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Who is Mike Hess? Mike Hess Brewing of San Diego has quickly risen to be one of the most respected breweries on the California West Coast. Beer Hawk have just started stocking its award-winning beers. Here are the highlights The plaudits speak for themselves: World Beer Cup Winner 2016 Gold Award for the Claritas Kölsch and voted San Diego’s Best Brewery, which is quite saying something when you are up against Green Flash, Ballast Point, Modern Times, Stone and AleSmith. So what is it about Mike Hess, a newcomer to British shores at least, that has caught the beer world’s attention? Mike Hess was started by, you’ve guessed it, Mike Hess back in 2010. Amazingly, this was the 33rd brewery to open in the city. Mike himself was a homebrewer for some 15 years, before making the jump to become a commercial ‘nano brewer’.
Mike Hess Brewing of San Diego has quickly risen to be one of the most respected breweries on the California West Coast. Beer Hawk have just started stocking its award-winning beers. Here are the highlights
The plaudits speak for themselves: World Beer Cup Winner 2016 Gold Award for the Claritas Kölsch and voted San Diego’s Best Brewery, which is quite saying something when you are up against Green Flash, Ballast Point, Modern Times, Stone and AleSmith. So what is it about Mike Hess, a newcomer to British shores at least, that has caught the beer world’s attention?
Mike Hess was started by, you’ve guessed it, Mike Hess back in 2010. Amazingly, this was the 33rd brewery to open in the city. Mike himself was a homebrewer for some 15 years, before making the jump to become a commercial ‘nano brewer’.
The plaudits speak for themselves: World Beer Cup Winner 2016 Gold Award for the Claritas Kölsch< and voted San Diego’s Best Brewery, which is quite saying something when you are up against Green Flash, Ballast Point, Modern Times, Stone and AleSmith. So what is it about Mike Hess, a newcomer to British shores at least, that has caught the beer world’s attention?
Mike Hess was started by, you’ve guessed it, Mike Hess back in 2010. Amazingly, this was the 33rd brewery to open in the city. Mike himself was a homebrewer for some 15 years, before making the jump to become a commercial ‘nano brewer’. It was an immediate success, selling out all the beer at the opening day party (they then had to close the tap room for two weeks to replenish stock).
Today, Mike Hess Brewing employs 20 full-time staff and 12 part-time staff across three San Diego sites. It has been a heady rise even by craft beer standards. This is partly down to the great tap room experience, but mostly the exceptionally high quality of its beer. The mantra is: “Our mission is to brew great beer. No exceptions. No excuses.” And that’s what it delivers, superlative beers brewed to style. The Thornbridge of USA perhaps. Mike Hess / Habitus Rye IPA / 8%One of San Diego’s premier craft breweries, Mike Hess Brewing proves that good things come in small packages. This comparatively small brewery made big noise by winning gold for their Habitus Double Rye IPA at the 2014 World Beer Cup. Piney, citrusy and spicy, this high-gravity DIPA is a surprisingly drinkable beer.
Mike Hess / Grazias Vienna Cream / 5.4%We love a Vienna lager, a style that is smooth and showcases a malt characteristic, plus a subtle hop aroma. It’s also surprisingly dark. This beer is all about balance, and Mike Hess Grazias is masterful. A wonderful, wonderful beer.
Mike Hess / 8 West / 6%8 West is an Orange Honey Wheat beer and if that’s not sunshine in a glass we don’t know what is. It is even named after the road to the Pacific shores of San Diego. It’s brewed with local orange peel and loads of pure California orange-blossom honey, resulting in a smooth, crisp taste.
If you’re not already into craft beer then hopefully you’re thinking about it but may not know where to start, so if that’s the case then I’ve got a suggestion: start with Belgian beer as that’s exactly where my adventure began.
Father’s Day, 16th June 2019, is the special date in the calendar when we celebrate and give a nod to the Dads in our lives. It’s an excuse to spoil them with a little something to say thank you for being awesome. If you’re looking for inspiration for a craft beer -loving Dad, then check out our top 10 Father’s Day craft beer gifts.
If you find yourself reading this, it’s probably for one of two reasons. Either you’ve made the sound decision and invested in a Phillips PerfectDraft Machine and want to learn more about it; or it could be that you’re still on the fence and are asking yourself “Should I buy a PerfectDraft?”. Hopefully this nifty little guide will put your mind at ease and quell any doubts or concerns you have.
In case you missed the explosion of teddy bears and chocolate roses love is apparently in the air. And while you’ve been trying to decide on the perfect Valentine gift for other half this year, we've been busy scouring the shelves for the most tenuous Valentine’s Day-related beers we could find. Enjoy.
Mashing in is the process that extracts all the fermentable sugars from the malt. It's one of the most important steps for all-grain brewing and here's how to do it.
