east side of the parking lot for a taste of what Lacey has on tap. Be sure to get something room temperature and velveteen on the palate from the beer engine.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room

The first three businesses I focused on in my five-part series on local breweries in honor of San Diego Beer Week were pretty well known. Still, I thought it was important for those just catching the craft beer bug to get the details on why they’ve become as popular as they are. Today, however, my focus shifts to a company that has experienced impressive growth during each of its years in business, yet hasn’t attained household name status. That company is: New English Brewing Company.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/28/34493/

The Basics: The formula at this four-year-old operation is simple: an Englishman bringing the English ales of his homeland to residents of his current homeland. That’s the idea that drove former engineer Simon Lacey to go into the brewing business, and what continues to drive him to this day. Originally, he was a brewer without a brewhouse, and brewed his beers on a rented system at Five Points’ Mission Brewery Plaza. This year, Lacey made a big step forward when he opened his very own production facility near his home in Sorrento Valley. That space is very much the product of his own elbow grease, and includes a tasting bar equipped with dual beer engines for doling out creamy, heady pints that would pass muster at the public houses where he first learned to love the beers he is now devoted to doing justice.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/28/34496/

The Beers: Lacey is very happy with the taste and composition of his beers, and he should be. They are, as he set out to accomplish, akin to those one would find across the pond. While praiseworthy, oddly enough, that may be the chief reason New English’s growth has been slower than that of other brewing companies to hit the scene in the past decade. English ales are, by and large, much milder, rounder, and breadier than the typically aggressive, sharp, and hoppy products flowing from local breweries. Long story short—there’s a disconnect between what Lacey’s producing and the average San Diego drinkers’ palate.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/28/34497/

That said, as beer drinkers’ knowledge and experience rise, so too will their thirst for something different, something more. With so many beer-crazy people in America’s Finest City, it’s easy to forget that, in reality, we’re still in the very early stages of the craft beer movement. There’s a place for Lacey’s balanced-versus-overly-botanical Trooper’s Tipple India Pale Ale, and mildly delicious Explorer ESB. While IPA is a popular acronym, most people don’t even know what ESB stands for. The answer is Extra Special Bitter, and New English’s ESB is, indeed, extra special, as is its Brewers Special Brown Ale, which is actually far more flavorful than most brown ales being produced in San Diego and, in my humble opinion, the best brown in town.

One More Round: Though his is one of the tightest local beer line-ups with three year-round beers, Lacey also produces seasonal brews that are worth a taste and befitting the times of year during which they are released. These include his refreshing Why Not? Wheat, and Pacific Storm Stout, which is available from now into winter.

Whereabouts: You won’t see New English (11545 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 305, Sorrento Valley) driving by the business park in which it resides. Pull in and head to the east side of the parking lot for a taste of what Lacey has on tap. Be sure to get something room temperature and velveteen on the palate from the beer engine.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.