Societe Brewing’s first anniversary party happened last weekend and I had a great time. Last September I toured the brewery and was instantly impressed with Societe’s beers, tasting room, owners and staff. They are truly in the upper echelon of craft beer companies in San Diego and therefore the world.
For a ticket cost of $30 you received a great commemorative glass and unlimited pours of Societe’s great beers. They did not over sell the event (I attended the first session on Saturday) which was very appreciated. I attend parties like this where you cannot move around easily but this was not the case here. There was pizza, Mastiff Sausage Truck and deserts to purchase if you wanted something to stuff yourself with. I was starting into the cold that I’m currently suffering from on the day of the event so I didn’t drink it up much, but it would have taken an army to keep me away from 3 beers I had never tried from these guys.
I started with the Publican. Listed as an American Pale Ale, this beer is as close to a session IPA as I expect Travis and Doug to get. It was hoppy and delicious, refreshing and crisp; this beer should be available in pitchers at the tasting room.
The Pugilist 1/2 filled my glass next. On the first sip, I had one of those truly rare moments when a burst of happiness comes from your mouth, nose and brain simultaneously. In the movie of my life, as I lifted the glass off the bar the shot slipped into slow motion and zoomed into the glass. As the beer touches my lips there’s uplifting music and perfect ray of sun shine refracting off the glass. This magical beverage from the gods better sell a lot so it becomes a regular member of the tap list.
The new Societe beer roundup concludes with a 1/2 glass of the Roustabout. A giant, West Coast, double IPA. It was everything you’d expect; great but not overpowering malt, amazing earthy middle with good mouth feel, and a big bitter finish. This beer will definitely not be around all the time so get there now to try it.
Even though I’ve had it several times before, I cannot emphasize how great the Mosaic hop version of the Bachelor is. If you are a fan of deep, earthy, fresh hop taste in your IPAs you better get to Societe very, very soon before this one is gone.
One cool thing outside of beer and food was an old timey photo booth setup with props for everyone to enjoy. Here are links to those pictures: Session 1: http://goo.gl/knwyh – Session 2: http://goo.gl/NSTCH – Session 3: http://goo.gl/XISQH – Session 4: http://goo.gl/JXRmY . I had a blast, the crowd was friendly and happy, the event was ran professionally, and all ended well.
To get some overall background on the brewery, check out Societe Brewing Through Sore Eyes, written after that initial tour last year. My friend and fellow beer blogger, Tom at Hoptology, wrote a great article about the anniversary party as well, have a read.
Cheers to Societe Brewing on a very successful first year!
