5 to Try: Beer+Food = Beerfood

2011-01-25 · By San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau

If you haven’t heard, San Diego brewersare pretty much kicking Heineken these days in the craft beer scene as they continue to pump out award-winning brews and take home coveted titles like “World’s Best.” Our beer is so tasty, that local restaurants and brewpubs have joined in on the fun and are rounding out their menus with beer-infused foods to compliment our sophisticated beer palates.

Some of my beer food favorites include:

Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park – the oldest beer and wine licensed establishment in San Diego serving tasty pub food with a twist because almost every menu item is made with beer! Highlights include Hop Sausages (house-made sausages, made with hop leaves), Beer Cheese Soup, Beer Candy and beer marinated chicken wings.
Karl Strauss, multiple locations in San Diego – the largest craft brewery in the county offering a core lineup of beers, plus a variety of specialty seasonal beers. Beer food items include Lemon Hef Chicken, Beer Brined Pork Chops, Big Beer Burger, Beer Battered Fish and Chips and my personal favorite, a Beer Float made with vanilla bean ice cream, dark chocolate and Red Trolley Ale.
Pubcakes – beer infused cupcakes, enough said. Flavors range from Cup O’ Hefen, Irish Carbomb and Punkin’ Vegan and incorporate everything from stout to hefeweizen. Cupcakes can be ordered online or at Toronado in North Park, Tipsy Crow in Gaslamp Quarter and at KNB Wine Cellars locations.
Pizza Port in Solana Beach, Carlsbad, San Clemente and Ocean Beach – as if pizza and beer didn’t go together well enough, Pizza Port took it one step further with avariety of pizzas made to order on thier signature wholegrain beer crust. My personal favorite is the Pizza Carlsbad – pesto, chicken, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta.
Stone Brewery Co. in Escondido – recognized as one of the best breweries in the United States due to their famed, strong character beers. Inside the brewing company is the delicious Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurant that serves a rotating, organic menu of high-end comfort food. And because Stone beer is just that good, many of the menu items include beer, like the Spud Buds mashed potatoes, Mac n’ Beer Cheese, Brewer’s Barley Cracker Bread, Stone Smoked Porter meats and more.