It was early Thursday morning when the Tap & Cheer team decided, on a whim, to hit the road and head South to celebrate San Diego’s Beer Week with friends. With 96 craft breweries (and growing) and over 191 restaurants and pubs that serve craft beer on tap, we thought, how could we go wrong? Little did we (or our livers) know just what we were getting ourselves into.
We opted not to take the conventional way down via I-5 and instead cruised the Northern route so we could hit Temecula. Only an hour outside San Diego, Temecula Valley is home to more than 30 wineries. What most people don’t know is that it is also a booming hot spot for new craft breweries.
We stopped for lunch at Crush & Brew, an artisan restaurant and vibrant tasting bar focused solely on featuring locally crafted beer and wine, nestled between historical buildings on Old Town’s charming Front Street. Crème faiche Caesar flat bread, a Crush Burger with red onion marmalade, and a corned beef Reuben with Arrogant Bastard ale mustard were devoured while sipping on wine and brews created only miles away.
Here is to all the hard-working winemakers around the world who have been known to say, “It takes a lot of beer to make great wine!” Next stop: San Diego!
