Butcher's Brew

Butcher's Brew is a brewery we have yet to try, but are ecstatic that we will be able to at Taste of Brews. I'm a foodie with an appreciation of creating and cooking everything from scratch. I'm intrigued by the process of creating things that you would normally buy pre-made without thought of what goes behind it all. Fermenting, curing, aging, pickling; these are all specific processes that involve chemical conversions that instill certain flavors along with preservation. The people behind Butcher's Brew must be the same way, for the co-owner previously had a meat curing company. They do not use their name loosely.

The Brewery: Butchers' Brewing was born out of a love for good beer and good meat. A natural progression and exploration in fermentation, it was the vision of former Knight Salumi Company owner and founder, Rey Knight. An avid home brewer who held many experiments with beer yeasts and bacteria's in salami and meat curing, Knight has unleashed his passion for brewing onto the San Diego craft beer scene. 

-Gabriel Tennberg: Raised on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai surfing and soaking up the local food and culture. Now a So-Cal resident Gabriel has carved a career in the Surfing industry, designing for brands like Billabong, Element, Hurley, and DC shoes. Also Creator of his own brand Pidgin Orange, with longtime friend Jeff Yokoyama.

-Rey Knight: With a gypsie childhood moving throughout the Pacific Northwest, farming, hunting, home brewing, and cooking. Rey Attended the CIA (Culinary institute of America) in Hyde Park New York. After which he traveled and worked his way through France back to the US, through many kitchens to hit San Diego, where he established Knight Salumi Company, a artisanal craft, chemical free cured meat shop. A natural progression in fermentation brought Rey to the brewing scene, experimenting with yeasts and bacteria. As a home brewer and not traditionally educated in the arts of brewing the techniques used to create butchers beers aren't always conventional.

Alaskan Brewery

I'm just gonna get straight to it. Alaskan Brewery was a great smoked porter. It  pours nearly black with a mocha brown head that fades quickly to a small cap in the glass. The aroma is pretty incredible, smoked wood dominates the smell but gives way to coffee grounds, chocolate, and molasses. It reminds me of summer beach bonfires. The smoke taste is a little more like a rauchbier. Hickory smoke flavor with some bitter chocolate notes. Hops are even slightly present. With all of that going on it still has a mild sweet finish, without any aspect overwhelming another. With its smooth and smokey finis, its a very drinkable beer and I had no issue of polishing off the bottle myself.

They recommend "Alaskan Smoked Porter may be enjoyed with smoked seafood, cheese and other robust foods and as an after-dinner drink. It pairs beautifully with everything from bleu cheese to vanilla ice cream and raspberries. This unique beer is also a wonderful flavoring ingredient in sauces, seafood dishes and even cheesecake." I highly recommend doing one of the pairings or just sip one all by its lonesome, it'll be great whatever you do.

Green Flash

One of the newest additions to the Taste of Brews line-up was Green Flash not too long ago.  Green Flash is one of those breweries I keep going back to because they manage to make their (at-first-glance) basic styled beers incredibly memorable. I've had the pleasure of trying their Double Stout, Hop Head Red Ale, Trippel, and West Coast IPA.

One of my favorites from Green Flash is their Double Stout. It pours a rich black with a tan head that looks like chocolate whipped cream [mmmm]. It has chocolate and coffee aromas with a subtle earthiness. But the best part is, of course, its taste. Such a rich and smooth stout, balanced by a slight smokiness from the roasted malts. Another note is that it's not overpowering. Sometimes stronger stouts can be harsh with a astringent mouthfeel, but this is not at all the case.

Another one of their greats is their Hop Head. Most red ales I've had are mellow in hops, but as the name shows, Hop Head embraces it. It poured an amber red color with a foamy head. It had a sweet, candy-like aroma with herbal hop smells. It had a refreshing citrusy taste along with some creaminess; grapefruit drizzled with caramel and a pile of hops dumped on top pushing it to an IPA level.

I'm excited to find out what they'll bring to Taste of Brews. Whatever they are, they will be delicious.