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

Forecast calls for Lightning, new beers

Lightning Sauerstrom Ale with house-made raspberry syrup added to the mix
Lightning Sauerstrom Ale with house-made raspberry syrup added to the mix

Breweries all run at their own pace. Some introduce new beers every month or, in the case of some nano-breweries, every week. Meanwhile, others focus on core beers and maybe a few seasonals that are just as reliable. Because San Diego beer drinkers are presented with so many new offerings from the prolific types and new brewing companies opening at an unprecedented rate, they grow a bit bored with the same old, same old, regardless of how good the same old might be.

One of the most regimented San Diego brewing companies is Lightning Brewery (13200 Kirkham Way, Poway). Owner and brewmaster Jim Crute has been putting out arguably the best locally produced year-round pilsner and hefeweizen for over half a decade, but his is largely a predictable line-up. Last year, he introduced two new beers, a double India pale ale called Double Strike IPA, and a Berliner Weisse dubbed Sauerstrom.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Both beers were two of the best I’ve had from the Poweigan brewery, so I’m glad to report that Crute re-released Sauerstrom over the weekend. There aren’t many Berliner Weisse producers in San Diego, but it’s a lovely light-bodied style of beer made slightly sour via Lactobacillus, that works beautifully with San Diego’s trademark sunny weather. Crute goes the extra mile to ensure the beer’s authenticity by offering house-made raspberry syrup as a mix-in, just as they do in Deutschland, the beer’s country of origin.

But Crute’s not stopping there. He has two completely new beers in the works. The first is a biere de miel, which translates to honey beer. His is a hefeweizen fermented with honey and aged in French oak. That 8% ABV wheat ale will be available starting May 25. Next up is an anniversary ale designed specifically for the beeriest spot in East County, Main Tap Tavern (518 East Main Street, El Cajon). That will be an imperial red Crute says will bring “the three Bs of great beer”: big, bold, bitter.

Crute also has two special tap offerings on at his tasting room. The first is his Black Lightning Porter, a highly hopped robust porter, aged in American artisanal whiskey barrels. Then there’s Electrostatic Ale, a Belgian-style strong ale given extra character from French oak Chardonnay barrels. Speaking of the tasting room, it’s now open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. (the same hours as Saturdays). Added hours and added beers. It's good to see both from this operation.

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

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Lightning Sauerstrom Ale with house-made raspberry syrup added to the mix
Lightning Sauerstrom Ale with house-made raspberry syrup added to the mix

Breweries all run at their own pace. Some introduce new beers every month or, in the case of some nano-breweries, every week. Meanwhile, others focus on core beers and maybe a few seasonals that are just as reliable. Because San Diego beer drinkers are presented with so many new offerings from the prolific types and new brewing companies opening at an unprecedented rate, they grow a bit bored with the same old, same old, regardless of how good the same old might be.

One of the most regimented San Diego brewing companies is Lightning Brewery (13200 Kirkham Way, Poway). Owner and brewmaster Jim Crute has been putting out arguably the best locally produced year-round pilsner and hefeweizen for over half a decade, but his is largely a predictable line-up. Last year, he introduced two new beers, a double India pale ale called Double Strike IPA, and a Berliner Weisse dubbed Sauerstrom.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Both beers were two of the best I’ve had from the Poweigan brewery, so I’m glad to report that Crute re-released Sauerstrom over the weekend. There aren’t many Berliner Weisse producers in San Diego, but it’s a lovely light-bodied style of beer made slightly sour via Lactobacillus, that works beautifully with San Diego’s trademark sunny weather. Crute goes the extra mile to ensure the beer’s authenticity by offering house-made raspberry syrup as a mix-in, just as they do in Deutschland, the beer’s country of origin.

But Crute’s not stopping there. He has two completely new beers in the works. The first is a biere de miel, which translates to honey beer. His is a hefeweizen fermented with honey and aged in French oak. That 8% ABV wheat ale will be available starting May 25. Next up is an anniversary ale designed specifically for the beeriest spot in East County, Main Tap Tavern (518 East Main Street, El Cajon). That will be an imperial red Crute says will bring “the three Bs of great beer”: big, bold, bitter.

Crute also has two special tap offerings on at his tasting room. The first is his Black Lightning Porter, a highly hopped robust porter, aged in American artisanal whiskey barrels. Then there’s Electrostatic Ale, a Belgian-style strong ale given extra character from French oak Chardonnay barrels. Speaking of the tasting room, it’s now open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. (the same hours as Saturdays). Added hours and added beers. It's good to see both from this operation.

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

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Next Article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Comments
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.