Kings of Beer

Perhaps the fastest growing trend in craft beer is the low-cal, low-carb
brew. Firestone Walker is heavily promoting its Flyjack (4% alcohol by
volume, 96 calories, 5 grams of carbohydrates) but, as much as I respect
that powerhouse’s brewing chops, I prefer Thorn Brewing’s Treading
Lightly (4.3%, 104 calories, 2.9 grams of carbohydrates).

While neither is a full-bodied IPA, Treading Lightly’s extra alcohol and

calories deliver a more rounded, satisfying beer. Amarillo and Citra hops
supply fresh grapefruit aromas and enough flavor to make you forget that
this is a “light” beer.

Numerous local markets stock six-packs of Treading Lightly and it’s on tap
at the brewery’s Barrio Logan and North Park tasting rooms.

Homebrew Con
This June, San Diego County homebrewers should feel right at home in
Nashville. The Tennessee city will host the 42nd annual Homebrew Con, a
three-day convention that ends with June 20’s National Homebrew
Competition, a contest that usually ends with numerous San Diegans
wearing medals. (Last year, locals took six.)

Registration opens March 10 at homebrewcon.org; first round judging

begins March 13.

By Peter Rowe
Feb. 27, 2020
5 AM
Melvin, We Hardly Knew Ye
The hop-forward beers of Melvin — the Alpine, Wyo., brewery that opened
an East Village brewpub in late 2018 — seemed perfect in hop-happy San
Diego.

Melvin’s public image? Not so perfect.

Shortly before opening here, the brewery suffered a self-inflicted black eye
when an employee was accused of groping a waitress at a Bellingham,
Wash., brewery. This amplified earlier complaints that Melvin’s home pub
had a testosterone-soaked culture that discouraged female patronage.

“I really can’t say if that had any effect,” said Max Clough, Melvin’s
interim CEO, who closed the San Diego brewpub on Feb. 15. “But honestly
I did not have any feedback on that from San Diego.”
Beaumont Bulletin
I spoke with Stephen Beaumont before he addressed this week’s VIBE
(Very Important Beverage Executives) conference at La Costa, and mined
my notes for gems that were included in an earlier story. But I reserved
one Beaumont bon mot for this column: the Toronto-based beer writer’s
take on the emotional reaction when a local brewery sells to a multi-
national corporation.

“People are invested in their favorite brewery,” Beaumont said, “because

they’ve spent years saying, ‘We’re the small guy and we are struggling
against the multi-national.’”

It rings hollow when the authors of a David vs. Goliath narrative turn
around and insist this has become a happy tale of David & Goliath Inc.

Beer-ography
An occasional tip sheer for the beer-savvy traveler.

Destination: Pittsburgh

Date: Friday and Saturday

Why: The Pittsburgh Beerfest. Many of the 125 breweries pouring are
Eastern and Midwestern stars we Left Coasters rarely see (although Green
Flash, Mother Earth and Stone will be there.) Tickets at the door of the
David Lawrence Convention Center are $55-$95. Info:
pittsburghbeerfest.com.

Side trips: Once a grimy steel town, Pittsburgh now boasts vibrant
waterfronts, crack universities, hip art scenes and thriving craft beer
industry. Church Brew Works, 3525 Liberty Ave., is one of the country’s
best-known beer bars. Near this Catholic church is Hop Farm Brewing with
its popular Berliner weisse, Margot. East End and Helltown breweries also
have rabid followings, but the retro-chic crowd flocks to Pittsburgh
Brewing for its mediocre but locally celebrated Iron City Beer.