Welcome to the launch of The 5th Annual Sore Eye Cup, an award for the best, regularly produced indie beer in San Diego! Last year was a resounding success, Tabula Rasa from Second Chance won. That, along with the only member of the Sore Eye Cup Hall of Fame, Speedway Stout, are the only two regularly produced, indie beers ineligible for this contest. You guys set records for nominations and votes last year, well done!
We will honor the winning craft beer with an actual cup! It will be a new cup this year, I’ll post pictures when it’s ready. At the announcement party we’ll fill it up with the winning beer and the winning brewery will drink from the cup right then, as is tradition! The winners can then bask in the glory of victory and have bragging rights for an entire year.
Here are the rules: beers nominated must be brewed here in San Diego County by a licensed, independent, craft brewery. They must be beers the brewery makes year round; seasonal, special versions, one offs, nitro versions and casks are not allowed. The beers do not need to be packaged (cans or bottles), just made all year long and available for growler fills (so we can buy some to judge). We’re looking for superior indie beers that are available to everyone in SD.
Nominate your favorite beer(s) by emailing me at Sore Eye Cup, tweet me (@SoreEyeSuds) , tag your nomination #SoreEyeCup in Twitter, comment on the post in Facebook, or comment right here on this post. Nominations are open until June 30th at 8pm. Voting down to the 10 finalist beers begins July 5th and runs to July 22nd at 8pm.
The top ten beers, as voted by you, the best people on earth, will be blind tasted/judged by our panel of 10. The judges range from craft beer enthusiasts to certified cicerones. We are truly looking for the best, regularly produced indie beer San Diego has to offer. The best craft beer, as chosen by us, will be awarded the esteemed Sore Eye Cup and receive all the prestige and glory one blog can bestow upon a brewery!
There will be an awesome party on August 5th, 12pm, at Quad Alehouse to celebrate the amazing indie/craft beer culture we have in San Diego and announce the 2017 winner of the Sore Eye Cup!
Get to nominating!
Current nominations:
Beer Geek Brunch, Windy Hill, Raspberry Blush & Spells from Mikkeller SD
Dank Drank, Erotic City, Cleary Juice & Dorcha from Pariah
Aurora Hoppyalis & Mosaic Session from Karl Strauss
Black House, Blazing World, Orderville & City of the Dead from Modern Times
Java Storm & Lupulin Lust from Rip Current
Swami’s & Ponto from Pizza Port
Pugilist, Exciseman, Coachman, Heiress, Butcher, Pupil & Apprentice from Societe
Nut Brown & .394 from AleSmith
Stingray from Coronado
Alpha Mensae & The Cake is a Lie from Intergalactic
Brown & Table Beer from Benchmark
Red Barn from Lost Abbey
Shark Attack Red & Hightide from Port
Cali Creamin’, Sin Tax, ESB, Boo Koo from Mother Earth
Lot 19, Mixed Greens, Noble Miner, Dutchman’ s Pipe & Thuja from Burgeon
Crystal Mess, Green Hat, 2am Bike Ride & Plenty For All from Fall
Mulligan & Clever Hoppy Name from Second Chance
Little Brother from Bitter Brothers
Dankness Visible, Banksy, Hopmata, Rye the Lightning, Circle of Hops, Holy the Voyd & Ingsoc from Burning Beard
Hop-Fu! & Covington from North Park Beer Co
Electric Youth from Thunderhawk
Boss Pour, Mocha Stout & 5pm Session IPA from Abnormal
All the Cheater Hops & Chasing Citra from Resident
Hoptuitus, Umbirx, Habitus & Claritus from Hess
Scripps Pier Oyster Stout from South Park Brewing Co
Bully Pulpit from Council
Pennant Pale & Best Coast from 32 North
Zwicklebier, Hoppy Pils, & Shcwarzbier from Eppig
Patton Porter w/Vanilla & Rosie from Little Miss
Duet & Windows Up from Alpine
Table Beer & Oatmeal Stout from Benchmark
Willy Time Wit & Charley Hustle Red IPA from Mason Ale Works
Stoner Moment & Galaxy Rye IPA from Helix
Explorer ESB, Pure & Simple, Brewer’s Special Brown & Zumbar from
New English
#Buzzwords from Half Door
Seacoast Pils & CoastWise IPA from Corondao
Sacrifice Red IPA from Aztec
Clearly Juice DIPA and Erotic City –
Pariah Brewing Co
Thank you!
There’s a typo for Lupulin Lust from Rip Current.
Thanks, corrected
Thuja IPA – Burgeon
Thank you!
Hop-Fu! – NPBC
Thank you!
Council – Bully Pulpit
32 North – Best Coast
Monkey Paw – Bonobos
Alpine – HFS
Bully Pulpit and Best Coast will be added, Bonobos and HFS will be researched, thanks!
You forgot The Heiress from Societe and McNair’s Scottish Session from North Park.
I’ll add The Heiress. Unfortunately, McNair’s Scottish Session is not regularly produced and therefore ineligible for my contest.
Eppig Zwickelbier
thanks!
Freight Damage – Division 23 Brewing
On the list, thanks!
Dankness Visible
Banksy
Hopmata
Burning Beard
Thanks man, on the list!
Great list so far, almost none I disagree with. Let me know if you need help drinking them! I would also add:
Mike Hess: Hoptoitus, Umbrix
Rip Current: Frontside
Ironfist/Ken Schmidt: Aloha Plenty
Mother Earth: Cali’ Creamin’, Sin Tax, ESB
Culture: Brown Ale
Port Brewing: Shark Attack Red
Thank you, I’ve added the beers I know are regularly produced and will find out about the rest!
Pizza Port’s Bacon and Eggs
Hopmata IPA, Banksy ESB and Normcore Pilsner from Burning Beard Brewing!
blockhouse and city of the dead mode times, stoner moment and galaxy rye helix!