So closes another year for this rambunctious, punk-rock loving, beer drinking group of land-lovers. Ye Scallywag! presented by 91X at the Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego brought the inner teenager out of me…but THIS TIME there was beer!

Growing up in San Diego, 91X was one of the main radio stations you could listen to on the local airwaves during your morning commute to work or school, in my case, and this festival brought me right back to the good ol’ 1990s! There is just something so uniquely joyous about the music of this decade that it really does feel, in my opinion, as it were only yesterday. Though, if someone were to tell me that the 90s were over 20 years ago, I would pop them straight in the mouth for being so unbelievably right!

Many of us Scallywags were treated to unlimited samples from over 100 beers on tap including specialty brews and other limited releases, plus music from bands such as Strung-Out, The Vandals, Lagwagon, and Pennywise to close out the night, in unison, with their timeless song “Bro Hymn.”

There was much ground to cover for this event, so here are some of the highlights from the day in a two-part segment we would like to call “Under The Tent”

UNDER THE TENT: BEERS OF YE SCALLYWAG!

LOST COAST BREWING

Its not every day you get to sample beers from anywhere but your local breweries so we were fortunate enough to host our brothers from northern California, Lost Coast Brewing. Making their voyage down from Eureka, Ca they have partnered with the headlining band Pennywise to bring us the flavors of punk rock in a very drinkable Session IPA.

Pennywiser, with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 4.8%, can keep this band of misfit scallywags playing music longer and ALSO keep the beer pouring without being anchored down too quickly. Derek from Lost Coast Brewing was gracious enough to chat with us on this collaboration and reveals where you can find Pennywiser at a store near you.

FALL BREWING COMPANY

We started off our day talking to Larry and his crew over at Fall Brewing Company. Located on 30th Avenue between Monroe and Madison Street in North Park, this is one of my favorite local spots to hit up on a night out. Its warehouse-style arrangement is nice and spacious, beer selection has a good rotation going, AND it’s dog-friendly which is a great upside for me!

Their Weekend Pirate IPA had big hop flavors mixed with a sweet, tropical aroma that made for an easy drinking experience. At an ABV of 6.6%, it was pungent enough to shiver your timbers but not enough to pillage your booty and make you walk the plank… See? Teenage potty humor made me do it!

Fall Brewing will be hosting an awesome event celebrating Dia De Los Muertos, which translates to Day of the Dead, on November 2nd, 2017. Stay tuned for a future podcast where we will be updating you on this event and more!

THR3E PUNK ALES BREWING CO.

Next we headed over to hang out with the newest punks in beer town: Steve, John, and Kevin from 3 Punk Ales Brewing Company. Theirs is the most recent brewery to come out of the #southbayuprising movement down in my Alma Mater of Chula Vista, Ca and it has already become a local town favorite. Located in the downtown district on Third Avenue between Davidson and F Street, it is the first brewery of its kind to break ground on this historic part of the city… literally! Go check them out and see what I mean for yourself!

At this point in the day I wanted to try something a little more boisterous and hard-hitting so I went with their Needle in the Hey Double IPA. With an ABV of 8.5%, a few of these will definitely give you sea legs and knock you on yer arse… but it tastes so good once it hits your lips! The sweetness of the wheat malt and the bitterness of the rye create a complex flavor combination that goes down smooth and silky.

LATITUDE 33

We then made our way to a brewery from my current neck of the woods, Latitude 33 Brewing from Vista, Ca.

If you haven’t already tried their Blood Orange IPA, I highly suggest you go and pick up a six pack at your local liquor store. It’s a crisp, refreshing, citrus flavored IPA that doesn’t drink like it has an ABV of 7.2% but it definitely has bite. This beer is a personal go-to favorite of mine for any occasion, so I was glad to come back through this line a couple of times throughout the day! By the time I first got there, they had run out of their Mangoveza IPA, which is one of the newest additions to their menu, but you should look for that too!

They are located 1430 Vantage Ct off of Poinsettia Avenue and Linda Vista Drive by the skate park. If THAT doesn’t get you punks’ attention, I don’t know what will.

BOOZE BROTHERS BREWING CO.

Keeping with the theme of the day, Booze Brothers Brewing Company was next on our mini tour of north county San Diego breweries. Every time I think of a pirate ship I picture huge sails emblazoned with the iconic Jolly Roger and a crow’s nest peeking up slightly above them, so I decided to tighten my boot straps and try their Crow Jane IPA. There is a hint of pineapple flavor that gives this beer an island-like characteristic when blended with the hoppy bitterness of this brew. It is a little on the darker side, but at an ABV of 6.2% it doesn’t drink like it.

They are located 2545 Progress Street in Vista, near the intersection of Poinsettia Avenue and La Mirada Drive. Stop by their tasting room where they are known to host some live music from time to time!

BARLEY FORGE BREWING CO.

X marks the spot for our last stop on our scavenbeer hunt (yes, I have now coined this term) with our friends from Costa Mesa, Ca at Barley Forge Brewing Company. What first drew me into this tent was the Mexican Lottery style art they had representing each of their beers. Since it was toward the end of our day, I thought I would review two of their beers so I tried their mango hefeweizen, Nom Nom, and their new coconut rye stout The Patsy.

Nom Nom: This refreshingly delicious wheat beer was a great way to end the evening and dance off into the sunset. It has an ABV of 5.8% which is a bit on the stronger side of the average hefeweizen but kept the same drinkability profile and body that we are all used to.

The Patsy: Wow! This beer blew me away! I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this combination at first, but man was I impressed! The coconut flavoring wasn’t too overpowering, the bitterness of the rye came through just right, and the body of the stout was creamy without being too thick. ABV for this one was 6.6%

Overall, these guys were as classy as the picture suggests and so are the beers in their repertoire. Ahoy Mateys! Time for some music!